Little girl in a wheelchair gets her very own matching Elf on the Shelf, created by mom

Stella was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), causing her to need a wheelchair. When she received her first Barbie, also in a wheelchair, her mother Samantha Lackey saw a spark in her self-esteem, according to Good Morning America. So as Christmas time rolled in this year, Lackey decided to take a classic holiday tradition…

Heather Wake

Dec 24, 2021

Photo credit: Instagram – @stronglikestella on Instagram

Stella was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), causing her to need a wheelchair.

When she received her first Barbie, also in a wheelchair, her mother Samantha Lackey saw a spark in her self-esteem, according to Good Morning America.

So as Christmas time rolled in this year, Lackey decided to take a classic holiday tradition and give it a creative, more inclusive spin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6G7hbgu_m/

And thus, Bean, Stella’s Elf on the Shelf, became a wheelchair user as well.

With his purple chair and bright pink foot holders, Bean is practically Stella’s twin. And having the best time.

Stella and Bean even share the same activities, like rock climbing

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW9NI7pA4s_/

Stella regularly climbs the rock wall while at occupational therapy. And with a few craft supplies, Bean climbs too!

Or using a G-tube

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXEptTsveRh/

Lackey shared on Instagram that Stella has since moved on from her gastronomy tube, but still had some leftover syringes.

Being an elf, Bean, of course, is supplemented with hot cocoa.

And winter time pool parties

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXCFHgPggeB/

So. Many. Floaties.

Just all around embracing the finer things in life

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXrKIgXA3hW/

The caption “sELF care Sunday” is just too clever not to share.

Bean also helps Samantha speak up for the disabled community…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1zyoSP0il/

Lackey often posts her clever Bean pics alongside informational—and inspiring—captions, like this one:

“Did you know the disabled community makes up 25% of the worlds population. Making it the largest minority group in the world AND one that you can join at any point in your life. We’ve learned how important representation is to raising a daughter with a disability. We’ve also seen how immensely UNDER represented disability really is in our lives. REAL disability, not Drake in a wheelchair (?) We, as allies need to do better for the generations we’re raising. Normalize disability. Have conversations. Grow relationships. Fight for equal rights and pay. Amplify voices. Focus on mental health.”

…making big topics elf-sized

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXZeyEMPMfd/

Lackey shared with GMA that starting a conversation about disability can be overwhelming, especially for parents who never grew up needing to have them. So starting small, with toys and books that better normalize disability, makes the subject easier to approach, both for kids and parents.

It might be a “silly little tradition,” but after seeing the immensely positive impact it has had for Stella, Lackey calls the decision a “no-brainer.”

“We make it a lot harder on ourselves,” Lackey told GMA. “If we start with small conversations, whether it be Elf on the Shelf or inclusive toys or a character in a book that they see, or on their favorite TV show, that’s just going to help a future generation be inclusive and be kind and be good humans.”

Christmas, 2022?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX1WyXpgdYU/

As for whether or not Lackey plans for Bean to return next Christmas, she’s already let folks on Instagram know that, yes, he will definitely be making a comeback. Perhaps next time, “with pyrotechnics—who knows?”You can follow Stella, Bean, Samantha, and all their holiday shenanigans on Instagram by following @stronglikestella.

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In Partnership With Habitat For Humanity →

Homeowners celebrate the completion of their new home in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff.

Culture, Family

A safe, stable home can change lives for the better. Here’s how Habitat for Humanity wants to make that possible for everyone.

Better health, better jobs, and a brighter future all start with access to a safe, affordable home.

Sarah Watts

3/25/2026
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.

Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.

Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.

Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
- Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
- Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
- Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
- Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
- Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today.
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Photo credit: @beavanzulu/TikTok, used with permission – Beavan Zulu performs emo-fied songs for his grandfather's surgery.

Culture, Pop Culture

Singer raises $40K for his grandpa’s surgery by turning pop songs into ’emo’ epics

“I took a leap of faith.”

Heather Wake

4/27/2026

When Los Angeles-based actor and singer Beavan Zulu found out his grandfather in Zambia was in urgent need of expensive medical treatment, he knew he’d do whatever he could to help…including singing emo covers of decidedly not-emo songs.

As Zulu explained, his grandfather, Mr. Rebby Malekani Chanda, required a type of surgery for his heart condition that isn’t provided in Zambia. The closest available area that could provide such treatment was in India, over 4,000 miles away. But Zulu’s family was already financially tapped out from Mr. Chanda’s previous medical care costs.

However, Zulu was determined to get his grandfather the help he needed.

@beavanzulu
Please help in any way you can and INTERACT!!! https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mr-malekani-get-lifesaving-heart-surgery #gofundme
♬ original sound – user16850017189

“I love my grandpa so much, and he deserves this care.”

Faced with this daunting financial hurdle, Zulu could have simply shared the GoFundMe created by his family. Instead, he leaned into something a little more personal, with a lot more attitude. Not to mention makeshift sideswept bangs.

Rather than simply ask for donations, Zulu wanted to get creative with his fundraising and put his singing skills to good use. That’s when he remembered entertaining his high school with an emo rendition of “Let it Go” from Disney’s Frozen. It worked once…it could work again, right?

“I took a leap of faith and posted the first video not thinking anything crazy would come from it,” Zulu recalled with Upworthy.

@beavanzulu
Let’s save my grandpa!! Comment your fav Disney movie and tag @Idina Menzel so she can give me some pointers 🥴 #cover #disney
♬ original sound – Beavan Zulu

That leap of faith paid off, literally

Millions leaned into all of Zulu’s whiny, dramatic emoisms and commitment to eyeliner energy. Exceeding all expectations, Zulu received all of his $40K goal in a matter of four days.

That’s right, only three songs were sung (including “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan, Zula’s personal favorite) before making all the money necessary to not only cover Mr. Chanda’s surgery and travel, but also tickets so that Zulu and his family could go be there with him during recovery. Turns out, if you sing like your heart is breaking while asking people to help fix your grandfather’s heart, people listen.

@beavanzulu
HOLY COW Y’ALL ARE THE BEST!! 😭 alright tell me in the comments where you would travel internationally with @Emirates @KLM Royal Dutch Airlines @fly.ethiopian @GoFundMe #cover #disney
♬ original sound – Beavan Zulu

As a thank you, Zulu sang one extra bonus: “Fireflies” by Owl City.

Zulu shared with Upworthy, “My biggest takeaway is that with good faith, fun, and trust in yourself and your community, anything is possible. The Internet can really be a scary place, especially now, but it also grants us access to the world community and with the right intention, that community can really uplift you tenfold when you most need it.”

@beavanzulu
This is probably the peak of my year THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!!! Comment what bug you’d HATE to see 10 million of #cover #fireflies 🐞🐛
♬ original sound – Beavan Zulu

Even in such a difficult time, Zulu leaned into joy, and it inspired complete strangers to rally for his cause. Sure, the fun nostalgia helped, but him putting his whole heart out on the line is what moved people. Laughter, music, and love really are wonderful tools for creating miracles.

Or, said a different way: even if we are all chronically online, people will still show up for sincerity, especially when it comes with a side of dramatic vocals and perfectly timed angst.

Be sure to give Zulu a follow to watch even more amazing emo covers (at the time of this writing, we’re up to six iconic songs featuring side bangs and fingerless gloves).

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Photo credit: Instagram, Inside the Actors Studio, Canva – Robin Williams makes a woman laugh until she cries in interview clip.

Culture, Pop Culture

A woman’s outrageously infectious laugh once left Robin Williams mesmerized during his own interview

“The best kinds of people are those who strive to make people happy and laugh.”

Cecily Knobler

4/27/2026

Comedian Robin Williams never seemed to stop his lifelong quest to make people laugh. He succeeded so often that it must have simply felt like second nature to him. It was almost as if all he had to do was just wave a magic wand and poof! Laughter.

This gift seemed to appear to Williams as a child, and he carried it with him most of his life. So when he heard the uproarious chuckles of one woman in the audience of an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio, he couldn’t help but become the conductor of his own little laughter orchestra.

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A post shared by History Clips Only (@historyclipsonly)

On the History Clips Only Instagram page, a Reel is captioned, “Robin Williams paused his interview after hearing a woman laugh – only to make her laugh harder.” In the clip, Lipton brings up the phrase “legalized insanity” as a term he says Williams has used in order to help people “understand” him. This is followed by a loud giggle in the audience that immediately captures Williams’ attention.

Lipton asks, “What is legalized insanity?” Williams leans in, and just as he’s about to answer, he seems to hear the woman in the audience scream-laughing. He leans back in his chair as though he’s being possessed by a demon. He then gets up and shimmies toward the laughter with a silly dance, while exclaiming, “You know you want it!”

The woman, in a sea of laughter, stands out even more. She is now screeching. And the louder she gets, the more infectious it seems for the rest of the audience. He sits back down and says to Lipton, “I think that’s one example.”

Screenshot

Her laugh becomes like staccato little yelps of joy. Williams gets up again and asks, “Are you okay?” We now see the face of the woman laughing in the audience, her cheeks glowing bright red. She covers her mouth as we see her eyes shut tighter with every guffaw. Williams can’t help himself. He too begins to laugh and tells her, “It’s okay. It’s alright.”

But now the entire audience is in the palm of his hand, as they so often were. He switches gears and pretends to be a preacher with a southern accent. “Baby Jesus loves you,” he yells twice, to an applause break. “I know you believe! I’m gonna lay my hands on you, but first I’m gonna do this!”

Now the woman decides to take part. “I believe,” she yells back. “I believe in the power!” He continues, “I’d lay my hands on you, but first, first, I’ve got to do THIS. A lot of times, people know the reverend will do that!” He then returns to his seat as the crowd continues going wild.

We get a shot of the woman again, now wiping away tears of pure joy from her bright face.

A woman laughing during a Robin Williams interview. Photo Credit: @historyclipsonly, Instagram, Canva

As was so often the case with Williams, people responded to the joy he brought much of the world with accolades. The clip has nearly a quarter of a million likes and over a thousand comments.

One Instagrammer writes, “Laughing so good that you get a personal Robin Williams monologue is a life win.”

Another shares a similar sentiment: “The best kinds of people are those who strive to make people happy and laugh. Robin did exactly that, making others happy before himself. RIP to a legend.”

Someone who claims to have done the makeup for Williams in that particular segment shared, “Okay, so I was very lucky on that day since I had the honor of doing Robin Williams’ makeup on that particular segment. I had worked inside the Actors Studio for approximately 12 years. He was by far one of the most talented and the most humble. We lost a beautiful gift. RIP.”

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Photo credit: @fiercefitnessty/TikTok – Ms. Stephanie bringing it at her hip-hop class.

Culture, Identity

77-year-old ‘hip-hop granny’ impresses and inspires with her dance moves

Ms. Stephanie didn’t even start formal dance lessons until she was almost 30.

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

4/27/2026

Stephanie Walsh isn’t your average hip-hop dancer. At 77, “Ms. Stephanie” is still able to hold her own on the dance floor, popping and locking with people a third of her age, and she loves it. When you see her dance (and her enviable muscle tone) you might think she’d been a trained dancer all her life. But in actuality, she didn’t take any formal dance lessons until she was almost 30.

She didn’t start dancing until she was almost 30

Walsh told Growing Bolder, an active lifestyle brand, that she had wanted her daughter to dance when she was little, so she got her ballet lessons, which the daughter hated. Realizing that dancing was her dream and not her daughter’s, Walsh took her kiddo out of ballet and started classes herself right away. She had always loved to dance and developing her skills only led to more and more dancing.

These days, Ms. Stephanie gets her dance moves on at Fusion Fitness, where she encourages people to “dance like EVERYONE is watching.” One video of her dancing at Fusion has gone viral multiple times, and it’s easy to see why. Check this out:

@fiercefitnessty
Reposting this video of Ms.Stephanie & I since it going viral again. This video will always be a vibe. One thing Ms.Stephanie and I created was magic. We dance from our hearts. My classes are always about creating a Fierce vibe for everyone to show up and show out! . #fiercefitness #dancefit #fiercefitnessty #hiphopfitness #fyp #viral
♬ original sound – Fierce Fitness Ty

“Reposting this video of Ms.Stephanie & I since it going viral again,” shared @fiercefitnessty on TikTok in 2023. “This video will always be a vibe. One thing Ms.Stephanie and I created was magic. We dance from our hearts. My classes are always about creating a Fierce vibe for everyone to show up and show out!”

It’s not just the dancing. It’s the intensity. It’s the full presence in the moment in her face and in her movements. She’s there for it, and she brings everybody with her.

“It’s the “I’m a badass” facial expression for me! ” wrote one commenter on Facebook.

“I dislocated my shoulder just watching that ” shared another.

“She can throw it back like the rest of them. You go girl!” shared another.

Dancing has kept her going through the hard times

Walsh shared that dancing has helped her get through many difficult periods in her life.

View this post on Instagram

A few years later, Ms. Stephanie is still thriving and dancing. She even has a fan page dedicated to her on Instagram, with posts from as recently as May 2025 showing she’s still doing what she loves:

Love it when people prove that age truly is just a number!

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Photo by Alfonso Navarro on Unsplash – When dumpsters become gold mines.

Culture, Pop Culture

A mechanic found hundreds of canvases in a dumpster. Now, they’re worth millions.

One man’s trash is literally another man’s treasure.

Heather Wake

Upworthy Staff

4/27/2026

An odd trinket bought at a thrift shop turns out to be a bona fide antique. A small fortune is found stashed inside a piece of furniture on the side of the road. These are the magical jackpot moments that seem almost too good to be true, and yet, real stories like these keep the hope alive in our hearts.

In September 2017, auto mechanic Jared Whipple received a call from a friend about an abandoned barn in Watertown, Connecticut, filled with several large canvases, each with bold, colorful displays of car parts. Considering Whipple’s line of work and his general love for vintage items, the friend thought the artwork would be of interest to him.

By the time Whipple arrived on the site, all the pieces had been disposed of into a dumpster (next stop: landfill) and were covered in debris and mold. Luckily, each was individually wrapped in plastic.

View this post on Instagram

Curious, Whipple began to unwrap a few of the canvases to get a better look.

Four years of research to solve a mystery

Not only were they in good condition, but the quality of art was impeccable. Whipple immediately wanted to know more about the creator of these lovely works, but the answers didn’t come easy. In fact, the research ended up taking Whipple four years, but here’s what he found:

View this post on Instagram

Who was Francis Hines?

The works were created by Francis Mattson Hines, and he wasn’t exactly a no name. According to the Mattatuck Museum, Hines’ big claim to fame was weaving giant pieces of diaphanous fabrics around the Washington Square Arch in geometric patterns back in 1980. Though his story was publicly recognized in books and documentaries, much of Hines’ fame had diminished by the time of his death in 2016, hence the less-than-fruitful Google search.

“Not only was this artist a ‘someone,’ but he was even more well known in the New York art world than we could ever have imagined,” said Whipple.

View this post on Instagram

From dumpster to gallery walls

In 2022, Whipple collaborated with art gallery Hollis Taggart to give Hines’ work the proper respect and celebration it deserves. According to CT Insider, the gallery and Whipple set up a large exhibit in both Southport, Connecticut, and New York City that ran from May 5-June 11, 2022. Each one showcased 35 to 40 pieces, which were all available for sale.

And just how much did a Francis Hines piece go for? CT Insider also spoke with art curator and historian Peter Hastings Falk, who estimated that his drawings could go for $4,500, and wrapped paintings around $22,000. This makes the entire collection, comprised of hundreds of pieces, worth millions of dollars.

That’s right. What nearly went into a trash heap is now valued as a mega fortune.

Go ahead. Pick up your jaw from the floor and read that again.

Of course, selling the art isn’t Whipple’s main focus. In addition to keeping some pieces for himself that he fell in love with, Whipple aims to work with major galleries in New York to establish Francis Hines as “a significant artist of the 20th and 21st century.”

The mechanic-turned-art-dealer told CT Insider his new purpose “is to get Hines into the history books.”

View this post on Instagram

Since the exhibitions have been over, images of the art pieces are now housed on Hollis Taggart’s website where viewers can check them out and even inquire about pieces that are still available.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Image via Canva – A man works from his laptop while relaxing on a cruise ship

Culture, Pop Culture

Man lives on a cruise ship 300 days a year for the same cost as renting in Florida

He’s spending less while spending more and more time cruising.

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

4/26/2026

Living permanently on a cruise ship seems like a dream of the uber-wealthy. You spend your days lounging on the deck by the pool or touring an exotic location. Nights are spent dancing in the nightclub or enjoying live entertainment. You no longer have to worry about traffic, cooking or laundry. Your life has become all-inclusive as long as you’re on board.

At Upworthy, we’ve shared the stories of a handful of people who’ve been able to spend their lives on a permanent cruise because they’ve figured out how to do so affordably. Or, at least, at about the same cost of living on land. Insider featured the fantastic story of Ryan Gutridge, who spends about 300 nights a year living on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. He only leaves the ship for a few weeks a year during the holidays.

Ryan Gutridge hat 2021 begonnen, auf einem Kreuzfahrtschiff der Royal Caribbean im "Homeoffice" zu arbeiten. https://t.co/uRFeduHG65
— Business Insider Leben (@bi_leben) August 10, 2023

Gutridge works in IT as an engineer for a cloud solution provider and can do his full-time job right from the ship. “I do meetings in the morning and afternoons, but I can also go to lunch and socialize or meet people at the gym,” he tells Insider. “I’ve even met people that I stay in contact with and that have come back and cruised on this ship with me multiple times since.”

Gutridge says that living and working on a cruise ship has improved his mental health. “Working from home was isolating. I don’t have kids or pets, so it’s easy to become somewhat introverted, but cruising has really helped and made me a lot more social,” he says.

So, how does he afford life on a permanent vacation?

How does he afford to live on a cruise ship?

“I have a spreadsheet that automatically records all my expenses, which helps. I also set a budget every year,” he says. “This year, my base fare budget is about $30,000, and last year when I started really looking at the numbers and evaluating how much base fare I paid to be on a ship for 300 nights, I found it was almost neck-and-neck with what I paid for rent and trash service for an apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.”

Currently, the average price for a one-bedroom apartment in Fort Lauderdale is around $2,245 a month, which would cost roughly $27,000 a year.

The secret to making it work long term

Gutridge believes that the key to living on the ship affordably is loyalty programs. He found he was spending less each year thanks to his loyalty status, even as he spent more time cruising.

“Now, because I cruise so often with Royal Caribbean, I’ve moved up in its loyalty program. My drinks and internet are free. If people are going to do something like what I do, I recommend trying different brands because they all offer something different. But once you commit to one, you should stick to it so you reach those loyalty levels,” he says.

When he’s not on the ship, he makes doctor and dentist appointments and spends time with his friends. Then, it’s back on the high seas, where he has a routine. Monday through Friday, he works, eats healthy, and goes to the gym. On the weekends he’ll let loose and have a few drinks.

If the ship arrives at a location he enjoys, he’ll take a PTO day from work and go sightseeing.

“I have a strong relationship with the crew on this ship,” he says. “It’s become a big family, and I don’t want to rebuild those relationships on another ship, I joke that I have 1,300 roommates.” Eventually, Gutridge wants to get rid of his apartment and sell his car, so his primary residence is a Royal Caribbean ship.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: via Evey Winters/Facebook – A selfie camera can distort how you look in real life.

Culture, Pop Culture

Simple photography lesson shows why selfies distort how you really look

Don’t be fooled!

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

4/26/2026

We’ve all done it: You snap a selfie, look at it, say, “OMG is my nose swollen?” then try again from a different angle. “Wait, now my forehead looks weird. And what’s up with my chin?” You keep trying various angles and distances, trying to get a picture that looks like how you remember yourself looking. Whether you finally land on one or not, you walk away from the experience wondering which photo actually looks like the “real” you.

I do this, even as a 40-something-year-old who is quite comfortable with the face I see in the mirror. So, it makes me cringe imagining a tween or teen, who likely take a lot more selfies than I do, questioning their facial features based on those snapshots. When I’m wondering why my facial features look weird in selfies it’s because I know my face well enough to know that’s not what it looks like. However, when a young person whose face is changing rapidly sees their facial features distorted in a photo, they may come to all kinds of wrong conclusions about what they actually look like.

Not that it should matter, of course. But we’re talking about people living in a society obsessed with personal appearance. It’s going to matter to a lot of people, and if they get the wrong impression of their face, some people will go to all sorts of lengths to change it. That’s why understanding a bit about how focal lengths on cameras can impact what we see in photographs is vital.

Why do I look different in selfies?

Writer Evey Winters shared some of that education in a post on Facebook. She writes about this topic through a trans and dysmorphia lens, but it applies to everyone.

Winters points out that if someone is thinking of doing surgery to change their bodies, they should seek sources outside of themselves and a cellphone camera.

“I have dysmorphia and recognize that in myself,” she wrote, “but even if I didn’t, there’s not a selfie I’ve ever taken that would accurately help me make choices about my face. Mirrors are slightly better only for their minimal distortions.”

Why do people look different in selfies?

“Almost any photo taken of you with a commonly available cell phone without additional equipment will not display anything approaching an accurate summation of you but an artistic rendering of what the camera is able to capture,” she continued. “Cameras are not people. People don’t freeze frames of time for all eternity down to the pixel and automatically enhance certain features like the darkness of pores and fine lines in your skin.”

“If you want the best chance at getting good feedback pre-op about what you might want to change,” she added, “I’d recommend a skilled photographer take a series of photos of you at different focal lengths and even then none of these will be entirely accurate as none of these employ humans’ binocular vision and filtering.”

A group of friends taking a selfie. Photo credit: Canva

One collage that proves your selfie camera is lying to you

Winters shared a collage of photos of the same girl’s face at different focal lengths to show the significant difference it makes. “Notice how in different photos this child’s eyes may appear to be slightly hooded,” she wrote. “The nose appears enlarged disproportionately. Hairline seems to shift with every snap. So does jaw shape, face shape, and even the width and size of the ears.”

The same person can look drastically different in photographs. Photo credit: Facebook

The difference between each of these photos is significant, but the difference between the first and the last is stunning. Cellphone selfie cameras usually have an even smaller focal length than the 40 mm shown here (Winters points out that many smartphone selfie cameras have a focal length equivalent of around 23 mm), so they distort facial features even more. It also depends on how far away from the camera you are. The closer you are, the more distortion you’ll see. Lighting matters, too, but even the best lighting can’t cancel out what the focal length is doing.

Vox shared a video specifically about the “big nose” phenomenon with selfies, showing how drastic the distortion can be.

At a time when so many people are making decisions about their appearance based on what they see on tiny screens, this kind of education matters more than ever. A phone camera is a remarkable piece of technology, but it was built to capture moments, not to render an accurate portrait of your face. Before you book a consultation or spiral into self-criticism over a photo, take a breath and remember: the camera is distorting you, not defining you.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Canva – A paper check, left, and a confused teenager.

Culture, Generations

Teen confused by paper with ‘$200’ written on it. The answer was hilariously simple.

“Teens will keep you humble.”

Evan Porter

4/26/2026

There’s a viral trick where, if you ask people to “pretend” to answer a phone, the way they hold their hand will tell you which generation they belong to.

Maybe the same can be said for how they react to seeing a paycheck.

Mom posts hilarious generational moment on LinkedIn

Michelle Boggs, a senior advisor at GoFundMe, recently posted a screenshot of a text from her teenager on the professional networking platform.

The teenager, awaiting a payment of $200, opened an envelope and was surprised to find that it did not contain the cash they were expecting—only a note on a piece of paper indicating that $200 was owed.

The teenager elaborated: “There was no money just on papers that said my amount.”

And that’s when Boggs realized what was really going on: “That is called a check, honey.”

Old things are hard. Photo credit: Canva

Millennials and Gen X forget just how outdated their upbringing is

The post spread far and wide on LinkedIn, with hundreds of likes and dozens of comments. Many people had stories about their own encounters with Gen Zers who were completely baffled by items and activities that were commonplace just a few decades ago, such as:

Addressing an envelope: “I facilitated a training with consultants, most of whom were 23 to 25. There was an exercise at the end where you write yourself a letter that gets mailed to you in like five years time. They instructed us to tell people how to address the envelope. I thought it was a joke until the guy next to me did in fact turn to me and say, ‘What do I do here again?’”

Saving a file on the computer: “I’ll never forget the day a young one asked me why the save icon looked like that. They’d never seen a floppy disk. I felt my bones creak in the wind.”

Calling a landline: “How about when your 15 year old calls her grandmother and gets a busy signal?”

Listening to music on a stereo: “We did [a run to the dump] with a 00s stereo system in the car and my eldest said ‘what is this Mom, some kind of music machine?’. To them, music is Alexa or Spotify!”

Watching actual TV: “I also recently got rid of cable and I gave them the heads up like ‘hey guys I got rid of cable’ and my son responded ‘what’s cable?’”

How the tables have turned

While the older generations love getting a good laugh out of younger people not recognizing “fundamental” pieces of technology, the comedy definitely goes both ways.

“My favorite moment was when my youngest was in my home office and told me to follow the link to a particular website. I clicked on what I thought I was supposed to click on and he scowled in disgust and said this is why old people get so much malware,” one commenter shared.

Millennials and Gen Xers are often totally baffled by Gen Alpha slang, TikTok trends, Kik streamers, looksmaxxing, ChatGPT, and more. It’s only a matter of time until today’s teenagers are impatiently holding their parents’ hands through crypto, VR, or vibe-coding—in fact, it’s already happening.

An ancient artifact: The paper check. Photo credit: Todd Lappin/Flickr

In true LinkedIn fashion, Boggs pulled a lesson from the humorous story, one that really does resonate.

“Honestly, teens will keep you humble and if you’re paying attention, they’ll also keep you sharp,” she wrote. “[If something] feels slow, clunky, or outdated we’re not just behind, we’re invisible to the next generation. They’re not learning our systems. We need to learn theirs.”

She’s right. Walden University estimates paper checks will be completely extinct any day now, replaced by direct deposit, Venmo, and other “frictionless” options.

For the business professionals of LinkedIn, the takeaway is obvious. But all Millennials and Gen Xers need to remember that rotary phones and VCRs aren’t coming back anytime soon. Teaching younger generations about a rapidly aging way of life is probably less urgent than learning ourselves where things are heading.

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Photo credit: Charleston International Music Competition/YouTube – Michael Girgis, 4, plays the piano.

Culture, Wholesome

This 4-year-old piano prodigy started playing just 8 months ago. He’s set to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Michael Girgis plays on a piano outfitted with an adjustable pedal extender to match his small frame.

Emily Shiffer

4/26/2026

At just four years old, Michael Girgis is solidifying his spot as an up-and-coming piano prodigy. While he always had a musical inkling, it wasn’t until September 2025 that he began playing the piano under the guidance of his teacher, Ms. Elena Ayanyan.

By December 2025, the Montgomery County, Maryland native was playing in his first piano recital. Since then, the young boy has been stacking up piano awards. (So far, he’s earned four prizes.)

“He reads the notes better than he reads the alphabet,” his mother, Yulia Tsaturova, told WJLA-TV.

Girgis currently practices piano three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes each session. He also uses a piano pedal extender for a customized fit.

“I like playing music. I like playing piano, nothing else. You have to work hard so you’ll get more money,” he told WJLA-TV.

Who is Michael Girgis?

Girgis was inspired to play the piano after watching his older siblings play.

“When I was 18 months old, I watched my older brother and my two sisters playing the piano… and I couldn’t wait for my turn. Everyone said, ‘when you grow up’,” he shared in an Instagram post.

In his bio, Girgis also offered his new fans some fun facts about himself. Besides playing the piano, he has a full life as a four-year-old.

View this post on Instagram

“I enjoy swimming, roller skating, biking, ice skating, and running,” he shared. “I have many friends and love going to birthday parties! I enjoy to visit and explore new places and try new activities.”

He added, “two sisters and a brother. And all of them playing piano, too. I love candies and chocolates. My favorite color is blue. I love watching cartoons and my favorite cartoon is Peppa Pig.”

Playing at Carnegie Hall

Girgis won the 2026 American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition in March 2026. As a result, he will be playing twice at Carnegie Hall in New York City later this year.

He is set to make history as the youngest-ever pianist to perform at the esteemed hall. In July 2025, his fellow piano prodigy, five-year-old Alec Van Khajadourian, made his debut at Carnegie Hall. At the time, he was the youngest pianist to perform there.

Girgis is scheduled to play during the American Protégé Winners Recital on May 31, 2026, as well as on July 14, 2026.

“It’s something we couldn’t have dreamed of, was hoping, but it’s actually real, so we’re very, very excited about that,” Magdy Girgis, Michael’s father, told WJLA-TV.

And his piano teacher, Ms. Elena, saw his potential from the start.

“Michael is truly a rising star. His dedication, passion, and artistry shine through every time he sits at the keys,” she shared in a February 2026 Instagram post about her talented student. “It has been a joy to watch him grow, and seeing his hard work recognized on an international stage makes me beyond proud.”

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