+
upworthy
More

Lisa Kudrow dished on an odd form of sexism she encountered on a press tour.

It's been two decades since the cult classic film, "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion," premiered on the big screen. Yet actor Lisa Kudrow still (not-so-fondly) remembers an odd bit of sexism she encountered doing press for its release.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.


In a roundtable discussion celebrating the movie's 20th birthday with HuffPost and several of the film's stars and executives, Kudrow dished on an obnoxious pattern she spotted all those years ago: men making the film about them.

Kudrow said (emphasis added):

"It was funny doing press for this. Certain men, especially the ones who had talk shows, would say, 'I liked this movie because it wasn't bashing men.' And I thought, 'Well, that's great, except no one was talking about men. They didn't even get into the conversation. It's about two girls. How did you insert yourself into this? We weren't talking about men.'"

These unnamed male TV talk show hosts weren't celebrating the film because it was hilarious and well-written (though it was). They didn't praise it for lightheartedly serving up some valuable life lessons about growing older in your 20s (though it did). They told Kudrow they liked "Romy and Michele" because a movie centered around a fierce female friendship starring two women ... didn'tbash men?

Male characters were certainly not at the heart of "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" — so making the film's treatment of men a cornerstone to liking it is weird at best and kinda, sorta sexist at worst. It's not all about guys, people.

The phenomenon of men finding ways to always make things about them is one that many women aside from Kudrow have noticed. "Parks and Recreation" parodied it brilliantly in an episode poking fun at a "men's rights activists," when one "meninist" was upset that men weren't at the center of a discussion on feminism: "Can we have one conversation about feminism where men get to be in charge?"

GIFs via "Parks and Recreation."

What's more, suggesting the female-led comedy was unique simply because it didn't hate on half the population perpetuates the false notion that anything feminist or female-driven is inherently anti-men. Feminism is not anti-male — feminism helps men too.

I'm not sure which talk show hosts Kudrow had in mind when she dished to HuffPost, but I'm hoping they've raised their interview standards since 1997.


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less

Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Joey Grundl, a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, is being hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help.

The delivery man was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Katerina Holmes|Canva

Mom in tears after another parent calls about daughter's lunch


People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably there will be times when your child's feelings are hurt so you do your best to prepare for that day.

But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok, who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter's classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other.

Soogia wasn't prepared for what came next. The classmate's mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia's daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it too.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Listen to this organ in Croatia that uses the sea to make hauntingly beautiful music

It's a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.


In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.

Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modern Families

A comic from The Oatmeal illustrates how we're missing the mark on happiness.

I do the things that are meaningful to me, even if they don't make me "happy."

By Matthew Inman/The Oatmeal. Used with permission.

How to Be Perfectly Happy


Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He's published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as "How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"and "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances."He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew's comics here.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Sweeping UN study finds that 9 out of 10 people worldwide are biased against women

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways.

Photo by Joe Gardner on Unsplash

As the U.S. ramps into an all-too-familiar presidential election cycle where the only viable candidates left on the ballot are men, the UN announces a study that may—at least partially—explain why.

The Gender Social Norms Index released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a look at gender equality as measured by people's personal gender bias. The data, which was collected from 75 countries covering 81% of the world's population, found that 91% of men and 86% of women show at least one clear bias against women in the areas of politics, economics, education, and physical integrity.

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways. Splendid.

Keep ReadingShow less