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Macy's becomes first major department store in the U.S. to sell hijabs.

Just in time for New York Fashion Week, Macy's announced it will be partnering with a modest fashion line for Muslim women.

Photo via Macy's.

Starting Feb. 15, the retail giant will feature an assortment of hijabs, cardigans, abayas, and dresses from the Verona Collection on Macys.com.


Lisa Vogl, founder of the Verona Collection, is a graduate of The Workshop, Macy's business development program for minority and/or women entrepreneurs. After her conversion to Islam in 2011, the single mother quickly realized how rare it is to find affordable, trendy modest clothing — and that "many other women, both Muslim and non-Muslim, felt the same way" — so she decided to launch her own fashion line.

But the Verona Collection, according to Vogl, is doing more than simply creating affordable, trendy clothes: The brand represents a new diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry.

“Verona Collection is more than a clothing brand. It’s a platform for a community of women to express their personal identity and embrace fashion that makes them feel confident on the inside and outside," said Vogl in a Macy's press release.

This isn't the first time major retailers have catered to Muslim women.

A recent example came in December, when Nike released a sports hijab in response to the growing worldwide trend of female Muslim participation in athletics.

In June 2015, Uniqlo launched a collection with British-Japanese Muslim fashion designer Hana Tajima also featuring hijabs and long dresses in their UK, Singapore, and online stores. That same summer, DKNY released a Ramadan-themed collection aimed at Muslim women, and the famed designers and retail brands Oscar de la Renta and Zara followed suit.

In January 2016, Dolce & Gabanna announced their own line of hijabs and abayas. Major international retailer H&M featured hijab-wearing model Mariah Idrissi in their Close the Loop campaign.

Here's what makes Macy's modest clothing line particularly special: It's the first major department store in the United States to sell hijabs.  

Photo via Macy's.

Macy's, founded in 1858, is one of the few old-school giant department stores left in the U.S., making their latest efforts to expand their customer demographic to include Muslim women a huge milestone for the rapidly evolving fashion industry.

Azmia Magane, an Orlando-based writer and marketing specialist for Muslim consumers, applauds the new partnership.

"I'm really excited to see Verona Collection as an offering at Macy's," she said to Upworthy. "It's a win not just for Macy's and Muslim women, but any women looking for modest fashions. It also sends a message of inclusivity that's vital in today's sociopolitical climate: Muslims are welcome here."

Maryam Sarhan, a 22-year-old in Washington, D.C., said that she hopes Macy's is just the first of many other big-name retailers to create modest fashion lines for women of faith.

"I'm pleased to see a department store like Macy's diversify their collection and offer more options for women of various backgrounds and beliefs to feel beautiful," Sarhan said. "I hope other companies follow this example with an open mind."

Aysha Khan, who's worn the hijab since elementary school, doesn't really see the difference between buying hijabs at big retail stores and from smaller Muslim vendors. Still, she's excited that there are more options — and a platform for Muslim women designers.

"I'm mostly excited about this move as it uplifts Muslim women designers," the 22-year-old Denver journalist told Upworthy. "I'm always here for bigger brands and platforms giving Muslim women opportunities in the mainstream fashion industry."

However, some Muslim women are asking an important question about the booming trend of modest fashion lines: at what cost?

Photo via Macy's.

There is a concern among some Muslim women that consumerism is hijacking their faith.

Mediha Sandhu, 34, considers herself to a part of the Muslim women consumer market. While she sees the value and optimism in Islamic fashion recognized nationally by such a staple in American culture, she still can't help feeling a bit perplexed.

"I also feel sort of at a loss that something unique and intimate, like a small business, has become mass-produced, and hijabis are the targets for mass consumption," Sandhu told Upworthy. "It's like my favorite secret spot became a tourist attraction, where the secret spot is Muslim hijabi stores."

Binta Nur, a 25-year-old Muslim hijabi from Philadelphia, where she says "Muslim women make careers by catering to their sisters," is skeptical of the modest fashion partnerships like Verona Collection and Macy's.

"I'm not a fan," Nur said in an interview with Upworthy. "They are just trying to capitalize on this market. Like, there are Orthodox Jews and Christians who wear head coverings and [are] just [as] conservative."

Worried that the trend will quash independent female Muslim entrepreneurs, she added, "This is going to put so many Muslim-owned companies out of business."

Yet for many, this broad effort to tap into the Muslim women market is also good for business.

Photo via Macy's.

In 2013, Fortune reported that Muslims spent around $266 billion worldwide on clothing and shoes. That's roughly more than Italy and Japan's spending put together. But that figure is expected to rise in 2019, according to the 2015 Thomson Reuters State of Global Islamic Economy report — to about $484 billion.

Today, Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions, and its booming population could have something to do with the rapidly expanding market. For instance, Pew Research Center estimates that, by 2050, the world's Muslim population in the world will equal that of Christians.

Sabiha Ansari, co-founder of the American Muslim Consumer Consortium, said that she's spent a lot of time and effort explaining to businesses the benefits of tapping into the Muslim consumer market.

"It's about time," Ansari told Upworthy. "We have been raising awareness about the American Muslim consumer market and its spending power since 2009. I applaud Macy's on pursuing an emerging new consumer."

She adds that it's not only Muslim women who will be interested in the new line of clothing: "I wouldn't just limit modest clothing to Muslim women alone. There are plenty of Jewish and [Christian] women who can be potential customers as well."

There is a long road ahead, but these seem like the right first steps.

While I like to support small businesses, I'm mostly excited about this move as it uplifts Muslim women designers.

Still, I'm always here for bigger brands and platforms giving Muslim women opportunities in the mainstream fashion industry — even if these first steps are imperfect for now.

Planet

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  • Go to ocean.org/date and complete the quick form for a chance to win - it’s as easy as that.
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Peter Dinklage on "Game of Thrones?

When it comes to actors doing accents across the pond, some Americans are known for their great British accents, such as Natalie Portman ("The Other Boleyn Girl"), Robert Downey, Jr. ("Sherlock Homes"), and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady").

Some have taken a lot of heat for their cartoonish or just plain weird-sounding British accents, Dick Van Dyke ("Mary Poppins"), Kevin Costner ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") and Keanu Reeves ("Bram Stoker's Dracula").

Some actors, such as Tom Hardy (“The Drop”) and Hugh Laurie (“House”), have American accents so good that people have no idea they are British.

Benedict Townsend, a London-based comedian and host of the “Scroll Deep” podcast, says there is one word that American actors playing characters with a British accent never get right. And no, it’s not the word “Schedule,” which British people pronounce the entire first 3 letters, and Americans boil down to 2. And it’s not “aluminum,” which British and American people seem to pronounce every stinking letter differently.

@benedicttown

The one word American actors aways get wrong when doing an English accent

What word do American actors always get wrong when they do British accents?

“There is one word that is a dead giveaway that an English character in a movie or a TV show is being played by an American. One word that always trips them up. And once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it,” Townsend says. “You would see this lot in ‘Game of Thrones’ and the word that would always trip them up was ‘daughter.’”

Townsend adds that when British people say “daughter,” they pronounce it like the word “door” or “door-tah.” Meanwhile, Americans, even when they are putting on a British accent, say it like “dah-ter.”

“So top tip if you are an actor trying to do an English accent, daughter like a door. Like you're opening a door,” Townsend says.



What word do British actors always get wrong when doing American accents?

Some American commenters returned the favor by sharing the word that British actors never get right when using American accents: “Anything.”

"I can always tell a Brit playing an American by the word anything. An American would say en-ee-thing. Brits say it ena-thing,” Dreaming_of_Gaea wrote. "The dead giveaway for English people playing Americans: ‘Anything.’ Brits always say ‘EH-nuh-thin,’” marliemagill added.

"I can always tell an actor is English playing an American when they say ‘anything.’ English people always say it like ‘enny-thin,’” mkmason wrote.



What is the cot-caught merger?

One commenter noted that the problem goes back to the cot-caught merger, when Americans in the western US and Canadians began to merge different sounds into one. People on the East Coast and in Britain pronounce them as different sounds.

“Depending on where you live, you might be thinking one of two things right now: Of course, ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound exactly the same! or There’s no way that ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound the same!” Laura McGrath writes at DoYouReadMe. “As a result, although the different spellings remain, the vowel sounds in the words cot/caught, nod/gnawed, stock/stalk are identical for some English speakers and not for others.”

American actors owe Townsend a debt of gratitude for pointing out the one thing that even the best can’t seem to get right. He should also give the commenters a tip of the cap for sharing the big word that British people have trouble with when doing an American accent. Now, if we could just get through to Ewan McGregor and tell him that even though he is fantastic in so many films, his American accent still needs a lot of work.

This article originally appeared last year.

Prison in Brazil ditches guard dogs for a gaggle of geese

Being in prison is not supposed to be a vacation. Most people in prison are there because they broke the law following some poor choices in their lives. Prison is supposed to rehabilitate you so you can be reintegrated into society given a second chance at life but some people are a little impatient on their release date.

As one can imagine, escaping from prison is frowned upon and results in more prison time when you get caught. To deter prisoners from escaping, most penitentiaries have a guard tower, guard dogs and razor blade wire on the top of the fencing. But a prison in Brazil is trying something a little different to keep overzealous prisoners inside the walls of the building until their release date.

They replaced their guard dogs with geese. Yes, those waddling feather dusters that honk and bite if you get too close. It would be easy to believe that a gaggle of geese would be less of a deterrent than a few large barking dogs but the strategy seems to be paying off. Anyone who has ever encountered a goose in the wild would probably wager that an angry goose is much more intimidating than a dog.

Shocked The Goose GIF by Bare Tree MediaGiphy

The geese have been part of the prison's defense system for more than ten years. They're respected as colleagues to the prison guards who care for them.

"It's never happened but if someone tried to escape, the geese would go crazy. They would get our attention without a doubt," prison officer Marcos Coronetti tells TRT World.

Sao Pedro de Alcantra Penitentiary is the only prison in the entire country that uses geese instead of dogs to deter escape. They've found that the geese are much less expensive to maintain than guard dogs. The honking water fouls also require much less attention, training and vet visits than the canines they replaced. Geese don't require you to go out and play fetch or to keep up with scent tracking training. There's also no need to teach geese specific alert barks so humans know if someone is attempting to escape.

Miss Piggy Waiting GIF by Muppet WikiGiphy

"They're not expensive. They make much more of a ruckus than the dogs and they have no time off. They are far better prepared than dogs for this job of surveillance," Coronetti says.

These particular geese are sentinel geese and were domesticated for the purpose of essentially being home alarm systems. Of course the prison doesn't rely solely on their feathered guards to keep the inmates within the walls of the prison. They have cameras, guards and other mechanisms typical in any prison to aid in maintaining the prison population but unlike the humans, the geese don't take shifts. They work around the clock, ready to squawk and flap at the first sign on unexpected movement.

On The Road Family GIF by Tierpark BerlinGiphy

People think this is a fantastic idea though it may have sounded a bit unorthodox at first, with one person writing, "My respect for the guy who had the idea and the courage to talk other people into using geese as part of prison defenses. That's one hell of a 'Now, hear me out....'"

Another commenter chuckles, "Man this is hilarious and practical hahah - they're even called sentinel geese."

One person writes, "Another fun fact. Geese can't be bribed with food over time like dogs can. Making them incorruptible. That alone should give prisoners goose bumps at night."

One goose owner concedes that geese are great at alerting saying, "We have geese. They are so territorial. If they see people, they quack so loudly. Even if they see you everyday, you can't really stop them from quacking if they see you."

Who knew geese could be such great alarm system. Maybe there will be more prisons following suit, especially when there's a chance of saving a good bit of money on vet bills and training programs. All they need now is their own little badges and guard towers to add to the cuteness factor for their seriously adorable jobs.

via Pixabay

One of the most wonderful things about having a dog is how attached they become to their owners. I work from home and my Jack Russel terrier, Scout, lies next to me on his bed for most of the day. The only time he leaves my office is for a sip of water or to go outside and sun his belly on the porch.

That's why whenever I leave the house and can't take Scout with me, I wonder, "Does he miss me? Is he sad that he's alone?" Studies show that our dogs miss us the moment we leave the house and that feeling slowly intensifies until we are gone for about four hours and they have a "plateau of melancholy." That's why the longer you're away, the more excited your dog is when you return home.

The moment I pull up in my car Scout begins to howl like a wolf trying to contact someone who's miles away. It's like, "Dude, I'm 30 feet away. Give me a second to grab the groceries out of the trunk."

Researchers from the Universities of Pisa and Perugia, Italy have found that if you give your dog some affection before you leave the house they'll have less anxiety while you're away.

They conducted experiments with 10 dogs between the ages of one and 11 without attachment issues. The group was composed of seven mixed-breed dogs, one Labrador retriever, one Hovawart, and one Chihuahua.

Participants in the study walked their leashed dogs into a fenced area where they were greeted by a researcher who took their dog's heart rate. In the first test, after the owners walked their dogs into the area, they talked with a researcher for one minute then left without giving the dog any special attention.

In the second test, the dog owners petted the dog during their interaction with the researcher.

In both tests, the owners left the fenced area and hid far enough away so that the dog couldn't smell them.

After the owners left, the dogs looked for them for about three minutes on average. After the owners returned, the researchers measured the dogs' levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as their heart rates.

The researchers found that whether the dogs were petted or not, their cortisol levels were unchanged. But their heart rate showed a marked decrease if the owners petted them before leaving. Researchers later watched videos of the dogs and found that the ones that were petted showed " behaviors indicative of calmness for a longer period while waiting for the owner's return."

Next time I'm ready to leave the house and Scout follows me to the front door after saying, "Sorry bud, you can't go with me on this trip," I'll kneel down and give him a little extra love and attention.

Maybe that way he won't howl like the house is on fire when I pull up in my car after a trip to the grocery store.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

Unknown men in top hats (groom and ushers?) by Wakefield, … | Flickr

Remember that time Travis Kelce wore a top hat on stage at his girlfriend Taylor Swift's London concert? Well, he almost didn't remember either.

On his New Heights podcast, with his brother Jason Kelce, they flashed a picture of Abe Lincoln. Travis says, "That would never be me because I'd never be seen with that f-ing hat on." Jason laughs uproariously. Shortly after, Travis pensively recalls, "I remember wearing a top hat not too long ago." He's asked, "Where did you wear a top hat?"

Travis replies (complete with an English accent), "When I was in London!" He tries to cover for himself. "So I got caught in my own lie. I enjoy wearing those, but only in front of 80,000 people." (Jason kindly tells him he pulled it off.)

Taylor Swift L GIF by MOODMANGiphy

Top hats aren't the only accessories or articles of clothing someone might wear and later regret. A Redditor posed the question, "What's the most cringe-worthy fashion trend you've ever followed?"

People from all generations chimed in. They mostly agreed with one another, though "crocs" seemed to inspire some debate.

AT LEAST HE AVOIDED THE SOUL PATCH

One person opted to share a whole slew of bad decisions: "I did the whole super-thick Vans, baggy jeans full of holes, silver chains. Every t-shirt had graffiti or aliens on it. I think the most cringe-worthy was my 6-inch faux hawk. It looked more like a wave about to crash onto the shore. Kind of like I had walked face-first into a wall or something. Luckily, I was too young to sport a soul patch."

season 1 bass GIF by PortlandiaGiphy


DECADES OF BAD DECISIONS

An older commenter shared two decades of embarrassing choices: "In the 1950s, we wore crinoline petticoats that we dipped in gelatin and hung out in the sun to dry and stiffen them. In the 1960s, we teased our hair, sprayed it, teased it again, sprayed it until it was like steel wool."


Hair Tease GIF by BuzzFeedGiphy


BELL-BOTTOM BLUES

The Seventies weren't spared either. One Reddit user admits they wore "leisure suits and saddle oxfords in the 70s." Another proclaims, "Bell bottoms!" (Though, if you saw the Superbowl, it looks like Kendrick Lamar might actually be bringing those bell-bottoms -or at least a boot-cut pant - back in style.)


Kendrick Lamar GIFGiphy

LOW-RISE AND PRINTED

Many agreed that low-rise jeans and "print trends" now make them cringe.

One exclaimed, "OMG, the print trends! Owls, birds, mustaches, bacon, keep calm logos, the silhouette of two women sitting down."

Another admitted that the low-rise jean trend meant they could never sit down. "Low-rise jeans... I had to stand everywhere I went."

season 3 lol GIFGiphy


WHERE ARE YOUR EYEBROWS?

After someone mentioned bleaching their hair, another upped the ante: "I see your 2000s bad bleach dye jobs. I raise you... plucked eyebrows so damned thin that when it was fashionable to have thicker eyebrows, well, tough sh-t. Because we plucked them all out years ago. Now, I’m condemned to draw part of my eyebrows on until I leave this mortal coil or thin eyebrows come back around. Whichever is first, I suppose."

Make Up Teacher GIF by Teachers on TV LandGiphy


OUR MVP…

And this might be a personal favorite, due to its wonderfully cringe-worthy randomness: "You ever heard of the trend where you just wear a jester hat everywhere? Yeah, me neither, but for some reason, I did that throughout my teenage years into my twenties."

Glow Up Court Jester GIF by BBC ThreeGiphy

Wellness

What parents are teaching kids when we allow them to take a 'mental health day'

With zero hesitation—just a simple, "OK"—he turned the car around and took me home, and it's a lesson I've never forgotten.

Photo by Darwin Vegher on Unsplash

With one turn of the wheel, my dad taught me a lesson about self-care in high school that I'll never forget.

When I was in high school, I woke up one morning feeling overwhelmed. I was an honors student, I was involved in various activities and clubs, and for whatever reason, I felt thoroughly unprepared for the day. I don't recall if I had a test or a presentation or if it was just a normal school day that I couldn't face—I just remember feeling like I'd hit a wall and couldn't make my mental gears turn right.

I usually walked the mile and a half to school, but I was running late so my dad offered to drive me. In the car, I tried to keep it together, but halfway to school, the tears started to fall. My dad looked over and asked if I was OK.

"I don't know," I sobbed. "I feel like … I just … I need a day."

He knew I wasn't sick. He could have told me to tough it out. He could have given me a pep talk. He could have forced me to go. But he didn't do any of those things.

With zero hesitation—and just a simple "OK"—he turned the car around and took me home.

I have no memory of what I did the rest of that day. Three decades later, the only thing that sticks out is the basic-but-profound lesson my dad instilled in me the moment he turned that steering wheel: It's totally OK to take care of yourself.

We talked about it briefly on the way home. As it turned out, he was also taking a "mental health day." My dad was a social worker, and as an adult, I can totally understand why he would need to take a random day off sometimes. But it didn't really matter what he did for a living. Most of us need an occasional mental health day—adults, teens and kids alike.

man and woman lying on grassPhoto by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Some schools have begun incorporating this understanding into their school attendance policies. Utah passed a bill in 2018 that allows a mental health day to count as an excused absence from school. Oregon enacted a similar law in 2019 and Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Nevada and Virginia have followed suit.

“Mental health days are not only good for the practical aspect of giving young people a break," psychologist Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, Ph.D., told Healthline, "but they also validate that the community and society are saying, ‘We understand and we’re supporting you in this way.”

Occupational therapist Shelli Dry concurs, telling Healthline that acceptance of mental health days can help eliminate the stigma that often comes with mental illness.

“For schools to recognize that sometimes it’s better to take a mental health day than push through when you cannot seem to cope, is a tremendous support for students to feel understood and accepted, and [this, in turn, encourages] students to understand and accept themselves more,” she said.

closed eye boy laying on brown maple leavesPhoto by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Sometimes we forget how hard it is being a kid. In some ways, I think it's way harder than being an adult. Considering the fact that 1 in 6 kids between the ages of 6 and 17 experience a mental health disorder each year, we need to acknowledge that a lot of kids have days where they're struggling. But even kids who don't deal with mental illness sometimes need a down day. Modern life is busy and complex, no matter our age. Managing it all daily—and then also handling whatever extra stuff life throws at us—is a lot.

Part of good parenting is teaching kids to persevere through challenges, but encouraging perseverance has to be balanced with insight and wisdom. Sometimes kids might cry wolf, but it's important for parents to understand that kids might be dealing with more than we know. Sometimes kids need to be encouraged to dig deep for resilience. Sometimes kids have already been resilient for a long time and need a little time and space to just be.

My dad knew me. He understood that I wasn't just being lazy or trying to get out of doing something hard. He trusted me to know what I needed, which in turn taught me to listen to my inner alarm and trust myself. As a result, I've spent my adult life with a good sense of when I need to push through and when I need to pause and reset—a gift I'm immensely grateful for.

three children sitting on grassPhoto by Charlein Gracia on Unsplash

All of that said, this advice does come with a caveat. As a parent of kids who are learning to manage anxiety, mental health days can be a mixed bag. There's a difference between taking a mental health day because you really need it—which happens—and taking a mental health day to avoid facing fears—which also happens. Avoidance feels good in the moment but fuels anxiety in the long run, so parents and kids have to be aware of how the idea can be misused and unintentionally make certain mental health issues worse.

The bottom line, however, is that kids need breaks sometimes. And when you allow them to take an occasional day here and there to breathe, to do some self-care, to reconnect with themselves and reset their mental and emotional barometer, you teach them that their well-being matters. You teach them that it's OK to acknowledge when they've hit a limit and pause to recoup their strength.

It's OK to turn the car around when you know you need to. That's a lesson we all need to learn, and one we need to support with work and school policies in addition to internalizing individually. We're making some good strides toward that goal, and the sooner we all get on the same page, the better everyone's well-being will be.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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