Mannequins are getting a much-needed makeover in a colorful new exhibit.
Let's be real: We had an actual mannequin challenge in this world way before the viral video craze.
Have you looked in a clothing store window lately?
Our fashion industry is everywhere and constantly evolving. Our seasons change, our styles change, our trends change. So why don't our mannequins change too?
Image via Andrew Malone/Flickr.
Designer Rebecca Moses is stepping up to give the mannequin industry a much-needed makeover.
In her exhibit "Imperfectly Perfect," Rebecca has created a collection of mannequins that better reflect who we are as a culture today. She's using it as a way to celebrate fashion, visual art, mannequins, and diversity.
Gone are the days of every mannequin with the same shape, size, and blah look. These mannequins are bold, diverse, and champions of their own unique individuality.
All images below via Rebecca Moses, used with permission.
Some of her mannequins have a crooked nose or one eye that dips down. You'll see mannequins with a mole on their cheek or frizzy hair. No two look the same, but all are equally distinct.
Every single one carries the attitude of: Isn't it great to be indescribable?
"We've come out of a huge world of reconstructing ourselves to be some ideal that society has inflicted upon us," Moses says. "I believe that we have to embrace what we have — our imperfections are really what define us."
Moses knows that our differences are what make us who we are. She's celebrating them.
She based the idea of her mannequins on a collection of paintings of women she created. The project took two years to put together from the sculpting of the mannequins, to the designing of their clothes, to the painting of their bodies. The final result can be seen on display at Ralph Pucci International, a contemporary design and art showroom, in New York City.
"I really do think that mannequins have to evolve," Moses adds. "Fashion today is not really about clothes as it is about the characters that wear the clothes and define their style."
You could go as far as to say that giving mannequins a more realistic reflection of what people look like might be more important than the clothes they're trying to sell.
It's widely known that dissatisfaction with one's appearance, especially for girls, begins at a very early age.
The NYC Girls Project reports that by middle school, 40-70% of girls are dissatisfied with two or more parts of their body, and that body satisfaction hits rock bottom between the ages of 12 and 15. And while 63% of girls agree that the body image represented by the fashion industry is unrealistic, nearly the same amount admit to comparing their bodies to fashion models. Those standards — that are often not even real — can be severely damaging to girls' self-esteem.
From dolls to billboards to mannequins, showing more realistic versions of the human experience can make a positive impact.
Moses hopes her exhibit will serve as a small step to empowering women of all ages to embrace who they are.
She also points to the divided times we live in right now and why it's more important than ever to be inclusive and to celebrate the uniqueness we each bring to the world. We all have something to contribute: our vision, our talents, our voices.
"Owning who you are can give you the confidence to choose your path in life," she says. "We all need that inner confidence."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."