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Molly Ringwald watched 'The Breakfast Club' with her daughter. Her thoughts were epic.

Molly Ringwald was basically the face of my adolescent years.

I was 10 years old when “The Breakfast Club” came out, and by the time I graduated from high school, I’d probably seen the film a dozen times.

“Pretty in Pink” was one of my go-to sleepover flicks with my girlfriends, to the point that we wore out our VHS copy of it (here's an explainer about VHS, for you young'uns).


[rebelmouse-image 19532297 dam="1" original_size="426x245" caption="GIF from "Pretty in Pink"/Paramount Pictures." expand=1]GIF from "Pretty in Pink"/Paramount Pictures.

John Hughes' films served as both a mirror and a map of the turbulent teen years for my generation. Many of us saw ourselves in his quirky, awkward characters and appreciated teen life being portrayed at least somewhat realistically.

But 30-something years later, as a full-on adult, the mother of two adolescent girls, and a human being in the age of #MeToo, I'm starting to view those movies through a different lens.

As it turns out, so is Molly Ringwald. She shared her thoughts on her roles in iconic '80s films in an essay published in the New Yorker, and it was epic.

After Ringwald watched “The Breakfast Club” with her tween daughter, she couldn’t get the sexual harassment scenes out of her head.

In the film, Ringwald plays the role of Claire, the popular girl. In her essay, she opens up about how a scene where Judd Nelson’s character, Bender, hides under Claire’s desk and looks under her skirt — and then presumably touches her inappropriately.

[rebelmouse-image 19532298 dam="1" original_size="500x241" caption="GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films." expand=1]GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films.

She also shared how some scenes from her other Hughes movies now strike her as "troubling":

“There is still so much that I love in them, but lately I have felt the need to examine the role that these movies have played in our cultural life: where they came from, and what they might mean now. When my daughter proposed watching “The Breakfast Club” together, I had hesitated, not knowing how she would react: if she would understand the film or if she would even like it. I worried that she would find aspects of it troubling, but I hadn’t anticipated that it would ultimately be most troubling to me.”

As an example from “Sixteen Candles,” Ringwald points out how “the dreamboat, Jake, essentially trades his drunk girlfriend, Caroline, to the Geek, to satisfy the latter’s sexual urges, in return for Samantha’s underwear.”

Yeah. Eek.

[rebelmouse-image 19532300 dam="1" original_size="500x281" caption="GIF from "Sixteen Candles."" expand=1]GIF from "Sixteen Candles."

In the age of #MeToo, many of Hughes’ storylines come across as normalizing unhealthy sexual dynamics at best and condoning flat-out misogyny at worst.

Perhaps Hughes was simply a product of his time. But that doesn’t make his films immune to scrutiny.

As Ringwald points out, one of the major issues with Bender and Claire’s storyline in “The Breakfast Club” is that Bender basically verbally abuses Claire throughout the film, calling her names, yelling at her, intimidating her — in addition to sexually harassing her.

[rebelmouse-image 19532301 dam="1" original_size="500x269" caption="GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films." expand=1]GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films.

And yet, in the end, he still gets the girl.

What message does that convey to young audiences? That depends on who you ask, but reading through Ringwald’s essay, Hughes appears to have had quite a history of misogynistic expression — far deeper and darker than the teen movie scenes we’re talking about and far more than what we might expect for a "product of his time."

“It’s hard for me to understand how John was able to write with so much sensitivity,” Ringwald wrote, “and also have such a glaring blind spot.”

[rebelmouse-image 19532302 dam="1" original_size="500x330" caption="GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films." expand=1]GIF from "The Breakfast Club"/A&M Films.

I think she was being kind. Seriously, if you’re feeling protective of your favorite teen film or defensive on Hughes’ behalf, read her essay in full.It's an eye-opener.

Ringwald’s mixed feelings about her films reflect the tension we all feel when we realize things we love are also problematic.

“I’m not thinking about the man right now but of the films that he left behind," Ringwald wrote. "Films that I am proud of in so many ways. Films that, like his earlier writing, though to a much lesser extent, could also be considered racist, misogynistic, and, at times, homophobic.”

[rebelmouse-image 19532303 dam="1" original_size="3000x1916" caption=""The Breakfast Club" actors Antony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Paul Gleason accepting a Silver Bucket of Excellence Award at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images." expand=1]"The Breakfast Club" actors Antony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Paul Gleason accepting a Silver Bucket of Excellence Award at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

In the simplistic narratives that define our age, that last sentence alone might be enough for many to abandon Hughes’ films altogether.

But, as Ringwald points out, it’s not that simple. She has heard from countless fans over the years that Hughes’ films helped them feel less alone as teens. She shared a story of a black, gay man who told her that “The Breakfast Club” saved his life. He said the film showed him “that there were other people like me who were struggling with their identities."

As much as we might want to make it so, this is not an easily defined issue.

Ultimately, Molly Ringwald reminds us that our views on art and culture should be ever-evolving.

It’s easy to brush off "troubling" elements of music, film, art, and other creative works as products of their time. But we need to remain aware of how ongoing enjoyment of such works affects our culture as well as our subconscious.

[rebelmouse-image 19397943 dam="1" original_size="1024x794" caption="Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy at "The Breakfast Club" 30th Anniversary Restoration at SXSW in 2015. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images." expand=1]Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy at "The Breakfast Club" 30th Anniversary Restoration at SXSW in 2015. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images.

Toxic ideas about women, race, sexuality, and other identity elements are always toxic, even if we don’t recognize them as such at the time. And when we do recognize those things in hindsight, it's important to give them the analysis they are due.

The good news is that we are recognizing and analyzing those things as a smarter and more sensitive society. That's progress.

We can still enjoy a film like “The Breakfast Club" — we just need to be honest about its flaws. And I, for one, am really glad Molly Ringwald was the one to go there.

Health

4 simple hacks to help you meet your healthy eating goals

Trying to eat healthier? Try these 4 totally doable tricks.

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Most of us want to eat healthier but need some help to make it happen.

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When it comes to choosing what to eat, we live in a uniquely challenging era. Never before have humans known more about nutrition and how to eat for optimal health, and yet we’ve never been more surrounded by distractions and temptations that derail us from making healthy choices.

Some people might be able to decide “I’m going to eat healthier!” and do so without any problem, but those folks are unicorns. Most of us know what we should do, but need a little help making it happen—like some simple hacks, tips and tricks for avoiding pitfalls on the road to healthier eating.

While recognizing that what works for one person may not work for another, here are some helpful habits and approaches that might help you move closer to your healthy eating goals.

man pulling chip out of a chip bagOur mouths loves chips. Our bodies not so much.Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

Goal: Snack on less junk food

Tip: Focus your willpower on the grocery store, not your home

Willpower is a limited commodity for most of us, and it is no match for a bag of potato chips sitting on top of the fridge. It’s just a fact. Channeling your willpower at the grocery store can save you from having to fight that battle at home. If you don’t bring chips into your house in the first place, you’ll find it a lot easier to reach for something healthier.

The key to successful shopping trips is to always go to the store with a specific list and a full stomach—you’ll feel much less tempted to buy the junky snack foods if you’re already satiated. Also, finding healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your cravings for salty or crunchy, or fatty foods helps. Sugar snap peas have a surprisingly satisfying crunch, apples and nut butter hit that sweet-and-salty craving, etc.

slice of cakeYou can eat well without giving up sweets completely.Photo by Caitlyn de Wild on Unsplash

Goal: Eat less sugar

Tip: Instead of “deprive,” think “delay” or “decrease and delight”

Sugar is a tricky one. Some people find it easier to cut out added sugars altogether, but that can create an all-or-nothing mindset that all too often results in “all.” Eating more whole foods and less processed foods can help us cut out a lot of ancillary sugar, but we still live in a world with birthday cakes and dessert courses.

One approach to dessert temptation is to delay instead of deprive. Tell yourself you can have any sweet you want…tomorrow. This mental trick flips the “I’ll just indulge today and start eating healthier tomorrow” idea on its head. It’s a lot easier to resist something you know you can have tomorrow than to say no to something you think you’ll never get to have again.

Another approach when you really want to enjoy a dessert at that moment is to decrease the amount and really truly savor it. Eat each bite slowly, delighting in the full taste and satisfaction of it. As soon as that delight starts to diminish, even a little, stop eating. You’ve gotten what you wanted out of it. You don’t have to finish it. (After all, you can always have more tomorrow!)

colorful fresh food on a plateA naturally colorful meal is a healthy meal.Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Goal: Eat healthier meals

Tip: Focus on fresh foods and plan meals ahead of time

Meal planning is easier than ever before. The internet is filled with countless tools—everything from recipes to shopping lists to meal planning apps—and it’s as awesome as it is overwhelming.

Planning ahead takes the guesswork and decision fatigue out of cooking, preventing the inevitable “Let’s just order a pizza.” You can have a repeating 3-week or 4-week menu of your favorite meals so you never have to think about what you’re going to eat, or you can meal plan once a week to try new recipes and keep things fresh.

It might help to designate one day a week to “shop and chop”—getting and prepping the ingredients for the week’s meals so they’re ready to go in your fridge or freezer.

woman holding blueberries in her handsOrganic foods are better for the Earth and for us.Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash

Goal: Eat more organic/humanely raised food

Tip: Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists to prioritize

Many people choose organic because they want to avoid pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals. Organic food is also better for the planet, and according to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that organic produce is higher in certain nutrients.

Most people don’t buy everything organic, but there are some foods that should take priority over others. Each year, researchers from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyze thousands of samples of dozens of fruits and vegetables. From this data, they create a list of the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” fruits and vegetables, indicating what produce has the most and least pesticide residue. These lists give people a good place to start focusing their transition to more organic foods.

To make organic eating even simpler, you can shop O Organics® at your local Albertsons or Safeway stores. The O Organics brand offers a wide range of affordable USDA-certified organic products in every aisle. If you’re focusing on fresh foods, O Organics produce is always grown without synthetic pesticides, is farmed to conserve biodiversity, and is always non-GMO. All animal-based O Organics products are certified humane as well. Even switching part of your grocery list to organic can make a positive impact on the planet and the people you feed.

Healthy eating habits don’t have to be all or nothing, and they don’t have to be complicated. A few simple mindset changes at home and habit changes at the grocery store can make a big difference.

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Angelina Jordan blew everyone away with her version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody."

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Jordan came to "AGT: The Champions" in 2020 as the winner of Norway's Got Talent, which she won in 2014 at the mere age of 7 with her impressive ability to seemingly channel Billie Holiday. For the 2020 audition, she sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but a version that no one had ever heard before.

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Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

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Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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When we think of a "love story," we almost exclusively imagine a tale of romance, but that's not the only kind of love story there is. Sometimes the strongest, most meaningful loves of our lives aren't romantic at all.

David Shane creates videos in which he approaches couples in public and asks them to share three things they love about each other, resulting in some major #couplegoals moments. But one "couple" he approached had a surprising answer to that question, one that moved both them and the people watching the video afterward to tears.

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Identity

Man teaches disability awareness by using sign language to communicate with deaf pitbull

Christopher Hannah and Cole the Deaf Dog have inspired children and veterans for over 6 years.

Chris Hannah and Cole entertain a group of kids.

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Chris, with the help of his deaf nephew, taught the dog sign language, and they began doing presentations in schools, teaching kids that it’s okay to be different and helping them to be courageous and kind. They also help them reflect on their feelings of “brokenness” to learn self-acceptance and compassion. In their performances, Chris and Cole demonstrate that disabilities are a superpower by showing that a dog can learn sign language.

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