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This photographer is on a mission to challenge the idea of 'men's work.'

Photographer Chris Crisman is constantly looking for people doing unexpected things.

When he heard about Heather Thomason, a woman who had recently left her career as a web designer in New York City to become a butcher in Philadelphia, he knew he had to get a shot of her in action.

"[Being a butcher] is just always seen as a male role," says Crisman over the phone. "Or at least depicted as a male role."


All photos by Chris Crisman, used with permission.

In his photography, Crisman specializes in dazzling hero portraits of people in their natural environments.

"I’m shooting in a very heroic light," Crisman explains. "Whether it's in the lighting, the composition, how people sit in the frame ... that’s kind of how I’ve always done portraiture. I’m trying to depict them in a way that is strong."

Crisman began photographing other women in other male-dominated roles and collecting the images in a series called "Women's Work."

Women like Mira Nakashima, a woodworker from New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Christina Burris, a professional beer brewer and operations manager at Saint Benjamin Brewing Company in Philadelphia.

Nancy Poli, a pig farmer at Stryker Farm in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

Alison Goldblum, a property developer in Philadelphia.

Sadie Samuels, a lobster fisher from Rockport, Maine.

Beth Beverly, a taxidermist from Philadelphia.

Mindy Gabriel, a firefighter in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

And Carol Warn, the leach pad operator at Marigold Mining Company in Nevada.

Shooting at Round Mountain Gold Mine in Nevada, Crisman says he was surprised at how much gender diversity existed in the workforce.

"It was really balanced," Crisman says. "There were a lot of women working on that site."

Women like Leeann Johnson, a haul truck driver.

Jordan Ainsworth, a mill operator.

And Kris Alvarez, senior geologist.

Through these portraits, Crisman hopes to break down the gender barriers that are built up by popular culture stereotyping certain jobs as being for people of certain genders.

For butchers, firefighters, and woodworkers, for example, there are archetypal pictures and illustrations that we see time and time again. "It's just always a man," Crisman says.

Crisman's photos challenge those archetypes in a visceral and immediately apparent way, and the response to his work has been overwhelming.

"I’m finding this project is really unifying and spirit-building," he says. "It means different things to different people. But I think all of the interpretations are impactful in a positive way."


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.






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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."

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Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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