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I have written for HelloGiggles since 2012. Though I mainly focus on my column entitled "Everything I Need to Know I Learned From," I contribute personal essays and news stories as well. 
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The Robin Williams biography and HBO documentary helped this fan mourn the still painful loss of a legend

I was working at a call center when the news broke that Robin Williams died. You’re not supposed to look at your phone when you work at a call center, but I’d occasionally peek down. That’s when I saw the text message: “Robin Williams died.”

The man on the other end of the line kept talking to me. He kept discussing, in great detail, the technical issues he was having with his cell phone. I wanted to interrupt him and say, “Don’t you know this doesn’t matter? Don’t you know who we just lost?”
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If you've never read anything by James Baldwin, here are the books you should pick up first

Today would have been author James Baldwin’s 94th birthday.

I don’t remember how old I was when I first read an essay by James Baldwin but I will never forget how it made me feel. Reading was always a part of my life—I wasn’t a kid with one of those “this book got me into reading” stories. Yes, I was obsessed with Harry Potter, but that series didn’t introduce me to the written word. My love for words seemed to have always existed. I fell asleep atop giant books when I was too young to fully understand the entire concept of the stories within them, but that never stopped me from trying.
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Kesha just performed “Woman” live for the first time, and it’ll move you to tears

She is woman, hear her roar! Kesha is officially back, and she’s already making us cry. The strong and empowered singer recently performed her new single “Woman” live on stage in Iowa — but not before bursting into tears. And we get it.

After drying her tears, she rocked right into a powerful performance her new single “Woman.” In the clip, you can hear the audience singing along, something that is more powerful than we can express. It was a healing moment for both Kesha and the crowd.

The pow
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The organizers of the Women’s March are launching a new event called the Resistance Revival

The resistance is still fighting. Back in January, The Women’s March on Washington was a major success. (Even Antartica held a Women’s March!) Then, in February, the same group of powerful women organized a women’s strike, A Day Without Women.

Starting immediately, the movement will focus on both culture and protest. Monthly, the Women’s March will host song nights that will take place on a national level.

According to the Resistance Revival’s official event page, The Resistance Revival is a r
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This artist’s miniature paintings are microscopically adorable

We’re in the midst of a “mini” mania. Food miniatures are all over our Instagram explore feed. These miniature pencil drawings are the most glorious little things on earth. There are even miniature therapy horses at the airport in Cincinnati. (Hey, size is relative.)Tiny treasures are having a moment and making way for more artists to shine, like Julia Las.

The Ukraine-based artist has made a colorful splash on Instagram lately. She recently published a post on Bored Panda talking about how she
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Gina Rodriguez just proved her IRL relationship with Jaime Camil is even better than their fictional one

We always hope that co-stars love each other IRL. When it comes to the Jane the Virgin cast, we don’t have to wonder. This crew is constantly showing support for one another on Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Gina Rodriguez is particularly good at spreading the love.

Yesterday, she took it to the next level in honor of her TV dad, Jaime Camil.

To celebrate Camil’s birthday, Gina Rodriguez gifted him — and us — a carousel of hilarious videos starring the two of them. The Instagram album is ad
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Twitter and Rashida Jones helped me embrace my Blackness as a biracial person — no, really

I don’t look like my mother. My mother is short, blonde, and very, very Irish. I am much taller and have a bigger frame, even from a young age. My hair is soft and curly and mousy brown. My hands are big, my feet are big, and my skin is not very Irish. Though I was raised single-handedly by my white mother, I have never considered myself white.

My father is a Black man — Black and Sicilian, if we’re getting specific. He is quite a bit older than my mom and was an afro-sporting, bell-bottom jean
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Emma Roberts’s new bookclub book is one you’ll want to pick up

Did you know that Emma Roberts has a book club? It’s called Belletrist, and her latest pick is something we can’t wait to get our hands on. Belletrist, the book club started by Roberts and Karah Preiss, celebrates a new book each month and this month, the choice is Sex & Rage by Eve Babit. Sex & Rage is a reissue of the popular novel published in 1979 about a girl moving between Los Angeles and New York City. The story focuses on Jacaranda, a 20-something who up and moves to New York to start a
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How group text messages cured my loneliness

Group text messages used to be weird. They used to be clunky and obnoxious and invasive. They used to come from people trying to plan things with other people whose phone numbers you did not have in a system that was not set up for multiple users.

Less flawless than a three-way phone call, group text messages used to just be, well, annoying. And then, one day, they weren’t (my iOS bias is showing).

Shortly after moving away from each other, my former roommates and I sucked my friend/their olde
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Here are some more of our favorite fictional dads from movies and TV

Today is Father’s Day, and in honor of all those who have impacted our lives, we would like to take some time to thank more of the men who helped raise us — well, the fictional ones. Many of us grew up with a favorite dad from movies or television — and though it may seem silly, they taught us enough lessons that they are worthy of their own “Happy Father’s Day” shoutouts.

To the men who raised me, whether they knew it or not, I wish you a very happy day!

Dan was loud, hilarious, and always st
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What I learned when I reunited with my father after 16 years

As I write this, Elvis Presley is crooning in the background. I’ve always been drawn to his voice for one main reason:

My father really, really loves Elvis Presley.

My parents split up when I was young. We moved from California to Washington when I was three, leaving my dad behind. I was too young to understand any of our reasons for moving. I grew up without a father, aware that he was ~somewhere out there~ but completely in the dark about his life, or why we weren’t with him. My mother was a
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Check out the gorgeous Italian estate where Jessica Chastain may be getting married today

Jessica Chastain is one of our favorite actresses, and according to People , the ginger bombshell may be tying the knot this weekend! While the details of the event are private, we do know a couple things: if the wedding is on, she’ll be marrying longtime boyfriend Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo. Given that the pair and friends were spotted near his Italian villa, Tiepolo Passi, it’s likely that the nuptials will be held at on the grounds!

The Villa Tiepolo Passi is an incredibly beautiful villa
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Here’s why you shouldn’t cuddle with an iguana when on your period

Just like how your dog knows when you’ve had a bad day, or when your cat knows to cuddle you extra tight, your iguana can also know what’s up. Have you ever noticed that your dog or cat knows when you’re on your period? Well, turns out, they aren’t the only animal with the ability to detect when your cycle has come back around.

Hormone levels and odor are two of the main factors that tip your pet off to your menstrual cycle. As Mikel Delgado, cat behaviorist explained to Broadly, your pet knows
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Tom Hanks is terrified of a building, and now so are we

Twitter is truly a rollercoaster of emotions, and even Tom Hanks seems to agree. On June 2nd, Hanks tweeted a picture of a very tall, very dark, vary window-less building. With an accompanying caption that is both true and hilarious, Hanks has us all wondering.

The twitter replies were both helpful and hilarious. Ranging from jokes about Danaerys Targaryan keeping her dragons in the building to Men in Black references, it seems like many of us agree. It’s a pretty scary building.

Eventually, s
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Brie Larson just got seriously mad about littering, and we’re completely on her side

Brie Larson really knows how to stand up for what she believes in. And we really appreciate that she uses her platform for good. Now, Brie Larson is using her platform to speak out against littering.

First of all, imagine trying to hang out on the beach in California and being distracted by the amount of garbage surrounding you. We love that Brie not only helped clean up, but put it in terms we can all understand. It is our beach, our Earth, and we should love it like it loves us.

We love that
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Someone invented an Oreo cookie butter, so cancel all our plans forever

Food can and should be fun. In recent years, we have received so many fun food blessings, and this year will be no different.Because now, Oreo cookie butter exists. Thank you, Dominique Ansel, pastry chef extraordinaire.

It sounds amazing. Ansel’s Oreo Cookie Spread is a dark chocolate ganache infused with cookie crumble and a hidden layer of milk ganache (the “cream!”) in the middle. Sign us up to eat that for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, okay?

Though many of us have fond childhood memories
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Taylor Swift has taught her younger brother a lot, but here’s what Austin Swift says is the most important lesson from his big sis

In case you missed it, Taylor Swift has a younger brother, and he has many moving things to say about his big sister. Austin, 25, is an actor. Of course, he’s learned a lot of things from his big sis. But here’s what Austin Swift says is the most important thing Taylor taught him.

Many of us can probably relate. It is adorable to hear Austin speak about what his sister taught him.

If you are wondering where you have seen Austin Swift, he has a few movies under his belt already. He had a suppor
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Lake Bell just had her baby, and we’re so happy for her!

In A World and The Secret Life of Pets actress Lake Bell just had her baby! Lake and her husband Scott Campbell recently welcomed a baby boy to the world, joining their 2-year-old daughter Nova in the family.

However, Lake and Scott haven’t announced the baby’s name or birth date yet. But we can’t wait to learn more about the baby!

The couple met in 2011 on the set of the show How to Make it in America. They got married in 2013 at a stunning opera house in New Orleans. Even cooler than that, C

My mother never made comments about my body — and for that, I will always thank her

My mother never made comments about my body — and for that, I will always thank her

I’m not a skinny person, and though the implications behind that word today are better understood, I grew up in a time before “body shaming” was a phrase, before we at least attempted to make human beings of all sizes feel like they belong here. But I always knew I was not “skinny,” even as I shied away from the word “fat” — partially because it felt harsh and cruel to me (though this is not how I feel about the
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This “Arrow” star just absolutely crushed the “American Ninja Warrior” course

Raising money for charity while being a total badass? Yep. Stephen Amell did that. Amell, of Arrow fame, finally got his wish and took on the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course last Thursday night. And we couldn’t love him more for it.

Red Nose Day launched in the United States in 2015. Created by Comic Relief Inc., the annual day is dedicated to ending child poverty. Besides seeing our favorite celebs wear red clown noses and reunite on screen, there are many ways to raise money and awaren
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Hanson’s new song is an ode to their ’90s fame

Remember Hanson? Of course you do. And we have good news. Everything we loved about them back in the day is here again. That’s right – the upbeat jams, the brotherly love, the hair – it’s all back.

The accompanying video even features adorable kids and adorable, well, Hanson brothers. In honor of their 25th year as a band, the group has released a greatest-hits collection Middle of Everywhere: The Greatest Hits. With “I Was Born,” the band celebrates exactly what they were always about – their
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I graduated college in the height of a recession — and lived to tell the tale

About two months before I walked across a stage to graduate college — the first person in my immediate family to do so — I was told by an academic advisor that I should prolong my graduation if possible. “Take more classes, double-major, find a minor. Prolong if you can.”

But let me back up.

Though I was graduating college, I barely knew what the phrase “economic recession” meant — besides being familiar with obvious examples like The Great Depression. But I had no idea just how affected I wou
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There is now goth pizza because ice cream just wasn’t enough

It’s come to this: goth pizza. We can deny it no longer. We hope you are ready to see goth food all over the place.

We’ve totally fallen for goth ice-cream made with a super dark cone and gorgeous deep gray swirls, but now there’s something new. And good news: it’s something you already love.

So how do you make pizza black? Spoiler alert: activated charcoal!

At Olivella in New Jersey, the “pizza master” Salvatore Olivella has started adding the ingredient to everything. His dough, pasta, and
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