Ashley Machele had a heart-wrenching journey beginning with an unexpected positive pregnancy test at 18 and unfolding into a ten-year custody battle that left her 3000 miles away from her daughter. Ashley admits that despite her agony, she was relieved when finally decided to give full custody to her ex-husband.
Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are 2 Hollywood stars with a unique and enduring friendship that began during the filming of Dracula, a movie that grossed over $215 million worldwide. But their connection wasn’t solely based on the film’s commercial success. Recently, Ryder revealed a stunning detail about Reeves’ kindness that further cemented his status as a one-of-a-kind guy.
Reality TV could be more relevant than we think. It can catapult people into extreme fame and influence (i.e., the Kardashians), and it can affect the cultural landscape of a country. But just how authentic reality shows are is often up for debate. And these behind-the-scenes revelations from people — actual contestants and cast members included — may affect the way we view these programs going forward.
We’re inspired by rom-com relationships and dream of the same kind of vivid and passionate love. But some of the most well-known and adored movie couples are also examples of toxic behaviors. Sometimes imaginary care hides aggressive behavior and a desire to dominate. And at first glance, innocuous quarrels cover up a desire to assert themselves at the expense of a partner.
One thing most narcissists have in common is believing that they are better than everyone else. That’s why their 2 strategies that often merge are constantly boosting themselves or putting everyone else down. They will often appear super charming in an effort to be likable to others, but they are this close to start talking bad to them or about them. And when it comes to breakups, they can be truly unpleasant and malicious.
Sometimes material and financial issues become a sticking point in family relationships. The most vulnerable group, in this sense, is women. According to one study, a third of women are financially dependent on their husbands, which makes them unable to cope financially when they get divorced. So it seems that having your own safety net is crucial for surviving if anything in your relationship goes wrong.
There have been many times when movies and shows have been called out by fans because they didn’t like some of the decisions regarding the characters. And creators want to keep their audiences happy and that’s why sometimes they build stories in order to satisfy the masses. It doesn’t always mean that this is the right or realistic thing to do, but they end up doing it anyway.
When watching a tv show, we all have a favorite relationship that we fantasize about. However, the way they portray certain couples to us may skew our perception, causing us to fail to distinguish between what is normal and what is not. Viewers love drama, therefore it’s not uncommon for them to ship two characters that have done awful things to each other, such as cheating, being on-again, off-again, or verbally assaulting one other.
Being a parent is perhaps one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and parenting in fairy tales is no exception. No one is guaranteed to not make mistakes, and there is no single rule that clearly outlines how to act in a certain situation. Nevertheless, some recommendations still exist.
Although Disney princesses are the main focus of viewers’ attention, the princes also deserve recognition. Over the decades, there have been several changes in the way they have been portrayed, going from being the generic Prince Charming to heroes with their own names and personalities. This is how they show details that reflect part of the plot and make them as relevant as their companions.
In movies, just like in literature, most characters are divided into good and bad. Usually, the good qualities of those in the “good” group are emphasized, and even if these characters do something bad, they always have strong reasons for it. Harry Potter’s temper, for example, is explained by the fact that he’s being hunted by an evil wizard, while the White Queen’s meanness is revealed only closer to the end.
“Hey, are the babies ok?” — is what Kenny Deuss’ girlfriend asks him whenever she is away and he is in charge of taking care of their kids. The dad of Alix and Aster has a good response every single time — he uses Photoshop to manipulate his daughters into dangerous-looking situations. He convinced us from the start and all their pictures are just too good to not be shared!
Narcissism is a phenomenon where a person with low self-esteem is afraid to lose authority in other people’s eyes and they start manipulating their friends, colleagues, and family to look better than they really are. These people are not afraid of doing anything to achieve their big career goals, they are abusive in personal relationships, and they harm their loved ones.
If your partner showers you with so much attention that it’s hard to breathe, it’s a reason for concern. Love bombing is innocent-looking abuse, which gets your head in the clouds. Once you’re trapped, get ready for a harsh battle between your mind and soul.
“Breadcrumbing” is a type of dating behavior where your partner flirts with you by sending messages on social media or through texts (“breadcrumbs”), keeping you interested in them, usually with no further intention of having a serious relationship with you. People who choose this pattern of behavior are giving their partners false hope, romantically leading them on and making them dependent on their communication. Such relationships usually lead to nowhere and leave us frustrated.
The concept of marriage has gone through numerous changes. People get married later and less frequently, and they get divorced more often. Moreover, single parents who raise their kids alone are no longer considered a sore thumb. The reasons for divorces are different, whether it be due to general conflict, adultery, not bearing responsibility, etc. And at the same time, people tend to blame themselves more than their partners when the relationship gets ruined.
A lot of us have probably met people who’re really full of themselves, who don’t care about others, and who always crave attention. This kind of person is who we imagine when we think of a narcissist. But a lot of the times, it’s just a façade, and in reality, they aren’t what they seem on the surface.
A person who emotionally blackmails you is usually someone who knows you all too well. They know all of your secrets and vulnerable sides and have become experts at taking advantage of them. And the reason why is very simple: they want to make you give in to their wants. Keep in mind that their excuse for acting this way is because they love you and want to spend time with you.
Despite what you may think, you don’t have to be a celebrity to have a stalker. Often, stalkers are people we know, like a colleague or ex-partner. So what may start as a keen interest in you could quickly turn into an unpleasant situation, as they become controlling over your life. But if you can pick up the signs early enough, you can learn how to avoid these types of people and move on with your life.
Even though we know that a lot of problems come from our childhood, we still rarely talk about the relationships between parents and children. We say things like, “Well, she’s my mom,” “They’ve done everything for me — I should be thankful.” We don’t often talk about negative feelings toward our parents. However, the things they sometimes do may make some people feel really anxious, even when they grow up.
If a toddler is really good at manipulating, they may eventually make you eat chocolate for breakfast together with them. An Internet connection may be perfect everywhere except for the place you’re sitting at right now. Or perhaps your own salary is disappearing faster than you earn it. There are many ways life can disappoint us and make us laugh our heads off at the same time.
A study conducted in the US showed that we lie 11 times per week, while another one revealed that 60% of people will lie during a 10-minute conversation. As it turns out, lying through your phone is much easier than doing it face-to-face. But on the other hand, e-mails seem to be the most honest form of communication, where people lie the least.
People who we value and hold close may be holding us back in life with their negativity and manipulation. In fact, a study showed us that the people we surround ourselves with determine whether we succeed or fail. It couldn’t be more important to have supportive and encouraging friends in our life. However, there are ways to deal with these people that’ll help you to flourish in life.
As primary caregivers, moms are often blessed with charming displays of behavior like whining, shrieking, attempted slapping, refusal of food, and cataclysmic tantrums over virtually nothing. You may have noticed that children behave angelically with other people, while going absolutely feral when their mom is nearby. Nope, you’re not imagining things. Kids actually tend to act up when they are around their moms. The secret is: it’s not a failure on the mom’s side — it’s a compliment.
In an office, different types of people have to coexist with each other. Some of them can become your close friends, while others will stay at the level of “hello” and “goodbye” with you. And this is normal, because we are all different, and we all have our own habits and outlooks on life. You can’t please everyone, but if you know how to avoid conflicts with some of your difficult colleagues, you can be called a professional person who can work under pressure.
When we first think of cheating, we rarely think of having an emotional affair with someone else outside your marriage or relationship. Even though these might not include romance, it can still have a great impact on you and your partner. You might notice unexplainable changes in your loved one that you likely weren’t even aware of.
Most of us associate the word “selfish” with an unpleasant person who only thinks about themselves. But psychologists claim that being selfish is actually useful in some situations. For example, when you need to put people back in their initial place, when they are about to try to get you to overextend yourself.
You can spend all your life fighting against cellulite without getting any results. It could be due to genetics which means no diet or exercise can help. However, there are some ways to minimize cellulite and make your buttocks appear more shapely.
Psychologists believe that one’s first impression of another is formed within the first several seconds of meeting. And it doesn’t change much down the road. But sometimes, as much as people may communicate, work with, are friends with or even in relationships with someone — eventually, they’ll want to minimize the time they spend together. It’s possible that one of them uses specific phrases in their speech that make other people not want to talk with them anymore.
If you disable the sound while watching movies, you can notice how much we actually use our facial expressions and body language. The information communicated this way is easily received by other people and it gives an emotional context to our words and actions. Joe Navarro, an expert at non-verbal communication, reveals the secrets for how to manipulate people to get them to do what you want in his books and public speeches.
“Yeah, I think I got really mad over nothing again. I’m sorry I was angry because you were only 40 minutes late. It was my fault: I forgot to remind you. And the bags weren’t that heavy anyway.” Does this sound familiar to you? We hope not. Because this is what manipulation looks like: threats, guilt, flattery, and blackmail.
Not only do our pets leave us in awe and bring cuteness into our lives, but they also can get what they want with the help of some manipulative tricks. Just look at that offended dog who turned his back to its owner or that sad cat whose eyes have the sorrow of the entire world in them and you’ll understand what we mean.
Sometimes, every parent has to deal with situations when their child doesn’t want to eat vegetables, pick up their toys, or go to bed on time. And all their attempts to try and make them do the right things end up with screaming, tearful kids, so neither the children nor the parents feel good in the end. But most of this trouble can be avoided if you use reverse psychology methods. For example, prohibit your child to eat the oatmeal they don’t like instead of making them eat it. We always want the things we can’t get which is why it’s very likely that this food will soon be their most desired meal. Reddit users told us about the methods and tricks their parents used to get the desired results.
Tantrums, anxiety, hiding real emotions, and low self-esteem — sadly, some parents manage to pass down all of these negative qualities to their kids. Their egoism and indifference toward their children’s feelings make a huge impact on them in their childhood. As a result, kids start to criticize themselves, feel helpless, and have problems in their social lives.
Chronic negativity can literally kill you and this has been proven scientifically. Drama queens can destroy your life. We guess that each of us has probably had a toxic colleague or a friend who always sucks our energy. We usually start feeling exhausted around these people. But there are more things that toxic people do that will help us recognize them.
Family ties are believed to be the strongest bonds that you can have in your life. Whether yours is family by blood or family by choice, you hope they always make you feel loved and you never expect to get hurt. However, some family members can become too toxic and that’s when breaking bonds with relatives might become appropriate.
