Spotify Wrapped season is finally here, and with it brings many questions — like how is it physically possible that you listened to "As It Was" by Harry Styles that many times? Just kidding. We get it. But the biggest question still looms large: When exactly does the Wrapped tracking period end?
The internet's colloquial understanding was that Wrapped stopped tracking at the end of October, leaving November and December as safe months to listen to your guilty pleasures. (I'm looking at you, Glee soundtrack.) But Spotify busted that myth in mid-October of this year in a reply to a since-deleted tweet from pop culture update account, Pop Crave, about Wrapped ending on Halloween. Spotify replied(Opens in a new tab), "The only thing that we end on Halloween is eating candy corn. Stream (and snack) all through the year and we will see you in Wrapped season."
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Spotify remains cagey about when exactly Wrapped stops tracking. "The Wrapped personalized experience covers streaming for 2022, so beginning in January and ending a few weeks prior to the launch on November 30. We aim to leave the cut off date as late as possible to really create a truly personalized experience for the millions of listeners around the world," Babar Zafar, Spotify's vice president of product development, explained at a press preview of Wrapped on Nov. 29.
Perhaps we will never know the precise date Spotify Wrapped stops tracking our listening habits, but it's safe to say that the first couple weeks of November are fair game. Condolences to those who were misinformed and let their guard down to listen to something embarrassing. Hopefully, it didn't affect your Wrapped too much.
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A guide to getting off to your own sexual fantasies and imagination
They say the mind is the biggest, most powerful sex organ in the body. But, uh, don't try visualizing that mental image too vividly or literally, unless you're into that sorta thing?
Instead, imagine your favorite fictional crush pressing you up against a wall, or think back to the hottest sex you ever had in your life. Now stop imagining, because this magical place where all your desires are possible and acceptable exists. And literally anyone can tap into it.
While sexual fantasies are by definition not "real," their effects on your sex life (especially when explored during masturbation) are — shall we say — palpably physical.
"Engaging your imagination rather than relying on visual porn for example helps to build, enhance and strengthen your erotic mind," said Dr. Britney Blair, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of the sexual wellness Lover(Opens in a new tab) app. "You can bring that imagination to life when you want to prime the pump on your desire or push yourself over the edge to climax while solo or with a partner."
"It's incredibly liberating, recognizing our own power to design the scenes and situations that turn us on."
To be clear, there's nothing wrong with porn or other forms of erotica. But there's something especially powerful in orgasming to smut that couldn't be more personally tailored to what you like.
"In our minds we're not confined to our studio apartments or our current sexual partners. There are no rules or judgments. Not even the laws of physics apply," said Gina Gutierrez, co-founder of the popular audio erotica app Dipsea(Opens in a new tab). "It’s incredibly liberating, recognizing our own power to design the scenes and situations that turn us on and to scrap the ones that don’t work for us."
Don't take our word for it, though. There's science to show exactly how real the effects of a healthy erotic imagination are.
In a landmark 2016 study(Opens in a new tab), Dr. Nan Wise — neuroscientist, sex therapist, and author of Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter, Happier, and More Purpose-Filled Life(Opens in a new tab) — mapped the brain's response when subjects merely imagined pleasurable stimulation on their genitals. Just by thinking about it, the pleasure centers in their brains "lit up like a Christmas tree," Wise said.
"The mind is really the recipient of all the body's sensations. So there's this empirical evidence of a huge connection between the mind and pleasure," she said.
While everyone can benefit from using their imagination as a sexual aid, it's an especially potent practice for women and others who society has conditioned to feel ashamed about their sexuality.
"We have to do more work to lay down the connections, the neural pathways, between the genitals and the brain's sensory reward regions," said Wise. "Using your imagination to masturbate not only gives us the information about what stimulation we need, but also actually strengthens the connections between our genitals and the brain."
SEE ALSO:
Why some people masturbate about people they hate
Beyond that, getting off to our own sexual fantasies tackles another negative effect that patriarchy can have on women's sexuality.
"We're socialized to think of ourselves as the objects of other people's desires, like we need to borrow someone else's idea of pleasure" said Wise. That's why learning how to be the subject of our own desires, to embody the pleasure we conjure up in our own mind, can be so empowering.
Everyone with a brain, genitals, and desire is already equipped to masturbate to their own sexual fantasies. And while the practice does come more naturally to some, it only takes little guidance and patience to unlock the endless possibilities tucked inside your erotic mind.
Set the right environment
Set that phone to night mode, but make it sexy.Credit: bob al-greene / mashable
A major key in setting your mind up for erotic success is to ensure your environment allows your brain to feel fully relaxed, safe, and free from distraction.
Pick a time and place where you'll have full privacy without needing to worry about any interruption, whether from roommates or notifications. For most people, that place will naturally be the bedroom. But put some effort into also making it a true fortress of sensual solitude, like by locking the door, setting your phone to airplane mode, putting on an eye mask, or maybe even using some essential oils and putting on your favorite sexy playlist.
Blair even recommends purposefully scheduling these more exploratory kind of session and making them habitual. So maybe it can be something you add to your nightly ritual before bed: Brush your teeth, do the skincare routine, put on some pajamas, then let your mind wander as you touch yourself.
Create a safe space in your mind
Of course, priming yourself with the right mindset is vital to unlocking your brain's full fantasy potential.
One of the biggest hurdles to exploring our erotic imaginations is actually the engrained social shame many of us have picked up (even subconsciously) through sexism, homophobia, social stigmas, religion, etc.
"It’s important to know if that is coming up for you, you’re not alone. But there is no such thing as a wrong or right fantasy." said Blair.
SEE ALSO:
Am I the only one who's horny for podcasts?
Treat your imagination as a judgement-free zone. To be fair, clearing or redirecting your mind away from feelings of shame is easier said than done. But certain exercises can help (which we'll get into more in the mind-body connection section below).
Blair suggests that, while exploring sexual fantasies in your mind, try to distinguish between when you're having a reaction versus a judgment to a certain scenario. Judgments often come from values imposed on you by something or someone else, while visceral reactions can be an indication that your mind wants to explore it further — especially if it's something your never thought you'd be into.
It's easy to get scared off by an intense response to a fantasy, and write that off as being too weird or outside the norm for your taste. But if you give yourself a second to assess where that response is coming from, you might actually find that the intensity comes from a part of you that you've never tried tapping into before.
"Everything is okay in the world of fantasy. No fantasy is a crime."
Or maybe not, and that's fine too. The point is, if you feel safe doing it, just try leaning into parts of your erotic mind that feel challenging and see where it goes.
"Everything is okay in the world of fantasy. No fantasy is a crime," said Blair. "Whatever turns you on in your mind is totally healthy. Your fantasy doesn’t say anything about you except that you are lucky to have a rich imagination that you can use to have an exciting and enduring erotic life."
That's another major benefit of sexual fantasies versus traditional porn, too. You don't have to worry about any ethical concerns, because your imagination can't hurt you or anyone else. You're in total control.
"You imagination is a completely safe space," said Dipsea's Gutierrez. "We can play out fantasies that are risky or illicit that we would never actually want to happen in real life. In our minds we’re free to experiment without consequences."
Familiarize yourself with (but don't feel limited by) common sexual fantasies
While the whole point is to tap into the unique potential of your own mind, a good jumping off point is to explore whether the most common sexual fantasies(Opens in a new tab) spark your interest. Researchers have labeled them into different categories, though there's a world of possibilities within those labels as well.
Dr. Blair described these categories as multi-partner sex like group sex or threesomes; power, control, or rough sex; novelty, adventure, and variety; taboo and forbidden sex; partner sharing and non-monogamous relationships; passion and romance; and erotic flexibilitylikehomoeroticism or gender-bending.
Jess O'Reilly is a sex educator, author of The New Sex Bible(Opens in a new tab), and Astroglide's resident sexologist. She explained that through each of these fantasy categories you can help identify the specific core erotic feelings that get you into a heightened state of arousal.
"Oftentimes, they relate to fantasy, escapism or subverting otherwise 'negative' emotions. You might find that sex is really hot when you feel powerful, submissive, challenged, mindful, or playful," she said. "You may also find yourself aroused by feelings that you don’t naturally associate with pleasure, like jealousy, inadequacy, fear, and even humiliation can be exciting."
What our brains often gravitate to most is pure novelty. What gets you off in a fantasy can actually be the total opposite of your real-life sexual orientation or even completely removed from you, as an abstract scenario happening to someone else entirely.
Let your spank bank be a place where your freak flag flies.Credit: vicky leta / mashable
So don't be weirded out if you learn that you're as horny for that fish-god monster from The Shape of Water as the Academy Awards were in 2018. Or maybe you're one of the many women who enjoys a rape fantasy — which, as Dr. Wise points out, in a fantasy context is the opposite of a real-life rape since, "you're choosing to have the fantasy and who's overpowering you. You're in complete control."
One other general rule of thumb Wise found is that while men tend toward more visually-oriented fantasies centered around preferred body parts, women tend to focus on overall scenarios. However, it's impossible to distill the endless possibilities of human sexuality into neat categories. Which is why you also shouldn't get discouraged or ashamed if none of these common fantasies do it for you.
"Our capacity for imagination is limitless," said Wise. Don't feel pressure to confine yours to a specific label.
Related Video: I built my own vibrator at CES
Start building your erotic imagination through fiction, porn, memories... anything!
The truth is that, while other obstacles might make it hard initially to give yourself permission to explore sexual fantasies, using your imagination is a very natural and innate part of being human. Who doesn't fantasizing about getting up from their desk in the middle of a hard work day and quitting, or spend time daydreaming about how they'd furnish their dream apartment?
"We make Pinterest boards and save Instagram photos, collect and catalog all these things that we like. I recommend starting to do that for your sex life," said Gutierrez. "Become more mindful observing what attracts you to someone. The moments where you feel sexiest. What you want to say out loud during sex but hesitate to. Then the next time you want to use your fantasy for pleasure, you know exactly where to draw from."
Everything in your life can become part of your horny mood board.
Everything in your life can become part of your horny mood board.
We all have that one fictional character or public figure — whether from books, tv, movies, video games, or even politics and the internet — that just does it for us. Begin there, expanding into a specific sexy scene that got you going or whatever comes to mind when you think of that person. Heck, maybe you're like me and realize that a silky, authoritative voice is actually your kink, leading a bunch of non-erotic popular podcasts to become your go-to spank bank material.
Audio erotica can be a great place to start if you don't want to take the training wheels off yet to explore sexual fantasies of your own making. Unlike visual porn, audio erotica still exercises the muscles of your erotic imagination, asking you to fill in the details and paint the full picture. While we always recommend Dipsea, there's also plenty of free ways to try audio erotica like r/gonewildaudio(Opens in a new tab) and Girl on the Net(Opens in a new tab).
Once you're ready to bring yourself more to the forefront of the fantasy, begin with a memory of the hottest, most visceral sex you've ever had. Really ground yourself back in that moment by recalling your senses: What position were you in? What did the person's lust feel like? Were you sweating? How exactly did they touch you?
Touch yourself while pulling from all the erotic mental material you've curated, and don't be afraid to really get your whole body involved in mimicking the sensations you're creating through your mind. Maybe that means masturbating while you're on all fours, or matching the tempo of the fantasy, or even dry-humping a pillow. Don't put any pressure on yourself to orgasm throughout any of this, though, and instead just zero in on embodying the experience of your imagination.
"It's about giving yourself full permission to explore all our internal pleasure places, and how we experience them in both our minds and bodies at the same time," said Wise.
It's like writing fanfiction, but in real-timeCredit: vicky leta / mashable
Try these exercises to strengthen your mind-body connection
Through her research and other studies in the field, Wise has ultimately found that, "This distinction we make between the mind and body is really a very arbitrary one."
One of the best ways to embrace this in a way that engages your erotic fantasy life in is through something called mindful sex.
This increasingly popular branch of sex therapy describes a bunch of different practices and exercises that add a layer of sexuality to mindfulness, to help you stay present in your body while experiencing pleasure, train your mind to focus on whatever arouses you, and engage in a non-judgmental curious sexual mindset. Try out basic exercises like pleasure mapping (which Dipsea has a guide for), mindful masturbation (which you can read about here), and sensate focus (which you can read about here).
Wise also suggests a very simple exercise for getting your imagination more connected with your genitals on a neurological level: Just start by tapping or pleasurably touching your genitals, then stop, then think back on the sensations you felt while touching them. Try to recall and summon them back in your body: What did it feel like in your body when the stimulation was building, then dissipating?
At first, it might not feel like much at all and the pleasure may be pretty mild compared to what you're used to while using more immediate erotic visual aids like porn.
“But you’ll slowly start to develop a better connection to that pleasure sensation channel in your brain,” she said.
Use your imagination during partnered sex
While sexual fantasies are a great way to enhance self-love, learning how to engage with them during partnered sex can also do wonders to get people over the edge and into orgasm.
At this point though, you might be wondering: Is it even OK to fantasize about other situations — or maybe even other people — while having sex with a partner?
“It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you'd come home to eat.”
“Yes, it’s an unequivocal yes! Because thinking about stuff is not the same as doing it,” said Wise. As the famous saying goes, “It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you'd come home to eat.”
It’s totally normal for your mind to desire novelty, especially if you're not in a new relationship anymore. In fact, Wise found that one of the best ways to ensure a couples’ longevity is precisely this kind of openness and understanding that people need to fuel their erotic imagination with new stuff.
“If we can get over these kind of hang ups, get past this fear of our partners having a fantasy about somebody else while they’re with us, and instead use it as an opportunity talk about: What would you like? What haven't we tried? What are you afraid to tell me? Because that's hot. That's really hot,” said Wise.
Or maybe instead of thinking about someone else, you'd simply rather use your imagination during partnered sex to transport you both to a setting or scenario that heightens your arousal even more.
In the end, what you do with your erotic imagination is up to you. You can share it if you'd like — or keep it all to yourself. That’s what’s so great about sexual fantasies you cut from your own cloth: They’re all yours, and no one else's.
Childish Gambino warned us in 2018. This is America, right?
It's been a brutal week for anyone who doesn't live with their eyes closed. The proof is right there on Twitter and other social platforms. It used to be that we relied on police bodycams to hold officers accountable for their actions. But in this difficult moment, citizen journalism is carrying that bucket instead.
Something snapped in the United States as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against George Floyd's neck until he died on May 25. Floyd was black and Chauvin is white. It was a sadly familiar scene of what looks to rational observers like a clear case of police brutality.
But this time, we hit a breaking point. The gruesome reality of Chauvin's actions as captured on camera is certainly part of it. He held his position on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, until after the restrained man died. The camera captures it all in vivid, horrifying detail. Add to that the ongoing pandemic, and historic levels of unemployment. People's nerves are frayed and the callous inhumanity of Floyd's death was a last straw.
So cities exploded over the weekend with widespread protests and grim scenes of violence. Even as much of the country outside of major cities continues to hunker down behind stay-at-home orders, social media has brought all of us to the front lines through citizen journalism and shared news reports.
These ongoing protests are about stopping racial violence and police brutality, and they're hundreds of years in the making. I think the images and videos, and the actions of the people portrayed therein, tell the whole story. Thank you to all of the protesters and members of the press who are out there doing your part to make sure the realities of this moment won't soon be forgotten.
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It hasn't all been as completely terrible as the above visuals suggest. Protesters are out in force and many of them are skipping the violence in favor of working to send a message, lift up the people in their community, and generally just keep the peace. Many others are just doing the best they can to peacefully work through the days, weeks, months, decades of pent-up anger they've been carrying.
They've even been joined in a few cases by police officers and departments that have managed to maintain a level of trust with their local communities.
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SEE ALSO:
How to demand justice for George Floyd and support Minneapolis protesters
I don't know what else to say. Take care of yourselves, folks. And please, keep on documenting this moment in any way that you can.
Police scanner app catapults to the top of the App Store
Protesters just made a police scanner the most popular paid iOS app in the country.
On Monday, 5-0 Radio Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), which costs $5, was the number one paid app in the App Store. A pared-down version with ads was the number two paid app, surpassing TikTok and second only to the suddenly popular Zynn app. Vice first reported(Opens in a new tab) on the app's rise.
Protesters clashed with police in Minneapolis, Louisville, Los Angeles, Philadelphia(Opens in a new tab), and other U.S. cities over the weekend. They are demanding an end to police brutality after George Floyd was killed by a police officer.
A look at the top paid apps.Credit: screenshot / mashable
Also popular as a free app.Credit: Screenshot / mashable
Scanner apps let protesters listen to live police radio feeds. App analytics firm Apptopia found the top five police scanner apps, such as 5-0 Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab) and Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), were downloaded 213,000 times over the weekend. That's a 125 percent increase from the weekend before — a record for police scanner apps. 5-0 Police Scanner was downloaded 40,000 times between Friday and Sunday in the United States.
Other related apps saw download surges as well, like the encrypted messaging app Signal. It was downloaded 37,000 times this weekend, a record for the app. Same for community alert app Citizen, which was downloaded 49,000 times during the same period, according to Apptopia(Opens in a new tab).
Elizabeth Warren and her very good dog Bailey joined the Washington D.C. protests
Less than half an hour before the official curfew started in Washington D.C., thousands of protesters were still walking peacefully in the streets of the capital. Among them were Sen. Elizabeth Warren, her husband Bruce Mann, and their dog Bailey.
Dressed in sensible beige shorts, sneakers, and a basic blue face mask, the last female candidate to suspend her campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was quickly spotted by her fellow protesters as she joined the throng in Lafayette Square. Many were clearly thrilled to see her, cheering as she told reporters President Donald Trump had been "wrong" to deploy the National Guard in the city.
"He is imposing violence on our people," she told one reporter(Opens in a new tab). "People are here to protest peacefully.
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Warren also called for Attorney General Bill Barr to resign after reports that he had ordered the violent removal of protesters near the White House, and tweeted her support for her colleague Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's bill to criminalise the use of chokeholds by police. Gillibrand was also in the presidential race until last August.
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Widespread protests have emerged in cities across the U.S. in a furious response to the death of George Floyd — who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes — as well as other recent police killings, including Louisville woman Breonna Taylor and Florida man Tony McDade. These names are only the latest to be added to a shamefully long list of black Americans killed by police.f
Trump's response to the protests, in particular the order to disperse peaceful demonstrators near the White House using tear gas and rubber bullets for a Trump photo op, has drawn criticism from members of both parties(Opens in a new tab).
Other politicians who have appeared at protests include Reps. Ayanna Pressley(Opens in a new tab), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(Opens in a new tab), and Joyce Beatty, who was pepper sprayed by police at the Columbus, Ohio event(Opens in a new tab), as well as Sen. Kamala Harris (Opens in a new tab)
Every police department should have to hear our rage via Zoom call
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Commission held a Zoom call with citizens — of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, as well as some former residents — and watched with blank faces as citizens berated them mercilessly for eight hours.
The call came not only after several nights of protests in Los Angeles, but also after LAPD chief Michael Moore blamed the death of George Floyd(Opens in a new tab) on the city's protestors and looters. (Moore walked back on the comments(Opens in a new tab) after backlash.)
But that's just the tip of the iceberg: LAPD has a long history of violence against black people — next year will be 30 years since LA officers beat Rodney King(Opens in a new tab).
After many people were initially left out of the call(Opens in a new tab) because it capped at 500 people — and after the boomers on the commission figured out how to work Zoom — the commission said their statements.
Then, the real show started. The public unleashed their fury on the LAPD for hours on end. They demanded Moore's resignation or firing, as well as to defund the LAPD and support the people's budget(Opens in a new tab). Some spewed incredible insults(Opens in a new tab), while others broke down in tears. Several impassioned callers, like this one, went viral:
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After watching this call, I'm convinced that every police department needs to have a Zoom call like this one.
While the LAPD is notorious for its racism, so are many other departments across the country — including the Minneapolis police(Opens in a new tab), who are responsible for the killing of George Floyd. He died after three police officers pinned him down, one kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Police departments across the nation should be subjected to people's rage. In many cities, they're beating up peaceful protestors who they are sworn to protect, all while we — the taxpayers — pay their salaries. Police commissions are supposed to be working for us, the civilians, and we should be able to scream and cry and drag our cops just like the residents of LA did yesterday. (And then I think we should defund the police(Opens in a new tab), but that's a different story.)
Public meetings with police departments aren't new. As some activists mentioned on the call, they've been raising the same concerns about the police for years. But now thanks to technology not afforded previous generations, these meetings can be online (and the current pandemic pretty much mandates that, anyway). Virtual meetings can not only be more accessible to people who can't make them in-person, but allows these meetings to go viral and be seen by thousands, both in the department's jurisdiction and beyond.
The total impact of the LAPD call has yet to be seen. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didn't make any promises about changing the budget(Opens in a new tab), and as of publication the LAPD chief has not resigned.
But that doesn't mean this call didn't have an impact. Hundreds of people were able to express anger that has possibly been pent up for years. People around the country — like me, in New York — stayed tuned for hours and are now inspired to tell our police departments our similar demands (and probably insults). Like protesting, donating money, and calling our reps, being able to rip into our respective police departments can be just another action to elicit change, and it's a cathartic one at that.
Police commissions and departments have a duty to their citizens to let their voices be heard. We are all owed a more modern-day public forum. Americans everywhere should be able to call out their police chief's racist eyebrows.
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Mashable has reached out to LAPD for comment and will update if received.
Even Piers Morgan thinks Rudy Giuliani sounds completely barking mad
Listen, let's not give Piers Morgan — a British TV presenter who's dabbled in racist tropes(Opens in a new tab) and transphobia(Opens in a new tab) — a gold star. But even he has realized Rudy Giuliani seems a little off.
Giuliani, the former NYC mayor and current personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, appeared on Thursday on ITV's Good Morning Britain, which Morgan co-hosts. The appearance, which took place in the middle of the night in the U.S., turned into a shouting match between two old white guys about who was more discredited.
The fight began when Morgan criticized Trump's tweet about "when the looting starts the shooting starts" in regards to the protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd. But the argument soon devolved into a barrage of personal attacks.
"You sound completely barking mad, do you know that?" Morgan said.
Giuliani fired back, "No, I don't. You sound like a big liar."
But Morgan kept going after the former mayor, firing off wonderfully British insults.
"You've lost the plot. And it's sad to see," the host said.
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Taking a page from his boss's playbook, Giuliani stumbled through a few insults about Morgan's failed CNN show and its poor ratings. At some point, Giuliani either tells Morgan he "sucked up" or "fucked up" — it's tough to tell because Giuliani's words are a bit slurred — but either way Morgan apologizes for the language before twisting the knife further into his guest.
"When I used to interview you, you were an intelligent, reasonable man and you've gone completely mad," he said. "And you sound deranged. You're abusive. And it's really sad to see what's happened to you."
A viral clip from the interview goes on in a similar fashion for a few more minutes. It does represent a shift from Morgan — a former winner on Celebrity Apprentice who had a largely friendly (if bonkers)(Opens in a new tab) interview with Trump this time last year.
But definitely watch the entire clip from Thursday, if only to see co-host Susanna Reid deliver an absolutely perfect, "OK," to end the wild segment.
Fox News host says John Lennon — who was killed in New York — wouldnt be safe in the city right now
Days after an NYPD car floored it into a group of protesters(Opens in a new tab) — just one of many instances of police violence in the city(Opens in a new tab) — New York City mayor Bill de Blasio responded with...John Lennon lyrics.
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"I don't mean to make light of this but I'm reminded of the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon," said de Blasio, according to journalist Jack Mirkinson. He went on to say that defunding the police, a rallying cry of the George Floyd protests, was "not the way forward."
De Blasio was subsequently roasted by social media(Opens in a new tab) and traditional(Opens in a new tab) media(Opens in a new tab) outlets(Opens in a new tab), and then Fox News got ahold of the quote. On Fox & Friends Thursday morning,Brian Kilmeade thought he was delivering a brilliant zinger about the mayor:
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"John Lennon wouldn't be safe in this city right now," said Kilmeade. "He'd be hiding in his apartment."
For those who are unaware (like Kilmeade, apparently), John Lennon was murdered in New York(Opens in a new tab) in 1980. His killer, Mark David Chapman, shot him four times outside his luxury Manhattan apartment. He's still in prison and his eleventh parole hearing is scheduled for this August(Opens in a new tab).
Maybe Kilmeade should do some fact-checking. Imagine that?
Singer performs Bunker Boy, a catchy tune about Trumps time in the bunker
There's a new song inspired by Donald Trump's recent and somewhat confusing trip to the White House bunker, and honestly? It's catchy as hell.
On Monday, days after it was reported that Secret Service rushed the president to the White House bunker(Opens in a new tab) amidst D.C. protests, singer Courtney Jaye (@TropicalJaye(Opens in a new tab)) penned and performed the tune, titled, "Bunker Boy."
Jaye shared a video of herself performing the song to social media, and on top of her gorgeous guitar playing and sweet-sounding vocals, the lyrics are truly something.
"Bunker Boy, don't lie. You got scared and hid in the basement in the middle of the night," Jaye sings. "You're not so tough, no. It's a sorry sight. So take your bible, shove it up your ass, and turn on the fucking lights."
Jaye ends the song with the lyrics, "Bunker Boy, Bunker Boy, November's coming and we hope you're terrified, Bunker boy," before taking a big exhale and letting out an exhausted eye roll. A real mood.
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SEE ALSO:
Stephen Colbert slams Trump's hypocritical Bible photo op
For those who haven't been closely following Trump's bunker saga, let's recap.
On Friday night, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House gates to protest racism, police brutality, and the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on May 25, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Reports stated that when protests escalated Friday night, Secret Service ushered Trump — along with Melania and their son Barron — to the underground presidential bunker, where they allegedly remained for nearly an hour(Opens in a new tab).
After Trump received some backlash for retreating to the bunker amidst a national state of unrest, he said that he didn't go to the bunker to get away from the protests, rather he was merely inspecting the bunker.
"I was there for a tiny, short little period of time," Trump told Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio. He then stated his bunker visit was "more for an inspection," and that he'd been been to the bunker previously. He said he's gone "two and a half times," whatever that means.
Trump's bunker comments sounded a bit absurd to many people, including Jaye, which is why she decided to use the gift of song to hilariously call the president out on his suspicious story.
Jaye tweeted her video and made sure to tag Trump's Twitter handle — and the song has been quite a hit since. At the time of writing this piece, Jaye's tweet had more than 60,000 likes, and celebrities like Sophia Bush have even praised the blunt and catchy tune.
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Jaye is no stranger to writing songs about President Trump. On June 1, she also shared another potential hit, called "fuck this fucking president," which has been viewed 174,000 times.
In it, Jaye shares her true feelings about the president, and urges people to get out and vote for the November election.
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I only wish Jaye had been cranking out these political hits back in 2018, when former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was hiding in (or among) bushes. I bet "Bushes Boy" would have been a real banger.
Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, resigns to make room for a black board member
The co-founder of Reddit just put the rest of the tech world on notice.
Alexis Ohanian announced Friday(Opens in a new tab) that he was resigning his Reddit board seat, and "urged" the rest of the board to fill his spot with a new black board member. He will also be donating all future gains on his Reddit stock to "serve the black community," and is immediately giving $1 million to Colin Kaepernick's racial justice charity.
Yes, take that in. Ohanian just set the bar for using power and privilege for racial equity by transferring not only resources, but also power to people of color.
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The tech world has been looking for ways to support racial equality amid Black Lives Matter protests across the world. The leaders in efforts to promote diversity in tech say that one of the best ways tech leaders in particular can help is by investing in black businesses and venture funds, hiring black employees, and putting black people in positions of power within the tech world.
"Tech companies should be hiring [people of color] at all levels, from the board room to the boiler room," Rodney Sampson, a leader in tech diversity and founder of the accelerator OHUB(Opens in a new tab), said. "If you’re a venture-backed tech company, you should be looking to put someone black on your board of advisors."
Ohanian called his move "long overdue." He explained that he had made his decision so that he could answer his black daughter (Ohanian's wife is Serena Williams) when she asked: "What did you do?"
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Williams expressed support for her husband in a tweet that may have made this reporter choke up.
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In the background of Ohanian's actions are the stark realities of Reddit, which Ohanian said he founded "to help people find community and a sense of belonging." Anyone who has spent even a passing moment on Reddit knows that it can be a quagmire of divisive vitriol. Amid the protests, some Reddit communities protested what they see as Reddit's failure to take stronger action against hate speech on the platform by making their communities private. Ellen Pao, a former VC, and one-time interim CEO of Reddit who now runs a tech diversity organization, called out Reddit's hypocrisy on Twitter:
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There is, of course, no guarantee that Reddit leadership will take Ohanian up on his request to fill his seat with a black board member. But this is an opportunity to set an example for the rest of the tech and business world. Currently, around 11 percent of Fortune 100 board members are African American, according to a recent study(Opens in a new tab) by the Alliance for Board Diversity.
Mashable has reached out to Reddit to learn whether it intends to follow through with Ohanian's call to action, and Reddit said it would be responding "later today."
Trump lies about elderly protester injured by police, hits another new Twitter low
Every time you think Donald Trump has hit a new moral low, he manages to outdo himself.
On Tuesday morning, Twitter users saw yet another exceptionally distressing and unpresidential display from Trump. The president tweeted outlandish lies about Martin Gugino, the injured protester who was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police officers last week. Even for someone prone to spreading false conspiracy theories, this was a shocking thing to say.
After video of the Buffalo police officers pushing the 75-year-old man to the ground went viral, public outrage led to the suspension of two officers directly involved and the resignation of the 57 other officers(Opens in a new tab) from Buffalo New York's emergency response team. Those officers who resigned from the team remain on the force.
As Gugino — whose head could be seen smacking the pavement in the video and then was bleeding from his ears — remains in serious but stable condition, Trump suggested to nearly 82 million Twitter followers that the 75-year-old man was "an ANTIFA provocateur" who was trying to tamper with police equipment and exaggerated the severity of his fall.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?" Trump tweeted.
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SEE ALSO:
Protesters turned Donald Trump's #BabyGate fence into something beautiful
The tweet not only publicly targets a citizen, but also attempts to destroy his reputation as a peaceful activist(Opens in a new tab). And though Trump continually flings insults and spreads misinformation on Twitter, many people were genuinely taken aback by the harmful nature of this conspiracy theory.
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Trump seems to have gotten this conspiracy theory in his head from One America News, the conservative, far-right news network that previously claimed Dr. Fauci had ties to the Deep State, George Soros, Bill Gates, and the Clintons(Opens in a new tab).
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Trump has proven time and again that he's not above lying to rile up his base and change the conversation. So it's imperative now more than ever that you research whatever he says before you even consider believing it.
People love watching ASMR. So why do they keep it a secret?
When 22-year-old college student Abby Webster watches ASMR to fall asleep, she takes special precautions. "I have a roommate, and I angle my laptop away because I'm like, 'I don't want anyone to see this,'" she says.
You'll find similar confessions throughout the comments sections of ASMR videos on YouTube. "Who else hides ASMR like it's a drug," asks one user under a video(Opens in a new tab) from creator Gibi ASMR. The comment has 13,000 likes and 500 replies, including one that reads, "People know I do drugs. Nobody knows I watch ASMR."
What about ASMR, the pseudo-scientific phenomenon of relaxing sound and visual triggers, is so embarrassing? Webster herself isn't quite sure. "I know my roommate wouldn't care… it's just an irrational shame." She has recently been watching a sub genre of ASMR(Opens in a new tab) in which repetitive hand movements are used to relax the viewer and admits, "I'm imagining me looking at someone watching somebody movie their hands on YouTube, and I would be like… huh."
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Rogelio (we've changed his name at his request), a 25-year-old tire shop mechanic and psychology student, stumbled on an analysis of the video game Portal(Opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab) done in ASMR around two years ago. "I was like, 'What the fuck is this? I like this. I need more of this.'" But he says there is a dividing line between those who can understand ASMR and those that don't. "Either they just think it's voice or sounds or they think you're a creep," Rogelio says, "It's one of two sides."
Webster has never met anyone who openly talks about liking the genre. "I don't think anybody's ever said that to me," she laughs. "I've talked to my friends who don't get it at all and I'm like, 'I can't explain this to you… You either get it or you don't.' They just think it's really weird… that it has like, some sexual connotation to it or something… Since they don't actually get what other people get from it, [they think] 'there must be something going on here.'"
ASMR, an acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, taps its well-manicured nails in the gray areas of relaxation and pleasure, and that's why a lot of people like it. Most ASMR triggers simulate physical and emotional closeness through whispering, eye contact, and other expressions of care usually reserved for interpersonal relationships.
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After only two years on TikTok, Victoria Paris is on her way to making millions. How did a 22-year-old learn to make that much money?
But while ASMR is inherently intimate, it is not always sexual. The genre is not exempt from the universal truth that if it exists, there is porn of it.(Opens in a new tab) And there isASMR porn(Opens in a new tab). But, as performer Penny Barber recently told Mashable, there was also an abundance of fidget spinner porn in the toy's recent heyday.
For Webster, ASMR is part of a nighttime routine that also involves watching K-pop dance covers on repeat "to the point where my eyes would glaze over and I would zone out" and playing "little ambient games" like Pokémon GO or Subway Surfer. "I just need to do something mindless… you know those baby sensory videos(Opens in a new tab) on YouTube? That's me watching dance practices." And to the end, ASMR "is just a useful tool in my life."
The genre is a tool for others, too. Asking for consent to "touch" a viewer, a widely adopted practice among creators who make ASMR content, called ASMRtists, has helped create a safe space for intimacy(Opens in a new tab). ASMR has been used by sexual assault survivors(Opens in a new tab) as a way to heal. And ASMRtists often make videos specifically to help with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
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From there, you can slide all the way across the spectrum — past wooden block tapping and fantasy role plays — to ASMRotica(Opens in a new tab).
In the middle are ear-licking sounds, a trigger neither Webster nor Rogelio can stand but that ASMRtist Frivolous Fox(Opens in a new tab) has built a successful career on.
ASMRtistLunaRexx(Opens in a new tab) makes YouTube videos titled "ASMR for men." Her content has helped popularize the "you're laying in my lap" trend with thumbnails that prominently feature her cleavage. She adds a disclaimer under every video: "This ASMR video is not meant for fetishization or sexualization purposes. My ASMR videos are meant to help you sleep and for relaxation purposes." She also links readers to her age-restricted Patreon, where she posts "lewd ASMR" and "cosplay-themed photo sets and content."
Recent videos from LunaRexx include titles indicating they are specifically "for men."Credit: LunaRexxASMR
As Rogelio notes, that's totally OK. "That's her market. She plays her niche." And if it helps someone fall asleep, so what? He admits that attractiveness matters. "I am but a simple creature. So it's like, 'Oh, you're an attractive person. I'm gonna click on your video and see if I like it… And we're going to go from there'... YouTube is thumbnails, right? It's clickbait, it works. At the end of the day, it is an entertainment field… There's a reason people on TV look better than me. And it doesn't bother me."
Rogelio doesn't talk about ASMR with anyone. Not with his fiancé, or the guys at the tire shop where he works at, or at the school where he is getting his degree in psychology. "I'm talking to you in my car," he admits, "Because my fiancé is in my room and my cousin and his fiancé live with us. And I'm not going to have this conversation in the house."
He often screen records funny social media posts to send to his family. To start and stop recording, he slides down a control panel that includes a widget showing what he's currently listening to. Every time, "I edit [that part of the video] off so none of them can see that I'm listening to 'ASMR haircuts for men.'" Once one of my cousin's finds out you're listening to this girl with her boobs out giving you a haircut, that's gonna make its way around very quick," he laughs. "I have a Hispanic family, there's a lot of chismosa going around."
One of Rogelio's favorite videos to fall asleep to is this collection of lullabies from ASMR Glow.
Marisa Peer(Opens in a new tab), a therapist and best-selling author, says positive reactions to the intimacy of ASMR are "completely normal" and almost "childlike." "Many people first experience ASMR as a child when having a story read to them or their forehead or hair stroked," she points out. But as we grow older — and intimacy becomes associated with sex — guilt and shame creep in and muddy the waters. What was once comforting is now confusing.
Add to this confusion the fact that ASMR is not a universal experience, that people who don't experience ASMR are skeptical of it, that it's something enjoyed in private, and that parts of the genre have been publicly demonized(Opens in a new tab), and it starts to feel like something you should keep to yourself. "People often feel shame or guilt about something if they think it is abnormal… There is an innate human desire to find connection and avoid rejection. If someone already considers themselves odd because they enjoy ASMR, they are not going to share this with anyone at the risk of being judged and having their shame endorsed."
"Forgiving ourselves is an important step in leaving feelings of shame behind," says Peer. "We are allowed to feel good!" While ASMR is not yet backed by research, Peer notes that "sound therapy is a proven, natural method for relaxation and healing… It is no different from how we respond to other sounds or sensations — gentle spa music, a babbling brook, the wind in the trees or a clock ticking — [that] rest our autonomic nervous systems and help us relax." Finding online communities that celebrate the genre — like on Reddit or the YouTube comments section — will make fans of ASMR feel less alone.
Rogelio says he'd feel less ashamed about his ASMR habits "if the stigma changed from creepy to lame. It doesn't need to go positive… I like lame things, and I acknowledge and accept that. I love professional wrestling. [It’s the] lamest shit in the world, and everyone knows it. I'll be lame. I'll be weird. I'll be different. I don't want to be creepy."
Millions of people watch both pro wrestling and ASMR, but only one is broadcast on national television.
Ads from brands that employ ASMR, like this one from IKEA, have helped move ASMR towards mainstream recognition.
Peer notes that the more mainstream ASMR gets, "the more normalised and less of a guilty secret this will become." Over the past few years, the genre has flirted heavily with mainstream popularity, featuring in Super Bowl commercials(Opens in a new tab) and as fodder for A-list celebrities(Opens in a new tab) promoting new projects. But it still wades in liminality.
Ben Deaney manages brand partnerships for a long roster of YouTube's top ASMRtists through his company Human Media Group(Opens in a new tab). He is also the husband of Gibi ASMR, one of the genre's most popular creators. HMG works with brands like Dollar Shave Club, Helix, and Honey. When pitching, Deaney says "I've really needed to be data driven in order to push past what the content is." But when brands finally "get it," the sell is easy. The same goes for people.
"[When I go to bed] I put a fan on when it's like 20 degrees in Chicago, because I like the sound of it on, I like feeling a little breeze," he says. ASMR is just like that. "It's a really important part of [a routine] for a lot of people," he adds. "I think once you, yourself, understand [that] you have something that kind of fits in that same vein… you can dismiss anyone that is trying to ASMR shame or be like 'that's weird'... For people that don't understand it they're like, ‘What is this?’ It's fight or flight rather than like, just chill, relax. Enjoy it. That's the whole point."
Trump lies about elderly protester injured by police, hits another new Twitter low
Every time you think Donald Trump has hit a new moral low, he manages to outdo himself.
On Tuesday morning, Twitter users saw yet another exceptionally distressing and unpresidential display from Trump. The president tweeted outlandish lies about Martin Gugino, the injured protester who was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police officers last week. Even for someone prone to spreading false conspiracy theories, this was a shocking thing to say.
After video of the Buffalo police officers pushing the 75-year-old man to the ground went viral, public outrage led to the suspension of two officers directly involved and the resignation of the 57 other officers(Opens in a new tab) from Buffalo New York's emergency response team. Those officers who resigned from the team remain on the force.
As Gugino — whose head could be seen smacking the pavement in the video and then was bleeding from his ears — remains in serious but stable condition, Trump suggested to nearly 82 million Twitter followers that the 75-year-old man was "an ANTIFA provocateur" who was trying to tamper with police equipment and exaggerated the severity of his fall.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?" Trump tweeted.
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SEE ALSO:
Protesters turned Donald Trump's #BabyGate fence into something beautiful
The tweet not only publicly targets a citizen, but also attempts to destroy his reputation as a peaceful activist(Opens in a new tab). And though Trump continually flings insults and spreads misinformation on Twitter, many people were genuinely taken aback by the harmful nature of this conspiracy theory.
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Trump seems to have gotten this conspiracy theory in his head from One America News, the conservative, far-right news network that previously claimed Dr. Fauci had ties to the Deep State, George Soros, Bill Gates, and the Clintons(Opens in a new tab).
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Trump has proven time and again that he's not above lying to rile up his base and change the conversation. So it's imperative now more than ever that you research whatever he says before you even consider believing it.
Painful sex and mental health have a surprising relationship
Sealed Lips is Mashable’s series on pelvic pain, an experience rarely discussed but shockingly common.
No one ever told me painful sex was a problem.
While consistently experiencing vaginal pain with practically every new partner that'd leave me sore for days — before usually going away over time if we did it more often — I never said anything. Not to those partners, not to my friends, and certainly not to any doctor. One day though, after mentioning it to a group of girlfriends in college, everyone shared their own similar yet varied experiences of pain during sex. As we swapped horror stories (more than once the pain led me to cry silently while partners rarely noticed and carried on), we laughed it off. I went as far as admitting to taking a little pride in it, some twisted pleasure in the pain because I thought it meant I was "tight."
It took years of therapy, growing up, and writing about sex professionally for me to realize what was likely happening: I didn't feel very comfortable or relaxed around new partners. Then, after enough times of having pain with new partners, my body just started expecting it, tensing up to brace for impact.
Painful penetrative sex is one of the most common, widespread sexual problems.
"Pain during sex is never just in someone's head. But oftentimes, it can be related to anxiety or stress,"said Dr. Sonia Bahlani, dubbed the pelvic pain guru(Opens in a new tab). Dr. Bahlani, who has expertise in urology, obstetrics, and gynecology, related it to how some people clench their jaws while stressed or anxious. The same thing can happen to the pelvic floor. "Emotional states can be a cause of painful intercourse. And more often, there's a multitude of sources."
Painful penetrative sex is one of the most common, widespread sexual problems. About three out of four women will experience it, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists(Opens in a new tab). Chronic vulvar pain from unknown origins (also called vulvodynia), which often causes pain with sex, impacts up to an estimated 28 percent of women(Opens in a new tab) of reproductive age. That percentage can't fully account for underreporting(Opens in a new tab) due to misdiagnoses or women not recognizing pain as a problem at all.
"I have so many women come into my office and say, 'Well, I've always had painful sex, but that's just normal, right? Everyone has painful sex,'" said Dr. Bahlani. "And the answer is no. But it's absolutely ingrained in our culture that painful sex is just the way it goes for women."
From longstanding myths around virginity and vaginal tightness, to other gender norms and social pressures, and the taboos around discussing any of it, our psychological relationship to sex is often inextricably linked to our experiences of pain during the act.
"You can be the wokest, dopest hardcore feminist and still, patriarchal concepts of being sexual are hardwired in you... There is still this component of being expected to please the partner, placating the partner, making sure they're happy," said Dr. Uchenna Ossai, a University of Texas Medical School professor with a doctorate in physical therapy who also founded sex ed platform You See Logic(Opens in a new tab).
In the growing body of research around the psychological components of painful sex, multiple studies(Opens in a new tab) found women with chronic pelvic disorders had higher rates of anxiety and depression(Opens in a new tab), while another suggests a connection to low body image.(Opens in a new tab) Other studies link it to(Opens in a new tab) trauma from sexual or physical abuse, with one finding(Opens in a new tab) women who suffered from painful sex were three times more likely to have experienced abuse in childhood.
"Pain is not just a physical experience. It's not just a sensation, but an emotional experience as well. And if we're not addressing the emotional factors associated with pain, particularly chronic pain, we're doing a disservice to our patients," said Meryl Alappattu, a research assistant in the physical therapy department at the University of Florida who published a 2011 paper on the topic(Opens in a new tab).
The psychology of painful sex is physical
At the same time, the tendency for practitioners to blame unexplained chronic pain with sex exclusively on a patient's emotions, distress, or trauma do a serious disservice too. It can feel invalidating, like suggesting that their severe physical symptoms are imagined.
A surprisingly common piece of medical advice exemplifying this problem is the suggestion that patients simply drink a glass of wine before sex to relax. A mentor of Alappattu's uses a simple demonstration in lectures to dispel clinicians of such unhelpful advice: She puts a bolt that's too small next to a big screw on the table, then asks if they think it'll fit in the bolt after it's had a glass of wine. The obvious answer is no. So why, then, do many providers still instruct patients to do that like it'll miraculously make intercourse not painful?
"Aside from just perpetuating the mentality that it's all in your head, it's harmful for patients because — if you do have a glass of wine, have sex, and it's still painful, what's gonna happen? You're not going to want to have sex again," said Dr. Bahlani.
Sure enough, studies show that people with chronic unexplained pain during sex can often develop sexual dysfunctions(Opens in a new tab) like lower drive, arousal, satisfaction, and ability to orgasm. Pain with intercourse can build a fear-based aversion to sex that feeds into itself, which in turn, can cause lower quality of life, issues around intimacy(Opens in a new tab), and romantic relationships(Opens in a new tab). All of it is made worse by a medical system that's ill-equipped to find holistic, multi-faceted solutions to such complex yet misunderstood dysfunctions.
"Your nervous system becomes hyperactivated if, every time you attempt to have sex, it hurts. The psychological component is a systemic piece, informing your nervous system, your hormones, which essentially trains the brain to respond a certain way," said Ossai. So what's going on in your head does have physiological effects. "That's why you need a multidisciplinaryapproach to treating pelvic pain. You have the circle of biology, psychology, socio-cultural components, interpersonal components, and trauma. That's how you get a full picture of your sexual health. Which means there's not just one person that's going to be able to fix you."
Treating chronic pain with sex requires clinicians who ask the right questions to determine which medical professionals can best address these combined factors likely at play. Gynecologists, urologists, and pelvic floor physical therapists help with the biomedical and physiological, while sex counselors and therapists not only help address the disorder itself but the emotional fall out of dealing with what's often a maddeningly arduous journey of chronic pain with few certain answers.
Notably, the studies that found a correlation between mental health issues and unexplained chronic painful sex or pelvic pain can't explain the exact nature of that relationship.
"What came first, the chicken or the egg? Was it that patients had depression and anxiety, so it fed into their pain with sex? Or is it that they had pain with sex, have been misdiagnosed, feel stigmatized, and so now it's created this cycle of increased rumination, hyper-vigilance, and stress around it?" asked Dr. Bahlani. "You have to peel that onion back to figure out the primary pain generator and secondary issues so patients can not just have painless sex, but pleasurable sex."
"You don't have to just have bad sex for the rest of your life."
Even patients with known physical sources, like being prone to infection, can develop this anxious, self-perpetuating aversion to penetrative sex. They get nervous about causing another infection, can't relax the pelvic floor fully, which can leave urine in the bladder — thus making infection more likely.
More often, Dr. Bahlani sees patients who've reached a level of debilitating distress because they've been punted to different medical professionals who fail to treat the whole picture of a person, instead making assumptions that don't solve the issue.
"Patients are kind of gaslit a little because there's so few people who can actually diagnose and treat these disorders," she said. Often, imaging and lab tests can appear perfectly normal even when the pain generator is more physiological than psychological. "We need to show patients that both these components go hand-in-hand and are treatable. You don't have to just have bad sex for the rest of your life."
The cultural influences of painful sex
You can't just address the physical disease and expect everything to be OK though, Ossai said. Healing the psychological and socio-cultural factors connected to chronic pain with sex requires as much validation of an individual's specific circumstances and environment.
"Social and cultural narratives do play into it. But it also depends on what culture you're coming from," said Ossai. For example, both she and Dr. Bahlani serve various religious groups in their communities, with patients who are from Catholic Latinx, Jewish Orthodox, and South and East Asian religious backgrounds. While it's important to never generalize or stereotype, often, "if you grew up in an environment where there's a lot of cultural shame surrounding sex, it can be a little bit of a steeper climb."
"Social and cultural narratives do play into it. But it also depends on what culture you're coming from."
On the whole, everyone struggling with these chronic pelvic penetrative pain disorders can benefit from expanding definitions of what constitutes as sex.
Medical research and patriarchal society, Ossai noted, put penetrative sex on a pedestal as the ideal of sexual functioning. As one recent paper(Opens in a new tab) on women with endometriosis (another source of chronic painful sex) pointed out that "no data on orgasm rates in different sexual activities are available." Treatment that encouraged couples to try noncoital sex did, in fact, raise rates of satisfaction.
Societal pressures around penetrative sex can make patients feel like they're not "normal" or "fixed" until they can have it, which might exacerbate stress and anxiety-induced reflexive pelvic floor clenching that often worsens pain.
"We are all educated culturally, in school, at home, in heterosexual society, that sexy time is just penis in vagina, that's always in the back of a person's mind," said Ossai. "If we just started by saying: Sex is an activity that you engage in where you explore your pleasure, that gives you joy, happiness, fulfillment — and you can experience sex with nipple play, vaginal play, anal play, mouth play, whatever."
But also, practitioners must be respectful of a patient's unique socio-cultural expectations of sex and what successful recovery means to them. For example, certain religious beliefs view sex as being only for procreation, not pleasure. So some women seeking treatment won't feel fully healed until they're able to get pregnant from penetrative sex.
Some studies do suggest(Opens in a new tab) that women of Hispanic origin are more likely to develop vulvar pain symptoms than white women, though again, the exact reason for this higher prevalence is unknown. Regardless of whether it's from biological, environmental, or cultural factors (or any combination), the more important data point is that they were also less likely to seek treatment even with access to healthcare.
As a first-generation American born to Nigerian parents, Ossai comes from a family that practiced female genital mutilation for generations. She worries clinicians (particularly white ones) can impose their biases and assumptions on patients with different cultural backgrounds, creating a judgmental environment that doesn't treat them on their own terms.
"We should focus on the patient's distress as a measure. You might have a patient with pain with sex, but it doesn't impact their pleasure or sexual functioning. Or a patient who has a very mild pain with sex that is incredibly distressing to them. That should inform how we address the pain," Ossai said.
Spreading education on pelvic pain can be key to working through socio-cultural obstacles.Credit: vicky leta / mashable
Biases in medicine can have serious impacts on how effectively certain demographics and communities are treated for conditions, especially Black women(Opens in a new tab). In her experience, Ossai has seen the cost of that when Black women come to her with chronic pelvic pain. "They're just ready. They're like, 'I'm tired of this.'"
While some studies found evidence that Black women report less chronic pelvic pain than white women, like Hispanic women, they were also less likely to have access to knowledge about these disorders(Opens in a new tab) or seek treatment(Opens in a new tab) if given the opportunity
There's little to no data on whether discrimination impacts someone reporting pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction, though Ossai is soon launching a pilot study on it. But it can't hurt to consider how various forms of bigotry can be legitimate barriers to treating chronic pain with sex.
Recovering from the emotional journey of painful sex
Since individual factors run the gamut in chronic pain with sex, it's hard to give blanket advice for folks who are dealing with it. But there are some general best practices to consider.
First and foremost, people who start experiencing severe, distressing pain with sex should listen to their own bodies over any external pressures, whether social or from a partner.
"Don't try to push through it and say, 'I'm just going to suck it up,'" said Alappattu. That's especially true for people who've been experiencing pain for longer than three to six months, or post-partum women having pain after being cleared by an OB-GYN to have sex. "Talk to your provider, let them know... You don't have to wait weeks or months of suffering through painful intercourse."
But many providers aren't well trained in the nuances of chronic pelvic pain or pain with sex, said Alappattu. Not all gynecologists or physical therapists or sex therapists or counselors will specialize in managing these disorders. Some helpful directories for finding ones that do are on the International Pelvic Pain Society(Opens in a new tab) and Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy(Opens in a new tab).
Unfortunately, getting the proper care for these issues often takes a lot of self-advocacy on the part of patients, which can be really intimidating.
"It's completely valid and fair to ask a potential provider, you know: Do you often treat other women with pelvic pain? What percentage of your practice is people with pelvic pain? What kinds of treatments do you typically prescribe? What are your outcomes? What percentage of your patients show significant improvement in three months, six months — whatever your desired outcome is," she said. "Find providers willing to listen to you and take care of you."
For people with more mild symptoms or who, for whatever reason, are not ready or able to seek provider care yet, Ossai's free online workbook on sexual health(Opens in a new tab) can be a great place to start for a variety of issues.
Dr. Bahlani also suggested experimenting with dilators like Intimate Rose(Opens in a new tab), which come with an online platform for pelvic floor therapy. Exploring different lubes (some even help with pH balance, which may help those prone to infection), pelvic floor wands, and vibrators — first alone then (if desired) with a partner when you feel ready. In partnered sex, foreplay is key.
"We oftentimes want to increase blood flow to the clitoris because stimulating it prior to penetrative intercourse can be helpful in the beginning to regain that pleasure cycle," she said.
In general, it's good to take note of some telling differences that can help determine a physiological source for the pain.
"Are you having pain with initial penetration, or deep penetration? Have you always had pain with sex, or did you have pain-free intervals of intercourse?" said Dr. Bahlani. "Are there certain positions that present more pain than others?"
Above all, the most important step to unraveling the emotional and physical complexities of pain with sex is open dialogue. That goes for communication between individuals — like honest conversations with your partner, friends, and providers about it — and on a larger cultural scale.
"We need to educate the masses early on that pain with intercourse is not normal, excessive, debilitating pain with your menstrual cycle is not normal," said Alappattu. "We need to be having those conversations with girls in their late teens or early 20s, not letting them go five to 10 years before they even know they can get help... Because that really weighs down on someone's emotional state and hope that they can eventually solve it."
Simply talking about painful sex and normalizing pelvic pain is at the heart of tackling the psychological toll of living with it.
"That's why this conversation we're having right now is so important," said Dr. Bahlani. "People need to know they're not suffering alone, that it's a human thing, and that people get better."
Read more about pelvic pain
What is pelvic pain and what can you do to treat it?
How sextech is (and isn’t) confronting pelvic pain taboos
Intimate Rose products are great tools to help relieve pelvic pain
Ever since I've posted a photo of the Apple Watch Ultra on my wrist(Opens in a new tab), I've been getting questions from concerned smartwatch/fitness aficionados who worry that the new outdoor enthusiast smartwatch is simply too bulky.
While I cannot say whether the Ultra will comfortably fit every wrist, I can assure you Apple's new wearable is just the right size.
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The thing about the Ultra is that it's a special purpose smartwatch. It's a diving computer; it's something you take on hikes, swims, kiteboarding sessions, and even Ironman competitions. It has to have a big display, a long-lasting battery, as well as a larger crown and button (that you can operate with gloves on) to be useful. So that's exactly what Apple did when it designed the Ultra.
SEE ALSO:
Everything Apple announced at the iPhone 14 event
The Ultra has a 49mm case, which is 4 millimeters bigger than the largest Apple Watch Series 8 you can get. It doesn't sound like a lot, but the case is also fatter and bulkier, and it adds up to a considerably bigger wearable.
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When I tried the Ultra on my wrist, I could feel the extra heft from the added weight and, yes, it's a lot bigger than the regular Watch (the full set of tech specs is unavailable at this time, but the Ultra definitely feels heavier than the regular Watch). But that's exactly what I expected from a smartwatch like this. In fact, I'd be disappointed if the Ultra were any smaller.
I'm far from an "extreme" athlete, but I do my bit of outdoor workouts and swims, and I need a smartwatch that can withstand bumping into something, with large, legible letters on the display. Two years in, my own Apple Watch Series 6 has been used for this purpose and it's quite busted up. With a display that's slightly recessed into the case (instead of being curved down into it like the regular Watch), the Apple Watch Ultra feels like it could take a lot more punishment.
Check out the size of that crown. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
I also love the Apple Watch Ultra's new crown, the little rotary dial on the side used for tasks such as browsing through apps. Handling the regular Watch's gentle crown while running or doing an intense workout can be a daunting task. The Ultra's crown is bigger, with far deeper recesses giving you the extra grip you need when you're halfway into a long trail run.
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For comparison, check out other rugged watches from companies like Garmin(Opens in a new tab) and Polar(Opens in a new tab). Garmin's popular Fenix 7 sports watch comes in several case sizes, with the largest being 51mm. I've tried the smaller, 47mm-sized variant on my wrist, and it's roughly as bulky as the Apple Watch Ultra.
SEE ALSO:
How to preorder the new Apple Watch models
Of course, if you're intent on buying the Apple Watch Ultra for its aesthetics alone, you'd do well to try it out on your own wrist before you buy. But as far as rugged, sporty smartwatches go, the Apple Watch Ultra is just the right size.
Butt dialing on Instagram is a real problem, please beware
DMs can be a place of a, let's say, sensitive nature. It's where secrets are shared, gossip mongered, and, for some folks, where romantic relationships are sparked.
Those are often the sorts of conversations where you simply do not want to unexpectedly turn the chat into a phone call. But that's what can happen, pretty easily, on Instagram. The button to dial someone is inside the DM tab for a conversation, and pretty easy to hit by accident.
A coworker shared that they'd been butt (or pocket) dialed twice in recent days. And a quick look around shows, yep, this is a Thing. It's happening quite a bit.
Here's a Twitter user posting a seeming butt dial from actress Mia Healey.
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And here are other people detailing their experience with butt dials.
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Be careful out there, because it's not a feature you can simply turn off. And if you do accidentally butt dial someone, they will receive it exactly like a normal phone call. In a couple of test runs with my editor, we found that even though his settings have push notifications turned off for Instagram, an audio call in the app came straight through like a normal call.
Here's how the call log looks in our DMs and a look at where the button to make an audio call is placed. Notice the video call button is imminently butt dial-able as well.
Where the butt dials happen.Credit: screenshot: Instagram
However, there is a way to turn off notifications for Instagram calls, if you wish to never receive a video or audio call. You have to click the three bars in the Instagram app, then click the gear icon to go into settings. From there, you click notifications, then DM push notifications, then click the video call toggle to off. Here are those steps, in pictures.
You can choose to turn off notifications for all calls off or just turn off notifications from people you don't follow. The steps move from left to right.Credit: screenshots: instagram
There remains no way, however, to turn off the option of making Instagram calls. That means there remains the chance you accidentally butt dial.
To be fair, Snapchat — you know, the ethereal social platform Instagram has copied ruthlessly — might have an even worse set up for its audio calls. The phone call button — which, similarly, is placed inside DMs — is directly next to the return arrow that takes you back to the app's homepage. It is so, so easy to hit the video or audio call button by accident. I know; I have done it.
Here's a screenshot of a group chat in Snap that's empty of messages. In the upper righthand corner, you can see how easy it may be to hit the wrong button.Credit: screenshot: snapchat
I wish there were some way to totally prevent you all from butt dialing, but alas all I can suggest is be careful where you tap. And of course please make sure your screen isn't open when you put your phone in your pocket.
Police scanner app catapults to the top of the App Store
Protesters just made a police scanner the most popular paid iOS app in the country.
On Monday, 5-0 Radio Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), which costs $5, was the number one paid app in the App Store. A pared-down version with ads was the number two paid app, surpassing TikTok and second only to the suddenly popular Zynn app. Vice first reported(Opens in a new tab) on the app's rise.
Protesters clashed with police in Minneapolis, Louisville, Los Angeles, Philadelphia(Opens in a new tab), and other U.S. cities over the weekend. They are demanding an end to police brutality after George Floyd was killed by a police officer.
A look at the top paid apps.Credit: screenshot / mashable
Also popular as a free app.Credit: Screenshot / mashable
Scanner apps let protesters listen to live police radio feeds. App analytics firm Apptopia found the top five police scanner apps, such as 5-0 Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab) and Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), were downloaded 213,000 times over the weekend. That's a 125 percent increase from the weekend before — a record for police scanner apps. 5-0 Police Scanner was downloaded 40,000 times between Friday and Sunday in the United States.
Other related apps saw download surges as well, like the encrypted messaging app Signal. It was downloaded 37,000 times this weekend, a record for the app. Same for community alert app Citizen, which was downloaded 49,000 times during the same period, according to Apptopia(Opens in a new tab).
What is Project Texas, TikTok’s best chance to avoid a ban?
TikTok knows it's in trouble, and it has come up with a solution: Project Texas.
Lawmakers in the U.S., Canada(Opens in a new tab), Australia(Opens in a new tab), Britain(Opens in a new tab), France(Opens in a new tab), and more countries(Opens in a new tab) have all implemented various bans of the app due to fears that TikTok is giving user data to the Chinese government. One investigative journalist uncovered examples of employees at ByteDance, a Chinese technology firm that owns TikTok, performing high-tech surveillance(Opens in a new tab) on journalists(Opens in a new tab). She also found that user data supposedly quarantined in the U.S. was accessed from China(Opens in a new tab). While this is all deeply troubling, experts don't agree about the degree of the Chinese government's involvement(Opens in a new tab).
In the U.S. the effort behind the ban seems aggressive, but it hasn’t had much of an impact beyond political statements. The app is banned on government devices, but people working in the government can still use the app on their personal phones. And many universities have banned the app on institutional wifi and devices, a move that just forces students to use a different WiFi connection or their cellular plan to access TikTok instead.
Last week, TikTok CEO Shou Chew had his first appearance before Congress where it became increasingly clear that there is bipartisan support for a ban on the app. Chew’s answer? Project Texas, a $1.5-billion attempt to gain American confidence in TikTok’s security.
"Our approach has never been to dismiss or trivialize any of [your] concerns," Chew told lawmakers at the hearing(Opens in a new tab). "We have addressed them with real action now. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last two years, building what amounts to a firewall. The seals of protected US user data from unauthorized foreign access. The bottom line is this American data stored on American soil by an American company overseen by American personnel. We call this initiative Project Texas."
SEE ALSO:
As U.S. leaders debate a TikTok ban, lawmakers and creators clash over generational and social differences
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Project Texas is meant to soothe a request the Biden administration made earlier this month(Opens in a new tab): If TikTok's Chinese owners don't sell their stakes in the app to a U.S. company, the app would be banned.
Project Texas would restructure much of the corporate arm of TikTok so that U.S. user data is stored by a U.S. company (Oracle), a company based in a U.S. city (Austin, Texas(Opens in a new tab)). According to Texas Monthly(Opens in a new tab), Project Texas's operations would be monitored by an in-house committee approved by the U.S. government called TikTok U.S. Data Security. Project Texas would essentially act as a firewall, ensuring that the Chinese government couldn't access U.S. user data and that Oracle would oversee it all.
"The way we’ve built this plan, and the level of external oversight, is really meant to make it so that you don’t have to take my word for it or Oracle’s word for it," Brooke Oberwetter, TikTok’s head of policy communications, told Texas Monthly. "There will be multiple layers of oversight by multiple federal agencies, multiple outside consultants, security vendors, and auditors."
The initiative began rolling out in July 2022, but until Project Texas is complete, Beijing-based employees of TikTok can still access U.S. user data. Chew said during his congressional hearing that he isn't sure when Project Texas will be complete, but promised that it is "progressing quite well."
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TikTok is obsessed with the 'power struggle stage' of relationships. But what is it?
Even though it is far from complete, Chew made Project Texas out to be a solution for every problem thrown his way multiple times throughout the hearing. He’d admit that something wasn’t ideal now, but will be under Project Texas — an answer lawmakers didn’t think was particularly helpful. Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers called Project Texas a "marketing scheme." Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone called it "simply not acceptable." Republican Rep. Bob Latta said he doesn't think the project will actually be particularly "useful."
Despite the bipartisan agreement that Project Texas isn't an across-the-board solution, Chew stayed steadfast.
"I think we have designed Project Texas to protect U.S. user interests and to move forward here in the U.S.," Chew said. "Again, it’s the protection of storing American data on American soil by an American company looked after by American personnel."
The hearing made it clear that the U.S. wants to ban TikTok, and that TikTok sees Project Texas as its way out of that ban. It's still unclear, though, if a ban will come before the project can be fully functional — rendering it useless — or if U.S. legislators will give the social media platform more time and leniency.
Join Costco and get a $20 Costco Shop Card to get into the Halloween spirit
The following content is brought to you by Mashable partners. If you buy a product or service featured here, we may earn an affiliate commission or other compensation.
The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and Halloween is knocking on the door. Soon we’ll be putting away our jackets and pulling out our winter gear, but for now, we still have one last hurray to leaf-peep, carve pumpkins, go nuts with the cosplay, and stock up for the deep-freeze ahead.
Whether you’re shopping for giant bags of treats or getting a jump-start on the holidays, a Costco membership gives you access to low warehouse prices — and special members-only discounts.
Right now, when you sign up for a first-time, one-year Costco Gold Star Executive Membership, you’ll get a $20 Costco Shop Card(Opens in a new tab) (first-time Gold Star Members receive a $10 Costco Shop Card). Here are some ways to spend your Costco Shop Card — and get into the fall spirit.
Outfit your tiny trick-or-treaters
Credit: Teetot
Get the kiddos ready with nicely priced costumes with a ton of details like a colorful witch ensemble(Opens in a new tab) ($32.99) featuring a hat, broom, and flashy sequin trim, or a cool astronaut spacesuit(Opens in a new tab) ($32.99) with a helmet and boot covers (these lucky tykes probably will vacation in space one day). You can also score member pricing on a handy Ring video doorbell(Opens in a new tab) to see the masqueraders at your door.
Get your fall spirit on
Credit: Costco
Welcome guests with a friendly monster greeter(Opens in a new tab) ($29.97) featuring a lighted LED pumpkin or hang a fall harvest wreath(Opens in a new tab) ($49.99) with faux sunflowers for a seasonal look. Prefer fresh blooms? Treat yourself (or someone else) to a pumpkin-shaped vase(Opens in a new tab) ($45.99) filled with orange roses, burgundy mini-carnations, and pieces of foliage.
Light up the night
Credit: Costco
Set the mood for a pumpkin-carving party or deck out your patio with two ornamental lanterns(Opens in a new tab) ($49.99) with warm, flickering LED flames you can use indoors or out. The candles have a timer function for six hours on and 18 hours off. Or, light up some Sand + Fog scented candles(Opens in a new tab) ($37.99), order delivery, and stream a scary movie for a spooktacular Halloween night in.
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Join Costco and get a $20 shop card
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Every police department should have to hear our rage via Zoom call
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Commission held a Zoom call with citizens — of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, as well as some former residents — and watched with blank faces as citizens berated them mercilessly for eight hours.
The call came not only after several nights of protests in Los Angeles, but also after LAPD chief Michael Moore blamed the death of George Floyd(Opens in a new tab) on the city's protestors and looters. (Moore walked back on the comments(Opens in a new tab) after backlash.)
But that's just the tip of the iceberg: LAPD has a long history of violence against black people — next year will be 30 years since LA officers beat Rodney King(Opens in a new tab).
After many people were initially left out of the call(Opens in a new tab) because it capped at 500 people — and after the boomers on the commission figured out how to work Zoom — the commission said their statements.
Then, the real show started. The public unleashed their fury on the LAPD for hours on end. They demanded Moore's resignation or firing, as well as to defund the LAPD and support the people's budget(Opens in a new tab). Some spewed incredible insults(Opens in a new tab), while others broke down in tears. Several impassioned callers, like this one, went viral:
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After watching this call, I'm convinced that every police department needs to have a Zoom call like this one.
While the LAPD is notorious for its racism, so are many other departments across the country — including the Minneapolis police(Opens in a new tab), who are responsible for the killing of George Floyd. He died after three police officers pinned him down, one kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Police departments across the nation should be subjected to people's rage. In many cities, they're beating up peaceful protestors who they are sworn to protect, all while we — the taxpayers — pay their salaries. Police commissions are supposed to be working for us, the civilians, and we should be able to scream and cry and drag our cops just like the residents of LA did yesterday. (And then I think we should defund the police(Opens in a new tab), but that's a different story.)
Public meetings with police departments aren't new. As some activists mentioned on the call, they've been raising the same concerns about the police for years. But now thanks to technology not afforded previous generations, these meetings can be online (and the current pandemic pretty much mandates that, anyway). Virtual meetings can not only be more accessible to people who can't make them in-person, but allows these meetings to go viral and be seen by thousands, both in the department's jurisdiction and beyond.
The total impact of the LAPD call has yet to be seen. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didn't make any promises about changing the budget(Opens in a new tab), and as of publication the LAPD chief has not resigned.
But that doesn't mean this call didn't have an impact. Hundreds of people were able to express anger that has possibly been pent up for years. People around the country — like me, in New York — stayed tuned for hours and are now inspired to tell our police departments our similar demands (and probably insults). Like protesting, donating money, and calling our reps, being able to rip into our respective police departments can be just another action to elicit change, and it's a cathartic one at that.
Police commissions and departments have a duty to their citizens to let their voices be heard. We are all owed a more modern-day public forum. Americans everywhere should be able to call out their police chief's racist eyebrows.
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Mashable has reached out to LAPD for comment and will update if received.
The newest AirPods Pro just hit their lowest price ever — plus more of the best deals to shop today
We've rounded up all of the best deals on Nov. 21 — here are our top picks:
BEST APPLE DEAL: Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)(Opens in a new tab) — $199.99$249.99 (save $49.01)
BEST TV DEAL: TCL 55-inch Class 5-Series QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV(Opens in a new tab) — $199.99$429.99 (save $230)
BEST AMAZON DEVICE DEAL: Echo Dot (3rd Gen) 2-Pack(Opens in a new tab) — $14.99$79.98 (save $64.99 with code FREEDOT22)
Buckle up, y'all — it's officially Black Friday week.
Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are gearing up for the craziest week of deals yet, with the latter debuting its third and final Deals for Days event at 7 p.m. ET (12 p.m. ET for Walmart+ members) on Nov. 21. The big box retailer leaked a sneak peek of the event last week, but you can head over to the site(Opens in a new tab) to see the full list of deals included in the sale.
Amazon also dropped its official Black Friday device deals and they're even cheaper than they were during last month's Prime Day 2 sale. Brand-new Amazon devices like the Echo Dot (5th Gen)(Opens in a new tab) and Fire 7 tablet(Opens in a new tab) are up to 50% off for the first time, while older devices have reached new all-time lows.
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We've rounded up all of the best deals we could find on Nov. 21 from big brands like Apple, Amazon, and Dyson, and sorted them into popular product categories like smart TVs, wireless earbuds, and streaming devices. Happy shopping!
Note: Deals marked with a ⏰ are part of Walmart's third Deals for Days event(Opens in a new tab). They won't officially go live until 7 p.m. ET (12 p.m. ET for Walmart+ members). You can unlock early access by signing up for a Walmart+ account.
Best Apple deal
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Credit: Apple
Our Pick: Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
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$199.99 at Best Buy (save $49.01)
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Why we like it
While not a massive overhaul, the updated second-generation AirPods Pro are still very good earbuds. As Mashable senior editor Stan Schroeder wrote in his review, "They sound great and the noise cancelation is stellar, but if you already have the original AirPods Pro, the new ones are not an essential upgrade." They were just released in September, so we haven't seen a ton of big discounts on these babies yet. In fact, this is the lowest price(Opens in a new tab) we've seen to date — a great time to snag them if you're in the market for AirPods Pro. The buds are the same price at Amazon and Best Buy, but the latter throws in three free months of Apple TV+, plus four free months of Apple Music and Apple News+.
More Apple deals
Apple TV HD 32GB (2nd Generation)(Opens in a new tab) — $59 $149.99 (save $90.99)
Apple AirTag 4 Pack(Opens in a new tab) — $74.99$99 (save $24.01)
Apple AirPods (2nd Generation)(Opens in a new tab) — $79$159 (save $80)⏰
Apple Watch SE (GPS, 40mm)(Opens in a new tab) — $149$279 (save $130)⏰
2021 Apple 10.2-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB)(Opens in a new tab) — $269.99$329 (save $59.01)
2022 Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi, 128GB)(Opens in a new tab) — $999$1,099 (save $100)
2020 Apple 27-inch iMac (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)(Opens in a new tab) — $1,199.99$1,799 (save $599.01)
2021 Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro chip, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)(Opens in a new tab) — $1,999.99$2,499 (save $499.01)
2021 Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro chip, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)(Opens in a new tab) — $2,199.99$2,699 (save $499.01)
Best Smart TV deal
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Credit: TCL
Our Pick: TCL 55-inch Class 5-Series QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
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$199.99 at Best Buy (save $230)
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Why we like it
Just $200 for a 55-inch QLED Smart TV? That's practically unheard of. This TCL 55-inch Class 5-Series Smart Google TV is one of the best TV deals we've seen yet this season. It boasts superior 4K Ultra HD, quantum dot technology for greater accuracy and color volume, hands-free voice control, smart 4K upscaling, and more premium features at a cost that won't break the bank. It also comes with FuboTV free for 30 days and Apple TV+ free for three months.
Related Stories
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We've rounded up the best Cyber Monday tech deals
More Smart TV and home theater deals
TCL 2.1-ch S522W Home Theater Sound Bar(Opens in a new tab) — $59 $79.99 (save $20.99)⏰
Hisense 40-inch Class A4G Series LED Full HD Smart Vidaa TV(Opens in a new tab) — $99.99$249.99 (save $150)
HP FHD Projector with Roku Express Streamer and 84-inch projection screen(Opens in a new tab) — $137$199 (save $62)⏰
VIZIO V-Series 5.1 Home Theater Sound Bar(Opens in a new tab) — $148$199.99 (save $51.99)
Insignia 42-inch Class F20 Series Smart Full HD 1080p Fire TV(Opens in a new tab) — $169.99$269.99 (save $100)
TCL 65-inch 4-Series 4K TV(Opens in a new tab) — $228⏰
LG 55-inch Class UP7050 Series LED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV(Opens in a new tab) — $298$398 (save $100)
Samsung 58-inch TU7000 4K TV(Opens in a new tab) — $377.99$599.99 (save $222)
Samsung 85-inch Q60B QLED TV(Opens in a new tab) — $1,597.99$2,299.99 (save $702)
Best Amazon device deal
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Credit: Amazon
Our Pick: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) 2-Pack
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$14.99 at Amazon (save $64.99 with code FREEDOT22)
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Why we like it
Amazon is practically giving away Echo Dots (3rd Gen) for free. Not only is the speaker itself at its lowest price ever at $14.99, but when you enter the code FREEDOT22 at checkout, you can also add a second smart speaker to your cart. That means you'll get two Echo Dots for just $14.99 — a $65 discount — and can create a stereo sound experience in your home. Or, of course, you can keep one and gift the other to someone on your list this holiday season. The 2018 Echo Dot may not have the most advanced sound on the market, but former Mashable tech editor Pete Pachal found that it "turns its entry-level Alexa product from a merely passable audio experience into something much more pleasing to the ear."
More Amazon device deals
Fire TV Stick Lite(Opens in a new tab) — $14.99$29.99 (save $15)
Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen)(Opens in a new tab)— $19.99$39.99 (save $20)
Fire TV Stick 4K(Opens in a new tab) — $24.99$49.99 (save $25)
Echo Dot (5th Gen)(Opens in a new tab) — $24.99$49.99 (save $25)
Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release)(Opens in a new tab) — $34.99$84.99 (save $50)
Fire TV Stick 4K Max(Opens in a new tab) — $34.99$54.99 (save $20)
Fire 7 Tablet(Opens in a new tab) — $39.99$59.99 (save $20)
Echo Show 5 Kids (2nd Gen)(Opens in a new tab) — $39.99$94.99 (save $55)
Echo Dot (5th Gen) with clock(Opens in a new tab) — $39.99$59.99 (save $20)
Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) with Blink Mini(Opens in a new tab) — $49.99$119.98 (save $69.99)
Echo (4th Gen)(Opens in a new tab) — $49.99$99.99 (save $50)
Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Kids with Echo Glow(Opens in a new tab) — $50.99$124.98 (save $73.99)
Fire HD 8 Tablet(Opens in a new tab) — $54.99$99.99 (save $45)
Ring Video Doorbell(Opens in a new tab) — $59.99$99.99 (save $40)
Fire TV Cube(Opens in a new tab) — $59.99$119.99 (save $60)
Blink Floodlight Camera(Opens in a new tab) — $64.98$129.98 (save $65)
Fire HD 8 Plus Tablet (Opens in a new tab)— $64.99$119.99 (save $55)
Ring Video Doorbell with Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen)(Opens in a new tab) — $69.99$184.98 (save $114.99)
Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) (Opens in a new tab)— $69.99$129.99 (save $60)
Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet (Opens in a new tab)— $79.99$149.99 (save $70)
Fire HD 8 Kids Pro Tablet(Opens in a new tab) — $79.99$149.99 (save $70)
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus(Opens in a new tab) — $139.99$199.99 (save $60)
Echo Show 15(Opens in a new tab) — $169.99$249.99 (save $80)
Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-Series 4K UHD Smart TV(Opens in a new tab) — $229.99$369.99 (save $140)
Amazon Fire TV 50-inch 4-Series 4K UHD Smart TV(Opens in a new tab) — $249.99$469.99 (save $220)
Amazon Fire TV 55-inch 4-Series 4K UHD Smart TV(Opens in a new tab) — $299.99$519.99 (save $220)
Computer, tablet, and monitor deals
HP 11.6-inch Chromebook (AMD A4, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC)(Opens in a new tab) — $79$98 (save $19)
Lenovo Tab M8 (3rd Gen) 8-inch Tablet (MediaTek Helio P22T, 3GB RAM, 32GB eMCP)(Opens in a new tab) — $79 $119 (save $40)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite 8.7-inch Tablet (WiFi, 32GB)(Opens in a new tab) — $99.99$159.99 (save $60)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5-inch Tablet (WiFi, 32GB)(Opens in a new tab) — $139$199 (save $60)
HP 14-inch Touch Chromebook (Intel Celeron N4120, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC)(Opens in a new tab) — $179$299 (save $120)
Lenovo 10.1-inch IdeaPad Duet Chromebook Touch 2-in-1 Tablet (MediaTek P60T, 4G RAM, 128G eMCP4x)(Opens in a new tab) — $189$299 (save $110)
LG 32-inch UltraGear QHD (2560x1440)165Hz HDR 10 Monitor with FreeSync(Opens in a new tab) — $200$399 (save $199)
MSI GF63 Thin 11SC-693 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i5, 8GB Memory, 256GB NVMe SSD)(Opens in a new tab) — $499$599 (save $100)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 2-in-1 (Intel Evo Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)(Opens in a new tab) — $899.99$1,349.99 (save $450)
Headphone and speaker deals
Google Nest Mini (2nd Generation)(Opens in a new tab) — $18$49 (save $31)
JBL Flip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker(Opens in a new tab) — $59$99 (save $40)
Google Pixel Buds A-Series(Opens in a new tab) — $64$99 (save $35)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live(Opens in a new tab) — $69$169.99 (save $100.99)
Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones(Opens in a new tab) — $79 $199.95 (save $120.95)⏰
Google Pixel Buds Pro(Opens in a new tab) — $149.99$199.99 (save $50)
Klipsch Reference Series 5-1/4-inch Passive 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers(Opens in a new tab) — $199.98$399.98 (save $200)
Home deals
Kitchen deals
Instant Pot Duo (6-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $50$99.99 (save $49.99)
Instant Pot Duo Plus (6-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $79.95$149.95 (save $70)
Ninja Foodi 4-in-1 2-Basket Air Fryer (8-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $99$199.99 (save $100.99)
Ninja Supra Kitchen System 72-ounce Blender and Food Processor(Opens in a new tab) — $99$149 (save $50)
Chefman Barista Pro Espresso Machine(Opens in a new tab) — $99 $139 (save $40)⏰
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven (6-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $99.95$169.99 (save $70.04)
Ninja OL501 Foodi XL 14-in-1 Pressure Cooker (6.5-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $109.99$279.99 (save $170)⏰
Nespresso Coffee and Espresso Machines(Opens in a new tab) — starting at $118.30 (save up to 30%)
Instant Omni Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo (19-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $129.95$199.99 (save $70.94)
Ninja OL601 Foodi XL 14-in-1 Pressure Cooker (8-Quart)(Opens in a new tab) — $149.99$32
Vitamix 6500 Blender(Opens in a new tab) — $399$599.99 (save $200.99)⏰
Floor care deals
Hoover MAXLife PowerDrive Swivel XL Bagless Upright Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $59$119 (save 60)
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $98$199 (save $101)
eufy Clean by Anker RoboVac G32 Pro Robot Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $119$299 (save $180)
Shark Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $144$259 (save $115)
iRobot Roomba 676 Robot Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $174$269 (save $95)
Shark AI VACMOP(Opens in a new tab) — $188$479.99 (save $291.99)⏰
Shark EZ Robot Vacuum with Self-Empty Base(Opens in a new tab) — $258$449 (save $191)
iRobot Roomba i1+ (1552) Wi-Fi Connected Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $288$529.99 (save $241.99)
eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Mop(Opens in a new tab) — $319.99$649.99 (save $330)
Dyson V10 Absolute Cordless Vacuum(Opens in a new tab)— $399.99 $599.99 (save $200)
Dyson V15 Detect Vacuum(Opens in a new tab) — $649.99$749.99 (save $100)
Streaming device and subscription deals
Four months of Amazon Music Unlimited(Opens in a new tab) — free with select purchases at Best Buy (save $39.96)
One year of Grubhub+(Opens in a new tab) — free for Prime members$119.88 (save $119.88)
First month of Xbox Game Pass(Opens in a new tab) — $1$14.99 (save $13.99)
Four months of Audible Premium Plus(Opens in a new tab) — $5.95/month$14.95/month (save $36)
Paramount+ Essential(Opens in a new tab) — free with Walmart+ membership ($12.95/month or $98/year)
Chromecast with Google TV (HD) Streaming Device(Opens in a new tab) — $18$29.99 (save $11.99)
Roku Streaming Stick 4K Streaming Device(Opens in a new tab) — $24.98$49 (save $24.02)
Roku Ultra LT Streaming Device 4K/HDR/Dolby Vision(Opens in a new tab) — $30$80 (save $50)
