There’s no one ‘right’ way to react to a traumatic experience—and that matters for sexual assault survivors

June 27, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC E. Jean Carroll’s initial reaction to being sexually assaulted: laughter. Last week, the famed advice columnist—who has written the “Ask E. Jean” column for ELLE magazine since 1993—shared with New York Magazine an excerpt from her forthcoming book, What Do We Need Men For? It details an experience in which she says that long before he became president, Donald Trump raped her in the dressing room of a New York City department store in the mid-90’s. (The President has denied the accusation.) In the excerpt, she says he lunged at her and pushed her against the wall while forcibly kissing her. “I am so shocked I shove him back and start laughing again,” she writes. “He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights.” ad_intervals[‘403992_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘403992_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); She continues, “I am astonished by what I’m about to write: I keep laughing.” “Laughter” and “trauma” are two things you likely don’t expect to see paired so closely together. Because there is nothing (nothing, nothing) funny about assault. And yet for many victims, including Carroll, it’s a completely normal reaction. “It makes sense that, for some survivors, there might be a response of laughter. Or for others,

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All you need for better posture is a resistance band and 5 free minutes

June 27, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I like to include what I dub fitness toys into my workouts to make things more interesting. I’m talking about Bosu balls, battle ropes (only when I’m feeling extra fierce), and resistance bands, which in addition to being great ways to sculpt, are also superstars that help with body alignment and even posture. “Working with a resistance band is one of the quickest ways to fire up your core and upper back, the main muscle groups that support good posture,” says Aly Giampolo, co-founder and trainer at New York City’s The Ness. “While weights can pull you down as they are often heavier, any action that creates tension with a band focuses on strength and postural stability without the added task of fighting against the weight of a weight.” Ah-ha. So those bands come in handy for those of us who sit in front of computers or look down at our phones all day (ahem: everyone). “This is very bad for your posture, and over time causes your shoulders to hunch forward, which can lead to neck and shoulder injuries,” says Lacey Stone, celebrity fitness trainer. “Using resistance bands to strengthen your back muscles is so important and easy because you can take the band anywhere—just toss it in your bag.” ad_intervals[‘394977_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘394977_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); What makes resistance bands so beneficial for your posture is the tugging action—certain movements, which of course incorporate resistance,

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Gua sha could be the answer to treating (and preventing!) those pesky blackheads

June 27, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC While I’m extremely into using each and every high-tech device that I can get my hands on for the sake of my skin—I’m looking at you, NuFace ($325), Neutrogena LED Light Mask ($30), and GloPro ($200)… and the list goes on—I’m also not above turning back time (in Cher’s voice) to embrace ancient facial tools. The jade roller, for example, feels amazing and also helps with de-puffing. And lately, I’ve been loving the gua sha—which is kind of like a jade roller in that it’s made out of a gemstone, but it’s more sharp and has different benefits. Namely: sculpting your face and stimulating lymphatic drainage. But as I’ve been gliding the gemstone tool across my face in every-which direction, I’ve been noticing an added perk. My blackheads have been clearing up. Is this too good to be true, or an actual benefit of doing gua sha on the reg? I have great news: Gua sha can, in fact, help with this particular skin woe. Holistic facialist and co-founder of Wildling, Britta Plug says this is the case because gua sha acts a a sort of system sweeper underneath your skin. “What it comes down to is working on the lymphatic system and drainage,” she tells me. “Of course, the lymphatic system has so many different functions and health benefits in the body, but in terms of your face, it’s about how [the lymphs] are the septic system of the tissue.” Gua sha comes in

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