Society has different standards for men and women. From what they should wear to how they should look like, these qualities are implemented in pop culture, such as younger girls and boys being taught that looking suitable means they should dream of looking like actors, singers, and influencers that follow modern standards (eg. skinny, straight hair, etc.). 

Another way how these societal norms are implemented is through consumption. Brands do their best to sell a specific body type or image so that you will use their products. 

Illustrator Lainey Molnar gives her take on gender norms by showing how our society treats men and women differently. In a series of images that went viral on Instagram, the artist shows how we deem it “normal” when men don’t shave, but for women, it is “unhygienic” or “disgusting.” 

One of the images in the series had a caption from Molnar, stating “the math is not mathing,” with the hashtag “you do you.” 

Here’s our take on all of this: what’s best is that you do what makes you happy and comfortable. Also, remember: different people have varying choices in how they present themselves to the world. Try to understand them a little bit!

Image credit: Azra Tuba Demir

So dishwasher pods actually exist. Forget the Tide pods that people joke around putting in their mouths because there’s a new pod discourse in town. Fortunately enough, it’s less about the eating and more about where you should put them inside the dishwashing machine. 

This discourse started with a TikTok video posted by an appliance repair tech Renae (@renduh on TikTok) initially stating that since these pods were covered by a type of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) gel casing, they would be best placed in the machine’s silverware caddy. This is because PVA casing can dissolve prematurely and can gunk up people’s dishwashers. 

After an email and a tour of their factory from Cascade, a dishwasher pod manufacturer, the TikTok creator went back on the platform to share what she learned about dishwasher pods and their proper placement in general. 

According to the company, the PVA coating can cause clogs if they get wet before the washing starts. However, they insist that the pods should go into the detergent compartment of the dishwasher. To account for the gel coating in these products, Cascade advised keeping them as dry as possible before you start the washing process.

Make sure to handle the pods with dry hands and make sure that the detergent compartment in your dishwasher is dry. Part of ensuring that the coating will not dissolve prematurely is to store them in a cool, dry place.

Image credit: Castorly Stock

It seems that this gigantic attraction exploded under pressure. 

A popular attraction in the Radisson Collection Hotel in Berlin has just exploded right in front of guests. The attraction, called the AquaDom, is a massive aquarium that is around 82 feet high. The 265,000-gallon aquarium holds over 1,500 tropical fish from more than 100 various species. 

Meant to be for the Radisson’s guests and outsiders as well, the new installation was created to also offer visitors the view of the big fish tank from its center via a glass elevator that travels through that small space. Unfortunately, the AquaDom exploded during the early morning hours and was able to flood the hotel lobby and nearby streets. While no one died from the incident, two people were reported to be injured by the glass shards from the aquarium. 

The cause of the explosion remains unknown, and an investigation will be launched into this incident. 

Image credit: The Straits Times

Through most of the history of the United States, the Supreme Court has kept a low profile compared to the other branches of the federal government. With lifetime appointments, the justices do not have to make a public spectacle of themselves to be re-elected, nor do they have to please constituents. The individual justices can be as private as they want. If you look into their backgrounds, you may find some reasons they wanted to stay private. After all, Supreme Court Justices are people just like the rest of us, with all the messiness that comes with that.

One justice actually went to prison while he was on the Supreme Court. Another had a nervous breakdown over a case. Two justices actually dated each other, although that was long before they served together on the court. One was almost framed for drug possession while another was targeted for murder. Read five stories of weird happenings involving Supreme Court Justices from history at Cracked.

Miss Ukraine has turned up to the Miss Universe competition as a Sister of Battle pic.twitter.com/UtCkCGzaFe

— Ben Sledge (@BenSledge) December 23, 2022

It's not often that a national costume at the Miss Universe pageant can be described as "badass." The Sisters of Battle in the Tweet refers to a religious order in the lore of the video game Warhammer. It's an apt reference. The actual name of the costume is "Warrior of Light," worn by Miss Ukraine 2022 Viktoria Apanasenko.

Lesia Patoka designed the costume, which was built over a four-month period, sometimes by candlelight, with sirens wailing in the background. Ukraine is in the eleventh month of full-on war since Russia attacked Kyiv on February 24.

"It is the personification of inner strength, courage, determination and will flowing in our veins. War cannot break our strength and will not discolor our hearts. Ukraine will bloom like a phoenix even in a fire. It shines with bright rays of kindness and faith," Viktoria shared on social media.

The Miss Universe 2022 pageant will be held in New Orleans on January 14th. -via Fark

TRUE ANGEL IN BUFFALO 💯 A THREAD: A local woman received a call on Christmas Eve, “Hi, you don't know me but I have your brother.” The woman’s brother’s name is Joey. He is 64 years old and mentally disabled. pic.twitter.com/iAVQTsf2xH

— Kimberly LaRussa (@KimberlyLaRussa) December 26, 2022

The horrific winter storm last weekend brought nearly four feet of snow to parts of western New York state. The death toll in the Buffalo area stands at 27, but it would have been higher if people hadn't opened their doors to strangers. Among the many stories of rescue and hospitality, that of Sha'Kyra Aughtry stands out. She heard a man crying outside, and her boyfriend Trent brought him into their house. They believe he may have been trying to walk home from his workplace. Joey was suffering from frostbite. Besides taking care of him, Aughtry was able to contact Joey's family and eventually arranged transport to a hospital. She even accompanied him so he wouldn't be frightened. We don't know Joey's prognosis, but he is being cared for in the hospital's burn unit. You can read the story at the Twitter thread or the Threadreader version. -via Metafilter, where you'll find links to more stories about people stepping up to help those stranded by the weather.

Pioneers in 3D printing are always looking for ways that it can be used to make life better or easier for the rest of us. One innovation is to recreate a realistic but artificial human body, or a partial body, as an exact copy of a particular surgical patient. A medical scanner maps out the size, shape, and positions of organs, and then a copy is manufactured, as demonstrated here by the company Lazarus 3D. That's for surgeons to practice on, to avoid that moment when they cut a person open and find surprises. It's a sort of dress rehearsal for the actual surgery. The robotic surgery part is not really crucial to the rest of the story, but it's pretty neat anyway. Tom Scott volunteered his body for the demonstration, and the scan revealed he luckily didn't need surgery, so they added a cyst just so we could watch them remove it.

I made it. Merry Christmas. pic.twitter.com/NI85iDhDNw

— Gävlebocken (@Gavlebocken) December 25, 2022

The Gävle Goat (previously at Neatorama) is an annual tradition in the town of Gävle, Sweden. It is a giant sculpture of a goat made of straw, erected early in December every year since 1966. In 38 of those years, someone has burned it down which is a 67% arson rate! In some years, it burned almost immediately after the goat was erected. But this year's goat has beaten the odds and survived through Christmas. Protecting the goat is not easy- there are security guards and a live webcam, plus serious consequences for arsonists who are caught. Last year's arsonist was sentenced to six months in jail, although most perpetrators were never caught. While getting through Christmas without being roasted is a good sign, the Gävle Goat is not considered a historic "survivor" until December 31st. The Herald Scotland has the goat's story and a timeline of the goat's fate for each year so far. This story may be updated within a few days.

Update 1/1/23: The goat has survived!

The force is strong with this one.. 😂

🎥 IG: marissa_chrzan pic.twitter.com/9JogbN1zu2

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 26, 2022

Instagram user @marisa_chrzan must have been delighted to watch her son appear in the church’s Christmas pageant. The boy, though, had only a shaky grasp on the plot and appeared to think this was an action film. Dressed as a shepherd, he advances upon another shepherd and engages in mock combat.

Some commenters are saying of the boy, “The Force is strong in this one.” Yes, and clearly someone who is skilled with video editing should find a way to replace the staffs with lightsabers and add in appropriate sound effects. The shepherds’ outfits are pretty close to Jedi uniforms as they are.

-via Buitengebieden

We spend too much time being scared of dying in a plane crash or being eaten by a shark, when those things are exceedingly rare. It's prudent to be cautious of traffic accidents, which are a too-common way to die prematurely, but that's a relatively modern problem. Over the course of human history, most deaths come from the natural world. We've been pretty good at battling some of those causes of death, extending the average life span into an old age when death is inevitable, while other causes are maddeningly constant and present a long-term commitment that we just can't seem to agree on. Minute Earth details the most common causes of death in human history, one era at a time. Along the way, they tease us about "three other big killers," which are eventually revealed and may or may not surprise you. But they are the things we haven't been able to conquer yet.  

When nine kings get together for a photo opportunity, is it a summit meeting or a family reunion? It's a family reunion, of course, because kings send representatives to summit meetings. In this case, the occasion was the funeral for Britain's King Edward VII in May of 1910, to whom each of these monarchs was related. Standing, from left: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece, and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom, and King Frederick VIII of Denmark. Many of them were first cousins of George V as his grandmother, Queen Victoria, married off most of her ten children to royalty across Europe, although some kings were only related to the British monarchy by marriage.

Tsar Nicholas II was also George's first cousin, but did not attend the funeral. Russia was represented at the funeral by the Tsar's brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, also a cousin, and their mother Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. However, you may recall another occasion we saw the British King and the Russian Tsar together. Only a few years after this picture was taken, most of Europe was at war, empires were shattered, and monarchies overthrown. Such a photo will never be possible again. That's not a bad thing. -via reddit

(Image credit: W. & D. Downey)

Imagine finding this under the Christmas tree! Redditor trevorda92 took this picture at his office Christmas party where they exchanged secret Santa gifts. The "body bag" contained a Christmas sweater. In this case, the joy of giving and/or receiving a gift is incidental to the drama of the gift wrap. Creative gift wrapping is an art form, as many people go above and beyond to make the concealment extra clever or even deceptive. Sometimes the presentation overshadows the gift itself.

Redditor mowa111 tells us about some gifts his friend wrapped for his wife. The "lamp" on the left is actually a bottle of perfume, and the "chair" hides a sweater. The joke is definitely worth the effort. See a roundup of the strange ways people have wrapped Christmas gifts at Bored Panda. The 30 projects might give you soime inspiration for next year.

I suppose it could have been worse. A group of men dressed as Santa Claus went on their annual pub crawl in Angarrack, Cornwall, UK, Thursday evening. They were riding around in an armored military vehicle somewhat resembling a tank. A complicating factor was that Angarrack is famous for its Christmas lights, and many people were parked along Marsh Lane entering the village, making the road even more narrow than usual. Too narrow for the armored vehicle? Apparently, as the jolly old elves drove into a hedge and became stuck. The entrance to the village was blocked for about two hours before the vehicle was moved. Police were present, but no one was arrested.  -via Metafilter

(screenshot via Ian Jepson)

Noah is a young antelope who dreams of being a truck driver just like his dad. Then he grows up and becomes one, yet it can be a grind at times. But a chance encounter brings those memories back. Luke Bouhuis (FattyDragonite) has been working on the cartoon "Horns" since last summer in his spare time. He says,

Doing this makes me happy. And that I get to share it with an audience that will remember it means more to me that you know.

Check out more of Bouhuis' animation work at YouTube.

The last soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev emerges out of a Soyuz capsule after spending time on the Mir Space Station, March 1992 pic.twitter.com/ISOCnlWGb5

— USSR Pictures (@PicturesUssr) June 20, 2022

There have been some horrible mishaps in space, but we aren't talking about those things right now. Rather, this is about small episodes that ended up funny, sometimes only in hindsight. Like the time cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Aleksandr Volkov manned the Mir Space Station for the glory of the Soviet Union, which collapsed while they were up there. The chaos meant mission control was suddenly in Kazakhstan instead of the USSR, with all the confusion that caused. Russia didn't have the money to bring them home. Well, they are no longer there, so you know that turned out okay eventually. Read that story and four others about goofy shenanigans in space, including two pranks that involved people who shouldn't even be up there. Yeah, there's one about farts, too.