I once thought that the pool I swam in every day was a bath. I was in it for five hours each summer day (except Saturdays) for sports, and let me tell ya, I don’t need a microbiologist to tell me that pools are, in fact, filthy. The fact that my long hair formed dreadlocks all by itself that summer could’ve told me chlorine is no substitute for soap. But that never stopped me — nor these other people — from treating the public pool like a big shower.
Y’all need Jesus. And a delousing.
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For much of the 2000s, Tumblr was the place for LGBTQ teens to connect over a wide array of interests, from advice on coming out to One Direction fanfiction. But recently, thanks to some questionable strategy decisions, Tumblr has faded from prominence. In its place, TikTok, the short-form video app famous for launching newly out rapper Lil Nas X, has become a popular new space for LGBTQ teens. For some, the appeal of TikTok is how easy it is to go viral on it; for others, it’s the ease with which they can form connections around their sexualities and gender identities with little concern about being outed or harassed in real life. READ MORE
Rock Me, Amadeus
Everyone grows up to turn into their parents. Hey! There’s no shame in it. But it does mean that, far from the rock, rap or — God forbid — country music you’ve been listening up until now, at some point you’ll feel the urge to spend your quiet evenings jamming to some classical. But if you don’t know your arias from your Elgar, it’s an intimidating world to leap into. Thankfully, Chris Bourn has a primer on doing exactly that.
Let’s Not Go to the Lobby
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Speaking of Spider-Man…
In his review of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tim Grierson breaks down what’s great about the latest MCU installment (like Tom Holland’s sweet, self-deprecating portrayal of Spidey, and the film’s melancholy atmosphere)and what isn’t great (like its entire reason for being). Check it out, here.
F**k the Fourth of July
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Hammerin’ Away
When it comes to sex, how did faster become better? Pounding away frantically — aka “jackrabbit sex” — is no way to pleasure your significant other. Madeleine Holden gets to the bottom of why some men thinking hammering away is the default standard for good sex, and what a sex therapist and women who’ve been on the receiving end of all that pounding think about it.
Swimming Pool ≠ Bath
Like Earth being flat or giraffes not existing, “the pool is a bath” has the perfect recipe of on-its-face logic and anecdotal evidence that leads to fights on social media.
@VincentMTiberi my dad always told me "if chlorine can't kill it, soap doesn't stand a chance"
— George Daniels (@ggd583) July 26, 2015
But Dr. Dave Westenberg, an associate professor of biological sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology — who goes by “The Germ Juggler,” natch — says the pool is not a bath. He cannot stress this enough: The pool is NOT a bath. Here’s why.
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.
