Synthol Hulks Going Viral, ‘My Wife Is My Hero’ Guy and Remembering the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots

Abusing synthol might make you abnormally swole — and, likely, go viral on the internet for your freakish size, if that’s your goal — but it won’t make you any stronger. Just ask these Russian slap-boxers:

Sorry, Russian Hulk: There’s no substitute for meat, some vodka and (lots and lots of) potatoes.

Must Read

“Inside Synthol Nation, Where Fake Swole Is the Goal”
Synthol, a concoction of oil, lidocaine and alcohol, can make even the puniest gym bro look swole when injected directly into muscle. But with its potential for artery and nerve damage, not to mention infections, it’s a dangerous practice that’s hung around competitive bodybuilding for decades. Thanks to hulking muscle heads on Instagram, though, the use of synthol has become increasingly popular in recent years, even among casual lifters. READ MORE

Queer Eye for the Frat Guy

When Joseph Longo pledged a frat in 2015, he didn’t realize that, as the only out gay man in his house, he’d soon become the source of style advice for any of his brothers heading out on a date or to an interview. Admittedly, he was thrilled to find acceptance and validation. But at the same, it was hard not to think that he was contributing to a “Queer Guy” culture that was already isolating him.

Crosswalks Are A Lie

Bad news, pedestrians. You know those buttons that control traffic lights and let them know that you’d like to cross the street? Yeah, they don’t work, like, at all, and they’re only really there to make you feel like you’re in control.

‘Hero Wife Guy,’ We Salute You

Miles Klee, documenter of all “Guys” on the internet, is back with an explainer on the “My Wife is My Hero Guy” — a subtle, politician-friendly variation of the now-infamous Online Wife Guy trope — first pointed out by the Daily Beast’s Kelly Weill:

Hero Wife Guy would like you to know that his wife is his hero (duh) for sublimating her own dreams to make room for his, and he doesn’t care who knows it.

Gun Owners Be Stockpilin’

Why limit yourself to one gun, when you can have a thousand and really be armed to the teeth? There are many reasons why, for hundreds of years, people have stockpiled — not collected — weapons. But across the board, the common denominator always comes back to some sort of resistance — a distinct counter-cultural statement that symbolizes autonomy from the law and the mainstream.

It’s Just Luggage

For the jet set, many review sites suggest shelling out for expensive luggage. But why should anyone pay $500 or more for a roller bag when there’s a hardshell carry-on at Marshalls for $70? Tracy Moore makes the case (get it?) for saving your money.

The Other ‘Goop’

Long before Gywneth Paltrow commandeered the Goop label to sell vagina eggs and coffee enemas, hard-nosed mechanics loved a waterless soap called GOOP. They still do. It’s a no-nonsense, factory-grade hand soap perfect for cleaning your hands after a long day in the shop. Quinn Myers spoke to mechanics to see why they stick by it — and what they think of Paltrow’s line of sketchy supplements, crystals and other wellness products.

Before Stonewall

Next week marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the bloodstained birthplace of the gay rights movement in which LGBTQ insurgents faced down police outside a Greenwich Village gay bar in the summer of 1969. But three years earlier, in San Francisco, drag queens and gay hustlers went toe-to-toe with police at a Tenderloin 24-hour diner and sparked their own gay liberation moment.

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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.