“Our world focuses on the looks of girls and the accomplishments of boys.” At OTV Magazine, Angela Noel reflects on the gendered compliments adults give children, and how they make it hard for girls to separate their self-worth from their appearance.

If you ever wondered what an opera singer’s daily life looks like, you’ll love Charlotte Hoather’s blog, where the British soprano invites visitors and fans behind the scenes (and occasionally on stage, too).

Celebrate the pop icon’s 60th birthday by diving into the rich archives of all about Madonna, where you’ll find news, interviews, magazine stories, and other materials going back decades. 

Austin Kleon on the need to gain a sense of ownership over our online lives: “Back [in 2013], the worst I felt social media did was waste your time. Now, the worst social media does is cripple democracy and ruin your soul.”

“Being a food writer is the most punk rock thing a person can do, and Jonathan Gold was the most punk rock of us all.” Javier Cabral pays homage to the legendary Los Angeles food writer, who was both his mentor and his role model.

At Undark, Amy Maxmen follows the archaeologists and scientists who are racing to document what’s left of the ancient African civilization of Nubia.

Sweden-based travel photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström reflects on the invisible barriers that stand between her (and every traveler’s) camera and the strangers that become the subjects of many of her most powerful photos.

“…I think about all the photos of fat ladies with bodies like mine that have been used as objects of ridicule on funny cards and websites, because they dared do something as transgressive as wear a bathing suit at the beach, as though they were human or something.”

Lisa Lim creates a comic about her favorite matriarch in life, her grandma. It’s about a long Chinese tradition of loving boys over girls just because they’re boys. “It’s about a woman who scares the sh*t out of me, and the world, but who inspires me every day to be just as bad ass.”

“And they all have name tags and they all walk through, shoulders back and trying to seem proud of who they have become.” In these short musings, Miri Elm captures the atmosphere of a reunion.

Shannon O’Donnell at A Little Adrift explores what “sustainably produced” really means: “I will spend more to ensure that the root communities behind our goods are treated with respect. Stemming from my physical journey to understand coffee came a new journey to match my actions to my belief in our shared humanity and the common good.”

On learning to play: “(Legos are) my escape route from a mind-numbing round of tea-party. I can’t handle sipping air from a tiny teacup, but pull out those LEGO bins and I’ll sprawl out on the floor like a kid. Which, when I’m with my own kid, feels pretty cool.”

K.C. Wise tries different notebooks, from various Moleskines to a Bullet Journal to a SELF Journal — then back again to a Moleskine: “. . . my relationship with the Moleskine notebook started very simply. Girl meets simple black notebook and falls in love.”

Derek Powazek comes to terms with his lifelong companion, depression: “I cannot keep doing the things I always have done. I can’t let depression define me, I can’t fight it, I can’t pretend it away. I have choose to do something else.”

“Government-issued currencies have value because they represent human trust and cooperation. There is no wealth and no trade without these two things, so you might as well go all-in and trust people. There are no financial instruments that will protect you from a world where we no longer trust each other.”