Our Tumblr success makes us want to tumble! Source: Shutterstock.com

Confession: When I started at Gurl, I basically knew zero things about Tumblr. I’d been on a pretty steady Facebook and Twitter regimen up to that point. I mean, I’d checked out a couple of Tumblr pages here and there, but I didn’t know too much about it. When I found out that I’d be posting things to the Gurl Tumblr, I got a little nervous.

I quickly learned that Tumblr is kind of a magical site. It’s like if you just took everything on the Internet and condensed it into this single website! I find celeb stuff, fashion tips, inspirational quotes, and most importantly, GIFs galore! I’m a pop culture enthusiast to the extreme, so just searching Tumblr for GIFs has been a dream (and it makes writing the GIF My Life posts that much more fun!).

Well, we are pleased to announce that today we just put up our ONE THOUSANDTH TUMBLR POST. We even took a special photo here at Gurl for the occasion! Of course, if you want to see it you’ll have to go check out our Tumblr page (click! click!) to see special post #1000.

A thousand posts is pretty darn impressive, but you know what else is pretty sweet? We recently passed 11,000 Tumblr followers! So take our already big number of posts and multiply it by 11! That’s definitely amazing, and of course, that comes down to all of you that follow us and reblog us and contribute to the success of Gurl’s Tumblr.

Without you girls reading our site and giving your feedback, we’d never be able to keep building our site or expanding our social media. We’re proud of our accomplishment, but really we’re grateful for all of you who have helped get us there.

Whether you’re sharing our funny pictures from our Facebook page or retweeting something interesting you read on our Twitter, we are so excited to be able to share what we do with you in so many different forms, and we hope you have as much fun with all of it as we do.

Remember too, you can always get quick access to our social media sites (not just Tumblr, but all of them!) from our main Gurl site by clicking on the various social media icons over on the right side of the page where it says “Connect With Gurl.” See ‘em? Awesome! Again, thanks so much again for helping us reach this super exciting milestone.

Do you have a Tumblr account? you follow Gurl on Tumblr? What sorts of suggestions do you have for our Tumblr? Do you follow Gurl’s other social media pages? Tell us in the comments!

10 Things I’d Do With My Free Time If I Deactivated My Social Media

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After we wrote up a piece about a new study that said it’s not likely that “just friends” can be a thing, I really enjoyed reading your responses as some disagreed with what we wrote and some of you shared your own feelings and experiences. Thinking about our friends who become our crushes or who get a crush on us is still something that many of us will go through at one point or another, so for this week’s comments, I wanted to highlight what you guys were thinking about platonic relationships!

All from Can And Men And Women Ever Be Just Friends? New Research Says Nope.

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Do you have an opinion on the “Can guys and girls be friends?” debate? Have you ever dealt with having a crush on one of your guy friends? What about one of your guy friends having a crush on you? How did you handle it? Tell us in the comments!

Check out this amazing email we got from one of you!

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How well do you see color? Source: Shutterstock.com

Sometimes in the middle of the work or school day, your mind starts wandering. This becomes more of an issue when your job revolves around the Internet. That’s how I found myself spending about twenty minutes taking the Online Color Challenge from X-Rite.

The gist is pretty straightforward. There’s a row of colors and the two on the ends are set for each row. You move around the color squares in the middle into the proper order. This test is based on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test, where you do a similar color ordering, but with actual little “color caps” in a kit that you physically put in order.

Well, the idea may be pretty simple, but that certainly didn’t mean I thought it was easy. When you hear the directions it’s like, “Oh yeah, sort colors? Totes can do that!” Then I started and was freaking out about where to put the little squares. I’d second guess myself. I’d look away from the computer screen, and my eyesight had started to go a little nutty. I will say though by the time I went to hit submit, I felt pretty good about my answers.

I’m sure you’re dying to know how I did! Well, I got an 18, and at first, I had no idea what that meant. After I put in my gender and age info, it showed me a little scale that went from 0 to 99. Apparently the best score I could get was zero (a wizard of color acuity!) and the 99 meant the lowest color acuity.

So I guess looking at it on the scale, my color acuity is close-ish to being good? I tried to do some research, but I had kind of a hard time finding out the average score for my age, so right now, I guess I’m a little at a stand still.

According to the test site, there’s apparently quite a big difference between color vision issues when it comes to men vs. women. For women, 1 out of every 255 have some sort of issue with seeing color, but for men, it’s 1 in every 12. I already have pretty blurry vision (full-time glasses wearer over here!), so should I be concerned about how I can discern color now too? Right now, I think I’m doing all right, but it was still pretty interesting to test it out.

Still, I thought this was a pretty cool challenge and it ended up being harder than I thought it would be! I know this online one is based on this other test that has been the subject of studies and used by health professionals, but I’m guessing there could be some variation between doing the actual test versus online.

So that said, if you are really concerned about how your eyes see color or just your eyesight in general, talking with a doctor is probably your most official bet. However, if you’re just looking for a little bit of of a distraction, you may want to see how you fare at the color challenge yourself!

Did you take the color challenge? How did it go for you? Did you have better luck than me finding something online about average scores for your age? Have you ever had issues with how you see color? Tell me in the comments!

What Gives You Tired Eyes Anyway?

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Do your parents watch your every phone move? | Source: Shutterstock.com

Dealing with smartphone contracts through your cell phone provider can already be a hassle. But what if you had to sign another iPhone contract – one that your parents wrote for you?

Well, that’s the story for one 13-year-old boy, who got a smartphone for Christmas along with an iPhone contract of 18 rules that were written by his mom. The story has generated some debate, and I want to know what you guys think.

I feel like if my parents handed me this particular contract when they gave me a phone, I would just be like “OKAY, YEAH, WHATEVER, I SIGN, LET ME PLAY ANGRY BIRDS NOW!” Then later when I actually read through the rules, I know that to a few of them, teen me would have said “WTF?” (in my head of course, as my mom would not be happy with that language).

According to a few of the rules, her son can’t bring it to school, shouldn’t have it out in public and he also should be cool with leaving it at home a lot of the time. For that last one, the mom tells her son not be worried about having FOMO (props to this mom for knowing what that is!) if he doesn’t have his phone. I think teenager Meg would be more worried about having FONGMAP or “fear of nobody getting me after practice,” and I’m actually pretty sure that is the only reason my parents even bought me a cell phone as a teen.

If my parents tried to lay out when and where I could use my iPhone, regardless of their good intentions, I think the first message I’d take away is “You don’t trust me to be responsible.” The mom who wrote the contract has said that she hasn’t gotten that response from her son, but she has from other people commenting on her rules.

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Still, in the grand scheme of the contract, I do think this mom here offers talking points on some important topics that maybe aren’t at the front of every teen’s mind. Things like the consequences of taking naked pictures or not walking around with your eyes glued to your phone (which can be really dangerous).

As much as I could see my teen self being totally offended by my mom handing me this iPhone contract, I totally feel for this mom. If you’ve ever babysat, you know the kind of panic there is when you realize all of the things that could go wrong. I imagine for parents it is like that every single day and you just want to keep your kids safe and also well-rounded. Different things work for different families, and if this iPhone contract works well for them, then awesome.

Personally, I know I’m going to be a totally overprotective mom. It’s just my personality. I pledge now though to keep in mind that when future mom Meg is writing up a list of phone rules (or by that point, who knows what technology we will have), I will take a second to consider how teen Meg would have felt about the whole thing and proceed from there so everyone in my family is happy.

Do you agree with some of the rules in this iPhone contract? Did your parents make you sign some kind of contract before getting your smartphone? If your parents gave you these rules about how to use your iPhone, what would you say? Tell us in the comments!

Was the iPhone App Snapchat Really Just Designed For Sexting?

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Sometimes though, if you get wind of a snow day, it can be an agonizing wait full of rituals and wishing to try to get fate to swing your way and reward you with a day off. Sometimes it works… and sometimes, well you’re just back to your regularly scheduled school day. So how will things work out for the GIF girl? Only one way to find out! Let us begin:

Packing up my locker, someone’s conversation catches my ear with just one little phrase: “snow day.” I immediately perk my ears and start listening in.

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Turns out we’re in for a snowstorm this evening. On my drive home, it’s barely snowing at all, but that doesn’t stop me from already beginning my planning for this rumored snow day.

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Possibility #1: I could go outside and play in the snow! Throw some snowballs, maybe go sledding! I literally will spend that entire snow day outside!

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Okay, maybe I won’t spend the WHOLE day outside. Possibility #2: I could totally make warm, gooey, amazing delicious chocolate chip cookies and drink tea all day! This will be a dream.

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At home, I’m too excited about this possible snow day. I seriously can’t focus on this math homework. Wait… but if there won’t be school, then why don’t I just not do this homework at all?!

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Wait… but if I don’t do my homework, we will probably have school. If I stay on karma’s good side and DO my homework, then the chances of us probably not having school are even better. And if we DO, all my work will be done already! Genius.

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Once my homework is done, I watch the news with great excitement. Watching that snowstorm move from behind the weatherman’s head and closer toward our region is more thrilling than any movie I have seen in months. I can’t look away!

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As my siblings and I discuss potential snow day plans, OF COURSE my parents decide it is necessary to mention that that a snow day is not official yet. We acknowledge them and then quickly go back to planning.

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Before you go to sleep, you glance at the window to see how the weather is progressing. Yes, snow, yes. Keep falling. MWAHAHAHA.

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I wake up at early and flip on the radio to hear the sweet list of school closings. It’s like the best music ever. The DJs are getting ready to read the list, and they preface it by saying its pretty long today. Verrrryyy promising!!

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They do the first read though, but I don’t hear my school called. I must have just missed it. When they reread the list fifteen minutes later, it still isn’t there.

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Okay, I’ll have to leave for school in the next five minutes. I’ll give them ONE more chance to read us in the school closings. Heck, I’ll settle for a two hour delay. Even a ONE hour delay!

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They don’t say it. And like that, my snow day dreams are dashed.

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I can now hear my mom screaming at me to turn off the radio because I’m going to be late. Reality is officially settling in and there’s no turning back. I will be going to school today.

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Since I haven’t warmed up the car or scraped the ice off the windows or shoveled the driveway, all I know is I am going to be late and this is going to be a very, very long day. Basically, just the complete opposite of an awesome snow day. Sweet.

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About how many snow days do you usually have each winter? What are your favorite things to do on snow days? Tell us in the comments. 

Make The Cutest Printed Gloves Ever!

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Quvenzhané Wallis made Oscar history this morning! | Source: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

We love Jennifer Lawrence here at Gurl, so when the nominations for the Academy Awards were announced this morning, we were excited to learn that Jen is in the running this year for Best Actress in a Leading Role. However, we have to say that it’s another girl nominated in that same category that we’re the most psyched to talk about: Quvenzhané Wallis.

At only nine years old, that makes Quvenzhané the youngest Best Actress nominee EVER. She is up for her performance as Hushpuppy in the indie movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film centers around Hushpuppy, who lives with her dad in a poor bayou community, and the plot is also infused with fantastical elements. Even though watching this movie has been on my to-do list for a while now, it’s now raced it’s way to the top because I want to be totally in the know about her history-making performance!

Quvenzhané was only five-years-old when she auditioned (try not to feel too guilty about your lack of big moves at that age) and this is her first movie. So what is Quvenzhané’s acting method? Please just fall in love with this exchange at a press event between Beasts director Benh Zeitlin and Quvenzhané that Entertainment Weekly recounted: Zeitlin asked what goes through her mind when she’s acting. The little girl considered this for a moment, then broke into a smile: “La la-la, la-la, la-la …!” she sang. “That’s all I think!” Oh my gosh, this girl is awesome.

I am simultaneously beyond excited for Quvenzhané, and also extremely jealous that she’ll be going to the Academy Awards this year. Would it be possible for me to get an honorary invitation from someone? Oscar nomination day always kicks off my movie mania, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a couple of complaints to make with the nominee list this year. Like, where is Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director? Also, why no love at all for The Perks of Being A Wallflower?

The thing is, though, that in any given year there’s always going to be more awesome performances than there are nomination slots, and I like that the Oscars get people talking and debating. While only one person may get the statue, I think getting people talking about film and artistic performances in general is kind of a big win. Even though there are a couple of names I wish had been called, I’m certainly not going to let that take away from how excited I am about Quvenzhané’s nomination. Other ladies I’m excited for? I’m digging Anne Hathaway being nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Adele getting a nomination for her song “Skyfall.” Get it, girls!

The Academy Awards are still a little bit of a ways off (February 24!), but you can get your movie awards season off to a good start by tuning in to the Golden Globes on Sunday, which are going to be hosted by fabulous and funny ladies Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. I can only expect good things.

Had you heard of Quvenzhané Wallis before? Have you seen Beasts of the Southern Wild? What do you think about the rest of this year’s Academy Award nominations? Do you dream of going to the Oscars one day? Tell us in the comments!

Check out what Jennifer Lawrence has to say about acting!

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Are you in the know about testosterone? | Source: Shutterstock

The thing is though, that doesn’t really give a complete picture of what testosterone actually is and what it does or even who has it. Because believe it or not, your body makes testosterone too!

Now, there is definitely a reason that testosterone is often associated with men, since testosterone is a hormone produced in their testes and responsible for many of the changes that guys go through during puberty. From that point on, guys keep producing testosterone (though not always at the same level).

Though guys’ bodies have more testosterone present than girls’ bodies, women’s bodies do still produce it! Ovaries produce the hormone in smaller amounts and it actually plays a role in a variety of functions, such as affecting a woman’s sex drive and keeping bones and muscles in healthy condition. The genetic medical condition where women happen to have higher testosterone levels is called hyperandrogenism.

When it comes to women and testosterone, you may have heard in the news about issues going on for female athletes. The Olympic Committee’s regulations allow them to make women they deem have “excessive” ineligble to compete. The issue is that there’s not evidence to back up their claims that too much testosterone puts those women at an unfair advantage and it also targets women who “look like” they’d have more testosterone (which leads to a lot of potential for discrimination based on appearance).

Later in life, testosterone may be prescribed for women during menopause. There is also some evidence that it could help with bone issues as a result from osteoporosis.

Did you know that women have testosterone too? Did you learn something new about what testosterone does? Tell us in the comments!

What Is Estrogen?

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Is he picking up on your crush vibes? | Source: Shutterstock

You’re crushing hard, but do you know what kind of vibe you are sending out to the object of your affection? Take our latest personality quiz to see what kind of signals you’re sending to that special crush.

Get started right here!

What do you think are the right vibes to give your crush? Can you tell when someone has a crush on you? Tell us in the comments!

What Does Your Room Say About You? Find Out With This Quiz!

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Even with a gold medal, she still gets nervous! | Source: WENN.com

There are few things in the world that get me more inspired than the Olympics. Seeing people accomplish things that can seem impossible just gets me so hyped up to push my own limits. During these past Olympics, there was some serious girl power going on in London!

One of my favorite new Olympic faces this year was teen swimmer Missy Franklin. Not only was she crazy talented, but she just always seemed so excited to be at the Olympics (and I mean, can you blame her?!). Missy actually still swims for her high school swim team (see, totally relatable, right?) and Today reported this morning that she apparently confessed to feeling nervous before their first meet this season.

So, despite being literally one of the best in the world at her sports and having had millions of people across the world watch her this summer, she still got some butterflies before going out there and doing her thing. Honestly, I think it’s a really refreshing thing to hear from someone who has had such public accomplishments. We all just want to succeed at what makes us happy, whether that’s on prime time TV or in our high school gyms. No matter the environment, we just want to feel good about our performance.

Even if you’ve done something a hundred, a thousand, maybe even a million times, nerves are bound to happen. However, by letting nerves stand in your way, you may never know your awesome potential. Every time you put yourself out there is a totally new experience where you feel like anything can happen, but if you remind yourself that you have the talent and work ethic (just like Missy!) to succeed, I know you’ll all do great.

If you’re feeling nervous gearing up for your basketball game or piano recital, just remember that even those girls who might make it seem so easy to put themselves out there have felt nerves just like you. Whether it’s talking to someone about it or taking a few seconds to just close your eyes and take a deep breath, try to find a way that helps you deal with your nervous feelings if they pop up. Then, just go out there and show everyone how much you rock (we’re rooting for you!).

How do you deal with feeling nervous? Does it make you feel better to know that even famous people deal with nerves? Are you already looking forward to watching Missy Franklin compete in future Olympics? Tell us in the comments!

Check out this awesome comic about female Olympians!

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Keep calm and… stop highlighting? | Source: ShutterStock

Who here has a highlighter sitting on their desk right now? Well, you may want to put it away because I don’t think it’s going to like this news all that much.

Psychologists looked at the effectiveness of ten common “learning strategies” and their findings are kind of shocking. Why? The three methods that ranked the worst in terms of helpfulness are three things that I did all through school. The least effective of them all? Highlighting.

I remember highlighting being very big in school, though I didn’t really grasp it right away. When I was 11, I thought you were just supposed to highlight the entire page, because, as I told my teacher, why would they print sentences that weren’t important? Maybe though in my young age, I was just rebelling against a system that told me to highlight, when in my heart, I knew it wasn’t the most effective way. Still, I kept going back to the highlighters because it made me feel like I was drawing when I was studying which was usually nice. It was all a disguise!

Other low-ranking methods include re-reading and summarizing. So apparently me skipping a concert my senior year to re-read chapters before my test maybe wasn’t the best way for me to spend my time? My regrets have multiplied.

If you’re freaking out though about how to study now without your trusty highlighter, the psychologists also offered up two of the best learning strategies. The first is one I admit I have trouble with – spreading out your studying over time (read: do not cram!) in order to extend how long you remember the info. Also, taking practice tests (flashcards worked well too!) was another “high utility” method that had a high pay-off when it came to learning the material.

Figuring out what study methods work for you is important, and as this new study shows, the learning strategy that will be best for you may not necessarily be the “popular” one that everybody does. For me, making up songs was always my go-to study method. If I read something, I would then make up a song to help me remember it.

They basically all went to the same tune of the only song I had managed to learn how to play during my piano lessons, but I did make up a great one about ancient Chinese dynasties once that was SIX MINUTES! That’s like power ballad length. Anyway, here is my favorite pop-culture example of the song studying strategy brought to you by the ’90s gem that is The Babysitter’s Club movie:

So awesome. Look, I think if you really feel like highlighting material helps you learn, than I say go for it. I joked about my time being better well spent, but it’s not like my use of the highlighter ruined my GPA.

I think an important thing to take away though is there may be strategies out there that will help you even more, and for those of you who have always kind of felt like highlighting or re-reading was ineffective for you, I’d take this study as a chance to explore some new studying strategies so that you can be your best-performing you!

Were you surprised by these findings? What are the learning strategies that work best for you? Do you have a fun study strategy to share with other girls? Tell us in the comments!

Being On Facebook Could Count As Homework? Amazing!

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