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Newsweek
01-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Moms Are Trying To Delay Daughters' First Period—Experts Say They're Right
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Puberty in American girls is starting earlier than ever—and some moms aren't waiting around to see what that means for their daughters. Rebecca Kinderman is just one who's doing everything in her power to try and delay her daughters'—aged 10 and 12—first periods. Her Instagram reel (@bec_kinderman) on the subject had received 1.6 million views and and over 57,000 likes across the platform at the time of writing. For the Gold Coast mom, this has meant overhauling everything from her family's diet to screen time. "I believe that if we can delay this part of 'growing up,' especially when their brains are not developed enough to be able to handle everything that they could be exposed to online, we are allowing our girls to stay young for longer," the 36-year-old told Newsweek. Indeed, data shows the average age for a girl's first period is now just 11.9 years, with 16 percent starting before age 11 in the United States. What is even more alarming about starting your period early is the increased risk of hormone-related cancers later in life. For instance, girls who start their period before age 12 have a 23 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who start at 15. Additionally, early menarche has been linked to increased risks of endometrial and ovarian cancers. But it wasn't always like this. Elena Bridgers (@ a science writer who specializes in maternal wellness and mental health, explained in a recent reel on Instagram that girls in hunter-gatherer societies often started their periods as late as 17 and began proper ovulation around 19. "For millions of years, women's brains and bodies went through the emotional turmoil of adolescence before we actually hit reproductive puberty, but modern teens have to deal with painful periods, the risk of getting pregnant, and sometimes actually getting pregnant well before their brains and bodies are actually mature enough," Bridgers said in her now viral clip. This trend suggests an "evolutionary mismatch" adds Bridgers, with modern teens facing reproductive challenges before they are emotionally and physically mature. "Early onset of menarche is associated with higher risk of miscarriage, more menstrual cramping, more painful and irregular periods, higher risk of preterm delivery, reproductive cancers, anxiety and depression," Bridgers told Newsweek. "We are not sure whether early onset of menarche causes these things, or whether there is a third explanatory variable, like obesity, that causes both early onset of menarche and puts girls at higher risk for depression. But, on the whole, I think we can safely say that starting your period too early is not a good thing." Evidence suggests that some of the leading contributing factors to early menarche—the age at which a girl starts her period—are in fact environmental, including stress, psychological factors and diet-related. With this in mind, Kinderman is raising her daughters as holistically as possible. "We are very focused on raising our kids with as much of a holistic approach as we can," she said. "This includes no personal devices for any of them, and certainly no access to social media and the internet." The family eats mostly organic and removes pesticide residue from fruit and vegetables. Kinderman explained that there are no toxic chemicals in the house either. "We make our own perfumes using essential oils," she told Newsweek. "This age is really big for girls wanting to smell pretty and unfortunately perfumes are a cocktail of hormone-disrupting chemicals." Meanwhile mom of two daughters—7 and 4—Nicky Skinner has taken similar steps to delay her own daughters' first periods. On her Instagram page (@nourished_and_vibrant), Skinner, from New Zealand, raises awareness that girls are starting their periods earlier than ever. Her recent reel on the topic, which had clocked up 8 million views at the time of writing, provides a list of reasons why other moms may want to join her on her mission. But while delaying first menses is her goal, it's not about artificially manipulating natural development, she told Newsweek. "It's about creating an environment that doesn't bring the period on prematurely," she said. "It's about an awareness that girls are starting to ovulate earlier, knowing that comes with risk, so doing what I can to ensure the environmental factors I can control as a mother—knowing there's a lot I can't control—are not impacting my girls' health in a negative way." Indeed, the two moms are part of a growing group of parents rethinking early puberty and how modern life may influence when a girl has her first period. And the subject is gaining traction with with experts too. Lara Briden, a doctor of naturopathic medicine with almost 30 years of experience in women's health, notes that very early menarche—before age 8—is considered abnormal and warrants medical attention. "But even early menarche—before age 11—is not ideal," Briden told Newsweek. "From a health [and] biology perspective, early female puberty and menarche are also associated with a greater risk for insulin resistance, PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome], and breast cancer later in life. "Importantly, the early menarche may not directly cause those long-term health risks. Rather, it may simply be another manifestation or complication of the metabolic dysfunction (high insulin) that drives all the downstream health risks." Briden, who is also the author of Period Repair Manual, said that the timing of female puberty is significantly influenced by food supply and environmental factors, leading to variations throughout human history. She said that during periods of scarcity, puberty tends to be delayed. Meanwhile in times of abundance, it generally occurs earlier—adding that male puberty is not as sensitive to food supply. "The modern trend toward earlier menarche is, in part, a biological response to more reliable nutrition, which is a good thing," Briden said. "But it has also coincided with an alarming rise in metabolic dysfunction (insulin resistance), which now affects people across all ages. It's not just that metabolic problems are increasing. They're also amplifying in severity, and that's happening across generations because of epigenetics." Young girls playing on rope swing in park with blue sky in background. Young girls playing on rope swing in park with blue sky in background. @bec_kinderman So, is it any wonder that moms doing everything they can to delay their daughters' first period to prevent the associated risks? Of course, Kinderman and Skinner acknowledge that, while moms can try their best to do everything they can to delay their daughters' first periods, there is no guarantee. "It's important to remember that genetics play a big part in this, too," Skinner said. "If mother got her period early, even if you do everything 'right,' the daughter may still menstruate earlier, too. There need be no shame or guilt around this." Bridgers said that genetic factors at play and even environmental factors can be very hard to control, and warns that setting a goal to delay a girl's menarche can cause shame and failure for both parents and girls, and may lead to unhealthy parenting practices. "I do think, however, that parents should do their best to make sure their children are eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of outdoor exercise," Bridgers said. "We know this will be good for them anyway." Bridgers advised limiting sugars and processed foods, ensuring they have plenty of time outside and away from screens and avoiding heavy use of personal care products with known endocrine disrupters. Briden said that, while something can be done, the goal shouldn't be to delay menarche. "It's not about restriction or micromanaging childhood, and certainly not about calorie restriction for kids," she said, adding that she doesn't believe Skinner or Kinderman are suggesting this. "Instead, it's about trying to create or restore a food environment that allows normal human female physiology to unfold." Both Kinderman and Skinner are also advocates of open conversation around periods with their daughters. Kinderman told Newsweek that she is always been open with her girls about their cycles and puberty. "My hopes are that, when it does happen, it will be a really positive experience for them," she said. "There won't be any fear or uncertainty. I've heard too many women share that they weren't prepared for it, mothers never talked about it or talked very little about it, and they got it young and felt scared. My hopes are that my girls feel excited for the day and will be celebrated when it happens."
Economic Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Is love doomed at the Met Gala? These 12 high-profile couples split after stealing the spotlight in fashion's biggest night
Met Gala is known for fashion and celebrity relationships. Some couples debuted at the event, but split soon after. Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Silverman and Michael Sheen are examples. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson also broke up. Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik, Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner are other couples. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Coincidence or curse, why do stars split post Met Gala? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal Sarah Silverman and Michael Sheen Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse Elon Musk and Grimes Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Selena Gomez and The Weeknd FAQs The Met Gala makes fashion history and, sometimes, unravels love stories. While celebs often debut their relationships with a red carpet flourish, many don't last long after the cameras stop with some gorgeous red carpet moments, a number of high-profile couples, including Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth and Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik, broke up after the Met whirlwind relationships to long-time loves, these breakups have fans speculating whether or not there is a Met Gala curse Although it is probably just timing, the trend of post-Gala breakups has led people to wonder if there is a "Met Gala curse" plaguing fashion's biggest most famous people and fashionable couples attend the event, and although some couples use it as a way to start dating, not all couples who dress alike end up together. It's still unclear if these celebrity splits are the result of bad timing, fate, or a 12 high-profile couples that split after stealing the spotlight in fashion's biggest night, as per a report by meeting at the 2003 Met Gala, Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal broke up in 2004. His sister, Maggie, who costarred with Gyllenhaal in Mona Lisa Smile, introduced Dunst to the February 2014, Sarah Silverman and Michael Sheen started dating, and in May, they made their official debut at the Met Gala. Before purposefully breaking up over Christmas in 2017, they had been dating for almost four years. Silverman explained that although there was no conflict, things became difficult because they lived in different Bridgers expressed her opinions about Paul Mescal's performance on the Hulu drama Normal People, the two became friends on X in 2020. They officially announced their romance on Instagram in 2021. Although Bridgers was a guest of designer Jonathan Simkhai, he accompanied Mescal as his date at the 2022 Met Gala. SZA's song "Ghost in the Machine," which Bridgers contributed a verse to in December 2022, implied a fight with a significant other. It became clear that Mescal and Bridgers were no longer together, even though neither of them confirmed the getting married in December 2018, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth wore matching outfits to the 2019 Met Gala. Hemsworth matched Cyrus's all-black formal attire, while Cyrus wore a custom-made Yves Saint Laurent dress with black and green sequin stripes. Less than a year after their wedding, in August, the couple decided to call it quits in order to concentrate on their careers and personal being seen holding hands at Knott's Scary Farm in 2021, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were initially connected. When they debuted on the red carpet at the Met Gala in April 2022, they caused a stir by donning the famous Marilyn Monroe dress. Conversely, Davidson assisted Kardashian in navigating the event while sporting an extremely delicate dress. People announced their separation in August 2022, stating that their hectic schedules were the 2015 until 2021, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik were together, and they had a daughter together, Khai. After Malik was charged with assaulting Gigi's mother, Yolanda Hadid, they formally parted ways in 2021. Their first appearance on the red carpet was at the 2016 Met Gala, where they wore complementary the 2015 Met Gala, Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs, who started dating in 2014 and got engaged in 2015, made their red carpet debut. They split up in October 2017 after dating for two years. According to a source, FKA Twigs is working on her new album, and Pattinson is on a press tour. It has been two months since they last saw one Scott and Kylie Jenner dated from 2017 to 2023; Jenner announced their split in 2019 following their appearance at the 2018 Met Gala. Co-parenting their daughter Stormi and welcoming a second child, Aire, together in 2022, they kept dating. But in 2023, they broke up once more, according to 2018, former Riverdale co-stars Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse confirmed their relationship by attending the Met Gala. They dated intermittently in real life for almost three years after meeting while portraying lovers on the CW series. In 2022, Sprouse said that the couple's romance was "as real as it gets." The couple split up in the 2018 Met Gala, Elon Musk and Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes were first connected. After splitting in 2021, Grimes declared their reunion in 2022, calling their relationship "very fluid."The Met Gala in 2017 was one of the red carpet fashion events that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, a former couple, made history at. In 2017, Lopez's 16-carat engagement ring and mint-coloured dress were the talk of the town. Following a cordial conversation regarding their future in the Dominican Republic, the couple declared their separation in 2021. After spending time together in the Dominican Republic last week, Lopez and Rodriguez made the decision to part ways year after attending the 2017 Met Gala with Bella, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd made their relationship public. But sources confirmed they had called it quits just five months is believed that couples who attend the Met Gala together frequently split up shortly couples have split up after the Gala, including Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, and and A-Rod.
Gulf Today
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
McRae makes authentic folk-pop the internet can't resist
As the COVID-19 vaccine began distributing more widely in early 2021, California-raised singer-songwriter Jensen McRae affectionally joked in a tweet that Phoebe Bridgers would release a song in two years about 'hooking up in the car while waiting in line to get vaccinated at Dodger Stadium.' Bridgers didn't release the song, but McRae did. As the tweet took off, she threaded a video of herself singing 'a preemptive cover.' 'Immune,' penned by McRae in Bridgers' contemplative style, was released in full within two weeks. 'It was a perfect storm,' McRae, 27, said. 'I was parodying Phoebe Bridgers who was becoming world famous in that exact moment. ... I was also writing about this topic that everyone was thinking about constantly because we were in lockdowns.' Bridgers reposted the video, writing simply: 'oh my god.' The song preluded McRae's debut EP, released in 2021, and album, in 2022, which led to touring gigs with Muna and Noah Kahan. Last year, she signed with Dead Oceans, the same record label that represents Bridgers. McRae's sophomore album, the folk-pop 'I Don't Know How, But They Found Me!,' is out Friday. The title is a reference to 'Back to The Future,' her favourite movie. It's a line of dialogue said by scientist Doc Brown just before he falls in a hail of bullets, causing protagonist Marty McFly to flee back in time in Brown's rigged DeLorean. 'At the end of the movie — which, there's no spoilers, because this movie's 40 years old — you find out (Doc) was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time. And that to me sort of is what my 20s have been like. There are all these events that are happening that feel like they should take me out, but I just keep standing up anyway,' McRae said. 'That's kind of the narrative of the album.' Resilience has long been a motif in McRae's songwriting. Her debut album, 'Are You Happy Now?', deftly tackled sexual predators and racist microaggressions with poetic meditations on identity, love, growth and beauty. On the album's most-streamed song, the ballad 'My Ego Dies in the End,' she sings, 'If I don't write about it, was it really worth it?' 'There's this quote that I can't cite, but someone said, as a writer, you've experienced enough by the age of 25 to have writing material for the rest of your life. I don't know if everyone agrees with that statement, but I certainly do,' McRae said. It's years of practice, and reflection, that have brought clarity to those experiences. 'I Don't Know How But They Found Me!' is composed of songs McRae wrote throughout her early 20s, in the wake of one relationship and the rise and fall of another. She finished the album last spring in North Carolina with producer Brad Cook, a collaborator of Bon Iver, Waxahatchee and Suki Waterhouse. The 10 days they spent on the record, McRae said, were 'a master class.' 'Jensen flat out blew me away on every single level,' said Cook, who met McRae for the first time when she arrived for the session. 'I got a master class from her as well, frankly. Jensen's just so organized, emotionally and spiritually, it was just really easy to go where the songs needed to go.' A video of McRae singing the first verse of her song ' Massachusetts,' accrued millions of TikTok views in the fall of 2023, well before it was released in full in July 2024. While the internet's interest in 'Immune' two years prior was momentarily destabilizing ('There's a meme of Patrick (from 'SpongeBob') coming home to his rock, and there are all these eyes poking out and he goes, 'Who are you people?' That was what I felt like,' McRae says), its embrace of 'Massachusetts' was confusing for other reasons. McRae was in the process of making this album, and the snippet she shared felt separate from the narrative she was constructing. Despite an onslaught of comments from listeners asking for the full song, she considered leaving it unreleased or tabling it for much later. Associated Press
Japan Today
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Jensen McRae makes authentic folk-pop the internet can't resist
By ELISE RYAN As the COVID-19 vaccine began distributing more widely in early 2021, California-raised singer-songwriter Jensen McRae affectionally joked in a tweet that Phoebe Bridgers would release a song in two years about 'hooking up in the car while waiting in line to get vaccinated at Dodger Stadium.' Bridgers didn't release the song, but McRae did. As the tweet took off, she threaded a video of herself singing 'a preemptive cover." 'Immune,' penned by McRae in Bridgers' contemplative style, was released in full within two weeks. 'It was a perfect storm,' McRae, 27, told The Associated Press. 'I was parodying Phoebe Bridgers who was becoming world famous in that exact moment. ... I was also writing about this topic that everyone was thinking about constantly because we were in lockdowns." Bridgers reposted the video, writing simply: 'oh my god.' The song preluded McRae's debut EP, released in 2021, and album, in 2022, which led to touring gigs with Muna and Noah Kahan. Last year, she signed with Dead Oceans, the same record label that represents Bridgers. McRae's sophomore album, the folk-pop 'I Don't Know How, But They Found Me!,' is out Friday. The title is a reference to 'Back to The Future,' her favorite movie. It's a line of dialogue said by scientist Doc Brown just before he falls in a hail of bullets, causing protagonist Marty McFly to flee back in time in Brown's rigged DeLorean. 'At the end of the movie — which, there's no spoilers, because this movie's 40 years old — you find out (Doc) was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time. And that to me sort of is what my 20s have been like. There are all these events that are happening that feel like they should take me out, but I just keep standing up anyway," McRae said. 'That's kind of the narrative of the album.' Resilience has long been a motif in McRae's songwriting. Her debut album, 'Are You Happy Now?', deftly tackled sexual predators and racist microaggressions with poetic meditations on identity, love, growth and beauty. On the album's most-streamed song, the ballad 'My Ego Dies in the End,' she sings, 'If I don't write about it, was it really worth it?' "There's this quote that I can't cite, but someone said, as a writer, you've experienced enough by the age of 25 to have writing material for the rest of your life. I don't know if everyone agrees with that statement, but I certainly do,' McRae said. It's years of practice, and reflection, that have brought clarity to those experiences. 'I Don't Know How But They Found Me!' is composed of songs McRae wrote throughout her early 20s, in the wake of one relationship and the rise and fall of another. She finished the album last spring in North Carolina with producer Brad Cook, a collaborator of Bon Iver, Waxahatchee and Suki Waterhouse. The 10 days they spent on the record, McRae said, were 'a master class.' 'Jensen flat out blew me away on every single level," said Cook, who met McRae for the first time when she arrived for the session. 'I got a master class from her as well, frankly. Jensen's just so organized, emotionally and spiritually, it was just really easy to go where the songs needed to go." A video of McRae singing the first verse of her song ' Massachusetts," accrued millions of TikTok views in the fall of 2023, well before it was released in full in July 2024. While the internet's interest in 'Immune" two years prior was momentarily destabilizing ('There's a meme of Patrick (from 'SpongeBob') coming home to his rock, and there are all these eyes poking out and he goes, 'Who are you people?' That was what I felt like,' McRae says), its embrace of 'Massachusetts' was confusing for other reasons. McRae was in the process of making this album, and the snippet she shared felt separate from the narrative she was constructing. Despite an onslaught of comments from listeners asking for the full song, she considered leaving it unreleased or tabling it for much later. Then she got a huge cosign. 'When Justin Bieber posted about it, I was like, well, you forced my hand," McRae laughs. 'So then I changed course.' The solution, she realized, was that 'Massachusetts" — a song about the specific memories that don't leave you when a relationship ends — would be the conclusion to the album's story. Cook kept the song's production minimal, centering McRae's vocals and acoustic guitar. 'Every rhythm just reinforces that,' he said. 'This whole record, I would say, is a lesson in getting out of the way of the song as much as you're reinforcing it.' McRae hasn't been able to diagnose exactly why fans online are drawn to certain songs like 'Massachusetts" over others. Cook says it's the same amorphous quality that drives all good music: honesty. 'I think that the beauty of authenticity is it's just so powerful that you don't know why,' he said. In any case, McRae has worked to keep her brushes with internet fame from swaying her creative process. 'Every decision I'm making about this is like, 'Do I want this?' And 'Is this going to be a good move for my career?'' she said. 'Because eventually, no matter what I do, the viral moment passes.' But fans' reactions have helped her recognize what makes her deeply personal songs relatable — especially as she, too, considers the project with fresh ears and new perspective ahead of an upcoming tour. 'When you're going through something difficult, intellectually, you know you're not the first person to whom it's happened. But it feels that way," McRae said. 'Revisiting it now — one or two or three years after having written the song — I have an appreciation for how, like, of course people are going to have these songs resonate with them. Because of course I'm not the only person who's gone through these feelings.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Controversial rule at popular Maine children's museum outrages childless local - do you agree with it?
A popular children's museum in Portland, Maine, doesn't allow entry to adults who don't have kids with them, a policy that angered a local newspaper columnist who had been hoping to pay the place a visit. Leslie Bridgers, a writer for the Portland Press Herald, was shocked she was turned away when she tried to buy a ticket for the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine. She said she had been wanting to go for a while and had passed up multiple opportunities to go with her friends who do have families, mainly because she 'didn't want to have to go at their pace or wind up watching their children.' 'I wanted to check out the exhibits that interested me, skip the ones that didn't and leave when I felt like it — you know, enjoy it the way I do anything as a childless adult,' she wrote in her Monday column. She explained that she finally came up with the perfect excuse to go alone; she could bring her reporter's notebook and write a piece about whether the museum was worth the $18 admission. According to her column, the museum's 'unaccompanied adults' policy was put in place because of 'security concerns' and to prevent adults from taking up tickets on busy days that could have went to children. The museum's executive director, Julie Butcher Pezzino, said she was 'a little surprised that this was a news story' given that this kind of policy is very common for children's museums around the country. Pezzino also told she wasn't aware of any 'security concerns' that led to the museum disallowing adults without children. In fact, that policy has been in place there for last six or seven years, she said. 'We focus on children who come with their parents or guardians,' she said, adding that 'there was no particular incident' that spurred the museum to bar childless adults. 'It was more in keeping with what other children's museums were doing at the time,' Butcher Pezzino explained. In her column, Bridgers even noted that other kid-friendly attractions around the country, including LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, children's rooms at libraries and playground areas at parks, often have policies that ban childless adults. In her attempt to find a reason for her local children's museum not letting her in, Bridgers stumbled upon a 2015 law review article in the National Recreation and Park Association's magazine. It talked about how in Hollywood, Florida, local government officials banned adults unaccompanied by minors from entering or remaining in a park playground area. The article claimed that one Hollywood commissioner wondered if the new rule 'might draw legal challenges' but claimed it 'will put a little dent into getting rid of the undesirables in the park.' Another commissioner then reportedly argued that the ordinance would protect kids from sex offenders 'that have not been caught yet.' Bridgers took this to mean that playgrounds in Florida (and the museum in Maine) have adopted discriminatory policies that profile people based on how 'creepy' they look. 'In other words, because you can't ban someone for looking creepy, then why not adopt rules (with backhanded reasoning) to keep away categories of people who you think are most likely to be,' Bridgers wrote. She further claimed that the no childless adult policy 'sounds kind of like' how the Trump administration terminated a $250,000 grant to the children's museum that would have been used to fund programs teaching kids about the history of the Wabanaki, a Native American tribe that is primarily in Maine. The museum clarified that adults can attend certain events on their own, including theatrical performances, staff-led tours by appointment and its Imagination Ball fundraiser on May 9, with tickets starting at $125. Butcher Pezzino said she was disappointed in Bridgers' article for not putting enough emphasis on the tours open to adults and not mentioning the museum's annual Halloween event that's for people 21 and older. Bridgers briefly mentioned the Halloween party, not by name though, and linked back to a previous article that covered the 2022 event, which reportedly drew 300 costumed guests. 'I also was aware of the adults-only parties at the museum, but I wasn't interested in making a social outing out of it either. Even though I knew it might be awkward, I just wanted to walk around on my own,' Bridgers wrote.
