Blog Posts by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

Should funeral homes wear pink to raise breast cancer awareness? (Photo: Wearthepink.com)A company that provides clothes to funeral homes has come out with special pink blazers that they say are meant to honor families who have battled breast cancer. But while the light-pink clothing met with rave reviews among funeral directors, the general public seems to think that Wear the Pink might go beyond the pale.

"Personalization and Service are two key components in the ever-changing funeral and cemetery industry," FD Suits, says on its Wear the Pink website. "Wear the Pink is a unique way to provide an optional serve and product to families who have battled breast cancer."

The pink blazers were introduced at the National Funeral Director's Association International Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October. Wear the Pink's website prominently displays the pink-ribbon badge that many consumers associate with breast cancer research.

Critics are calling it yet another example of "pink washing" -- when companies take advantage of the color and cause to boost sales --

Read More »from Company Offers Pink Breast-Cancer Awareness Blazers for Funeral Home Staff

Elmo and puppeteer Kevin Clash at the 34th Kennedy Center Honors on December 4, 2011. (Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage) Kevin Clash -- the puppeteer who brought Elmo to life -- announced on Tuesday that he is resigning from "Sesame Street" as news broke of a second man accusing him of sexual abuse.

Related: Should "Sesame Street" Teach Kids About Breastfeeding?

"I am resigning from Sesame Workshop with a very heavy heart. I have loved every day of my 28 years working for this exceptional organization," 52-year-old Clash said in a statement on Tuesday. "Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately."

"This is a sad day for Sesame Street," representatives from Sesame Workshop said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin's personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street."

Read More »from Kevin Clash, the Voice of Elmo on Sesame Street, Resigns. Do You Have to Tell Your Kids?

The classic version of Guess Who has way more boys than girls. (Photo: Hasbro.com)When Jennifer O'Connell's 6-year-old daughter noticed that her version of the classic game Guess Who? had way more boy characters than girl ones, she got mad. Mad enough to send a letter to Hasbro's U.K. division, asking them to "fix it soon," before parents notice and start "thinking that girls are not important."

Dear Hasbro,

My name is R______. I am six years old. I think it's not fair to only have 5 girls in Guess Who and 19 boys. It is not only boys who are important, girls are important too. If grown ups get into thinking that girls are not important they won't give little girls much care.

Also if girls want to be a girl in Guess Who they'll always lose against a boy, and it will be harder for them to win. I am cross about that and if you don't fix it soon, my mum could throw Guess Who out.

My mum typed this message but I told her what to say.

She made some pretty good points, but Hasbro's response was less than enlightening (and way less kid-friendly than one from Read More »from 6-year-old to Hasbro: Why Aren't There More Girls in Guess Who?

There's no doubt that Kate Moss is worth millions of dollars. But what's news is that at least $1.6 million of it may be inked onto her lower back.


In an interview with Vanity Fair, the super-skinny supermodel talked about her insecurities ("I hated my boobs!" she says), her paycheck (she still makes up to $400,000 for a day's work), and her breakup with actor Johnny Depp ("Nightmare. Years and years of crying"). And she also revealed that some of her body art was drawn on by the legendary German-born British painter Lucian Freud.

The 38-year-old fashion icon was pregnant with her daughter, Lila, when she met Freud in 2002. After telling a British magazine that the painter was the person she'd most love to meet, she got a call from his daughter, Bella Freud, saying, "My dad wants to meet you."

PHOTOS: Kate Moss and Other Celebs Without Makeup

She went to Freud's house for dinner, and he started painting her portrait that night. "Naked Portrait 2002" shows Moss nude and heavily Read More »from Kate Moss and Her $1.6 Million Tattoo

What happens when your employer makes breastfeeding more difficult? (Photo: Corbis)A former teacher and new mom in California is suing the Carmel Unified School District after being told to try to train her body not to lactate so she wouldn't have to pump breast milk during working hours.

Related: Woman Behind Controversial Military Breastfeeding Photo is Fired

Sarah Ann Lewis Boyle was hired by the Carmelo School in August, 2010, to take care of kids age six months to four years old in their Child Development Center. In September 2011, after the birth of her first child, she met with her supervisor to talk about her return from maternity leave. Her doctor wanted her to breastfeed her infant son, she said, and she would need 15 to 20 minutes each day between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to pump breast milk.

Related: One Dad Says No to Breastfeeding

The request was well within the guidelines of California law, which states: "Every employer… shall provide a reasonable amount of break time to accommodate an employee desiring to express breast milk for the employee's infant

Read More »from California Teacher Sues School District Over Breastfeeding Rights

Can't live without them? Here's how to make Twinkies at home.With workers continuing to strike and the company now saying they'll shut down, Hostess snack cake lovers are forced to contemplate a world without Twinkies.

5 Recipes You Can Make With Hostess Snacks

The buttery, beloved snack cakes were first created in 1930 with basic, wholesome ingredients and a banana-cream filling. Over the years, in an effort to extend the snack cake's shelf life, the butter, eggs, and milk were replaced with chemicals and stabilizers; a banana shortage during World War II made vanilla the standard Twinkie filling flavor.

5 Healthy Foods That Are More Fattening Than a Twinkie

Hostess workers went on strike on November 9, after a bankruptcy court gave the struggling 82-year-old company the right to impose pay cuts. The Irving, Texas-based baked goods company (which also makes Wonder Bread and several other iconic snack cakes) gave striking employees until 5 p.m. ET on Thursday to return to work, but they refused. On Friday, Hostess announced that it will go out

Read More »from DIY Hostess Twinkies: How to Make Them at Home

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri in Manhattan on November 13, 2012. His NY restaurant, Guy's American, has earned scathing reviews. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images) The New York Times slammed celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri's new restaurant on Wednesday, running a scathing review that left food purists grinning and Fieri calling foul.

“I wholeheartedly disagree with The New York Times’ review of Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar," Fieri told Yahoo! Shine in a statement on Thursday. "I’m proud of the food we put out, and always will be."

Related: The 12 Sexiest Celebrity Chefs

On NBC's "Today" show Thursday morning, Fieri said that the review was especially unfair given that the restaurant had only been open for two months. But it gave him something to think about, he said, and he acknowledged that there's probably room for improvement.

“I thought it was ridiculous, that [review] to me was so overboard,” Fieri told host Savannah Guthrie. “We’re trying as hard as we can to make it right, to do it right. Is it perfect right now? No. Are we striving for that? Yeah.”

On Wednesday, Fieri's fans were furious, and lashed out at the New York

Read More »from Guy Fieri Responds to Scathing NY Times Restaurant Review

One high school is cracking down on the High school girls in Minnesota have been asked to dress a little more modestly after one principal noted that tight leggings and yoga pants are leaving too little to the imagination.

Related: Utah Girls Barred From Dance, Principal Apologizes

Minnetonka High School Principal David Adney emailed parents on Monday, asking them to talk to their daughters about wearing sheer leggings and curve-hugging yoga pants to school. In an interview with Yahoo! Shine, he was quick to say that his email was a request, not an ultimatum.

"This is not a ban on anything," he told Yahoo! Shine. "We're just trying to guide them to make better decisions for themselves."

WATCH: No Short Shorts Dress Code Upsets Parents?

"We want them to strive for modesty," he added. "We can't define modesty for every family, but we can ask them to make good decisions that reflect well on their families."

Girls have been wearing yoga pants and leggings to school for years, Adney acknowledges, but in the past they'd pair

Read More »from Minnesota High School Cracks Down on Leggings, Yoga Pants