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

It's a startling, uncomfortable image: Two little girls are sitting in a school library. One is holding a copy of "Little Red Riding Hood." The other cradles an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that's nearly as big as she is.

Also on Shine: I'm Scared of Guns, So I Decided to Learn How to Shoot One

"One child is holding something that's been banned in America to protect them," the ad reads. "Guess which one."

PHOTOS: The 12 Most-Memorable School Bans

The ad, released on Monday, is the first in a series created by Grey Group for pro gun-regulation organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which was founded in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last year.

"We chose these images to point out the absurdity in America's gun laws right now," the Moms Demand Action's founder, Shannon Watts, told Yahoo! Shine on Monday. "We say that we are very in favor of child welfare and yet, even after the mass shooting of 20 innocent

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Oprah Winfrey attends Beyonce's movie in New York on February 12, 2013. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)Activists in Canada are protesting Oprah because of the talk show queen's decade-old endorsement of a pricey skin cream made with cells that came from discarded foreskins.

Yes, you read that correctly.

TNS Recovery Complex by SkinMedica boasts the "highest levels of patented growth factor blend" (read: human foreskin cells) and promises to remove wrinkles and enhance skin tone. It costs about $165 for 0.63 of an ounce. Oprah once called it her "fountain of youth."

Yes, you read that correctly, too.

Pro-foreskin activists (they're a thing) are outraged. “How would Oprah respond if a skin cream for men hit the market that was made using cells from the genitalia of little girls? I think she would be absolutely disgusted and appalled, and rightly so. So it’s crazy that she’s doing the opposite,” said Glen Callender, founder of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project. “We think it’s extremely hypocritical and distasteful that Oprah Winfrey — who is herself a survivor of childhood sexual

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Jake (Jacob Artist, left) helps Ryder (Blake Jenner, right) during Thursday night's intense episode of Glee. (Photo: Fox.com)The hit TV show "Glee" is facing criticism for their latest episode, "Shooting Star," which aired Thursday night and depicted a shooting at the fictional McKinley High School.

For about 10 minutes, the students and two teachers were shown trapped in a classroom, texting their loved ones after gunshots and screams echoed in the hallways, and recording good-bye videos on their phones in case they didn't survive. The episode aired less than four months after the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and just one week before the 14th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

Though the producers aired a short warning at the beginning of the show (“This episode of ‘Glee’ addresses the topic of school violence. Viewer discretion is advised”) it wasn't enough to prepare some viewers for what they saw. Many were offended by the way a tragedy was turned into entertainment, especially given Glee's young fan base; parents who lived through the Sandy

Read More »from Glee Takes On School Shootings: Too Soon?

Survey says: You can stop getting a Brazilian wax now. (Photo: Getty Images)If you're wincing at the thought of your next Brazilian bikini wax, we have some good news for you: A recent poll of 1,000 men found that guys don't really want us to go completely bare down there.

The survey, sponsored by Australian gel-waxing brand Nads (really), showed that 43 percent of men preferred a more natural, but "trimmed and tidy," look.

"Pubic hair styles are fast becoming just as important as the hair on your head," Nads CEO Sue Ismiel told the Daily Mail. "But make sure you know what you’re doing as once styling begins there is no turning back."

Nearly half the men surveyed said that they preferred it when their significant other sported a "Bermuda Triangle" -- that is, trimmed hair and waxed edges with nothing showing over the edge of a bikini bottom. Seventeen percent said that they liked seeing a little landing strip, while 15 percent would opt for a heart-shaped design. About 12 percent wanted their girlfriends or wives to look like the women they've seen in those

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There are more than 200 Barbies in Mattel's Dolls of the World collection, all dressed in costumes that pay homage to different countries. The collection debuted in 1980 with Parisian, British, and Italian dolls, but the more-modern versions are causing controversy now: The 2013 Mexico Barbie, in particular, has been called out by critics for being offensive rather than educational. "Our goal with the Dolls of the World Mexico Barbie, as well as the entire Dolls of the World Collection, is to celebrate cultural differences and tradition, introducing girls to the world through play," a Mattel spokesperson told Yahoo! Shine. Take a look at some of their newest offerings and decide for yourself: Are these ethnic Barbie dolls stunning, or simply stereotypical? -- By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine.

Read More »from Barbies of the World: Realistic or Racist?

Last week, Target came under fire for describing the color of one maxi dress as "dark heather gray" while calling the plus-size version "manatee gray." This week, they're caught with another product-naming problem: Their Mossimo brand "Orina" sandals.

Also on Shine: Critics Outraged After Amazon Sells T-Shirt Promoting Abuse

While the store initially believed the word "Orina" to mean "peace" or "peaceful" in Russian, about a week ago they found out that it actually means "urine" in Spanish. The company is now in the process of relabeling all of the $19-$22.99 shoes that are still on their shelves. (The sandals had been available at Target stores and at Target.com since February, though they're no longer online. Perhaps they should consider themselves lucky that the name refers to the style and not the color!)

Also on Shine: Gap Pulls "Manifest Destiny" T-Shirt

While the name isn't that offensive in and of itself, it does point to a certain amount of cultural ignorance on the

Read More »from Target Sandals Mistakenly Named After Urine

Did that gorgeous dress in your favorite movie or TV show seem awfully familiar? You're not imagining things: costume designers recycle outfits all the time. "About a third of the costumes are made from scratch," Susannah ­Buxton, who dresses the cast of "Downton Abbey," said in 2011. "We couldn't have done all of them -- it would have cost a fortune, way over our budget -- and some of the fabrics just don't exist any more." Who wore it best? Take a look at some costume comparisons, shake off the deja vu, and decide for yourself. -- By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

Read More »from Who Wore it Best: Recycled Costume Edition

The mail order bride business is back -- and its booming. Why? (Photo: Getty Images)It wasn't so long ago that the term "mail order bride" made people cringe. The women, everyone assumed, had to be horribly desperate to sell themselves to the highest bidder. The men, people thought, must be unappealing but rich, possibly searching for someone who was willing to have sex and do housework timid enough not to question their husbands. The industry faded as its respectability floundered but now, re-branded as "premium international dating," the mail-order bride industry is back -- and it's booming.

Also on Shine: Another Radio Station Hosts a Mail Order Bride Contest

A decade ago, it seemed like a seedy way to find a mate. "The night I met my husband, in the port city of Odessa, Ukraine, in late 2000, I stood against the wall in a restaurant at the Black Sea Hotel along with 200 other young women," wrote one mail-order bride about her own experience. "The two dozen men seated before us -- all from America, mostly in their 50s or 60s -- had come to find wives."

Also on

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