The times they are a-changing in Canada, and there's hope in the air that our country might finally start to resemble the one we know and love.
For the first time we have a gender-equal Cabinet because as our shiny new Prime Minister put it, "it's 2015." And for the first time we have a PM with "really good hair."
At least that's all Justin Trudeau is known for outside of the country he is now charged with running.
In media outlets (many of them credible) all over the world, Trudeau got plenty of attention throughout the federal election. Not for being sensitive to aboriginal issues, not for being a feminist, not even for being the most likely candidate to legalize pot. No, he snagged headlines - even as he was sworn into office this week - for being "foxy, in a wholesome, Canadian way."
And New York Magazine just published a Justin Trudeau Paper Doll graphic that ridicules and patronizes not just Trudeau himself, but Canadians. Of course laughing at Canadians has been an American pastime for as long as I have lived on this planet. Thanks South Park.
Still, can you imagine The Globe or The Star doing this to Obama for kicks? Can you imagine anyone doing this to a female head of state anywhere in the world and thinking that's cool or remotely funny?
Trudeau is attractive, and that fact will dog him and undermine the work he does as long as he remains in Parliament.
But let's be clear, he's not a lesser-known Kardashian sibling.
Trudeau has an important job to do. The likes of The Cut need to grow up and quit objectifying him.
Even the likes of Mulroney and Chretien took some abuse for their appearance for the opposite reason, but at the end of the day at least people took them seriously.
So please put your tongues back in your mouths, and let's show some respect, people.
Image Source: Twitter
Imagine, you plod along with your life and then you're 18 and applying to college when you find out you're not who you thought you were. Neither is your father.
Wait, what? This colossal mindf*ckery is exactly what happened to a Cleveland teen who discovered his social security number wasn't legit when filling out school forms. One thing led to another, and a search on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database turned up the truth.
Julian Hernandez had been missing, kidnapped by his father 13 years ago and had been living under a pseudonym ever since in another state.
The FBI confirmed the teen's real identity. His dad was arrested and charged for providing fake records, and held on a $250,000 bond. He will be extradited to Alabama, where he'll face child abduction charges.
Just imagine, the boy had been separated from his mom since he was five. His dad didn't have custody.
No one around had a clue about the secret father Bobby Hernandez had been keeping for more than a decade.
It's impossible to get your head around this story. As a parent. As a teen.
Adolescence is a hard enough passage to navigate. You are so busy trying to figure out who you are and aren't, without this raging spanner thrown in. I can imagine this kid will be wrestling with a mess of emotions for the rest of his life. What was true? What was a lie? If his entire childhood was a deception, what's left? Is there anything worth holding on to?
His father probably loved him and did his best. There was no indication of harm (other than the repercussions of the crime, obviously) done to the boy.
But man, oh man, the mom. Losing a child, missing out on all those years. Like losing the blood from your veins... And now, I imagine her seeing him again. Her boy now almost a man. It's mind boggling.
It's hard to believe someone could pull off an identity change like this, let alone for so many years. I think I'll stick to reading fiction. It's easier to believe sometimes.
Image Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
In case you hadn't noticed, the internet is freaking out. And it has nothing to do with Trudeau.
Reps have officially confirmed the rumours: co-hosts of The Voice Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are officially an item.
Yes, two musicians are dating. Yet because they are so diametrically opposed in terms of style and sound, the internet just can't seem to wrap its head around the concept.
Or maybe it's the fact that until not long ago, both Shelton and Stefani were married - to other people. Stefani is mom to three kids aged nine and under. Her youngest is a only year old.
Shelton had been married for four years, while Stefani had been married for 13 - which is closer to 113 in Hollywood years. Her split from Gavin Rossdale came as a shock, even a blow to those who held the celeb couple up as a bastion of romantic hope.
Every time a strong (by outside appearances anyway) celebrity couple falls, it's a chink off the very institution of marriage. We want it to work out and when it doesn't, we take it badly. Just imagine if Angelina and Brad were to split, the devastation...
Though The Voice hosts have been friends for a while, that friendship took a flirty turn a couple months ago, Stefani and Shelton were spotted cozying up at various Halloween bashes last week.
For some reason the match is jarring. Stefani with her quirky alternative origins and Shelton the country star. Both were picture-perfect with their previous partners, except how quickly we forget, that's not how love works.
These are two performers who at face value look disparate when in fact they actually have a lot in common - which they no doubt (sorry) discovered having spent so much time in green rooms together over recent months.
Far be it for us to judge where Cupid flings his wayward arrow. Though Shelton and Stefani may not be an obvious couple, sometimes those turn out the best partnerships.
And if nothing else, at least it makes for more interesting TV.
Image Source: NBCTV
Printer-friendly version
RELATED: What To Do When Your Child Lies