HOT or NOT Thanksgiving Contest
By anna on 26 Nov 2009 | No Comments
Hey HOT or NOTers,
We hope you’re enjoy turkey day, and we’d like you to share that delicious turkey (or tofurkey, as the case may be) with us! Enter our photo contest for a chance to win a 3 Star membership to make your hottie-hunting that much easier.
Skirts and Harem Pants: the latest in men’s fashion?
By vanessa on 26 Nov 2009 | No Comments
Wacky runway looks infrequently make their way into the wardrobe of the average person. For example, Alexander McQueen’s McQueenadillos- although they are beautiful works of art however, we’re pretty certain your mother or sister wouldn’t sport them to school/work. Perhaps that’s why we questioned H&M’s Spring collection which includes the skirt and harem pant…for men. So ladies and gents take a look here at the artistry yourself and let us know what you think. Men, would you wear ‘em? Ladies, if he wore them would you date him? We want your feedback!
[images via Hypebeast]
Dating Advice: I don’t wanna be in his sister’s wedding!
By Sexy Susie on 25 Nov 2009 | 4 Comments
Dear Susie,
My boyfriend’s sister is getting married next summer and she asked me to be in her wedding party. I have no idea why, though, because we’re 
not even friends. She is cold and stand-offish towards me at family gatherings and I’m always amazed that she and my awesome boyfriend come from the same gene pool. Do I tell my boyfriend that I don’t want to be in his sister’s wedding? Is there any way at all that I could get out of this dreadful obligation?
Save me from this bridesmaid Hell!
Monica, New York, NY
Here’s the short answer, Monica: If you want to keep dating your boyfriend, the only way you can shirk this gig is if you’re giving birth, undergoing emergency surgery, or dead on the day of his sister’s wedding. Depending on how serious you and your honey are, you might be part of this family one day, so you don’t want to go around hurting people’s feelings and stirring up drama.
You’re right that in this situation, it feels more like a duty than an honor to be part of someone’s special day. But there are times in life when we suck it up and do things not for ourselves, but for the people whom we love and care about. You can tell your boyfriend that you were surprised that his sister chose you as a bridesmaid, since you don’t feel very close with her, but it might upset him or cause some awkwardness if you just blurt out that you don’t like her and would rather drag razorblades across your eyeballs than be in her wedding party.
I tend to concentrate on the positive in these situations. There will likely be showers, a Stag and Doe, a bachelorette bash, and maybe even a lingerie party between now and the dreaded wedding. These gatherings will give you ample opportunity to spend more time with the bride-to-be and hopefully you’ll get to know each other better. Put the focus on her and ask wedding-related questions to break the ice and spark conversation: “Have you picked out flowers yet?” or “I heard you bought your dress?” or “Can you believe the wedding is only a month away?”
If you make small efforts like this and you feel that she is still aloof and not interested in getting to know you better, then at least you’ll know that you tried and that she’s the one with issues. Once the wedding formalities are over, you have the freedom to avoid hanging out with her. Hopefully, though, her picking you as a bridesmaid is a sign that she does want to get to know you better and become closer.
Do you agree with Susie’s advice? Would you stand-up in someone’s wedding, even if you didn’t like the bride?
Good Girl vs. Bad Girl: Our Generation’s Ultimate Battle
By jackie on 25 Nov 2009 | 4 Comments
In the never-ending quest for ultimate supremacy, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston are polluting the covers of nearly every tabloid magazine lately and it has me wondering, when is enough enough?
Didn’t two-time People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Brad Pitt, leave good girl Jennifer Aniston for bad ass Angelina Jolie over four years ago? Surely that’s enough time for us all to forgive and forget?
For the past couple of weeks, Star, Life and Style, National Enquirer, OK, and Us Weekly have all boasted stories of Jolie’s life unraveling because of Aniston, who is apparently trying to steal Brad back. As a result, Jolie is allegedly trying to destroy everyone’s favorite “friendly” girl next door. Hasn’t Jolie done enough? Doesn’t she have 40 children in some mansion somewhere that need to be taken care of?
While Jolie’s life seems to have flourished since Pitt ditched his ex-wife, Aniston has been stuck in what seems to be a perpetual cycle of loser boyfriends and short-term relationships that have thrust her into the media spotlight as a sad and pathetic spinster who just can’t win.
It’s all very dramatic and quickly becoming our generation’s ultimate battle of good girl vs. bad girl. The media is obsessed with pitting these two women against each other in a blood-thirsty war for the love of one man, who let’s be honest ladies, is the kind of guy you would gladly cut your arm off to beat another woman with just to get even the slightest glance from.
Is it fair to say that we really haven’t evolved past our cavewoman ways?
So we want to know… what kind of girl are you? Are you the sexy siren who swoops in and steals every husband you find or are you the girl that stays sweet but routinely has your men stolen right from under you?
True Story: First Date Disaster
By Sexy Susie on 24 Nov 2009 | 9 Comments
When I was a student, I worked at a bedding and bath store part-time to help with my expenses. There was a guy who worked in a different department, who was quiet, somewhat shy, and socially awkward. He spoke with a slight lisp and my friends and I referred to him as “the Hobbit” because he was short and round-faced. The Hobbit began striking up small-talk conversations with me whenever our paths crossed, and I didn’t think anything of it until one day he mustered up the courage to ask me out.
Despite feeling no attraction toward him, I said yes. I couldn’t bear to turn him down, and I figured I could survive one date with him. He looked relieved and happy when I consented. We agreed on the upcoming Friday.
Friday rolled around and the Hobbit picked me up at 8 on the dot. He seemed more bumbly and nervous than usual, and it dawned on me that he really had some sort of crush on me, and I thought I was doing the right thing, giving him a pity date. We went to a nice Italian place for dinner – the atmosphere was fairly casual and I felt comfortable just having an easy-going conversation with him. He paid for dinner and suggested catching a movie. I said ok, and here’s where an otherwise normal date turned weird.
When we got to the theater, the movie we decided to see didn’t start for another hour, so we had some time to kill. We sat on a bench in the lobby, and all of a sudden, the Hobbit’s mood changed and he started spewing some very personal information – from how he often feels depressed and lonely, to how his grandfather got sick and died last year – I didn’t know how to react. I tried to be sensitive even though I was actually thinking “this guy is crazy!” I was counting down the minutes until the movie started. Afterward, he drove me home (I couldn’t wait to get there) and before I left the car, he had the nerve to turn and lean in for a kiss. I just let it happen and got out of there as quickly as possible. Needless to say, things were weird between us at work from then on, as I declined his request for a second date.
Dina, 26, Michigan
Here’s the lesson to take away: do NOT unload all of your baggage on someone on a first date! Save that stuff for way, way later, because you’re only going to scare your date off! This story is a prime example. Yikes. Anyone ever have the baggage problem on a first date?
Keep your gut manageable this holiday season
By katie on 24 Nov 2009 | No Comments
Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means you’ve got about 72 hours left to enjoy your slender physique before the onslaught of festive feasting hits and you get fat.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, if you’re up for a challenge. It’s tough to keep your abs taut and your butt eye-poppingly firm when you’re surrounded by turkey smothered in its own gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, carb-lovers stuffing, sugary sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream, and caramel apple crisp topped with a soft, fluffy scoop of French vanilla ice cream. Just thinking about these foods can make you feel 10 lbs heavier – and that’s just one meal! Here are a few tips that will keep you from looking like a bowlful of jelly come January 1st.
Eat low-fat meals before your Turkey Dinner: From today until Thursday morning, eat low-cal meals in small portions. For breakfast, stick to whole-wheat English muffins with natural peanut butter, or stone-cut oatmeal topped with raisins and skim milk. Salads with lots of veggies and an oil-and-vinegar dressing should do for lunch. Add some grilled chicken if you’re not an herbivore and can’t subsist on greens and more greens. Almonds, low-fat yogurt with granola, and green apples are excellent snack choices if your stomach grumbles between meals. For dinner, stick with grilled fish or chicken, with quinoa or brown rice, and steamed veggies on the side.
Work it, baby!: Working out on the days leading up to your family dinner will give you even more opportunity to pig out on Thursday. Ride your bike for an hour, or do a 40-minute jog, or squeeze in an extra weight-training session at the gym. You’ll increase your cardiovascular endurance and you’ll bank some calories that you can “spend” on that second piece of pie on Thursday.
Portion control: Remember how your grandmother used to say that “your eyes were bigger than your stomach” when you overzealously loaded up your plate with some yummy home cookin’ then left half of it untouched as you doubled-over in pain due to your aching belly? You might want to keep Granny’s mantra in mind when you’re making your plate on Thanksgiving Day. Take small portions of everything – yes, you can taste it all! When you’re done the first serving, pause for a few minutes to let yourself digest and if you’re still hungry afterward and you’re just dying to have a second helping of candied yam soufflé, go for it – this is what all of your pre-Thanksgiving Dinner workouts and low-cal intake allowed you to do, after all. But remember, there’s still dessert!
With all of the emphasis on food and shopping surrounding this holiday, we sometimes forget that it’s about giving thanks and not just about consumption. Be thankful for the body you’ve got by feeding it the proper foods and giving it lots and lots of exercise. These tips will help you do that, while also allowing you to indulge in the tasty foods, for which you are also presumably thankful.
What are your plans for staying healthy and keeping fit this holiday season?
HOT or NOT Thanksgiving Contest
By anna on 23 Nov 2009 | 2 Comments
In honor of Turkey Day, we’re going to hook you HOTorNOTers up with a sweet contest. We want you to submit a photo of you and your turkey (or your family’s turkey). Nothing dirty please, but we’d love to see some creativity. Here’s something to get those creative juices flowing:
Yummmm turkey. Submit your photo, name, age, location and HOT or NOT username to blog@hotornot.com by Friday, November 27. And let us know in your email what you’re most thankful for this year! Winner gets a free 3 Star Membership at HOT or NOT!
New Release: Rihanna R Rated
By anna on 23 Nov 2009 | No Comments
Today welcomes popstar Rihanna’s highly-anticipated first release since her incredibly successful 2007 album, Good Girl Gone Bad (featuring the smash hit “Umbrella” which probably still gets stuck in your head on a regular basis). The new album, R Rated, is her fourth full-length, and if the title is an indicator of anything, that good girl has gotten even naughtier. On R Rated, Rihanna collaborates with Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Stargate, and more.
Click here to check out the video for the first single, “Russian Roulette.” Smokin HOT! What do you think?
*PS. That’s Rihanna looking sexy as ever last night at the American Music Awards!
Friday Night Date: Rescue the romance
By anna on 20 Nov 2009 | 6 Comments
The beginning of a
relationship keeps both people on their toes. You’re constantly learning new things about each other, and every evening spent together is a big deal that often requires prior planning (and definitely some anticipation). But once that stage has passed and you’ve fallen into a comfortable routine, what do you to keep things fresh and interesting? We’re going to give you some suggestions on spicing things up with someone you’ve been dating for a long time.
1. Have a designated weekly date night. This works for some couples can who commit to putting aside an evening for quality time together and make an effort to incorporate new activities and outings into this time.
2. Spontaneous dates. Commit to planning a surprise date for your significant other, say, once a month. Switch off by months. Think of a fun, out of the ordinary activity for the evening and don’t drop any hints. When the day of the date rolls around, tell your guy or girl how to dress for the evening (for instance, recommend old clothes if the plan is to go paintballing, or a dressy ensemble for a gallery opening). The element of surprise is the most essential thing when it comes to keeping things interesting.
3. Break routine as much as possible. Keep the romance alive. It falls by the wayside in relationships all too often, and couples lose the spark that brought them together. Hide a gift somewhere unexpected in the house. Put on some slinky lingerie. Experiment with whipped cream next time you’re getting it on! Whatever it takes, do your best not to let things get stale!
What are your tips for keeping things exciting between you and your significant other?
