Life & Love

Courtesy of anna marie Tendler This story contains discussions of suicide and self-harm. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, reach out to the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. First, they take my suitcase away from me. This is so they can search my clothes for drugs and

Use Arrow Keys to Navigate View Gallery 50 Slides Advertisement – Continue Reading Below 1 1942: Marilyn’s First Marriage AP Marilyn Monroe wed her high school sweetheart, James Dougherty, in 1942. Monroe, then known as Norma Jean Baker, met Dougherty while living with a family friend in Los Angeles, California. The couple married just after

Connected Goods Rudy Pom Pom Belly Basket Credit: Courtesy One ELLE editor uses a belly basket adorned with knit pom poms, similar to this, to deposit items that end up scattered in her living room. She admits: “The other day I threw his blue light glasses in there loose, with no case, and thought, ‘Maybe

In the 19th century, the concept of marriage for economic purposes slowly fell out of favor with marriage and courtship for romance. (Or if you’ve binge-watched season 3 of Bridgerton, the rise in popularity of a “love match”). Young singles began to have more choices when selecting romantic prospects rather than familial arrangements. It even

Four-time World Cup champion skier Lindsey Vonn is no stranger to navigating bumpy terrain: She has battled depression, overcome debilitating insomnia, and bounced back from a slew of knee injuries. But nothing could have prepared Vonn for her hardest hurdle yet. In August 2021, her mother, Linda Krohn Lund, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Laura Modi couldn’t believe how unprepared she was for baby formula. When she gave birth to her first daughter in 2016, Modi was dealing with mastitis, a fever, and milk production issues. Formula would help alleviate these issues. But going that route—one that the majority of American families take—felt like she was failing her daughter.

For It Takes a Village, ELLE’s latest package exploring the intersection of parenthood and community, poet and author Cleo Wade penned an original poem about the “group work” necessary to create “big love” in the world. Wade, whose new children’s book, May You Love and Be Loved, is out now, also spoke to ELLE.com about

My son was struggling with AP History in the kitchen while my new-ish relationship—a boyfriend of six months who I am really enjoying seven years after my divorce—was waiting on the couch in the living room. With the TV remote in his hand, ready to play a chilling documentary—our favorite form of relaxation—I knew I

I found her in my mid-30s. I had just run for Congress in New York City, and lost spectacularly. Utterly humiliated, I spent most of my time alone, glued to my couch. My now-husband, Nihal, knew just how to cheer me up: we piled into a rental car, and drove to a farm in Pennsylvania.

My mom, eternally optimistic about my love life, despite ever-increasing evidence to the contrary, would routinely check in after a first date. “Nothing to write home about!” I’d usually say, on the defense, already scrubbing whatever-his-name from memory. She’d sigh lovingly, wondering why her catch of a daughter wasn’t having more luck finding the kind

I’m headed out for drinks with friends when my seven-year-old alerts me that my dress is see-through. I wave her off with my mascara wand, but she stands adamant, marker-stained knuckles pressed against her hip. “No, Mama. I can see your bra.” Her voice is steeped in concern, like she’s caught me breaking the rules,

Getty Images She’s a slut. A homewrecker. She’s basic. She’s a guy’s girl, damaged goods. Oh, she’s asking for it dressed like that. She’s crazy; a lonely spinster; a drama queen. An angry Black woman, a nasty woman. A stupid bitch. The list of casual everyday insults hurled at and between women and girls is

In ELLE.com’s monthly series Office Hours, we ask people in powerful positions to take us through their first jobs, worst jobs, and everything in between. This month, we spoke with Seema Bansal Chadha, co-founder of Venus et Fleur—the innovative floral company behind the Kardashian-approved Eternity Roses. Below, Chadha shares how her brand first stemmed from

JIAYI LI At 7:48 P.M., I texted a friend who asked me how my first day of work went: No time to even pee. I thought it was the best job in the world. I was the sole assistant to the billionaire founder of the hottest hedge fund on Wall Street. My boss, let’s call

I’ve witnessed plenty of weddings this past year. I’ve seen vows exchanged beneath sprawling live oaks and bridesmaids gliding down flower-strewn aisles under the twinkle of outdoor lights. I’ve witnessed one bride wearing Margiela, a soon-to-be husband in happy tears. I’ve even heard the chatter of reconnected families echo through grand corridors, laughter flowing just

When I was about seven months pregnant with my second daughter, I had an odd craving: I really, really wanted to do a burpee. This was a deeply confusing sensation because, like most people, I hate burpees. But for three years, I’d been cautious about how I moved my body: I’d navigated a miscarriage, fertility

A past-lives reader once told me that I hadn’t had a good relationship since ancient Greece. I remember thinking, “I knew I was in a slump, but wow.” This reading was somewhere between Marriage Number One (in which, two years in, my husband realized he was gay) and Marriage Number Two (in which, 14 years

Tessa Dóniga Johnson We met just before lockdown, sharing a croissant and a walk along the L.A. River. I reveled in how kind and quiet he was, how different from the toxic men I’d chosen in the past. He is the first good man I fell in love with. I fell with my whole heart.

Mari (left) and Laura (right).ANGELLA CHOE Growing up in the 1990s in the Jura region of eastern France, Laura Herbst knew by elementary school that she loved fashion, but she didn’t know where her passion came from. There was almost no social media back then, and she had no knowledge of clothing trends in the

Artwork by Asami Watanabe By the time the medium kicked off the online séance in late 2021, more than 120 people had signed on in hopes of making contact with the dead. One assumes that each had lost someone close to them—a parent, sibling, child—and there was a shared sense of pain, grief, and confusion.

Leah Romero “Who let those dykes in here?” a sorority sister asked, pointing at me and Alissa from across the dining room. Earlier that day, we had become the unwitting targets of a “dyke” rumor that spread like wildfire to the entire sorority. As we shoveled baked spaghetti onto our plates in shame, another sister

One year after the two officially became husband and wife, Jennifer Lopez is commemorating her secret Las Vegas wedding with Ben Affleck with a song. In her fan newsletter, On the JLo, the multi-hyphenate shared lyrics for a song titled “Midnight Trip to Vegas.” The song detailed the stress that comes with planning a big

There’s a special shade of green—somewhere in between a yellowy chartreuse and a loud neon—that hits the trees in Philadelphia each spring and summer. I had never noticed it before, this green that enthusiastically and bossily announces that it is green, but then again, I had never noticed a lot of things before this year,

When I was a kid, I would read Anne of Green Gables voraciously. I was genuinely obsessed with the ideas imparted within the pages of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s book about dreamy friendships, wherein two people were absolutely soulmates. They never had glaring differences, communicated wordlessly without having to ask about past traumas or trying nervously