“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” goes the United States Postal Service motto. And why? Well, because mail carriers are badasses, that’s why—and people have noticed. Mail carriers of all shapes, species, and skill levels litter the halls of pop culture. Today, we celebrate eight famous fictional postal workers, regardless of if you trust they would correctly deliver your mail or not.
For most women, having a tried and true girl squad is pretty much a way of survival in this sometimes (lots of times) terrifying world. You need a group of ladies who care about, support, and love you. You need ladies who will have your back no matter what. Girl squads have been around since well, women have been around, and thanks to this rich, storied history the Girl Squad Phenomenon has, there are so many lessons we can learn from those who’ve squad-ed before us—lessons to help our girl squads be the best girl squad it can be. Here are five of our favorites.
Lest you begin to think Taylor Swift invented the notion of girl squads, you should know that girl squads have been around since the beginning of time. I’m no paleontologist, but I bet even girl dinosaurs would band together with other girl dinosaurs because even they knew the importance of female friendship. Groups of girlfriends taking on the world is nothing new, but it does feel like they had a big resurgence in pop culture during the 1980s and 1990s. Here are a few of our favorites from that time. By the time you get through this list, you’ll be calling your best girls up for an impromptu hang. Girl Power, always and forever. But especially in the '80s and '90s.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia recently premiered its 13th season (yes, 13!), and we may be a little biased, but it’s one of our long time favorites. Sure, we love how despicable and hilarious Charlie, Dennis, Dee, Mac, and Frank are (and bless them for the gift that is Kitten Mittens), but we’re also fans because of the love it bestows on our oft forgotten city of Philadelphia (and, let’s be honest, Chase Utley). Many television shows are set in the same cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago—so it’s nice when the love is spread around to some other fine cities in this country. In honor of that, we wanted to celebrate some television shows that have taken it upon themselves to tell stories in the underrepresented cities of the television landscape. Let’s take a look!
What do you do when you’ve got a book crush? When you read a book and find a character in it so extremely swoony that you can’t stop thinking about him or her? When that character takes up all the room in your head? When you’re supposed to be writing a very important email to your boss but instead find yourself wondering out loud if maybe one day Mr. Darcy will march across a field for you? Book crushes are real, people and they should not be taken lightly.
[source: Sony Pictures Television]
Like the very best comfort food, a good love triangle can make you forget all your troubles; they just make you feel good! Okay, they actually make you feel angst-ridden, angry, swoony, like you’re on the wings of love, and both satisfied and unsatisfied—sometimes all at once. Love triangles can be terrible! But isn’t this push-and-pull what makes a good love triangle so fun? And as much as literature and pop culture is riddled with these complicated relationships, not all of them are created equal. To make a love triangle truly great, both suitors need to be viable options. A reader needs to understand why a character might choose either person—and the best love triangles of all inspire vehement disagreement amongst fans (but, like, in a nice, fun way, okay?). To celebrate true love and the uncertainty and angst that goes with it, let’s take a closer look at six powerful love triangles found in literature both classic and contemporary.
