Swimsuit season may not be our favorite season, but that doesn’t mean we’re forced to wear bikinis or one-pieces that don’t flatter our beautiful bodies.

If you’ve got a small bust, you know the struggle it is to find cute swimsuits that make you look just even half a cup bigger. The key to flattering a smaller bust? Ruffles, bold prints and intricate details to create dimension around your chest area.

If you’re looking to create the illusion of curves, see below for 22 flattering swimsuits for small busts:

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

Florence and Paris are beautiful and all, but it’s not like we’re the only ones who think so. If you’re dreaming about a romantic European getaway that doesn’t involve a gazillion tourists, then consider these beautiful isles. (Just don’t tell us anyone else, OK?)

PONZA, ITALY

Vacation like the Romans do and check out this beautiful, volcanic isle in the Tyrrhenian Sea (accessible by a one-hour hydrofoil journey from the mainland). Don’t let the mega yachts gliding into the harbor fool you — the vibe here is relaxed and unpretentious. But the turquoise waters, hidden grottos, and fabulous local seafood and wine will definitely make you feel like a million bucks.

BELLE-ÎLE-EN-MER, FRANCE

The island’s name (“Beautiful Island in the Sea”) definitely doesn’t disappoint. Located just off the coast of Brittany in northwest France, this destination is known for its unspoilt beaches, pastel-painted houses and mouthwatering seafood. And while there’s plenty to do (surfing, sailing and sightseeing, to name a few), give yourself time to just relax and soak up the picturesque views — so beautiful that they inspired many of Monet’s greatest works.

GRINDA, SWEDEN

No trip to the Scandinavian capital is complete without a boat trip around Stockholm’s archipelago. And while there are thousands of islands to see, peaceful Grinda is one of the easiest to reach (it’s about an hour and a half from the city) and offers a variety of accommodation options (hotels, cabins, a hostel and a campground). There are no cars allowed on the island, but plenty of sandy beaches, walking paths and rustic charm.

HYDRA, GREECE

Cars and scooters are banned on this laid-back island that’s located about two hours from Athens, which means that you’ll have to rely on donkeys to carry your luggage up to your hotel. Poet-musician Leonard Cohen fell in love with the pebble beaches, winding cobblestone streets, whitewashed houses and quaint cafés and bars, which might explain how this relaxed isle got its boho reputation.

TEXEL, NETHERLANDS

Pronounced “Tesse,” this northern island boasts multiple cycle routes that will take you by quaint villages, colorful tulip fields, a national park and an iconic lighthouse. Get your culture fix at one of the many museums (there’s a strong nautical history here) and then reward yourself after with a tour around Texel’s only craft brewery.

STROMBOLI, ITALY

Just north of Sicily lies this fiery spot — best for intrepid travelers only (the sputtering volcano that towers above the island is still active). Spend the day relaxing on black sand beaches and swimming in shimmering waters, then enjoy nature’s fireworks show in the evenings (from a safe distance, of course).

COLONSAY, SCOTLAND

If peace and quiet is what you’re after (with a side of adventure) then this remote northern isle is just the ticket. Small enough to be completely accessible by foot or bicycle, get back in tune with nature by exploring the rolling hills, grazing goats, basking seals and beautiful flora. Ah, so relaxing.

THE AZORES, PORTUGAL

It’s hard to pick a favorite out of this string of volcanic islands in the Atlantic, but we’re partial to São Miguel. Its remote location means that you’ll see relatively few tourists here and have all the geothermal pools, stargazing and rugged inlets largely to yourself. Don’t miss whale watching and dolphin watching, too.

Related:

• The 6 Best European Road Trips to Add to Your Bucket List
• Want to Travel the World Like a Blogger? *This* Company Is Making Your Dreams Come True
• The 17 Most Drop-Dead Gorgeous Places in Europe
• 5 Amazing Summer Vacations You Haven’t Thought Of
• The 5 Most Kid-Friendly Cities in Europe

What do we know about Noura Hussein?

The 19-year-old Sudanese woman is currently on death row in Omdurman, Sudan, for killing a man in self-defense. She was convicted of murdering her husband, who raped her on their “honeymoon.”

When she was 16, Noura’s family attempted to force her to marry a man, despite the fact that Islam prohibits marriage without consent. Refusing the marriage, she ran 155 miles away from her family home to a town called Sennar. She lived with her aunt for three years, determined to complete her high school education and with her eyes on further studies. In 2017, she received word that the wedding plans had been cancelled and that she was safe to return home.

It was a cruel trick. On her return, Noura found the wedding ceremony underway and was given away to the same groom she had rejected three years earlier.

Defiant, Noura refused to consummate the wedding for a number of days. Her husband became increasingly aggressive, and before the week was over, forced himself onto his teenage wife. With the help of his two brothers and a cousin who held her down, her husband raped her.

When he returned the next day to attempt to rape her again, Noura escaped to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. In the altercation that followed, the man sustained fatal knife wounds. Noura went to her family; they disowned her and turned her over to the police. She was held in Omdurman jail until April 29, 2018, when she was found guilty of premeditated murder. On May 10, the man’s family was offered a choice: either accept monetary compensation for the injury caused, or the death penalty. The family chose to sentence Noura to death. Noura’s legal team has until May 25 to submit an appeal.

After the verdict was announced, members of the Sudanese community, at home and abroad, called for mercy. Grassroots activists have been collecting signatures on a petition in an effort to pressure the Sudanese government to intervene. The #JusticeForNoura campaign has collected almost 800,000 signatures and support from the likes of supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Since Noura’s sentence was handed down on May 10, broader international pressure has also mounted. Several U.N. groups, including U.N. Women, UNFPA and the U.N. Office of the Special Adviser on Africa appealed for clemency in the case. The U.N. human rights office said that it has become ‘increasingly concerned for the teen’s safety, that of her lawyer and other supporters’ and argued that imposing the death penalty in Noura’s case despite clear evidence of self-defense would constitute an arbitrary killing. Amnesty International has also gotten involved, collecting letters from people around the world asking for Noura’s release. Over 150,000 letters have reportedly been sent to Sudan’s Ministry of Justice.

Many have asked if the petitions and noise will make any difference. There is precedence that the international pressure will help: In 2014, a Christian Sudanese woman, Meriam Ibrahim, was spared execution after international outrage at the sentence. Stories like this are what keep campaigners going. With intimidation and societal pushback from the Sudanese National Intelligence Security Services (NISS), which banned the lead attorney, Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, from appearing in a press conference, it is incumbent on the global community to highlight these cases and amplify the voices of those calling for justice.

Noura’s story is heartbreaking, but sadly it is not wholly uncommon. What is unusual about her story, as other activists have pointed out, is that Noura fought back. In Sudan, almost one in three women are married before they turn 18, and marital rape is not yet illegal. Noura’s story is one of personal courage and conviction, and an opportunity to shine a spotlight once more on the fight to eradicate child marriage, forced marriage and marital rape.

Among the activists and campaigners working on the #JusticeForNoura campaign, there is hope that the case will change things beyond Noura’s individual situation. The window for those changes can rapidly evaporate, however, if the international spotlight moves on before Noura’s death penalty sentence is lifted.

Noura’s case speaks to the strict gender roles and expectations placed on Sudanese women and reflects the tension between individual courageous acts and a system that is not set up for substantive equality. Despite relatively high levels of representation in parliament, Sudan is one of a handful of countries still not party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The deeply patriarchal society is also governed by a pluralistic legal system, which uses a protectionist approach toward women in society, rather than the transformative approach advocated by Muslim women’s rights groups like Musawah.

A simplistic reading of the situation might reflect on the horrific nature of Noura’s case and assign blame to Sudanese society, the nation’s socioeconomics or perhaps even Islam. However, the societal conditions and norms that have allowed this sequence of events to occur are not unique, and in fact, even developed nations are not all signatories to CEDAW. Violence against women can be traced to a root cause: gender inequality. Where women are not politically, culturally and economically equal to men, they will be subject to gendered violence, regardless of their faith, race or nationality. Fighting for Noura means fighting for a global society where women and children live free from all forms of violence and have meaningful decision-making power; where they are full participants in society, family and state.  

This is not a case of Noura, or women like her, needing to be ”saved” from Islam. This is about supporting the women who are fighting back, using whatever tools they have at their disposal. In the West, discussions about the religion in Muslim-majority countries are wont to decry Islam itself, but that has not been Noura’s wish, nor the wish of any of the activists on the campaign. In fact, Sudanese women ― domestically and in the diaspora ― have taken pains to articulate that forced marriage and sexual assault are prevalent in Sudanese society, but that culturally and based on Islam, these norms need to be shifted.

Noura’s campaign succeeded in raising awareness in part because it has been driven by Sudanesewomen who understand Sudanese culture. Recognizing that our challenges stem from the same original oppression ― gender inequality ― means that we must not speak on behalf of other women, but amplify and stand in solidarity with those who are already speaking.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a mechanical engineer, social advocate, author and broadcaster and the founder of the non-profit organization Youth Without Borders.

You deserve a badge of honor for dating in 2018. From dick pics to creepy dates who won’t stop messaging you (we see you, woman who sent 65,000 texts after a first date), it’s truly a jungle out there. 

Mark Zuckerberg addressed members of the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, continuing an apology-and-explanation tour the Facebook CEO kicked off last month when he testified before the U.S. Congress.

The European and U.S. inquiries concern the same fundamental questions about the social media giant, triggered by the news that Facebook permitted Cambridge Analytica to harvest the private data of 87 million users and that Facebook failed to take action when it became clear in 2016 that foreign actors were using its platform to spread disinformation and undermine democratic processes.

Here’s Zuckerberg’s defense, in short: “Oeps! Het spijt me!” That’s Flemish for “Whoops! I am very sorry!”

In his opening statement Tuesday, Zuckerberg reiterated what’s become a common refrain, acknowledging both that his company failed to properly safeguard its users’ data and that it was caught unprepared to counteract political meddling during past elections. As he’s done before, he assured the European politicians that Facebook now takes both issues seriously, but he stopped short of promising they won’t arise again.

Zuckerberg was originally scheduled to speak privately, but agreed to have the questioning streamed online under pressure from European Parliament President Antonio Tajani.

Some of the sharpest queries came from Belgian member Guy Verhofstadt, who called out Zuckerberg for Facebook’s long history of apologizing for its mistakes and then failing to actually correct them. He noted the similarities between Facebook and the global banking system, which assured watchdogs in 2006 that it was doing a great job of self-regulation. A historic global recession soon followed, set off by banking malfeasance.

“I really think we have a big problem here and it’s not solved by saying, ‘We’re going to fix it ourselves,’” Verhofstadt said.

Then he asked Zuckerberg directly if he wants to be remembered, together with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, as having “enriched our world and societies” or if he wants to simply be “the genius that created a digital monster that is destroying our democracies and our societies.”

The meeting constituted Zuckerberg’s sole address to European politicians ahead of the May 25 implementation date for strict new data privacy rules under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Zuckerberg declined an invitation to separately address lawmakers in the U.K., where Facebook is under fire for its role in the country’s 2016 vote to leave the EU.

Unlike his testimony in the U.S., where members of Congress took turns questioning Zuckerberg and hearing his answers, the European politicians all spoke first and then Zuckerberg addressed their questions in one long statement at the end. That format proved problematic, as several members objected when he ignored the specifics and stuck to discussing their “high level” concerns.

Pressed for greater detail toward the end, including on the company’s practice of tracking people who don’t even have Facebook profiles, Zuckerberg promised to “follow up” with the politicians at a later date.

HANOI, Vietnam ― There was a time, a little over two years ago, when Ted Osius could imagine the smog clearing over this sprawling capital city, with its jungle canopy of ancient banyan trees and electrical wires alive with coal-fired power and its throngs of exhaust-coughing motorbikes.

Osius, who abruptly resigned late last year after three years as the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, now warns that the Trump administration’s retreat on climate change is encouraging Vietnam to dig in on coal power. Doing so would undermine years of progress in a country that, with 2,026 miles of coastline on its mainland alone, risks becoming a poster child for the effects of rising sea levels.

“The United States used to play a really useful role in influencing the Vietnamese to make good clean-energy decisions,” Osius told HuffPost this month in one of his first interviews since quitting in protest over a new White House policy to deport Vietnamese refugees.

“Apparently the United States government no longer focuses on policy decision-making that’s influenced by sound science,” he added. “That makes it harder to make the case to other countries that they ought to make decisions based on sound science.”

Nearly a year after President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords, Vietnam has effectively become a canary in the coal mine for how closely other nations will stick to the global agreement’s goals as the U.S. abandons them. 

Vietnam is under pressure, attempting to balance rapidly increasing energy demands with growing concerns over climate change ― and it’s finding a generous coal-friendly patron in China.

The Southeast Asian country began rapidly building up its coal-fired power capacity in 2011 as it transformed itself into a manufacturing hub and outgrew its hydropower resources. Back in its first major national plan for energy development, the country had aimed to increase its coal power generation by 75,000 megawatts by 2030.

During the final years of the Obama administration, however, the U.S. urged Vietnam to pursue renewable energy and cleaner-burning natural gas instead. Vietnam enthusiastically signed onto the Paris Agreement in April 2016 and since then has received roughly $40.5 million in aid from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Green Climate Fund.

In response, Vietnam reduced the planned construction of new coal-fired infrastructure by 20,000 megawatts and increased renewable energy projects by 14,000 megawatts. The country already operates more than 20 coal plants with a total capacity of 13,000 megawatts, accounting for one-third of the national power mix, according to a March report from Vietnam Investment Review.

The U.S. wasn’t the only clean-energy influence. The government faced internal pressure to shift away from coal. Last month, Khanh Ngụy Thị, founder of the Vietnamese nonprofit Green Innovation and Development Centre, won the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize, the so-called “green Oscar,” for her work convincing state agencies to increase use of renewable energy.

But even after scaling back its plans, Vietnam was still set to triple the number of coal plants by 2030, increasing capacity to more than 55,000 megawatts. Coal power would comprise 42.6 percent of electrical production.

Now, energy and environment experts worry that the country’s next national power development plan, which is being written this year, could hold to those figures or, worse, embrace a more aggressive coal strategy.

The Trump administration has offered some positive language to those pushing for clean energy. In a joint statement issued with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc last May, the White House “affirmed its assistance to Vietnam in combating climate change via concrete mitigation and adaptation measures.” The administration repeated a similar line in November, after a meeting with Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang. The U.S. Agency for International Development is continuing to fund projects in the Mekong and Red River deltas.

But perhaps more significantly, the White House has proposed slashing the USAID budget by 33 percent.

“Apparently there have been some fluctuations in funding from one year to the next,” a USAID spokesman said in an email, noting that the delta projects have continued so far. He did not respond to questions about the funding for those individual programs, and they were not itemized on the State Department’s budget justification in February.

President Trump has pushed to scale back regulations on coal in the U.S. and made pitching the fuel a top priority at the annual United Nations climate conference. In one of his first moves as president, he pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multi-nation trade deal that, despite drawing criticism from environmental groups, was expected to drive down the costs of renewable energy in developing countries. Last June, he announced plans to withdraw from the Paris accord and curtailed all U.S. payments to the Green Climate Fund. This year, he named a new secretary of state: Mike Pompeo, a vigorous climate change denier who, as a congressman, made repeated attempts to cripple funding for renewable energy projects.

In short, the Trump administration seems unlikely to apply any real pressure on other countries to pursue clean energy or combat climate change.

“When we stopped leading on climate change, that made it a heck of a lot easier for people to proceed with business-as-usual policies,” Osius said.

For Vietnam, that means modeling itself on China, the world’s biggest source of climate-altering pollution. Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party transformed the country into one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies by following in China’s footsteps, becoming a magnet for textile, chemical and electronics manufacturing as its giant neighbor increased wages and environmental regulations.

Mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund were meant to help countries such as Vietnam leapfrog the most pollution-prone stage of economic development by building up wind, solar and energy efficient infrastructure instead of coal-fired power plants ― something China did not do.

“We are supposed to be the big counterweight to China,” said Virginia B. Foote, chief executive of Bay Global Strategies, an energy-focused government relations consultancy based in Hanoi. Now Vietnam is “just going to listen to the big bully to the north, and there’s no counter-bully to listen to at all.”

Vietnam’s energy needs are growing. The country’s industrial south suffers frequent power outages, relying on a grid so fragile that a crane operator’s accident plunged 22 of 63 provinces into darkness for 10 hours in May 2013. Vietnam’s state-owned utility, EVN, began burning more diesel to meet the country’s energy needs last year and said it would likely increase use of the fuel from 2018 to 2019.

Despite this, the Vietnamese enjoy low energy costs, particularly in the north, where most of the country’s coal mining takes place. The average price of electricity comes to about 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour ― far below even that in Louisiana, the cheapest state in the U.S., where residents pay nearly 9 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the latest Energy Information Administration figures.

“Politically, it’s understandable,” Foote said. “Everybody loves having cheap power, though it leads to waste and lack of incorporating clean technology.”

The prices in Vietnam fail to factor in the steep societal costs of increased coal burning. A 2015 Harvard University study found that 4,300 Vietnamese die prematurely each year as a result of coal pollution ― a figure that could increase to as much as 25,000 per year under a more aggressive coal buildup.

The state-owned utility operates as a nationwide monopoly, forcing proposals on electricity development to navigate a labyrinthine bureaucracy. The current low rates make any tweaks to the existing model a difficult sell. The template that EVN released last year for power purchase agreements on renewable energy was panned by investors as “unbankable,” meaning it posed too much risk to private companies.

“[F]ew reputable financiers would be likely to sign up,” Giles Cooper, co-general director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based law office Duane Morris Vietnam, wrote in a blog post in October, concluding that the “final text does little to inspire confidence.”

Officials at the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Vietnam has, however, found a steady stream of suitors to finance its coal infrastructure. As of last December, foreign investors funded new Vietnamese coal projects to the tune of more than $16 billion. Of that, Chinese investments, funneled through that country’s biggest state-owned commercial banks, made up 50 percent, followed by Japan’s 23 percent and South Korea’s 18 percent. Vnesheconombank, a Russian financial entity, is backing the controversial Long Phu 1 power plant under construction in Soc Trang Province.

In February, PetroVietnam, the state-owned Vietnamese company building the Long Phu 1 plant, withdrew its application for U.S. financial support, ending what was widely seen as the first major test of whether the Trump administration would use the Export-Import Bank of the United States to support a project that exacerbated climate change.

Hanoi enjoyed just 38 days of clean air last year as air pollution surged to levels four times higher than those deemed acceptable under World Health Association guidelines, according to a January report from the Green Innovation and Development Centre. That makes Hanoi’s pollution worse than that of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and puts it close to notoriously smog-choked Beijing.

“Now, when it comes to climate, our government’s head is in the sand,” Osius said. “That means countries are going to have to fend for themselves a lot more.”

Sophie Trapani knew something was wrong when she started getting sick before class her freshman year of college.

She’d signed up for a course that required her to stand in front of her peers and deliver speeches. Public speaking can be daunting for most people, so she tried to bury her fears and push forward. But her anxiety seemed far worse than what her classmates were going through.

“It felt like my body was shutting down every time I had to give a speech,” she recalled. 

At the time, Trapani was in therapy for depression and general anxiety, which her doctor suspected were at the root of her pre-class illness. But Trapani began researching her symptoms and realized they might be connected to other feelings of terror she felt during everyday life.  

For years she’d struggled to carry out daily activities. She’d skip appointments or cancel plans with friends after agonizing about them for hours, the pressure mounting till she broke. She’d feel blind panic strike on the bus, at a bar or in the grocery checkout.

Her symptoms are typical of social anxiety disorder, which affects 15 million American adults and causes intense fears of being judged or rejected in social situations. Despite its prevalence, it’s a misunderstood mental illness, and people who should be receiving care often fall through the cracks.

More than a third of people with social anxiety disorder experience symptoms for 10 years or more before getting help. Why?

Part of the problem is that the calling cards of social anxiety can overlap with other ailments, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression or panic disorders. Even professionals have a hard time identifying it in patients. 

“Therapists may miss the diagnosis when the observable symptoms are actually reflective of another disorder,” said Melissa Weinberg, a therapist with the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland.

Trapani, who is now 24 and works as an account manager for a communications firm in Hoboken, New Jersey, said her therapy sessions completely changed after she raised the possibility that she was suffering from social anxiety. 

“Essentially, I had to be an advocate for myself,” she said.

Laypeople often mistake social anxiety for introversion or brush it off as extreme shyness. But it’s more complex than that.

“It is rather easy for those who do not understand or experience the condition to ignore or marginalize the disorder,” said Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist in San Francisco.

And in today’s high-tech world, it’s all too easy for people affected by social anxiety to hide behind computer screens instead of confronting their fears. What’s more, the stigma surrounding social phobias discourages people from seeking help.

Society thrives on extroversion, Manly says. “As a result, those who suffer from social anxiety often feel as if they are outcasts ― as if they do not measure up.”

People who live with social phobia tend to retreat and disappear, making their condition even less visible to others.

But one of the best treatments for anxiety is simply to seek out fear-inducing situations in a controlled way, according to Dr. Patti Johnson, a psychologist in Los Angeles.

“We gain confidence through gradual exposure and are more willing to face anxiety-provoking situations,” she said.

Social media offers an opportunity to interact with people in a relatively low-risk setting. But spending too much time online brings “no exposure, no learning, and no relief ― just more avoidance,” Johnson said.

Trapani makes it a point to leave her house and socialize in ways that are comfortable to her.  

“I have a dog,” she said, “so when I take her around town, I make an effort to talk to people who stop to pet her, even if it’s just a few words.”

But people with social anxiety can often come across as standoffish or even rude. It’s “their fear of being judged that prevents them from authentically engaging with others and, ironically, can make others feel judged,” said Melissa Weinberg, owner of Baltimore’s Open Lines Counseling.

Trapani says her friends don’t always understand her needs. “If I cancel plans, I’m seen as antisocial or flaky,” she said. “When I prefer to stay home for a quiet night or need to leave somewhere early if I get overwhelmed, I can be perceived as lazy or a buzzkill.”

There’s a common misconception that anxiety and other mental disorders are something people can get through on their own if they try hard enough. “This makes people feel like it is a weakness to seek help,” said Laura Chackes, owner of the Center for Mindfulness & CBT in St. Louis.

And the mistaken belief that people who experience mental illnesses are dangerous can also discourage people from seeking help. 

“The depictions we see in movies and on the news about people with mental illness are for the most part exaggerated, making people think that their symptoms are not severe enough to warrant treatment,” Chackes said.

As a result of such stigmas, the socially anxious are prone to self-medicating in an attempt to face their fears, says Johnson. But seeking professional help from a qualified therapist who is familiar with the current research-based treatments can go a long way in alleviating the symptoms. Such therapies include cognitive behavior therapy, commitment therapy and exposure therapy. In-person support groups and online forums, like the Anxiety Tribe Group, can be beneficial.

There are also apps that can help people who aren’t quite ready to confront their anxiety in the presence of a therapist.

Meanwhile, experts are advocating for improved screening at doctors’ offices and more comprehensive training about social anxiety for mental health professionals. And many are pushing for preventative mental health care to become the norm.

“If everyone were to routinely see a mental health professional as part of their yearly checkup, the stigmas would break down,” Chackes said.

Trapani says social anxiety is still a big part of her life. But she’s learning how to manage it. She works at a small, tight-knit agency, as opposed to a large corporation. And she surrounds herself with a close group of friends who will gladly serve as her wingmen for tackling social gatherings.

Most importantly, Trapani has learned to be gentle with herself.

“It’s been a long road to get there, but I’ve worked to move away from guilt and self-blame for the symptoms that come with social anxiety and the impact it can have on my life,” she said.

She encourages other socially anxious people to follow suit ― and to seek professional help when they feel overwhelmed. 

“A therapist or psychiatrist can help you work through the worst of it,” she said.

Instagram users will begin to notice a new feature in the coming weeks to help them navigate the delicate terrain of social media etiquette with greater ease. 

It’s a mute button. Or, more bluntly, a way to shut up your friends, relatives and acquaintances whose posts you find boring or bothersome, but whom you cannot unfollow without risking a tiff. 

Instagram won’t notify anyone that you’ve muted them, and you can still see their profile page if you want to. You’ll also still receive notifications on any posts and comments you’re tagged in on a muted account.

To mute someone, tap the three dots next to their account handle, then select “Mute.” If you’re on their profile page, you’ll be given three options ― to mute either their posts, their story or both. If you’re muting an account from a specific post, you’ll only be given the option to mute their posts or both their posts and story. (See screenshots above and below.)

Unmuting is as simple as tapping the three dots and selecting “Unmute.”

Twitter and Facebook have both offered similar features for some time, helping us passively ignore people online to avoid real-life confrontation.

Technology: making all of our lives easier every day.

A legal defense fund created in the wake of the Me Too movement is confronting two of the largest employers in the United States about sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, housed by the National Women’s Law Center, on Tuesday announced new efforts to tackle claims of sexual misconduct at McDonald’s and Walmart.

Female cooks and cashiers at McDonald’s, with the financial support of the defense fund, have filed 10 charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in recent days against restaurant locations in nine cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles and New Orleans.

One McDonald’s worker in Chicago alleges that a manager asked her if she wanted to see his penis, and described “lurid fantasies” about what he would like to do to her. She said she was fired when she reported the harassment, according to a press release about her case.

Breauna Morrow, a 15-year-old cashier at a McDonald’s in St. Louis, said her supervisors did nothing when she complained of a co-worker who repeatedly sexually harassed her.

“McDonald’s advertises all over television saying it’s ‘America’s best first job,’ but my experience has been a nightmare,” Breauna said in a statement. “I know I’m not the only one and that’s why I’m speaking out, so others don’t have to face the harassment I’ve gone through.”

The lawsuits are among the first to arise following the creation of the defense fund in late 2017, amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations against powerful men in Hollywood, the media and other industries. The Time’s Up Defense Fund, backed in part by A-listers like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, offers financial backing for workers to effectively challenge sexual harassment.

“Sexual harassment takes a devastating toll on the women who endure it,” Sharyn Tejani, director of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, said on a call with reporters Tuesday.

“The fast food industry has an atrocious record on sexual harassment in the workplace,” Tejani said. “No worker at any job ever should have to endure abuse for a paycheck.”

Fight for $15, the organization focused on establishing a higher minimum wage for fast-food workers, partnered with Time’s Up on the McDonald’s cases. Fight for $15 announced Tuesday that it has set up a hotline for fast-food workers to have their charges reviewed by lawyers. 

The McDonald’s workers are demanding the company enforce the zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment outlined in its manual. They are also calling for mandatory sexual harassment trainings for managers and employees.

In a statement to HuffPost, Terri Hickey, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s USA, said the company is “committed to a culture that fosters the respectful treatment of everyone.”

“There is no place for harassment and discrimination of any kind in our workplace,” Hickey said. “McDonald’s Corporation takes allegations of sexual harassment very seriously and are confident our independent franchisees who own and operate approximately 90 percent of our 14,000 U.S. restaurants will do the same.”

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund also announced Tuesday its role in a lawsuit filed by Gina Pitre, a former Walmart worker in Mississippi. Pitre alleges that her manager made “unwelcomed sexual comments [and] unwelcomed requests for text pictures” during her time at Walmart, the country’s largest corporate employer of women.

“For more than a year, my manager at Walmart repeatedly sexually harassed me while I was on the job,” Pitre said in a statement. “I tried to tell the company what was happening, but Walmart did nothing to hold the harasser accountable or keep me safe.”

Randy Hargrove, a spokesman for Walmart, told HuffPost the company had investigated Pitre’s accusations and “could not find sufficient evidence to substantiate a violation of our discrimination and harassment policy.”

“We take this matter seriously and we will respond appropriately,” Hargrove said.

Last week, members of OUR Walmart, an advocacy group for retail workers, sent a letter to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, demanding the company commit to stricter policies on sexual harassment. The letter, signed by several high-profile activists including actress Susan Sarandon, called on Walmart to create a streamlined, transparent process for filing sexual harassment complaints.

Hargrove said the company already has “strong policies and procedures in place to address allegations of sexual harassment.”

“We believe our current practices meet or exceed many of the requests in the letter,” he said. “Like anything at Walmart, we will continue to review our policies and enhance them as appropriate.”

Pitre and other OUR Walmart members refuse to back down until they feel meaningful change has taken place.

“I’m speaking up for justice for myself and so that no woman has to experience what I went through at Walmart or in any job,” Pitre said in a statement. “Time is up for sexual harassment ― and for companies that won’t take action to protect their employees.”

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

Hollywood stars love their eccentric facials, and it often seems like they’ll put anything on their faces. The latest buzzy ingredient? Foreskins. Yes, you read that right. 

Last week, Sandra Bullock appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and revealed that she and Cate Blanchett are fans of what they’ve dubbed the “penis facial.” We’ll admit, it sounds more X-rated than luxurious. 

The treatment involves the use of something called epidermal growth factors, or EGF for short, which are derived from stem cells taken from the discarded foreskins of newborn babies in Korea. EGF is said to help rejuvenate the skin, improve overall skin texture and correct discoloration. It’s also known for its ability to aid in wound healing. 

Um, what exactly is the “penis facial”? 

The specific facial both Blanchett and Bullock got is called the Hollywood EGF facial treatment from The Georgia Louise Atelier in New York, which started offering the facial last year. The treatment will cost you at least $650.

A representative for Louise’s atelier told HuffPost in an email that the facial consists of a TCA chemical peel, followed by micro-needling. Micro-needling, as Dr. Samer Jaber of Washington Square Dermatology told HuffPost, involves a process of creating tiny holes in the skin with a special tool (essentially wounding the skin), to promote healing and the creation of new collagen. The treatment also allows for better, deeper product absorption, he said. 

Dr. Rachel Nazarian, of Schweiger Dermatology Group expanded on the treatment, telling HuffPost the absorption of products is “exponentially increased” after micro-needling, which helps “trigger anti-aging much deeper, which is where you want it.” 

Following the micro-needling, Louise uses a special “electrifying” mask to calm the skin. Then comes the “penis” aspect, what Louise calls her “secret box” of EGF serum. The EGF is “derived from the progenitor cells of the human fibroblast taken from Korean newborn baby foreskin ― which helps to generate collagen and elastin,” the atlier’s rep added.  

Louise said in an email that she’s mindful of informing her clients about where the EGF comes from. (For what it’s worth, Louise’s serum is FDA approved.)

“I always explain that EGF is derived from newborn baby foreskin, BUT cells were taken and from that, new cells are cloned from a laboratory,” she said. “The EGF serum only contains cloned cells.” 

Nazarian said that once an initial stem cell has been taken from the source, in this case a discarded foreskin, “you don’t need to keep taking it. You just need the one initial [stem cell] and you can keep growing it forever and ever and ever.”

The use of EGF in skincare treatments and products isn’t particularly new, Nazarian said. In fact, she said, professionals have been using it for years with mirco-needling, among other applications. Beauty brands, such as DHC, Mizon, and Peter Thomas Roth also sell products that use it.

What’s so special about EGF?

EGF is a polypeptide (a chain of amino acids) found in the skin’s fibroblast that promotes cell growth, development and healing, according to skincare brand Bioeffect, which uses a form of EGF in some of its products. In 1986, scientists Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries of growth factors. 

A study that looked at the role of EFG in cosmetic products and treatments noted that while topically applied EFG and other growth factors have been shown to rejuvenate the skin, their molecules are actually quite big, which can make it hard for them to penetrate the skin. That’s why micro-needling is involved, opening a path for better absorption.

Another small study, which used EFG derived from barley instead of foreskins, found that use of an EFG serum twice daily for three months improved the appearance of brown spots, pore size, wrinkles and even overall skin texture.  

The penis facial is a little controversial. Here’s why.

Questions regarding the ethics of cultivating EGF or penis-derived cells have been raised over the years. As Quartzy pointed out, Oprah once endorsed a Skinmedica cream containing stem cells derived from baby foreskin, sparking controversy with at least one anti-circumcision activist group. 

The newly piqued interest spurred by Bullock’s recent “Ellen” interview has sparked criticism from another anti-circumcision group, Intact America. 

“That Bullock and DeGeneres could joke about using foreskins, taken without consent from Korean baby boys, for a beauty treatment indicates a total lack of understanding of the ethics involved,” Intact’s executive director, Georganne Chapin, said in an emailed statement.

Baby foreskins aren’t the only source of EGF. 

While the EGF in many beauty products appears to come from Korean babies, it should be noted that the growth factor can also be found in kidneys, urine and saliva. Alternatively, Bioeffect uses an EGF derived from barley.

Nazarian said that snail excretions ― another buzzy beauty ingredient, especially in Korean skincare products ― also contain a growth factor similar to that in baby foreskin. 

However, she said a growing group of dermatologists (herself included) believe that EGF derived from human skin can provide the best results for their clients.

“You’re putting it on human skin, so you’d want something that is more identical to what the human body would do to itself to heal,” Nazarian said. “I used to use a lot of snail secretions for my growth factors and stem cells, but now I’m switching over to more human.” 

The reason dermatology favors EGF derived from foreskins, as opposed to saliva or urine, isn’t totally clear. Nazarian explained that while growth factors derived from saliva or urine could theoretically be used in skincare, “they don’t have exactly the same functions as those from skin.” They do, however, overlap in their abilities for wound healing. 

“I don’t have a clear explanation as to why they’re not used, and why foreskin is preferred in dermatology, but it’s likely because it’s more directly related to the type of cell we’re targeting (skin!) and it’s so easy to harvest (as opposed to salivary gland cells or other options),” Nazarian said.  

For now, at least, foreskin isn’t scaring off the likes of Bullock and Blanchett.

Pack your bags, because chances are you’re about to be hit with an unstoppable wave of wanderlust. The experts at Lonely Planet have used their own brand of travel witchery to pull together the 10 best under-the-radar destinations in Europe for 2018.

This year’s list takes direct aim at the problem of overtourism, or mass tourism, which devastates locals in communities like Reykjavik, Iceland and Florence, Italy. Some cities are even considering visitor caps per day to curb the problem. 

Topping Lonely Planet’s 2018 list for underrated European destinations is the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, which is often overlooked in favor of more popular regions like Tuscany, Campania and The Veneto.

This is Lonely Planet’s sixth iteration of the wanderlust-inspiring list, which rounds up Europe’s hottest up-and-coming countries, regions and cities. This year’s list is meant to inspire travelers to visit lesser-known gems across the continent while encouraging more responsible tourism, according to Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s editorial director. 

“There is growing concern over the increase in tourism to popular European destinations, particularly over the busy summer months, so with this list we wanted to show that there are a wealth of incredible alternatives to discover across Europe,” Hall said. “Our expert writers cross the continent and have uncovered some of Europe’s most outstanding, underrated and overlooked places that are well worth planning a trip around.”

Whether you’re looking for a lesser-known equivalent of Tuscany’s vineyards, or want to spend some one-on-one time with the great outdoors, there’s something on Lonely Planet’s list for everyone.

Check out the top 10 destinations below:

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

Americans check their phone once every 12 minutes. (That equates to a whopping average of 80 times a day.) This, according to experts, is a surefire way to ensure that you don’t make it through your daily “to do” list.

But while it’s unrealistic to completely avoid checking your phone periodically in our hyper-connected workspace, “you can still find a balance by ‘hacking’ your way to increased productivity,” said John Furneaux, CEO and co-founder of Hive, a productivity platform for high-performing teams.

Part of doing that involves refraining from looking at your phone during some crucial points in the day. Here are the times when you should keep your eyes off your screen, according to experts and busy CEOs:

1. First thing in the morning

The temptation to grab your phone right after you awake can be strong. But
doing so can start off your day on an unproductive note, said Jeff Zacharski, a life and business coach with JENGA Life.

“Before you can create your plan for the day, technology is already feeding you news, emails and messages all screaming for our attention. This can quickly... overwhelm, and now we find ourselves working on stuff that we didn’t intend to,” he said.

Get your day flowing properly before giving into mobile distractions.

2. Before heading into work

You rush to get in the shower, slam breakfast and hop in the car to make it to work on time. But pausing to look through your iPhone before backing out of the driveway may cause you to be late.

“Sitting in your car rather than driving and just getting to the office is a waste and impacts your productivity at the office,” said Deborah Sweeney, CEO and owner of MyCorporation, an online legal and business filing service. She noted that any delay getting out the door, especially in a high traffic city like her hometown of Los Angeles, can be significant. Your emails and texts will still be waiting once you settle into your desk for the day.

3. During a meeting

During a business lunch, dinner or meeting, it’s tempting to check your email or respond to a text.

“You think you’re being productive. And the other person may understand. But if your meeting were important, the truly productive task is to build that relationship,” said Christopher K. Lee, a business consultant with PurposeRedeemed. By checking your phone, you may make the other person feel less valued and miss an important part of the conversation, Lee said.

“A person who is attempting to multitask takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task and can also make up to 50 percent more mistakes,” added Michael Hollauf, CEO of the productivity app MeisterTask.

This means that checking a quick Slack message, while staying engaged at a meeting is sadly a lot harder than we’d like to believe. “To ensure that our teammates stay engaged during meetings, I try to lead by example and stay off my phone, in order to stay focused on the discussion at hand,” Hollauf said.

4. During a call

We’re often taking business calls at all times of the day, so it’s easy to fall prey to checking your emails, messages or updates while you’re on a conference call.

But according to Chris Camacho, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council president and CEO, this may cause you to “miss important details, not respond when called upon or stand-down when there may have been an opportunity for you to take a leadership position” ― not to mention the embarrassment you may feel if the person on the other end of the line realizes that you are only half listening.

5. When you should be networking

Would you pay thousands of dollars to sit in on an entrepreneurial workshop but then whip out your phone to play Candy Crush?

“When you attend an event, you often have a clear reason to be there. It might be to network with peers or listen to a great speaker, neither of which involve spending time on your phone,” Camacho said.

He recommended attempting to be present and soak up as much information as possible so that you can continue to learn and excel.

6. When you’re in “the zone”

On average, it takes 23 minutes before you’re able to refocus your thoughts after any sort of interruption, said Steve Wang, a human resources executive and career coach. So one of the worst times to check your phone is when you’re making headway with a particularly tough task or project that requires huge amounts of your concentration.

“Doing so throws off your rhythm and it can force you to start all over again with your thoughts,” Wang said.

If you know you’re about to embark on a particularly challenging task, turn your phone off or put it on silent to make sure it doesn’t become a distraction.

7. During your peak hours

Furneaux suggested identifying when you work best and minimizing distractions during that time.

“Figure out your peak productivity windows and turn them into ‘no-phone zones’ to maximize your efficiency and output,” he said.

So if you’re an early bird who often gets the worm before noon, you’ll want to keep your phone in your desk drawer during the pre-lunch hours. Otherwise you could be sabotaging your most effective hours.

“Build in a few brief phone-checking moments during your less-focused periods throughout the day so you can minimize distractions while still giving your all throughout your best hours,” Furneaux said.

8. Off the clock

People are plugged in at all-times, even after they punch out of work. Of course it’s not realistic to be off your phone the whole time you’re out of the office, but it is important to take some moments for yourself away from your screen. 

“With access to colleagues, clients and customers 24/7, it seems like this would increase productivity but it can just as easily do the opposite,” said Scott Crumrine, founder and CEO of Guava Family Inc., a company that makes travel cribs and bassinets for parents on the go.

Although it’s not typically a part of job requirements to answer emails late into the night, many people believe it will help them “get ahead.” But Crumrine said the pressure to be on-call at all times creates unnecessary stress during the time of day that used to be for relaxation ― downtime that has been linked to improved productivity.

9. While reading

“Whether it’s a book or online article, breaking that concentration for even a few seconds throws me off,” Lee said. “The wheels turning in my mind come to an abrupt stop. Afterward, I spend twice the time to relocate my train of thought.” He recommended waiting until you’re at a logical stopping point before distracting yourself from your literature.

10. Before bed

“Screens and sleep don’t mix,” said Sujay Kansagra, Mattress Firm sleep health expert and director of pediatric neurology sleep medicine at Duke University. “The technology we often use before bed emits a harmful blue light that can actually keep us awake and prevent us from falling asleep.”

This can disrupt the secretion of a natural sleep hormone called melatonin, leaving you to a night of restless sleeping. And research shows a direct correlation between not logging enough restful hours and a decrease in productivity. Put your phone away at least 30 minutes before heading to bed, Kansagra said.

11. In the middle of the night

As if falling asleep wasn’t hard enough, staying asleep can also be a challenge. On average, people wake up two or three times per night, which can equate to 25.5 minutes of being awake. But it’s what you do during those minutes that is key to achieving a productivity-inducing night’s sleep. If you get up to pee and can’t fall back asleep, it’s recommended to keep the lights dim, for example. But one in three smartphone users reach for their phones in the middle of the night.

Andrew Selepak, a professor in the telecommunications department at the University of Florida and director of the graduate program in social media, said the worst time to check your phone is while you should be sleeping.

“Put your phone on vibrate before going to bed, turn all notifications off, and use a traditional alarm clock,” he said.

She’s lovin’, she’s livin’, she’s picking it up!

Ariana Grande and “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson are reportedly dating. According to multiple outlets, their relationship has “just started” and is “very casual.” Bossip was first to report the news. 

Grande and Davidson have both recently split from their respective partners. Grande broke it off with rapper Mac Miller earlier this month, after two years together. Meanwhile, Davidson recently announced that he and comedian Cazzie David had gone their separate ways.

It’s unclear how the two first met, but in 2016, Grande hosted the late-night sketch series for the first time ― to much acclaim ― with Davidson by her side. (She’d also been a musical guest in 2014.) Davidson appeared during Grande’s opening monologue, in which she joked about having a “real adult scandal.”

“Do you want to smoke some pot or something?” he asked her on stage. 

Davidson reportedly came to support Grande at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night, where she slayed a performance of her new single, “No Tears Left To Cry.”

“After Ariana’s performance, they were backstage and he had his arm around her,” an onlooker told People about the pair. “They seemed very lovey-dovey. He was hanging out with her and her friends with his arm around her. She seemed quite smitten.”

Earlier this month, Grande made a rare comment on her relationship status amid reports that she and Miller had split. In an Instagram post, Grande called the rapper, with whom she collaborated on 2013’s “The Way,” “one of my best friends in the whole world.”

“I respect and adore him endlessly and am grateful to have him in my life in any form, at all times regardless of how our relationship changes or what the universe holds for each of us,” she wrote, alongside a picture of the couple in happier times.