In this issue of The Upworthiest, Kat Hong shares how one mom responded when her 5-year-old said he wished his stomach were flatter. Plus, the surprising secret behind Tim Curry's most iconic characters, and a four-letter framework that makes any conversation less awkward.
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Her 5-year-old wished his stomach were flatter. Instead of ‘you’re perfect,’ she posed a gentle question. | ||
“Instead of correcting him, I got curious.” | ||
By Kat Hong | ||
“I wish my stomach was flatter, because then I would be cooler.” | ||
That’s what parenting creator and nutritionist Emelie Vessey (@emelie.vessey on TikTok) says her 5-year-old son told her one day, completely out of nowhere. His words shocked her. “I just never expected those feelings to show up at 5 years old,” she said, detailing the encounter in a recent TikTok titled “Someone called my son chubby. Here’s how I dealt with it.” | ||
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Nearly seven months ago, the world fell in love with a little Asian elephant named Linh Mai.
By Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Nearly seven months ago, the world fell in love with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s little Asian elephant named Linh Mai.
After being rejected by her mother and needing nutritional assistance, the calf made an extraordinary recovery thanks to the dedication of her care team and elephant “aunties,” who stepped in to raise her.
Linh Mai’s resilience, playfulness and curiosity have delighted and inspired visitors to have a deeper appreciation for her endangered species. Celebrate Asian Elephant Awareness Month with a look back at some of her most memorable moments.
Never underestimate the power of letting someone know they matter. 💛
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Tim Curry’s lack of personal ‘identity’ was the secret that freed him to create iconic characters | ||
The secret that made him a chameleon. | ||
By Heather Wake | ||
There’s no denying that Tim Curry was a master of his craft. The ultimate character actor, he brought to life some of the most unforgettable roles ever to grace the stage or screen, be they eccentric, campy, larger-than-life, or terrifyingly sinister. | ||
The big reason why Curry was able to slip into these varied selves effortlessly may have been that he didn’t feel the need to carve out a rigid sense of personal selfhood. | ||
In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, recorded only two weeks before his passing at the age of 80 on August 26, Curry told Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz that throughout the course of his 50-year career “one of the keys” to his success has been “to not encourage an identity.” | ||
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An Upworthiest Quiz
The Rocky Horror Picture Show holds a record no other movie can touch. What is it?
Yesterday’s Results
In last week’s issue, we shared Jacalyn Wetzel’s story on what we get wrong about the yin-yang symbol.
And we asked: Which writing system was invented on purpose by a single king in the 1400s so ordinary people could learn to read? It was a photo finish, but a plurality of you correctly credited King Sejong’s 15th-century creation, edging out Team Cyrillic by just nine votes.
Greek (12.7%)
Cyrillic (32.5%)
Hangul (Korean) (34.5%)
Arabic (20.2%)
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To be less awkward and more likable in conversations, try the easy-to-remember TALK framework | ||
Putting a little extra thought into your conversations can make a huge difference in your relationships. | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
When we meet a great conversationalist, we often think they were born with natural charisma or that they have the gift of gab. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just as a great athlete hones their skills on the field, talented conversationalists work to improve theirs, too. | ||
Alison Wood Brooks, Harvard Business School Professor and author of Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, says that with small changes in how we approach conversation, and some practice, we can feel less awkward, more confident, and build deeper relationships. | ||
“Start small, ask one more follow-up question than feels natural. Prep one topic before you walk into a room. Find one moment of levity when things feel heavy,” Brooks told MasterClass. “Those are small moves, but the benefits are real, and they multiply exponentially over time.” To make these skills easy to remember, she arranged them into an acronym, TALK, which stands for Topics, Asking, Levity, and Kindness. | ||
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