If You Can't Fly...

Much like the rest of 2020, this week has felt more like a month than a mere seven days.

It's tough out there right now, but for the next 10 minutes, we're going to do our best to help you cope. If you can't handle this decade anymore and want to get lost in a 50s retrospective, read on; we've got you. If you need some fresh advice to prep for a slowly reopening world of casual dating, read on; we've got you. If you're reeling from the passing of Chadwick Boseman and want to pay your respects to his many contributions, read on; we've got you.

We're the moderation team at Vocal, and these were our favorite stories this week. We've got you.

The 50’s as I Remember Them

I remember men wore suave hats like from the movies, and women wore big hats like Audrey Hepburn and small hats with rhinestones. The clothes women wore showed off their figures and it seemed like they all had slim figures with pointy bras.

Was it all blue suede shoes and sock-hop romances? Shirley Belk gives us a "Baby Boomer reflection" of arguably the most romanticized decade in history: the rock n' roll 50s. A lighthearted look at family and social life in the era of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, don't be surprised if Shirley's story makes you want to turn on TV Land and binge "Happy Days" and drink a milkshake this weekend.

How To Find Your Perfect British Partner in 4 Steps

Now, if you’re good-looking, you’re an eccentric and intriguing person, and you got a cheeky and engaging attitude, you’re already halfway to victory.

... Only halfway??

These minimum standards of acceptability in dating have been set by Vocal creator and satirist Jim Esposito, a self-proclaiming expert in the London love scene — despite being an expat. We're very lucky to have his words of wisdom in our "Dating: Do's and Don'ts" channel. After all, where else on the Web could you dig up such rousing advice as this:

Pro tip: Don’t be a f***ing pain in the ass!!!

Brad Pitt and the Backpack

Rugged, raw, oozing — what I now know as "sex appeal." I was stunned, how had I never seen him, why wasn't his Adonis of a face plastered on every wall, mall, bus, or gracing every film?!

Alexa Rose is a contestant in our latest challenge, in which we asked the Vocal community to tell us about their celebrity crushes.

While one could argue that Brad Pitt's face is, in fact, plastered on plenty of walls, malls, and buses, this is Alexa's space, and her opinions are not up for debate. So, to paraphrase scripture: "let there be Brad." May he grace even more films. May he smile down upon us from e'ry billboard and NYC crosstown bus, now and forevermore.

He was truly beautiful. So beautiful I shied away from any reflective surface for a time. My stomach felt knotted and certain scenes later depicted made me feel shy and embarrassed (the sex scenes), yet I still peeked through a sideways glance.

I had a crush.

Our King Is Dead: Why Chadwick Boseman's Death Hits So Hard.

Many non-Black people are genuinely confused why we as a community are grieving this death so hard. Let me attempt to briefly explain why this is so significant...

We said it a few weeks ago, we'll say it again today, and we'll say it again tomorrow: Representation matters. It always has, and it always will. Chadwick Boseman represented to Black children that you don't have to be white to be a hero.

Most Black children never grew up seeing themselves reflected or represented in media as anything other than gangbangers, troubled kids, drop outs or hoodlums. The media has done a very good job of subliminally typecasting us in roles that do not show Black people in a positive light.

Chadwick helped forever change the perception of Black people in media. He showed everyone that Black is noble, Black is powerful, Black is... well, we'll just let Whitney Smart say it:

Chadwick carried an entire people on his shoulders when he represented us on screen to the entire world... He was our hero. He was our King, artistically.

This is why we grieve.

Try to say you need more...

Brigida Levonna says it all in her bio, and sums up the sentiment of most of our creators on Vocal:

I can't fly so, I write.

It is because of creators like Brigida that we leave work every day inspired, ready to see what else the great big world has to offer. It is because of creators like Brigida that we continue to offer compensation, challenges, and other incentives to get creators on Vocal, because everyone has a story that could, with just a little love and self-promotion, touch thousands.

Adulting is not so fun when you have a Bachelors Degree in English and it feels like you have absolutely nothing to show for it. I walked out of my home around 9am knowing I’d be walking to a destination an hour away to pee in a cup - a drug test for a new job.

“An adventure” is what Teija, my housemate, called it, and an adventure it was.

It is because of creators like Brigida, telling everyday stories like these, that we do what we do here at Vocal. And because of these stories, we will be back again in two weeks, ready to share more of our favorites.

We've got you.