Even though he was born "Katherine Elizabeth," Skylar lived like a regular little boy for most of his childhood.He was happy.This is Skylar.But when puberty hit, he started feeling intense pressure to be "normal" and fit in. So he tried to present as more traditionally "feminine."But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was denying a huge part of himself. Late in high school, he started taking testosterone.Skylar started feeling more comfortable immediately. And before he knew it, he was at his "dream school," having the time of his life. And taking lots and lots of pictures of himself.Access to medical care played a big part in Skylar becoming the person he is today, but that wasn't all. Check out his story and walk five years in his shoes. It's definitely a perspective we don't see often enough:This article originally appeared on 08.30.14

You've probably been there. You're out and about and you see something that just feels ... off. "Should I step in? ... But it's not really any of my business. ... And I'm not even sure they need my help..." Our gut tells us to speak up, to ask questions, to tell someone. But often, we don't.This happened to Malyk Bonnet, a 17-year-old from Montreal. But instead of ignoring his instincts, he acted brilliantly. It may have saved a woman's life.Bonnet had been having a relatively normal day until he spotted something suspicious on his way home.He'd been waiting for the bus after a shift at the restaurant where he works when he saw a man and woman arguing. He sensed a red flag."The guy was screaming at her, the girl," Bonnet told CBC News. "He wasn't really gentle with her, and I started watching, because I thought he would hit her, so I approached them a little bit."The pair asked Bonnet if he could lend them bus fares to nearby Laval, a city about 25 miles away from downtown Montreal.Bonnet felt uneasy about what was happening. But instead of declining, he decided to get more involved. He helped the man and woman with their fares and told them he was also traveling to Laval (which was not the case)."My plan was to keep them in a public place where he wouldn't hurt her," Bonnet told Dateline NBC. "I decided to be friendly with the man and have him think I was his friend. I played my game and he seemed to trust me."After arriving in Laval, Bonnet suggested they grab a bite to eat. At the restaurant, he gave the pair $50 for food and excused himself to use the restroom. Finally having the opportunity, he called the police and told them "someone had been kidnapped." Officers arrived minutes later.What Bonnet hadn't known at the time was that police were already looking for the perpetrator and his victim.The abusive man Bonnet reported had abducted his ex-girlfriend just hours beforehand."We were looking for a 29-year-old woman who was kidnapped by her former boyfriend earlier that day," Laval police Lt. Daniel Guérin told CBC News. "We believed that man was very dangerous."Previously, the abuser spent time behind bars for assaulting his ex and sending her death threats.Bonnet told Dateline NBC that while he didn't speak with the woman after police arrived, he could see how relieved she was. "We made eye contact and she had tears in her eyes. She was really happy."Unfortunately, this type of tragic experience isn't all that rare.While this particular story unfolded in Canada — where roughly half of women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence since the age of 16 — you'll find similarly alarming statistics in the U.S.1 out of 4 American women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. What's more, female victims of homicide are far more likely than male victims to be killed by a current or former partner.Although it may seem easy to simply leave an abusive relationship in the dust, take it from some women who've been there — it's much more difficult than it seems from the outside looking in.Instead of passing judgment, you can learn more about how you can help friends and family members who may be experiencing domestic abuse.Bonnet has become a local hero for his selflessness."His quick actions may have saved this young woman's life," Guérin said. The officers made sure to collect money so Bonnet could be reimbursed for the bus fares and food he purchased while trying to save the victim. "He now has 500 new friends in our department."Thank you, Malyk, for reminding me that sometimes the bravest thing I can do is simply listen to that voice when it's trying to get my attention.This article originally appeared on 08.20.15

When Felice House moved to Texas from Massachusetts, she quickly fell in love with "Western" culture. Timothy DouglasHouse, a painter and artist, moved to Austin to study for her master's degree before becoming an assistant professor of painting at Texas A&M University.At first, the culture shock was fun. House says she quickly became infatuated with the Western genre: the outfits, the cowboy boots, the music. "But when I actually got around to watching Western movies," she adds, "I was horrified by the roles for ... anybody except white men basically."The stoic renegades played by John Wayne, James Dean, and Clint Eastwood stood in stark contrast to the helpless damsels they shared the screen with. The empowered and the powerless.House had spent much of her career painting women in ways that clashed with media representations, so she decided to tackle the male-dominated Western genre.She put out a call for models and was quickly overwhelmed with women who wanted to participate. Felice HouseHouse says many of the models already knew which iconic cowboy they wanted to portray. Felice HouseVirginia Schmidt became "Virginia Eastwood." Felice HouseThen there was "Liakesha Dean." Felice HouseAnd "Rebekah Wayne." Felice HouseHouse first photographed the models in Western getups, then painted from the images she captured. Felice HouseShe also says practicing the facial expressions and body language was the hardest part for the models. Felice House"Women are kind of trained to make coy, approachable facial expressions," she says. Felice HouseTurning these women into iconic and powerful heroes meant stripping away any remnants of the "sexy cowgirl" trope. Felice HouseThe paintings themselves are larger than life. Roughly 1.25 times larger, to be specific. Felice House"When you see them in person, people are surprised by the scale." People aren't used to women towering over them, House says. Felice HouseAnd that's exactly the point. House wanted to start a conversation about who is assigned power and how we view it. Felice HouseIn that sense, the timing couldn't have been better. "Issues with gender and power in the U.S. are kind of in the forefront of people's minds, " she says. Felice HouseIn the very beginning of the project, House says she simply digitally clipped one of the models heads and put it on John Wayne's body. "It looked ridiculous," she says with a laugh. "But then I thought, what if I could find a way to give this same sense of power [that iconic male heroes have] to women?"With a brush and a few massive canvases, she managed to do just that, and she hopes it'll make a few people think differently about how we define who can be a hero.In the meantime, and despite her criticisms of the films of yesteryear, House says pop culture is getting better at representing women. Projects like this one definitely help.After all, it was John Wayne himself who once said, "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday."This article originally appeared on 3.17.17

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SpaghettiOs are a pantry staple, famous for their convenient, ring-shaped pasta. But did you know this iconic dish was launched with a simple, catchy slogan?