Blog Posts by Sofi Papamarko

Baby Boomer beauty and fashion models are increasing, as are their peers buying their products. (Thinkstock)In the world of modeling, once you hit the ripe old age of 25, you are unofficially considered over the hill.

But Baby Boomer models of the world, including 55-year-old Juliette Branker, would beg to differ. As would the millions of women "of a certain age" with purchasing power who want to see images of women more like themselves in the media.

Related: 'Loub job': Cosmetic surgery craze helps women withstand sky-high heels

According to ABC News, older models are on the rise. This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that Baby Boomer women are spending increasing amounts in the beauty and fashion industries, and advertising agencies would be insane to not take notice. According to North American market research firm NPD group, Boomer women spend almost $47 billion a year on fashion.

"I wouldn't want to buy certain products for myself that I would use if I see a 20-something selling it, because it's for a 20-something-year-old," Branker tells ABC News. "I can relate to someone my

Recent American data shows that birth control failures are significantly more common than women realize. (Credit: Thinkstock)Are we collectively over-confident about our chosen methods of birth control? A new study may have you running — not walking -- to the clinic for an IUD fitting.

According to findings reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, about 45 per cent of American women are over-estimating the effectiveness of condoms and the pill. While the birth control pill is the most popular hormonal method of birth control in North America, women on the pill have an annual pregnancy rate of nine per cent.

The failure rate of condoms is even more abysmal -- a staggering annual pregnancy rate of 18 to 21 per cent.

"We need to do a better job of educating the public -- women and men -- on the failure rates with typical use," study leader Dr. David L. Eisenberg of Washington University tells Reuters Health.

Also see: Dentist yanks ex-boyfriend's teeth as revenge; now faces jail time

The efficiency of condoms and the birth control pill rely upon "perfect use." And as anyone who has ever

An image taken from Melissa's blog.In the words of Shakespeare, the course of true love never did run smooth. And that's never been more true than in this strange, but sweet tale of a woman who stood by her man — even after he became a woman.

Jezebel points us in the direction of the blog of a woman named Melissa, who bravely tells the unconventional love story that she and her husband share in six parts.

Before launching into her story, Melissa writes:

I know that many of my readers will not understand or agree with my situation or choices. This series may confuse you, it may anger you. I want you to know I will not take that personally. I am not looking to "convert" people or change someone's mind, I'm not looking for support. I just ask that you hear me.

Melissa and her husband belonged to the Quiverfull movement — a highly conservative fringe Christian sect that does not condone birth control of any kind, believing that children are the highest blessing and are "as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man."

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Watch out for hidden calories and fat in summer drinks. (Credit: ThinkStock)

Now that spring is heating up and the cold weather is (mostly) behind us, we'll soon be cooling down with a variety of icy beverages.

Many people tend to think of summertime drinks as light, refreshing and healthy (after all, what could be so terrible about a fruit smoothie?), but some of these beverages are packed with calories, fat, sodium and sugar.

See more: Testing fast-food fruit smoothies

For future reference, here's a quick breakdown of the nutritional information of some of the popular summertime drinks available across Canada:

Tim Horton's Iced Cappucino

Calories: 250

Total fat (g):  11

Sugars (g): 33

Sodium (mg):  50

Protein (g): 2

McDonald's Medium Strawberry Banana Smoothie With Yogurt

Calories:  280

Total fat (g): 1

Sugars (g): 61

Sodium (mg):  50

Protein (g): 4

Starbucks Orange Mango Banana Vivanno Smoothie

Calories: 260

Total fat (g):  2

Sugars (g): 34

Sodium (mg): 110

Protein (g): 15

Second Cup Mixed Berry Icy Fruit Smoothie

Calories: 280

Total fat (g):  0

Sugars

Botox provides little relief for migraine sufferers (ThinkStock)

When most people think about Botox, they think of it as an injectable anti-aging tactic that paralyzes muscles, popular among the Hollywood set.

But Botox has been known to possess certain health benefits, as well. Astoundingly enough, the bacterial neurotoxin has been used to treat conditions such as headaches and hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating.)

See more: Plastic surgery a moral issue?

But according to a new study put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association, there appears to be no change for occasional migraine or headache sufferers, yet a mild reduction in the number of migraines.

For migraine sufferers who have chronic headaches — anywhere between 17 and 20 migraines per month — there are some tangible, yet somewhat neglible benefits.

"It only reduces headaches by a couple of days a month," the study's lead researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, tells Reuters Health, who called such a result "really, really modest."

See more: Women judged for using Botox

Injections

Should parents use Facebook to discipline their kids? (ThinkStock)

Considering the number of kids who have TVs, video game consoles and/or computers in their bedrooms these days, "Go to your room and think about what you did!" no longer cuts it as punishment.

But an Ohio mother has come under fire for innovative, yet questionable, technique she used in order to punish her daughter for "mouthing off" to her in front of her friends.

See more: How conflict at home hurts your kid's brain

Denise Abbott temporarily banned her 13-year-old daughter Ava from using her cell phone or logging onto Facebook. But Abbott went one step further by doctoring Ava's Facebook profile photo to read:

I do not know how to keep my (mouth shut). I am no longer allowed on Facebook or my phone. Please ask why. My mom says I have to answer everyone that asks.

Abbott also added a red X over the teen's mouth.

"If she can't talk respectfully to me, she's not going to be able to talk to anyone else either," Abbott tells the media .

Do Abbott's actions against her daughter constitute

Researchers have found that the left side of your face is more appealing to others.(Credit: Thinkstock)Thanks to science, there's one more reason to "turn the other cheek"…just as long as it happens to be your left one. When it comes to posing for photographs, researchers have found that the left side of your face is more universally appealing than the right.

In a study published in the journal Experimental Brain Research, authors Kelsey Blackburn and James Schirillo of Wake Forest University in North Carolina conclude that the left side of the human face is rated and perceived as more pleasant than the right side.

"Our results suggest that posers' left cheeks tend to exhibit a greater intensity of emotion, which observers find more aesthetically pleasing," says the study's authors in a statement. "Our findings provide support for a number of concepts — the notions of lateralized emotion and right hemispheric dominance with the right side of the brain controlling the left side of the face during emotional expression."

Related: Most people underestimate their body sizes: study

The

Six teenagers were recently hospitalized with alcohol poisoning from ingesting 120-proof alcohol made from hand sanitizer. (Credit: Thinkstock)On a recent episode of Mad Men, a teenage girl in Pete Campbell's driving class admitted that she was a little bit drunk after swigging vanilla extract with a friend.

Since time immemorial, teenagers have gone to great lengths to get wasted. Whether it has been through the purchase of fake IDs, bribing older siblings or stealing from mom and dad's liquor cabinets, teens have managed to gain access to alcohol.

But the latest story about underage drinking is a far cry from the wholesome nostalgia reminiscent of The Wonder Years or various John Hughes movies.

Related: How conflict at home hurts your kid's brain

According to a story in the L.A. Times, six teenagers were recently hospitalized with alcohol poisoning from ingesting — wait for it — hand sanitizer. The teens allegedly used salt to separate the sanitizer from the ethyl alcohol in the product — the makings of 120-proof liquor.

"All it takes is just a few swallows and you have a drunk teenager," Cyrus Rangan, director of the