An advocacy group for journalists wants to get involved with Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis

Ukrainian explosives expert Valeriy Onul lost his lower right leg after stepping on a landmine, but it hasn't stopped him returning...

Summer is officially upon us, which means it's time to blast the A/C and binge-watch

Karyna had just stepped inside to check on her 12-year-old son in the kitchen when Russian rockets exploded into her garden, leaving craters where her...

Federal health advisers are recommending that a decades-old birth control pill be sold without a prescription

He may have been born in the Bronx, but designer Ralph Lauren took over a different New York city borough, Brooklyn, with a sumptuous event that marked his return to New York Fashion Week after four years

SAVE $50: Get the Echo Show 5 (3rd gen, 2023) for just $39.99 at Amazon.

A 27-year-old woman with a rare genetic disorder who could only identify with Mickey Mouse while growing up due to the shape of the Disney character’s hands is trying to be the role model she never had as a social media influencer, to show people with disabilities they are “fully worthy and capable” of achieving anything. Rochelle Muir, who lives in Colorado, was born with ectrodactyly, which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, two toes on her right foot, and four toes on her left foot. The condition causes difficulties in buying footwear, and with relationships – with one of her ex-boyfriends splitting up with her due to the possibility of their child being born with ectrodactyly – but she is now happily partnered with Charles, 31, a primary school counsellor who, along with her father Bill, is her “biggest cheerleader”. Rochelle, who is a client engagement manager for a healthcare company, could identify with characters such as Mickey Mouse growing up as he also has four digits, but she said “being like a cartoon is not exactly the role model you want”. She now posts pictures and videos on her social media platforms to educate others about ectrodactyly, raise awareness of the limb difference community, and share her hobbies, including gaming. “I remember specifically always loving the characters which had brown hair whenever they were in Barbie movies because I thought, ‘Oh, she’s like me!’,” she told PA Real Life. “But I never had that feeling when it came to my limb differences.” Rochelle has never let the disorder hold her back despite being teased and bullied at school, but when she entered the dating world in her 20s, she faced rejection multiple times and felt she was not “capable or worthy of having an amazing relationship”. “I’ve never been rejected over something that I couldn’t change about myself, something I was born with, and that was probably the first hit to my confidence with my limb differences where I felt awful about being born the way I am, about being disabled,” she said. “I just thought, I’m never going to find a meaningful relationship, I’m not worthy, I’m not capable, and that was the dialogue that kept going through my brain over and over again.” Rochelle has since removed “that nasty little voice out of (her) head”, found love with partner Charles, and shared her story publicly on social media, as she wants to “uplift” others among the disability community and show the world that “disabled is not a dirty word”. She said she is no longer “worried about showing (her) true self” and wants to encourage others to do the same. “Most people usually point out the negatives, but there are so many great positives with going and finding other people that look like you, other people you can connect with, and just creating this amazing community where you can uplift each other,” she said. “That’s one of the things I love about social media so much because when I came out about my limb differences, other people reached out and said, ‘Hey, I look exactly like you, this is so exciting, I’ve never seen anyone else that has the same hands as me’. “So it’s one of my favourite things now – and, yes, it’s sad that we didn’t have that growing up, but at least it’s there now and we can have that moving forward.” Ectrodactyly is a rare genetic disorder, and symptoms can vary, the National Organisation for Rare Disorders says. Rochelle underwent surgery to minimise the gap between her fingers and remove the longer toe on her right foot, enabling her to have improved grip and wear shoes from a young age. However, finding the right shoes has been an ongoing challenge and, when she was younger, she could not understand why she could not wear the same shoes as “able-bodied” people. “I remember specifically, there was a time, I think I was about five, that I tried to get my mum to buy me a pair of flip flops – they were pink, and they had butterflies and flowers on them,” she said. “My mum was so heartbroken because she couldn’t fully explain to me, ‘No, you can’t wear these shoes, they are going to be too dangerous for you’. “She eventually just caved and got me the shoes, and we were going up the escalator to go to the next floor in the mall, and I tripped, and we fell. “Ever since then, I’ve thought, I’m going to wear shoes that will stay securely on my feet.” Throughout her life, Rochelle has used humour to “defuse” awkward or uncomfortable situations and to enhance her confidence, but when it came to dating, for the first time in her life she felt self-conscious and “unworthy of having a real relationship”. She remembers one boyfriend who “was like a deer in the headlights” when he saw her feet for the first time, and another who ended the relationship over the possibility of their child being born with ectrodactyly. “He talked to his family, and his mum at the time said, ‘You need to decide whether you want to have kids because if you do, you have to break up with her’,” Rochelle explained. “The relationship ended, and I thought, I can’t blame him, but when I spoke to my friends, they said, ‘You’re amazing. What’s wrong with having a child with a limb difference?’ “That’s when I realised that I had internal ableism, where I told myself that having a disability is awful – ‘you’re not capable, you’re not worthy of having an amazing relationship’.” Ableism is discrimination in favour of able-bodied people – and it was at this point that Rochelle decided she wanted to do something about the lack of representation for people with ectrodactyly on social media. This “lit the fire” in her to share her story publicly for the first time, aged 25, and she has never looked back. Since then, she has launched her own Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channels on which she discusses ectrodactyly, limb differences and other disabilities, along with her hobby of gaming, and she has met Charles. Reading positive comments and messages, including from mothers of children who describe her as “an amazing role model”, has been “heart-warming” and makes her emotional – and she wants to continue to “fight ableism and bring more representation for the limb difference community”. “The biggest thing for me is representation for the limb difference community, but also for other disabilities as well, because the more we have that out there, the more of a norm it will be,” she said. “I want to be that role model, that person I wanted to look for in social media growing up, that person that younger me would be proud of and say, ‘Oh yeah, I know her, she’s so awesome, I’m just like her’. “It’s a younger me that inspires me to keep going forward and talking about these things, and I want to give the message that disabled is not a bad word, it’s not a dirty word, and you are fully worthy and capable of anything you put your mind to.” Find out more about Rochelle and her social media channels at beacons.ai/goodmornindreamer Read More Tempted to try barefoot running? Here’s what you need to know Can a vegan diet help with hot flashes in menopausal women? Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend? Tempted to try barefoot running? Here’s what you need to know Can a vegan diet help with hot flashes in menopausal women? Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend?

Ever since we traded in our office outfits for more casual WFH wardrobes, sweatpants have skyrocketed from the bottom drawer to the forefront of our closets. And, with fall in full effect, there's no better choice in versatile stay-at-home attire than this loungewear staple. In an effort to narrow down the best of the best, the most comfortable sweatpants, we went straight to the source: you.

Paris Hilton has revealed why she didn’t hesitate to defend her 10-month-old son, Phoenix, from comments about his appearance. The 42-year-old actor spoke candidly about her tactics as a mother – days after announcing the surprise birth of her second baby, London, with husband Carter Reum – during a recent interview with People. Her comments come weeks after she first hit back at fan remarks and speculation about the size of Phoenix’s head. During her interview with People, published on 28 November, Hilton said that her “mama bear instincts” came out when she first addressed commentary about her son. She continued to explain why she defended her son, before noting that she was surprised by the criticism surrounding his appearance. “Usually, I wouldn’t even dignify anything like that with a response, but I was just heartbroken that there are such cruel people in the world,” Hilton explained. “I couldn’t believe that they could be mean and vicious about a little innocent baby.” She then sent a message to critics, stating that she “feels sorry” for anyone who would bully a child online. "They’re that miserable in their lives that they would go and speak about a child in such a way,” she said. The Paris In Love star also expressed her gratitude to people on social media who defended her son amid the commentary about his appearance. "It makes me feel so grateful knowing that there’s so many people in the world that love and support me,” she said. “Sticking up for me meant the world to me, and to have people looking out for Phoenix in that way, it meant a lot.” She continued to describe how moved she was by “messages from people saying how much they love Phoenix and how beautiful he is”. She also praised the fans who encouraged her to avoid listening “to trolls”. “That just meant a lot to me, to see how much love there is for me and my son,” Hilton continued. “So anyone reading this, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate everyone looking out for us.” In October, Hilton first hit back at the criticism on TikTok, after her Instagram photos of her son’s first trip to New York City went viral. In the comments of a TikTok video, which defended Hilton and her son, she wrote: “There are some sick people in this world. My angel is perfectly healthy.” The mogul added: “And yes, of course he has been to a doctor, he just has a large brain.” Last week, Hilton took to Instagram on Thanksgiving Day to announce the arrival of her second child with Reum: a baby girl. She revealed the news by posting a photo of a pink pyjama set with the name “London” inscribed on the Peter Pan collared top. “Thankful for my baby girl,” the DJ captioned the post. She also placed a pair of hot pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a brown, knitted toy bunny alongside the pyjama set. During an interview on Today, which aired on 27 November, Hilton spoke candidly about becoming a parent of two with her husband. “She is just a little angel and my life just feels so complete with my little baby boy and my baby girl,” Hilton said. “We’re just over the moon.” When asked how her journey to motherhood compares to previous chapters of her life, the reality TV star candidly admitted: “I’m loving my mom era. I feel just so at peace, so happy, so grateful for my husband and this beautiful family and life that we’re building together.” Read More Paris Hilton opens up about welcoming ‘angel’ baby London: ‘I’m loving my mom era’ Paris Hilton announces surprise birth and name of second child Paris Hilton’s husband reveals why she wanted to keep their son’s birth secret Paris Hilton makes grand entrance into F1 party but ‘no one’ is there to watch Rosalynn Carter remembered for her mental health advocacy at poignant tribute service Smelling a mince pie could kill me, says woman allergic to Christmas

Goku still doesn't realize he's a bone-headed dad. Scorpion continues his body-crippling blood feud with

As India’s airline market transforms into a duopoly, ticket prices that have long known to be dirt-cheap are