Once women reach a certain age, society does something weird. It starts sending messages that you’re simply too old to dress as if you have a social life. In general, it seemed as if society had been moving away from those unrealistic expectations laid upon moms and women over the age of 35, but maybe not.

Jessica Buwick, a mom on TikTok, found out fairly quickly that people still have interesting ideas about how “old people” should dress when going out in public. The mom, who was 37 at the time, ordered a plethora of outfits to try on in search of one for her son’s graduation after seeing other moms on social media dressing up more for graduations than parents did when she graduated.

In her silly, lighthearted video, Buwick tried on all of the outfits, but none of them made the cut for various reasons. One was too short and didn’t zip. Another was ill-fitting and confusing. They were obvious catastrophes that just didn’t work, so she made the misfortune into funny content, but people had a lot to say.

Then the comments got ugly

While many people laughed along, others took the opportunity to take jabs at Buwick’s fashion choices.

One commenter decided to point her in the right direction by commenting, “Maybe YOU should have shopped in an age-appropriate section of the store so you don’t look like a SKANK in your clothing, thereby humiliating your poor son.”

Yikes. That was unnecessarily rude and harsh, but, sadly, it was a common tone as multiple people pointed out how she was going to embarrass her son.

@jessicabuwick #graduation #graduationfail #dressfail #graduationoutfit #graduationoutfitideas ♬ original sound – Lolamarie7

#graduation #graduationfail #dressfail #graduationoutfit #graduationoutfitideas ♬ original sound – Lolamarie7

Her response was absolutely perfect

However, instead of letting the haters get to her, Buwick decided to follow up with a video of more “appropriate” outfits for an elderly mother to wear while attending her child’s graduation.

“Apparently I triggered a whole demographic of y’all when I shared my dress options for my son’s high school graduation. A lot of you were horrified with my choices,” she said. “Apparently they were not appropriate for a high school graduation nor for someone of my age…37.”

Clearly, the mom received the message and proved it by donning a floor-length gown with long sleeves to make sure minimal skin was showing. In another outfit reminiscent of The Sound of Music, she burst into song to complete the look. It didn’t make the cut in the end, though, because the sleeve was slightly sheer. The outfit she settled on at the end was clearly more the speed she thought the commenters were expecting.

@jessicabuwick Thank you for coming #graudation #graduationdresses #formaldresses ♬ original sound – Lolamarie7

Thank you for coming #graudation #graduationdresses #formaldresses ♬ original sound – Lolamarie7

So what did she actually wear in the end?

She took the comments in stride and made others laugh while doing so. Her son’s graduation had already passed, and in a follow-up video she showed the outfit she decided to go with: a cute pair of dress shorts, a tank top and a brightly colored blazer.

@jessicabuwick Replying to @adesqueda2011 ♬ original sound – supahginjah

Replying to @adesqueda2011 ♬ original sound – supahginjah

While I’m sure someone will disagree with that outfit choice as well, Buwick seems to have found a perfectly hilarious way to handle the negativity.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care. 

As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age. 

Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference. 

Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers. 

Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive. 

A Playful (and Powerful) Solution

Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish. 

Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety. 

In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients. 

Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.

Bubbles at Home and Beyond

Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.  

CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today. 

At a towering 7’1”, Beau Brown has a huge problem. As a literal giant, Beau has to continually duck under door frames, hunt extensively for shoe stores that offer size 18, and account for legroom everywhere he goes. As he was going on a five hour long flight, he paid an extra $150 for a Delta Comfort Plus seat for enough legroom to just modestly fit inside the plane. Unfortunately, it not only didn’t provide enough legroom, but he had to keep his neck bent to fit under the overhead bin above him. “Luckily, there was an angel in front of me,” said Beau.

The person sitting next to Beau remarked, “Dude, you barely fit in this one,” as Beau took it all in good nature, and chatted with his seat neighbor and their cute dog. Overhearing their conversation and seeing Beau’s discomfort, a petite woman sitting right in front of Beau offered him her exit row seat.

@bigbeaubrown That was about to be a brutal 5 hours! Shout out to my plane seat angel❤️ ♬ original sound – BigBeauBrown

That was about to be a brutal 5 hours! Shout out to my plane seat angel❤️

“Do you want to switch seats with me?” the woman asked. “I’m very short.”

Beau accepted her offer and graciously thanked her. The woman even picked up the chocolate bar he accidentally dropped in the aisle and gave it to him as he switched seats. While it wasn’t enough room for a fully comfortable plane ride, it was significantly better and safer for him to sit there.

“That was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me on a plane,” said Beau.

This isn’t the first time Beau has had seat issues on planes. In 2021, he was kicked off his flight for being too tall and had to go on a different flight with a bigger plane. Even a first class seat didn’t fit him.

@bigbeaubrown I didn’t fit on my plane so they gave me first class. It was probably because of my @cuts hoodie and joggers. They said dang this dude got CLASS. First class was still tight. #fyp #travel #tall ♬ Infinity – Jaymes Young

I didn’t fit on my plane so........

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