It’s never been easier to keep up with what’s going on in the world. The news is everywhere – in our Facebook feeds, on the morning commute, during that lazy half hour before you switch off the TV and go to bed. But the tide of global affairs is often more upsetting than uplifting and it can be tempting to bury our heads in the sand. As the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words, so to offer a different perspective we've rounded up seven of the most memorable images of the last seven days' events, captured by the best photojournalists on the planet.
Syrian youths practise parkour in Aleppo, northern Syria, on 7th April 2018. In the absence of special facilities and equipment for the sport, such as padding to protect against falls, athletes often risk serious injury. And parkour in east Aleppo comes with an additional challenge: remnants of war.
Photo: GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images
Christian Orthodox worshippers hold up candles lit from the Holy Fire as they gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City on 7th April 2018 during the Orthodox Easter. The ceremony, celebrated in the same way for 11 centuries, is marked by the appearance of 'sacred fire' in the two cavities on either side of the Holy Sepulchre.
Photo: GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images
A 120-year-old Rohingya woman, Azime Khatun, who fled from oppression in Myanmar into Bangladesh, receives medical treatment at Sahra hospital, built by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) at Balukhali camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on 8th April 2018.
Photo: Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
This picture, taken on 6th April 2018, shows an Indian Hindu devotee performing rituals as she participates in a religious festival, Velvel, dedicated to Hindu goddess Muththumari Amman, in Bandel, around 75km north of Kolkata. Devotees inflict pain on themselves by undergoing different ritualistic events for the wellbeing of their family with the belief that the goddess will save them from all evils and problems for the next year. This is observed during the last month of the Hindu calendar.
Photo: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images
A picture released by Télam (the Argentine national news agency) showing rescue workers and locals helping a stranded whale in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on 9th April 2018. The whale died despite rescue efforts.
Photo: DIEGO IZQUIERDO/AFP/Getty Images
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, 10th April 2018 in Washington, DC.
Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
Hannah Martin of England competes during the rhythmic gymnastics on day seven of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre on 11th April 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Plus-size blogger Anna O’Brien has recently spoken out against being told to "cover up" her body at a prearranged photoshoot in a Las Vegas hotel. Booked in with the PR team, O’Brien organised a swimwear shoot in the Sin City hotel on 10th April. She explicitly confirmed she would be shooting swimsuits for her fashion and lifestyle blog, Glitter and Lazers.
The hotel reportedly replied that she “was welcome to shoot anywhere in the hotel except the casino floor, provided [she] had no large equipment.” The gold lobby where O’Brien went to pose in her Curvy Beach bikini was free to use, approved by the hotel and an excellent spot for look book shots.
Almost immediately after hitting the marble floor and beginning to pose, O’Brien and her photographer were approached by security and told to put on clothing, as she “wasn’t allowed to wear a swimsuit.” Defeated, she returned to her room, Yahoo Style reports, but decided to try again an hour later. The same scene played out – O’Brien says she was told she needed to put on clothes over her one-piece or leave.
This time, O’Brien tried to argue: She explained her agreement with the hotel’s PR and showed security personnel their email correspondence. Again, she was forced to leave. While this could have been a misunderstanding between hotel staff, O’Brien took to Instagram on Wednesday to discuss the larger social implication of this refusal.
“I find it ironic that I’ve taken photos in swimsuits all over the world and the one place I was told to cover up was Las Vegas,” the social media star captioned her photo. “Sure, thin girls in thοngs and pasties are A-OK but a plus girl in a full coverage suit, trying to take an epic editorial shot - now that’s just too much. Jokes on them though, I’d already gotten the perfect photo. They can’t erase this happened. I’m learning as I push myself to do more editorial type concepts, the push back is greater. But that’s why I push. It’s more than just a girl in the city of sin in a bikini, It’s a statement. We will be seen. We’re not hiding anymore. And we’re going to wear whatever we want, wherever we want. Not just in Vegas. EVERYWHERE. Change is coming; the question is are you going to stand in the way or help us push through?”
By being told to cover up while others wore the same amount of clothing, O’Brien was not only left out of pocket for the cost of her trip – which she made specifically to shoot in the hotel – but also belittled for being in swimwear in a city that is said to celebrate women’s bodies. Whether a showgirl, a stripper or simply a #girlboss on holiday, you can be as naked as you want on the Las Vegas strip – as long as you’re a thin woman. And as O’Brien put it, this is emblematic of a society-wide problem.
Nonetheless, Anna O’Brien has used this setback as a way to inspire. This bikini shot is not just a plus-size style post, but an act of defiance. By existing openly, happily, in as few or as many clothes as she likes – and building a career out of it – O’Brien is fighting for fat acceptance. By openly discussing her “push backs” she’s helping those who can’t speak out about their struggle.
“For spring, I want something super fresh but still flirty, with that va va voom, you know?” Estée Lauder’s Global Beauty Director Violette is chatting through her first collection for the beauty giant, Poppy Sauvage, which launched this week and is just about the most flattering collection we’ve tried yet. Violette – who, it’s worth noting, is also a makeup artist, beauty consultant and influencer with a 205k-strong Instagram following – is the perfect model for her own range, her tousled waves and Parisian style all the advertisement her products need.
Thankfully, though, Poppy Sauvage actually lives up to the hype. Made up of seven products, Violette was looking to create something fresh and wearable for spring. “I used to take the train from Paris to Provence and witness the sun rise over all the fields in bloom, particularly the poppy fields,” she explains. “When I did my research about the poppies, I found out they're different from every other poppy in the world. They're true red, whereas others are slightly orange. This makeup collection is all about my 'printemps souvenir', or my spring memory. When the light hits the poppies just right, the fields turn gold, pink and copper, like they’re suddenly on fire with colour. It’s so vibrant, it gives me so much energy. Combining all of these shades in one collection is my way to recharge for a new season after the frost of winter melts away.”
First up is the Pure Color Envy Sculpting Blush Duo in Soleil Doré and Camélia. A velvety blush duo in nude and pink, it brings a soft touch of colour to your skin, and the shades can be used individually or blended together. “My favourite blush is ombre, so I designed this to start with the nude and then go to pink on the apples of the cheek,” Violette explains. “For women with rosacea, I'd avoid the pink as it will bring out the redness in your own skin.” There’s the Soft Glow For Lips & Cheeks in La Rosée, which means ‘the dew’ in French. “This is my favourite in the range; it's a little pot of transparent balm that you apply to the cheekbones, brow bones, Cupid's bow – for girls that wear a lot of foundation it puts the texture back into the skin.” A do-it-all pot that works beautifully over colour-pop shadow or just to bring some glow to winter-ravaged skin, we’re making this a permanent fixture in our handbags.
Directly inspired by the sunlight hitting those poppy fields, the eyeshadow offering, Pure Color Envy Sculpting EyeShadow 5-Color Palette in Les Nudes de Soleil, allows you to sculpt and shape your eyes as desired, thanks to the lighter golden hues and deeper earthy shades. This palette works both wet and dry; we’re applying with our fingers for a more lived-in, nonchalant feel. The colours also work nicely with the Deluxe Eye Crayon in Terre d’Or, which makes it easy to recreate that subtle, smoky eye French girls have down pat. “I always do makeup on the go, so I created an eye stick that you can use in the lift, in the car, with no light and no mirror – it's mistake-proof." How would Violette apply it? “Run it over your eyelid, then blend with your finger, and you'll get this very French, messy smoky eye.”
Finally, there are three lip shades, which are the highlights of the range. Pure Color Envy Paint-On Liquid LipColor in Poppy Sauvage is a rich, matte liquid shade and may just be the perfect red. Violette says it was important to her to get this shade just right. “What I love about this red is that when you go into natural light it turns super fluorescent as it mirrors a flower and absorbs the light. It stays matte and there's no transfer, so you can kiss all night, too!” Our picks of the Poppy Sauvage collection, though, are Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Poésie and Vin Noir. Poésie is a nudey, dusky pink that will convert even those most committed to a red lip, thanks to its universally flattering tone. It works just as nicely as a cheek blush, too. As for Vin Noir: finally, a lipstick you can wear while drinking red wine. It looks very dark in the tube but, thanks to a flash of raspberry, is more playful than it appears; best of all, it conceals that dreaded red wine mouth. “I blend the edge of my lips in Vin Noir, as it’s the best way to wear a dark colour,” Violette explains. The formula of both these wonder products is super creamy and therefore comfortable on the lip; simply blot with tissue to remove excess moisture and it stays put through breakfast and coffee.
We were bound to fall for Violette’s first Estée Lauder collection, but this universally wearable limited edition offering genuinely delivers, and has us dreaming of summer sunsets – preferably in Provence.
A far-right European feminist group accused of racialising sexual violence will arrive in London to deliver a controversial talk this weekend.
The group, named #120db and based in Germany, takes its name from the sound volume of a personal pocket alarm. They claim to highlight the problem of "imported violence", by which they mean sexual violence committed by migrants. #120db is a pan-European and staunchly anti-immigration group that opposes Europe's "wrong immigration policy", which it says puts women and girls at risk.
The UK-based Anti-Fascist Network, made up of independent and grassroots anti-fascist groups, is retaliating by staging a counter-talk at the same location from 10am on the same day. Its 'Anti Fascist Feminism' event will address "the kinds of violence women face... and what we can do about it."
Part of the uproar against #120db stems from the fact that one of the group's founders, Annika Franziska, who will be giving Sunday's talk, is a member of Generation Identity, a European-wide 'identitarian' movement that Hope Not Hate says advocates 'ethnopluralism', namely, segregation along racial lines. Online magazine for WoC gal-dem describes Generation Identity as an "abhorrent racist movement".
Franziska will also be talking at a 'European Reunion conference' hosted by Generation Identity in London on Saturday 14th April, which aims to "help people learn more about the Identitarian movement ", a white nationalist movement that began in France and calls for an end to multiculturalism.
Hope Not Hate said the conference was "evidence of the importance the [Generation Identity] leadership in Europe are placing on the fledgling UK branch as their gateway to the Anglosphere," and told Refinery29 that GI members are also likely to be in attendance at Franziska's talk on Sunday.
Franziska and co say their movement is "the true #MeToo" and they have been described as "attempting to ride the coattails" of the feminist hashtag. In a promotional video for #120db on its website, titled "#120dB The Truth Behind European Immigration", a number of women who say they represent victims of sexual violence state that they "are not secure" as they go about their daily lives, due to Europe's open borders and immigration policy.
"Because of your immigration policies, we are facing soon a majority of young men that come from archaic societies with no women's rights," says one woman in the video.
The women continue: "It can't go on like this. Pepper spray and pocket alarms already are the basic equipment of European women. Going jogging has become the most dangerous sport for us. We are not putting up with this. We get organised. We defend ourselves. We strike back."
The group claims they are not racist, saying: "You will find many statistics, which show you how there is a clear connection between increasing migration and increasing reports of sexual assault.” Many migrants, they claim, are influenced by "the misogynistic cultural-conditioning that [they] inherit from majority-Muslim countries where in many cases women are treated like second-class citizens."
However, the Anti-Fascist Network argues that #120db "peddle fake news and capitalise on abuse for their own political purposes", calling the group's tactics "fascism 101".
Annika Franziska of Generation Identity & 120dB will be at Speaker’s Corner on Sun 120dB say they "highlight migrant violence against women" = peddle fake news & capitalise on abuse for their own political purposes. It's fascism 101 Join us to oppose themhttps://t.co/Z3NjBDVQIEpic.twitter.com/sdZqVJ8x8e
— Anti-Fascist Network (@AntiFascistNetw) April 12, 2018
"They ask their governments to shut down borders, deport migrants (and the usual junk) claiming that migrants and refugees are responsible for a 'sexual violence epidemic in our streets' (sound familiar?). They say they care about women and don’t understand why other feminist movements don’t. In other words, White Supremacist nonsense pretending to be feminism."
The network is calling on its supporters to bring banners, snacks and glitter to its anti-fascist feminist event: "Let's make this into a party!"
When you picture a woman who's an alcoholic, you might visualise someone who's down on their luck, who reeks of alcohol, and who can't handle themselves after having one drink too many, à la Emily Blunt's character in The Girl On The Train.
But the reality is often different. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, for women in America, "at-risk" or "heavy" drinking involves more than three alcoholic drinks on any day, or more than seven drinks per week — which, to some of us, may not seem like that much. If you've exceeded that number throughout your life, you're not the only one. A study from last year found that Americans, particularly women, are consuming more and more alcohol throughout the years.
Yet we have vastly different expectations for men and women when it comes to alcoholism. In her book, The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath, writer Leslie Jamison delves into the stories we tell about addiction, using her own experience as well as the stories of artists throughout history who've struggled with alcoholism.
Here, Jamison talks to Refinery29 about how we perceive addiction as it relates to men and women of different racial and class backgrounds — and the effects those impressions have on how we help people recover.
How do you think gender plays a role in how we perceive people with addictions?
"There’s a really well-worn groove in the cultural imagination for the 'male genius drunk' who was a little bit of a rogue, and maybe dysfunctional or destructive, but there was something charming about this dysfunction, and that self-destruction was related to his genius and the art he made.
"Female drunks are more likely to be seen as melodramatic, histrionic, self-indulgent, and all sorts of perceptions seem to be attached to women that I think has to do with the different expectations around caregiving that we bring to women. If you’re expected to be a caregiver, it’s easier to see getting drunk or using substances as a failure of that caregiving task."
What do you think a stereotypical alcoholic in America looks like to people?
"I think people probably have a few different models in mind. On one extreme, there’s a Skid Row, down-and-out, completely at the end of his rope, wino stereotype. But I also think people have the model of the alcoholic housewife who’s sneaking drinks from a bottle tucked in the back of the pantry. There’s also the alcoholic businessman who gets flushed on planes and hotel bars.
"But I think there’s more space in the cultural imagination than there used to be for the high-functioning alcoholic who might not necessarily seem to be completely falling apart from the outside, but for whom alcoholism is a corrosive force nonetheless."
Certain kinds of drinking seem more acceptable when you’re in college or in your mid-20s.
Do you think those stereotypes differ based on race and class?
"I certainly think that’s one manifestation of systemic racism in America, that minority communities are disproportionately associated with addictions. And addiction tends to get narrated in terms of vice, crime, and betrayal of the social contract when we’re talking about people of colour versus white people, who, I don’t want to completely generalise, but are more likely to be afforded the privilege of having their addiction seen in terms of suffering, illness, psychic complexity, interior anguish."
Would you say that drinking a lot is more socially acceptable among college-age women or women in their 20s? Why or why not?
"I certainly think that certain kinds of drinking seem more acceptable when you’re in college or in your mid-20s, and then maybe that same amount of drinking would seem more out of place among a group of 35-year-olds, or around young children.
"People just age out of certain drinking patterns, and over the years, just looking at my own life and other people’s lives, I was really struck by the same amount of drinking, measuring it by volume, it might play out two different ways in two different lives.
"Someone can be a heavy drinker who just likes to get drunk, but it hasn’t yet created that feeling of total need or dependency. You might have those friends who are heavy drinkers, but it’s very easy for them to go for a night without drinking and they wouldn’t know the difference — it’s just that when they do drink, they like to get drunk. But it’s different than someone who, every time they go for a day without drinking, it’s a really big deal psychologically, and it feels like deprivation every time they’re not allowed to get that relief of a drink at the end of the day. That’s certainly what it felt like for me, and I was aware that with the amount I drank, maybe someone else could drink that amount and they wouldn’t become attached to the same negative emotional consequences and feelings of obsession."
A lot has been made of the fact that you accomplished so much while going through alcoholism. What do you think it means to be a high-functioning alcoholic?
"There’s a lot of impulse to be like, Well, it’s not a real addiction if it doesn’t take your job away, or it doesn’t take your kid away. But there’s a shared experience of deep obsession and deep dependence and that can take different paths, and it’s sort of like for people maybe who haven’t struggled with [addiction], the external signifiers can seem really important.
"For me, the impulse to achieve and the impulse to get drunk are completely linked together. They happen to coexist. The same parts of me that wanted to get every single gold star or that wanted to prove I was good enough to myself, my family, my partner, institutions, that ceaseless desire to be good enough, came in part from a fear that I wasn’t good enough, and that fear in turn had the power to produce so much anxiety. And those anxieties produced the desire to get drunk, and I spent so much of my life trying to have everything together and being in control that it also produces a deep desire to surrender control and let things fall apart a little. When you’ve been holding onto the reins so tightly, sometimes at the end of the day, you want to let go, and drinking allows you to do that."
Do you think being a high-functioning alcoholic affects how you get help?
"I think being high-functioning, having a certain amount of privilege, has everything to do with what perception gets attached to you. But one of the things I really like about Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-step recovery is that it’s pretty democratically accessible, so you can have lost a lot and show up, you can have lost a little and show up, you can be wealthy and show up, you can be not wealthy and show up. The fact that it’s a free programme and there is a tremendous diversity in the programme — age diversity, racial diversity, class diversity, vocational diversity — means that I think many people feel included, rather than it serving a specific subset of society. And that’s not to say it works for everyone or appeals to everyone, but it’s one of the few spaces I’ve seen organic non-hierarchical recovery."
What would you want to change about the way we view women and alcoholism?
"I guess I would love for women who are struggling with addiction, whether it’s alcohol or some other substance, to be viewed with compassion, no matter their race or class, no matter what their substance of choice is, and hopefully to remove that element of judgment that can come in, either because of the constructions of women as self-pitying or prone to drama, or the construction that women are supposed to be caregivers, so there’s a moral failure implicit in any woman who’s surrendering to the self-indulgence of getting drunk. [I want] to lift that ethical accusation out of the perception of female alcoholics."
It's common knowledge that many young people are lonely. Even though we're increasingly connected via social media, living in our family homes for longer and often crammed like sardines in shared flats, we're failing to truly connect with one another. Just this week official figures found that 16-to-24-year-olds are more than three times as likely to feel "always or often" more lonely than people over 64.
According to the Office for National Statistics, almost one in 10 of young adults regularly feel lonely – the highest proportion of any age group and far higher than the elderly, who, ONS say, could become "more resilient to loneliness" in their old age. The mental and physical health risks of loneliness in any age group have been known and written about for a while, with studies deeming it more dangerous to health than smoking and obesity and calls for it to be named a public health hazard.
So, it's no wonder that academics, health professionals and technology specialists are putting their heads together in a bid to combat the issue. The latest piece of kit designed to "cure" loneliness is unusual. Roboticists from Yonsei University and KAIST in South Korea have created a prototype robot specifically for lonely young people.
Named Fribo (and looking distinctly like the character Scratch from the Dragon Ball cartoon series), the little black device is designed to make people feel more connected to their friends and encourage them to reach out to one another, by broadcasting what they're up to at any given time in a "virtual living space". In practice, it means that if you're making yourself dinner, cleaning your flat or just chilling in front of Netflix (again), you'll be able to let your pals know.
Fribo has a microphone and a sensor to track your movements but doesn't move and can't record, so is said to maintain users' privacy, Hackaday reports. It passively monitors your home and when it notices you doing something it recognises, such as opening the front door or fridge door, it tells your friends.
Your friends then have two options if they want to start an interaction: knocking to express their curiosity or clapping to demonstrate empathy.
But would solo millennials actually want to be greeted by a robot after a long day? Based on a sample of young people who spoke to Refinery29, the answer is no. Tamika, a 32-year-old who lived alone for three years until recently, called Fribo "creepy" and said that knowing what her friends were doing in their homes wouldn't necessarily make her more inclined to contact them. If anything, it could make her withdraw into herself even more.
"I have a tendency to lurk on social media and if they were doing something fun I'd just get more FOMO. It might even have the opposite effect. If I already know what my friends are doing, why would I need to call them?," she added. "It might discourage people from meeting up IRL because there'd be an illusion of contact."
In the same way that social media, particularly Instagram posts and Stories, can give you a false sense that you're up-to-date with what's going on in your friends' lives, Fribo could make you feel like you don't need to see them or talk to them, Tamika continued. A "robot equivalent of a pet" or something you could interact with directly would arguably be more effective at making users feel less lonely, she said.
Violet, a 23-year-old student, who lived alone for a year in London before recently moving to her own place abroad, said "technology is not a replacement for human interaction," and questioned why lonely people couldn't just get off their phones and see people in the flesh.
"I have people over for dinner or go over to theirs when I feel lonely," she said. "I check Instagram or call them if I want to know what they're up to. The idea of spending time with a robot rather than just talking directly to people is incredibly depressing."
26-year-old Nadia was less averse to the idea but still didn't believe it would help young people to nurture important relationships. "I think it's a cute idea that could bring people together if everyone in a friend group had their own device," she told Refinery29. Although the novelty would likely wear off, she added.
What's more, she believes it wouldn't necessarily help people to forge deep connections with one another. "My best relationships are based on vulnerability and mutually opening up to each other about deep stuff, and having a robot tracking your every move and broadcasting it to people doesn't do much to create meaningful bonds."
I'm a diehard Swiftie but even I understand that some things should be left well-enough alone. That includes Earth Wind And Fire's "September," a certified classic that cannot be improved upon, least of all by slowing it down.
To be fair, Swift is known for her covers. She did a whole slew of them during her 1989 world tour, and it seems like Reputation will be no exception. Today, along with Spotify, the pop star released stripped-down, acoustic versions of both "Delicate," her own song, and "September." The thing is, a stripped-down, acoustic version of "September" takes away pretty much everything that's great about it, and the people of Twitter certainly noticed.
"If you were curious to hear what unseasoned boiled chicken breast sounded like in song, take a listen to Taylor Swift cover Earth, Wind & Fire," tweeted writer Michael Arceneaux.
If you were curious to hear what unseasoned boiled chicken breast sounded like in song, take a listen to Taylor Swift cover Earth, Wind & Fire. https://t.co/5x1Ecwc1cw
"Taylor Swift covering Earth Wind and Fire is the exact kind of evil the Devil tries to bring to pass on Friday the 13th," wrote Shondaland editor Kendra James. "I suggest tossing some salt over your shoulder keeping it moving."
Taylor Swift covering Earth Wind and Fire is the exact kind of evil the Devil tries to bring to pass on Friday the 13th. I suggest tossing some salt over your shoulder keeping it moving.
— Kendra James, the "Literary Racist" (@KendraJames_) April 13, 2018
"Honestly, everyone is entitled to their tastes/opinions but the Taylor Swift backlash flock mentality has more than gotten old," wrote singer Dean Boudreau. "So what if she recorded a cover and you think it's boring. How many boring cover songs exist in the world? Did you write thinkpieces about all of them?"
Honestly, everyone is entitled to their tastes/opinions but the Taylor Swift backlash flock mentality has more than gotten old. So what if she recorded a cover and you think it's boring. How many boring cover songs exist in the world? Did you write thinkpieces about all of them?
"angry about taylor swift’s september cover? fear not for i have a stunningly elegant and creative solution!" another fan tweeted. "step 1: don’t listen to it step 2: continue to not listen to it step 3: repeat"
angry about taylor swift’s september cover? fear not for i have a stunningly elegant and creative solution!
step 1: don’t listen to it
step 2: continue to not listen to it
step 3: repeat
— leading sessioner prosecutor (@kohesivekloss) April 13, 2018
Considering this is going down the same week Cardi B's Invasion Of Privacybroke Swift's streaming record, it's not a good day for the singer. Where do you fall on "September"-gate? Are you as mad as I am that it's happening in April? Do you care at all?
Maddie (Inbar Lavi), the central figure of Bravo's Imposters, is ruthless — although you’d never guess it, looking at her. That precise disconnect between appearance and reality is how Maddie has kept her career as a professional con woman (and professional heartbreaker) going for so long. In season 1 of Imposters, which is currently on Virgin Media On Demand, we’re introduced to the template of Maddie’s con. Each time, Maddie assumes a new appearance and identity, calculatedly makes a moneyed man or woman fall in love for her, then marries them after a courtship period your mother would almost certainly deem “too short.” Once Maddie has access to her new partner’s funds, she cleans out their bank account, and disappears.
Maddie’s con (literally) catches up to her when three of her former spouses — Ezra Bloom (Rob Heaps), Richard Evans (Parker Young), and Jules (Marianne Rendon) — track her down in Seattle, where she’s moved onto her next target. Their journey to Seattle isn't simple. Since neither Ezra nor Richard nor Jules have any money, they, too, have to turn to simple cons to fund their cross-country trip. Over the course of the journey, Ezra, Richard, and Jules unlock a nimbleness on par with Maddie’s.
Clearly, Imposters, the second season of which premiered on April 5, is a show that celebrates the con artistry of very, very attractive criminals. But it’s also strangely empowering. Call me the hipster grifter, but there is an undeniable thrill in watching people pull off elaborate, complicated hoaxes. Let me rephrase: There’s an undeniable thrill in watching a woman pull off these hoaxes, and using her intelligence and skill to get what she wants.
Maybe that thrill is why I’ve been talking about Imposters to everyone, including strangers in the grocery line. For one, the show is breezy, fun, and goes down like a glass of lemonade during a June twilight. Aside from being a delight, Imposters is low-key empowering. A modern, self-aware femme fatale, Maddie uses the expectations of femininity to lure people in — and she's unapologetic about it. What are trappings to the rest of us are tools for Maddie.
That said, even though Imposters features a strong woman lead outsmarting loads of susceptible men, I question whether it's actually a feminist show. The show espouses the notion that if a woman looks and acts a certain way, she'll be irresistible, and that manipulating people using societally enforced expectations of femininity is ultimately permissible. So far, Maddie has evaded punishment, and her exes have, more or less, forgiven her for callously using them.
My opinion might be different if Maddie were pulling off these epic, man-trapping cons because she really, really wanted to, but that isn't the case. In the first season, we learn that Maddie works for a dangerous man who employs a network of con artists. She's entirely trapped into assuming this femme fatale personality, until she breaks free at the season's end. Once she's liberated, Maddie must confront the repercussions a lifetime of con-artistry has had on her ability to form actual human connections. Short story: She can't anymore.
What I relish in Imposters isn’t the manner in which Maddie cons people, which is borderline questionable. It’s that Maddie, and soon her ex-spouses, so wholeheartedly believe in their abilities. In Imposters, I watch people experience the feelings I occasionally have — "Am I good enough? Is someone going to uncover me?" – and then deal with those feelings in an exaggerated, impossible, yet totally satisfying way. Essentially, Maddie and her gang of ex-spouses sidestep imposter syndrome by becoming full-fledged imposters. How convenient!
The characters in Imposters — especially Maddie — are dangerously good at manipulation and convincing people of various lies. I stress that they are liars, cheaters, and terrible role models. But, in a way, they've become a chorus of well-intentioned devils on my shoulder, inspiring me to believe in my abilities as much as they believe in theirs. If I can convince others, maybe I can convince myself, and vanquish imposter syndrome forever.
Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money.
As everyone knows, we're in the middle of a housing crisis. Millennials are finding it harder than ever to get their feet on the property ladder. Many are struggling to save for a deposit, an increasing number are turning to their parents for help while the rest of us are losing huge amounts of money in exorbitant rent each month.
We decided to profile several different women who went about purchasing their house in different ways. This week, we're with a woman who, at 23, was able to buy her first flat, with help from her parents and money she was able to save living at home. She acknowledges how lucky she was to have this help and realises that, without it, she wouldn't have been able to buy.
Age: 23 when I bought the flat Job: IT product manager Salary: £41,000 House price: £185,500
Location: Kent, just outside London. About 10 minutes from my parents’ house and halfway between the motorway and the nearest station. I currently drive to work so I need to be near the motorway, but I knew I’d be living here a while so being near a station was important for getting into London at the weekend. In the end I paid less for a place outside of walking distance from the station but on a good bus route.
House type: It’s a purpose-built one-bedroom, one-bathroom flat. It was new about two years before I bought it off the first owner. There are a lot of new builds in my area and they’re all being done to a really high specification but that meant they were considerably more expensive.
Mortgage type: I took a standard mortgage with five years' fixed interest. I considered using Help to Buy, but I didn’t want to stretch myself with the monthly payments for a more expensive place. I wanted fixed payments for longer, though now my bank is offering much lower interest mortgages I’ll be looking at my options after two years to see whether lower payments would offset any early remortgaging fees.
Did you buy this house by yourself or with a partner/friend? I bought it myself.
Why did you decide to buy the house? I wanted to get onto the ladder as soon as I could, and family circumstances meant I had access to a good deposit. I’ll be honest though, I only looked at this flat and one other... and this one was perfect, so I made an offer and had it accepted in two days! I knew I wanted something I could afford to live in alone and without much work to be done, which there aren’t many of around here, so I jumped on it.
Deposit
How much was your deposit and where did it come from? I was extremely lucky that my parents gave me £50,000 as a deposit. They’d saved all their married lives for it so my sibling and I could each get on the property ladder; I wouldn’t have been in a position to buy at this age without help from my parents. I’m really grateful to them because I know they missed out on a lot to be able to help us out so generously.
How long had you been saving for and how did you manage to save? I saved around £10,000 of my own in just under two years while I was living with family for minimal rent. I used this to pay for conveyancing, stamp duty, the mortgage fee and some furnishings.
Total: £50,000
Mortgage
Mortgage advisor fee: n/a
Mortgage booking fee: n/a
Mortgage arrangement fee: £999. I opted to pay for this upfront so it wasn’t added to my mortgage. I had planned to add it to the amount I borrowed but after doing some research about how much the interest adds up I was paranoid about it. It seemed like a good idea to pay it straightaway but it was £999 out of my own savings that I hadn’t planned to spend.
Mortgage valuation fee: n/a – included with the mortgage
Total: £999
Buying Fees
Stamp duty: £1,210
Surveyor’s fee: We didn't have one as the property was only two years old when I bought it, I just had the standard bank valuation carried out. It’s still covered under the 10-year new homes guarantee.
Legal fees: £2,500. I was so excited to have my offer accepted and it asked me for my solicitor's details, so I used the recommended company from the estate agent. I realised afterwards I could have saved a lot of money if I’d looked around a little beforehand.
Electronic transfer fee: £50. It was these sort of fees I didn’t pay much attention to. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t a huge amount of money, but I wish I’d been more mindful when I started budgeting. It also came as a shock when I realised my bank wouldn’t authorise transactions over £10,000 in one day when I was transferring my deposit. I’d never contemplated that amount of money coming in and out of my account, so I hadn’t checked how much it would cost to move around.
Estate agent's fee: £0 as I was a first-time buyer.
Total: £3,760
Post-buying Costs
Moving costs: £50 for petrol. I didn’t have any of my own furniture, so I just moved all my clothes and books in my car. I had all my new furniture delivered to the new flat.
Work done on the house before moving in: £100. My mum and I spent about three days cleaning the entire flat so I didn’t have to pay anyone professionally. It just cost me a pizza and a bottle of wine in return! The only professional cleaning I had done was my oven, which the seller had left in a disgusting state, so I paid £60 to have it deep cleaned. It was the most grown-up I’ve ever felt, even after buying a property! I also painted the bedroom and living room as it was very neutral before so I wanted to put my own stamp on it.
Work done on the house after moving in: £60. I’d bought a beautiful glittery bathroom cabinet that weighed about 15kg… to go on plasterboard. I had to pay someone to put it up just to have peace of mind it wasn’t going to fall down. The rest of the flat was in fairly good condition so there wasn’t any work to be done.
Items bought for the house after moving in: £7,500. Even though I’d saved plenty of money theoretically, I went way over when furnishing my flat. I’d budgeted really strictly for all the big pieces of furniture and bought things secondhand where I could, but I didn’t realise how quickly things for the kitchen and soft furnishings would add up. Do you know how much curtains and light fittings cost?! I started putting a few things on my credit card. I’d always paid it off in full before, so I figured I’d do the same going forwards. But £200 became £2,000 really quickly and I’m still paying it off now – I always exceed my minimum payments but the mortgage will always be the priority now. Sometimes I wish I’d controlled myself a bit more, but I love everything I bought for my flat so I can’t say I regret it.
Mail redirection: £0 – I was living with family before, so I didn’t worry too much about whether all my mail was changed over immediately.
Total: £7,710
Ongoing Costs
Insurance: £90 a year (£7.50 per month) paid upfront for contents insurance – as it’s a leasehold property, the property management company has buildings insurance so I only needed contents insurance. Another thing on my credit card though. I also had to pay £100 to my car insurer as my new address was more expensive to insure, plus a £25 admin fee, and I added critical illness cover to my mortgage for £21 a month so that if I can’t work for a period of time, my mortgage will be paid.
Council tax: £105 a month (includes a 25% discount because I live alone).
Bills: Around £170 including satellite TV. I had real problems setting the bills up when I moved in and the water company didn’t realise there was even a flat at my address (the woman I bought it from never paid a water bill!), so when I finally got it sorted I had to pay off what I’d used since I moved in, so my bills are slightly higher for now. My internet is also supplied by a company which has a contract for the development I live in, so I couldn’t shop around for a cheaper broadband deal or package it with my TV.
Monthly mortgage payment: £611
Leaseholders cost: It depends on the annual management company budget but around £90 a month, plus £60 twice a year ground rent.
Total: £1,014.50 a month (+£125 one-off for car insurance)
The Breakdown:
Deposit: £50,000 Mortgage: £999 Buying Fees: £3,760 Post-buying Costs: £7,710 Ongoing Costs: £1,014.50 a month (+£125 one-off for car insurance)
Total: £63,608.50 – so, almost £65,000.
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Welcome to It's Lit – a series of discussions about books. Join us every month to find out who's reading what.
Author Sharlene Teo has “very specific” reading habits. “If I’ve just read a novel I’ll move on to a short story collection – I’m trying to read more nonfiction and biographies because I think being a wider reader makes you better at writing, I’m trying to branch out more,” she explains. The first-time novelist has been writing since she was a teenager, penning poetry and short stories while she was still at school in Singapore. “I don’t think I could write a short story to save my life now,” she laughs, “I can only focus on one thing at a time. But I always wanted to be a writer, I always tried to write.”
Her debut, Ponti, is a lush, atmospheric tapestry set in Singapore that weaves the tale of three women whose lives intersect across several decades. A multilayered book about friendship, memory and transformation, Ponti won the inaugural Deborah Rogers Writers' Award in 2016 and was described as “remarkable” by Ian McEwan, who presented Teo with the prize.
Ahead of the book’s release, we met with Teo in her west London flat to find out what inspired Ponti, why she’s not interested in reading about her own experience and the novel way she chooses what to read next.
What are you reading right now?
I’ve become a kind of omnivorous reader. I used to be a one-book-only kind of person but I currently have three books on the go. One of them is a collection of short stories by Nabokov, called Nabokov’s Dozen; one is a nonfiction book by Jenny Diski called What I Don’t Know About Animals, which I love; and the third is a Singaporean historical novel called State of Emergency.
When and where do you read?
The Tube, the bus – I read when I’m travelling, I read on the bed, on my sofa, I read everywhere.
Do you have a Kindle?
I do have one. I was technologically curious to have one but I find I have very limited engagement with the Kindle.
Where do you buy your books? Do you have a favourite bookshop?
In Singapore there’s a big bookshop called Kinokuniya, which I would spend ages just browsing in as a teenager; it was very formative when I was growing up. In London I have a big soft spot for Foyles, there’s something very magical about it. I like something like AbeBooks too because everything you buy has this other life – it comes from a public library in America or something – and also they take a while to arrive so sometimes you forget you ordered it and it’s a nice surprise to come home to.
What were your favourite books growing up?
It was all about Margaret Atwood and Márquez – I remember reading One Hundred Years of Solitude during my exam period when I was in secondary school. I was part of this creative arts school in Singapore and I attended a summer school for writing where we were introduced to a lot of Singaporean authors. Most of them were poets and I really, really loved this particular poet called Cyril Wong when I was a teenager. He’s a really beautiful lyrical poet; I grew up reading his collections and I loved them.
What’s the curriculum like in Singapore for literature?
It’s pretty Westernised; we need to decolonise it but it’s got a lot better in terms of local fiction and there are a lot of Singapore writers that are coming up now, which is great.
Any Singaporean writers you’d recommend?
Jeremy Tiang and Tan Mei Ching – she’s a short story writer, she’s great.
Is there a book you always come back to?
Yeah, I’ve read Love in the Time of Cholera a couple of times and I always go back to No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July. I love that book. I refer to them a lot.
Do you have a favourite author?
I have several but I keep going back to Carson McCullers and Shirley Jackson, I absolutely love her. She’s most famous for The Haunting of Hill House but I recommend starting with We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I actually mention in Ponti. I just read her biography ( A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin) and it was exceptional; that was my introduction to biographies and I’m looking out for more like that.
What book makes you cry?
The saddest book I’ve ever read is Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin. It cuts out my heart and eats it for lunch. I love that book.
How do you choose what to read next?
I’m trying to read in a particular pattern at the moment; I’m alternating between living and dead authors because I’ve come to the realisation that as a debut author you can get into an internet wormhole where you’re just reading other debuts and it’s quite overwhelming. I used to really appreciate the relatable in fiction and obviously there’s been a big discussion about that recently with the viral popularity of "Cat Person", which I think is really interesting but at the same time I’m looking for books that will take me out of my experience. I’m not interested in reading about young women that are trying to write a book [laughs]. I’m looking for things that are more transcendental and teach me about a different sort of consciousness. I’m still very contemporary with my tastes though, and I always have been, I can’t really avoid that. I naturally incline towards women writers; it’s not a conscious decision but I’d say about 80% of my shelves are female writers. I’m also trying to read a lot more in translation and not just Western-centric books.
Do you have a method for organising your bookshelves?
I have a ‘best of’ bookshelf – I’ve read most of what’s on there and I love it all. Everything that I’ve kept I enjoy and I’ve found some value in. I do give away books though – I do culls.
What do you use as a bookmark?
I love this magnetic bookmark but I use all kinds of things; postcards, letters, tickets, and these whale bookmarks I got in Singapore.
Was there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
Besides Cyril Wong, there’s another poet called Richard Siken who has this amazing collection called Crush.
Were there any books that influenced the writing of Ponti?
I think it was more influenced by film than books actually. Definitely Dario Argento’s Giallo (2009) and the horror movies of the '70s. Also, aesthetically I was influenced by Wong Kar-wai’s movies.
Are there any plans to translate it?
Yes, it’s been translated into seven languages, which is really cool.
Which three books would you recommend to a stranger?
Light Years by James Salter because that’s just one of the most beautifully written, honest, true books. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, which is one of my favourite books ever, and I think for the third one, in terms of what I’ve found really exciting and moving, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which is just really beautiful. It’s a remarkable book.
I do an end of year list of what I’ve read during the year and over the last two years there’s been two titles which I’ve found really good: The Border of Paradise by Esmé Weijun Wang – a batshit, proper gothic, modern book – and Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma, which is really sensual and evocative but also intelligent. It’s really interesting for me, as someone who reads and writes for a living, which books stick with you and what resonates – it’s so easy to forget.
Sharlene’s Reading List
Nabokov’s Dozen by Vladimir Nabokov What I Don’t Know About Animals by Jenny Diski State of Emergency by Jeremy Tiang One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez Tilting Our Plates to Catch the Light by Cyril Wong Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian Crush by Richard Siken Light Years by James Salter The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout The Border of Paradise by Esmé Weijun Wang Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma
Ponti by Sharlene Teo is published by Picador and available in hardback and ebook now.
If you've recently walked past your local Zara, noticed an empty shopwindow, and asked yourself what the hell was going on, well, prepare to grab your smartphone. On Thursday, the fast-fashion retailer announced that it has introduced an augmented reality experience at 120 of its stores worldwide, which aims to engage its consumers in an entirely new way.
After downloading the Zara AR app (from either iTunes or Google Play), customers can point their phones at the aforementioned shop window, as well as "via in-store podiums, on boxes they receive delivering online purchases and via dedicated images at zara.com," and models Léa Julian and Fran Summers are brought to life for seven- to 12-second sequences. In the clips, the two present the current Studio Collection by posing, moving, and even talking, offering up an oddly realistic experience. All looks shown can then be ordered directly at the touch of a button or bought locally in the store. And, according to a release, "the app features a tool for sharing the experience on social media, encouraging users to take and submit photos of the holograms, establishing a virtual connection that appears remarkably real."
Still curious how the technology works? In the video below, you can take a closer look at the augmented reality experience before trying it for yourself.
The AR app is just Zara's latest experiment with innovative technology: In January, the retailer opened its first click-and-collect concept store in London. The 2,152 square foot space offered a dedicated area for collecting online purchases, a selection of menswear and womenswear, sales assistants who held mobile devices to help customers with sizes, stock, and collections, and self-service checkout. The store's dressing rooms were just as high-tech, with information screens embedded into mirrors that allowed customers to scan barcodes on items that then offered up "multiple choices for coordinating and combining the piece with other garments and accessories."
As if we needed another reason to feed our Zara obsession, well, its continued intersection of retail and technology — and not just examining how people shop, but providing them new ways to do so — has us coming for back for more. That, and the 4D models, of course.
When you've been blessed with natural curls or coils, you've already got a canvas for some of the coolest hair accessories out there. Stud your 'fro with flowers. Put pearls on the ends of your braids. Hell, you can even stick a few butterflies in your curls, if you're feeling fly. In the midst of all this creativity, we've forgotten about our day one: filigree tubes, or hair cuffs. The tiny decorations, usually sold super-cheaply, were the easiest accessories to clip on to box braids or locs. Now, naturalistas are finding so many ways to wear them — and are giving even the most expensive baubles a run for their money. See the styles we love, ahead.
At Curlfest, we were captured by these black-and-white braided bantu knots.
Over in Colombia, a stylist at Afrik Hair gave their client's curly cornrows some hardware.
Photo: Via @shellyafrikhair.
This arrow-shaped side braid, by Pekela Riley, adds edge to the model's soft brunette curls.
Photo: Via @maneaddicts.
"Get you a friend-muse that puts up w/ your creative bs," photographer Flo Ngala captioned. And clearly, it was worth the investment.
Photo: Via @flongala.
Thankfully, most filigree tubes are made from bendable materials — so you can use them to segment your French braid, like @shanillia26 did on her daughter's hair.
Photo: Via @shanillia26.
All queens deserve a crown... or a crown braid, like YouTuber SimplyNarshaaa. See her helpful tutorial here.
Photo: Via @curlslovenarsha.
If you don't want to braid all of your hair, take a page from KishMyKurls' book and make a smaller plait, leaving the rest of your curls loose.
Photo: Via @kishmykurls.
Lesley has a head full of beautiful brown curls, and the adornments only elevate her 'fro even further.
Photo: Via @freshlengths.
Somehow, all of this beauty's beads don't distract from her braided topknot, as spotted at Afropunk.
But at times, less really is more. This Afropunk attendee only needed three cuffs to make her puffs stand out.
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When all is said and done, it's Karl Lagerfeld who gets the last word. At least, that's what we took away from his latest interview with Numéro, in which he yanked off his leather gloves and snatched every wig within arm's reach. No one was safe: Jonathan Anderson, Jacquemus (though, he thinks the French designer is "pretty"), Virgil Abloh, his lifelong nemeses the late Azzedine Alaïa and Pierre Bergé, and more.
The Belgian creative director, couturier, etc. is aware of his own dark triad-type personality; it's partly why he's so revered — and so famous. But what makes Lagerfeld so disliked by his peers might be interviews like this. (In fact, in his chat with the magazine, he confirms: "All the other designers hate me.") And though we'll let you catch up on everything else he's said and done (we're talking decades worth of shade throwing), in the slideshow ahead, his latest slams are, as he'd have it, on full display.
We're not stirring the pot as much as it's a Saturday morning and we're ripe for a mug of piping hot tea. Head over to Numéro to read the interview in full — trust us, you'll want to — but, in the meantime, who's going to put the call out to Andy Cohen for a Real Housewives of Fashion? Because we think Monsieur Lagerfeld is ready for his peach. Apple? Whatever. C'mon, wig!
Azzedine Alaïa (and Pierre Bergé) "The worst thing about all of this, is that they try and blame me for their problems with working overtime. Azzedine [Alaïa], for example, before falling down the stairs, claimed that the supposedly unsustainable rhythms in fashion today were entirely my fault, which is absurd.
"When you are running a billion-dollar business, you must keep up. And if it doesn’t suit you, then you may as well mess around in your bedroom. I’m sorry but last year I lost my two best enemies Pierre Bergé and the other one. Azzedine loathed me, go figure. And for Pierre’s funeral, my florist asked me, 'Do you want us to send a cactus?'"
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
The #MeToo Movement "I’m fed up with it. I don’t even eat pig [in France the movement’s known as #BalanceTonPorc]. What shocks me most in all of this are the starlets who have taken 20 years to remember what happened. Not to mention the fact there are no prosecution witnesses."
Models "I read somewhere that now you must ask a model if she is comfortable with posing. It's simply too much, from now on, as a designer, you can’t do anything. As for the accusations against the poor Karl Templer, I don’t believe a single word of it. A girl complained he tried to pull her pants down and he is instantly excommunicated from a profession that up until then had venerated him. Its unbelievable.
"If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model! Join a nunnery, there’ll always be a place for you in the convent. They’re recruiting even!"
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
La Madeleine Church "How awful! There will be no burial. I’d rather die. Since those miserable Hallyday family stories, a funeral at the Madeleine looks like a joke. I’ve asked to be cremated and for my ashes to dispersed with those of my mother…and those of Choupette, if she dies before me."
Photo: Nicolas Briquet/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images.
An Island Getaway With Virgil Abloh, Jonathan Anderson, & Simon Porte Jacquemus "I’d kill myself first."
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.
Harvey Weinstein "I cannot stand Mr Weinstein. I had a problem with him at amfAR."
Photo: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images.
Men's Fashion & Male Models "Men’s fashion does little for me. I buy it of course, and I’m delighted that Hedi [Slimane] is going to Céline, but drawing a men’s collection and having to put up with all those stupid models, no thanks. Not to mention the fact with all their accusations of harassment they have become quite toxic. No, no, no, don’t leave me alone with one of those sordid creatures."
Photo: Florian Seefried/Getty Images.
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In the 19 years since Coachella began on a polo field in the arid desert of Indio, California, it has evolved from a rock-centric festival with a soft spot for dance music into the tricked-out official start of festival season. More than any competitor, Coachella has emerged as the defining music event of US festival season. It started off being programmed for a generation who prized music snobbery and nostalgia, fuelling the reunion of bands like the Pixies, New Order, and Blur and featured headline acts like Radiohead, Björk, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with the buzziest up-and-comers in indie rock filling out the bottom of the bill. Over the years, the art installations have grown more grandiose, the festival package options have been diversified to include experiences far beyond a spot in a VIP lounge, the food offerings more gourmet, the brand activations more prolific, and the parties surrounding Coachella destinations themselves. One could skip the bands entirely and fill their day on the Coachella grounds with endless games of dodgeball, ferris wheel rides, Record Store Day shopping in the on-site retail hub, the silent dance party, yoga, vintage shopping, and getting their hair touched up.
And yet music remains at its core: Coachella sets the bar for every festival, whether it's reuniting heritage acts for a single performance or putting Queen Bey on the stage or giving the world the first performance of unexpected new music dropped by The Weeknd. Despite its pedigree as a trendsetter and tastemaker in music, it has fallen short in one area: the serious lack of women on its lineup for most of its history. There was a sharp uptick in representation in 2014, and Coachella is very near to equality with the 2018 lineup. Organisers are turning to Beyoncé this year to help right that wrong — she will be the third woman ever to headline the fest. She’s joined at near-top billing by SZA, St. Vincent, and HAIM.
Refinery29 spoke to several female artists who have played the festival, from top to bottom of the bill, and from the debut year of Coachella. We asked them to revisit their first year playing Coachella to tell us what it was like, how it has changed, and what they think Coachella's responsibility to gender equality should be. Here, Emily Haines, frontwoman of Canadian indie rock band Metric; DJ Sandra Collins, one of the only women to play the fest’s inaugural year; and Allison Robertson, guitarist for the Donnas, among others, all paint a vivid picture of the festival from its humble origins to the current brand explosion and celeb-palooza (with many a Lindsay Lohan appearance) we see on Instagram today.
What It Was Like Back Then
Emily Haines of Metric — played 2006, 2008, and 2013: "My first time playing at Coachella is an incredibly vivid memory. We were in the Mojave tent. It was packed, and every single piece of gear we had broke. It was so hot that everyone — and all the instruments — were melting. It was one of the most pivotal shows of our career because we just refused to stop. It all was music, and we refuse to be defeated by it. The audience was so with us; to this day, I think that was the first that I felt that connection and what was possible in terms of the beautiful connection that can happen between the audience and the band."
Allison Robertson of The Donnas — played 2003: "At the time it was new-ish, and something I had never been to. When we heard the name Coachella, we were like, What’s that? We knew Lollapalooza, because it was what we went to when we were young. When they asked us to play we said yeah, because that was iconic to us. Now, that’s how it is for Coachella. We didn’t have a lot to compare it to. It was this wide, flat desert space. There was some grass but it was very bland. They didn’t have all these spas and places you could retire to, like the party houses now. We stayed near there, but we just drove in and there was nothing. There wasn’t an awesome carnival vibe and there wasn’t a lot to look at.”
Princess Superstar — played 2002: "I was really excited when I got there to see that we all got our own trailers. It wasn't like any festival I'd ever been to before; the musicians were all together. We weren't separated from the headliners either, Björk and the Chemical Brothers weren't off on their own somewhere."
Allison Robertson: “I went back in 2005 to see Sloan, and they had a trailer that was a little neighbourhood with other bands. You’d see people go by fully made up or in their costumes on the way to stage. It promotes a cool feeling that other bands could stop by. Other festivals have big hangout areas, but that was the first time I’d seen the village setup.”
Jem— played 2005: “My artist caravan had a white picket fence in front of it, and at one point later at night there was a big hang in and around it with a load of amazing people, including The Prodigy. I remember telling Keith [Flint, singer] they’d performed at the first festival I went to in the U.K.”
At the time it was new-ish, and something I had never been to. When we heard the name Coachella, we were like, what’s that?
Sandra Collins — played 1999, 2002, 2008: "I played the very first one in 1999 — Absolut Vodka named a drink after me due to my performing at the inaugural Coachella. Compared to many shows back in 1999 and even 2002, Coachella and the care they put into taking care of artists is a breath of fresh air. They have a personalised gift made for you, usually an art piece. I once got a painting where they superimposed my face onto this woman holding a little dog. It was quite funny, a keeper for sure.”
Emily Haines: "Festivals are trying to create these experiences, and it’s not the mud and date rape that the American and Canadian festival scene used to be like at Woodstock '99. When that happened, it was so upsetting and it informed our opinion that Coachella was people with a different idea of what was a good time. We felt so welcomed. But when it started, things were a little scary for artists and concert-goers."
Princess Superstar: "I saw Björk in 2002, and it was amazing. I didn't realise she was one of the only women who have headlined the festival."
Emily Haines: "Obviously, recently there has been a massive shift in consciousness about the way we perceive women’s value and what we’ll accept as women. I realised, because of the time that we came up, I never saw an option other than putting blinders on and carving out my own reality. I felt like the best thing I could do was insist that I had no idea what anyone was talking about and forge ahead. In times like these, where we’re looking at the numbers, we’re sharing the spreadsheet, and talking about this stuff, Amy Milan of Stars said the best thing: Just because we had to do it that way, it doesn’t mean the next generation of girls need to have that experience. I respect the next wave and women who aren’t afraid to take a look at the landscape and say what they see. I took a different approach, but I’d like to think I contributed to the confidence they now have to ask why a promoter is afraid that a female performer can’t unify a crowd. It’s a new time for audiences. Music is different. Women are different. The idea that women can only play for women is something I found so hurtful and negating that I had to completely ignore it."
Metric play the Mojave Tent at Coachella in 2006.Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images.
What It’s Like Now
Meg Myers — played 2016: "I had been told so much about Coachella: hot weather, beautiful lawns, a lot of hipsters backstage, a lot of great bands. It was pretty close to what I was told. It was really hot, and the site was really nice. I did bump into a lot of hipsters."
The Black Madonna — played 2016: "One of the things they wanted to do was take a proper portrait of everyone who played, it’s something they’ve done for many years. I looked over and there was a giant picture of Amy Winehouse. It was so touching for me, to know she’d sat there at some point in almost the same spot for her portrait."
Lissie — played 2012: "I was playing the first year they made Coachella two weekends. As an artist, to be able to say that you play Coachella is just a pretty awesome thing. I played it at like noon on a Sunday and, for me, it was about the honour of getting to do it and be listed on the bill among so many incredible artists, rather than how well attended the show was. If I’m being honest, at noon on a Sunday when it’s a 109 degrees outside, people aren't really trying to get up and shake off their hangovers quite yet.”
Kate Nash — played 2008 and 2014: "I was happy that to have a successful show there in 2014 because it was a really big deal that I'd been able to do that independently. Once I understood what kind of festival Coachella was — I've been there quite a lot now as an attendee because I've been living in L.A., like I've gone sometimes just to like see bands. It's the kind of festival that if you go for the first time, you don't know what it is. After that, you can go and just fucking enjoy it."
One of the things they wanted to do was take a proper portrait of everyone who played, it’s something they’ve done for many years. I looked over and there was a giant picture of Amy Winehouse.
Theresa Wayman — played 2011, 2014, and 2017: “Lady Gaga [ ed: the second woman to headline Coachella in 2017] was amazing. She's a stunning performer and her stage show is excellent. I don't listen to her music, but I went to see her headline Coachella. I've seen Major Lazer, The Cure, and lots of bands on that stage. I couldn't tell a difference in the vibe because she was a woman, because each headliner brings a different kind of crowd.”
Sara Watkins of I’m With Her, formerly of Nickel Creek — played 2007: "I think it does a festival disservice to not reflect a broad demographic onstage and off. Coachella has a huge, broad demographic in the audience. I can’t imagine Coachella wouldn’t want to reflect that onstage as well."
Georgia Nott of Broods — played 2017: “ I think [gender parity] should be a part of the world’s mission. The artists that play should represent the times, and I do think Coachella keeps that in mind. Its reputation requires it to be relevant.”
The Black Madonna: "One place we can really do the work is on the bottom and middle of the lineups, developing people. That’s what Coachella did with me. Their support has been a piece, as I grow, of my ability to headline larger shows. But that starts early. You have to find acts who are developing, and I think they have smartly done that. From a purely financial point of view, it's good to develop people who are of value to you in the long-term. Right now there’s a lot of room to emphasise that in marginalised communities."
Lissie plays the midday stage at Coachella in 2012.Photo: Frazer Harrison/GettyImage/Coachella..
A “Celebrity Spotting” Festival
Emily Haines: "It has gained so much clout. It felt like a SoCal thing, the first time I attended before I played at Coachella. It was a festival where you’d drive out to the desert if you lived in L.A. Maybe then people were flying in from everywhere, but it feels as if its progressed. Now it’s two weekends, and it sells out before the lineup is even announced."
Lissie: “I played the year they had the Tupac hologram, so I got to see Dr. Dre and Eminem and Wiz Khalifa. A girlfriend that I grew up with came out to join me, so that we could run around and take advance the fact that we were like kind of VIP. We had a trailer in the backstage, and you get access to certain garden areas. We were next to Dr. Dre’s backup dancers.”
Sara Watkins: "So much of Hollywood goes to Coachella that it is almost felt like there was an area just for celebrities — you know, the models and actors who want to hang out in a cool space, but need their own private space to not be bothered. I think maybe the Olsen twins were there?"
Kate Nash: "Being backstage, it was a weird festival. Coming from England, at festivals everyone is really dirty and look like they've been up all weekend already by the time they get there, and that's normal. But at Coachella, I saw Lindsay Lohan in the backstage and everyone looked really nice. I was like, Oh god. [laughs]"
Lissie: "I did see Lindsay Lohan, but I didn't talk to her [laughs]. And I saw Jared Leto, who will forever be such a massive babe because of My So-Called Life."
Lily Allen — played 2007: "I was playing in the Mojave tent. Just on the side of the stage before I went on, there was Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, one of whom, and I can't remember which, gave me a joint, which I smoked. I'd never had California-grade weed before. Not even joking, I forgot every single word to every single song. I don't think they could have known that it would have that effect on me, but it was so horrendous — you can imagine. Ever since, I've had to have a screen that has all my lyrics on it, because otherwise I get catapulted back to that moment. I kind of just nervously giggled my whole way through."
Allison Robertson: "We did an record signing in the middle of one of the big fields and Elijah Wood was in the line. I remember meeting Kelly Osbourne backstage and at that time her reality show was on, and she was just becoming big. You saw a few people, but the real celebrities at the time were the musicians. It was a bigger deal walking by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and meeting them. We saw Tommy Lee and maybe someone from Metallica. There was a lot of rock royalty in attendance who weren’t necessarily on the bill."
Theresa Wayman: "I once saw Lauryn Hill there, and that was a huge deal for me. She's my idol. It's interesting when you see people like Lauryn or Björk in the VIP area, because it's like they go from being heroes to real people."
Just on the side of the stage before I went on, there was Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, one of whom, and I can't remember which, gave me a joint, which I smoked. Not even joking, I forgot every single word to every single song.
Georgia Nott: “ Coachella is one of those ‘celebrity spotting’ festivals. I didn’t see many. I wasn’t looking. I did meet Mark Foster of Foster the People, however, who I am a huge fan of. He came to our set, which was pretty great.”
The Black Madonna: "My biggest starstruck moment happened when we got our credentials: Courtney Love was there. She looked really good. I stan, big time, and I flipped out and had to work to contain myself."
Allison Robertson: "Now it feels like every huge pop star, every fashion designer, every major actor and their daughter are at Coachella. Now it feels like if you don’t attend, you’re not a person...I wouldn't go to Coachella without a VIP pass, and not because I wanted to be mingling with famous people! I remember going when I wasn’t playing and realising there’s nowhere to go if you don’t have a VIP pass or access to someone’s backstage area. There was no shade, the water cost $10, and they wouldn’t let you bring your own.”
The Perils Of Playing In The Desert
Allison Robertson: "Any time a picture of us from Coachella comes up throughout our career, I would say please don’t show me because I was really red. I’m naturally someone who gets red when I exercise, and I get hot easily on stage. Having the stage lights plus that heat? And yeah, your guitar goes out of tune immediately. You might play well, but you might not sound like you can play at all. That’s always a concern as a female artist, you don’t want to come across as näive or not prepared. You have to do all this extra stuff to keep your guitar in tune like stretch your strings and leave it outside in the climate so it gets acclimated. Then you hope and pray it stays in tune, but it doesn’t so it doesn’t matter. [laughs]"
Jem: "Standing under the stage in the shade right before going on, I realised it was 107 degrees! Plus I was in a bikini top covered in Nars oil. Amazingly, I didn’t burn. No idea how that happened."
Lissie: "I’m a very loud, intense singer. I have to muster a lot of my core and have to have an inner springiness about me to get to where I can embody the notes that I'm hitting. When you're really hot and you're feeling sluggish, it can for sure affect your performance. You're not going to have quite as much energy to perform. But, there is this amazing thing when the adrenaline kicks in, you find yourself doing things that you didn't think were possible."
Kate Nash: "My first time was in 2008 and I remember just being fucking so hot. [laughs] I'm trying but I can't massively remember the actual gig. I think that was like a bit of a shit show with the gear, and the monitors. Everything can be really bad there because of the wind."
The Black Madonna: "When it was time to go to the show, no one had prepared me for the dust. I didn’t know the dust was a thing. I was wearing this beautiful white outfit, I get out there and the dust kicked in — it had been really dry. I quickly found my beautiful white outfit to be more of an off-white. [laughs] They handled it well, the staff were hosing things down, I was just a big baby who wasn’t prepared for it."
Georgia Nott: "Gotta make sure that Coachella outfit you’ve been planning for six months is functional as well as fashionable."
Sara Watkins: "One of the most beautiful moments at Coachella is when is the sun goes behind the mountain and the temperature drops five or 10 degrees immediately. Little rabbits come out and coyotes come out, and humans there feel refreshed immediately. They get a second wave of energy when that relief from the heat hits. You get a sense that a lot of people come out of their tents and campers only when the sun goes down."
Theresa Wayman: “We played in the tents the last two times we were at Coachella, and it's more of that feeling that makes me think of this festival — it's dark all the time. To me that's what Coachella is, being there and watching bands at night when its still hot. Our first time was on an outdoor stage in the middle of the day, and it wasn't quite the same.”
Princess Superstar: "I didn't have any problems like that [with the weather]. I just remember it being amazing."
Kate Nash in all-pink everything for her 2014 Coachella set.Photo: C Flanigan/FilmMagic.
The students that survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida are not Nazis. To most, this is an unnecessary statement. Simply put, they are young people who have experienced great trauma and loss that refuse to let gun violence continue to affect others the way it did them. These teens turned tragedy into an international conversation, but resistance to their message in the form of anti-Semitic and Nazi comparisons has made its way to the surface both online and offline.
Yesterday, a bipartisan group of Congress representatives co-authored a statement condemning the recent attacks on the students, reports Tablet magazine. “It is shameful for anyone to attack students – especially survivors of gun violence – with anti-Semitic slurs and Nazi comparisons,” reads their statement. “Policy differences are never an excuse for anti-Semitism. We condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms and reject any inappropriate evocation of the Holocaust or comparison to Nazis.” It should be noted that 40% of the Stoneman Douglas student body is Jewish, five of the 17 people killed that day were Jewish, and a number of the leaders of the Never Again movement are Jewish as well, so accusations of anti-Semitism are not only unfounded but grossly insensitive.
A survey released last week on Holocaust Remembrance Day found that many adults lack basic knowledge of what happened to millions of people only 70 years ago. While Holocaust denial is rare, the study found that the magnitude is largely underestimated with 31% of Americans believing that two million or fewer Jewish people were killed – it was around six million – and that 66% of millennials did not know what Auschwitz, the largest Nazi-run concentration camp, was.
In two short months, the Parkland students have initiated historic demonstrations of support for change, but some do not agree with their stance on gun reform. For the record, they advocate for stricter gun laws, more thorough licensing procedures, and the banning of military grade weapons from private citizens. They’re not trying to make everyone hand over all their guns. Harkening back to my high school physics textbook, it is said that each action is met with an equal and opposite reaction.
The argument that these pro-gun control teens are tantamount to Hitler is a classic example of association fallacy. So common in fact that it has its own name: “ reductio ad Hitlerum.” The idea is that a policy or idea leads to, or is the same as, Hitler’s institution of the Third Reich and therefore is wrong. Unfortunately, history shows that hate propaganda which has woven its way into meme culture and social media is effective. It is colouring the way people view the Never Again movement, often in place of researching it for themselves.
It is one thing to respectfully disagree with someone, it is another thing to launch hateful and insensitive attacks on students for trying to keep others from experiencing the same tragedy they did.
We've all complained about how much we've had to fork out to attend a wedding, but have you ever actually tried to add up the total? Well, a new study has found that the average cost of attending a wedding in the UK is now a pretty hefty £1,015.
This figure includes the cost of wedding gifts, clothing and accessories, food and drinks, hair and beauty, childcare, transport and money spent attending a stag or hen party.
It also includes any costs arising from attending an engagement party or other pre-wedding social events. So to be precise, it's the average cost of participating in every stage of a happy couple's nuptials.
The study found that the average cost of attending a UK wedding for bridesmaids is £1,058, while the average cost for the brides' parents is £1,450.
It's worth noting that the study by Provident asked a relatively small sample of 1,040 wedding guests how much they'd spent on attending weddings. The results showed that the average cost of attending a wedding abroad is now £2,050 - just over double the cost of attending a UK wedding. Provident has duly launched a "wedding guest calculator" to help guests estimate how much they might spend on attending an upcoming wedding.
Meanwhile, another recent survey asked 3,000 people what they find most annoying about weddings, and it makes for very interesting reading. Some 39% of respondents said they are annoyed when they're invited to a wedding ceremony abroad after they've already attended a stag or hen do overseas.
Given how much it can add to the cost, it's hard not to empathise with their irritation.
Break-ups are painful, unsettling, confusing – but often also necessary. Have you ever reached that stage where things are no longer quite right; when you know the longer you delay the end, the worse the recovery will be? Well, that’s how I feel about my phone. My metal companion is no doubt useful, but something about my relationship with it is starting to feel a bit… off.
I’m not alone. Adults in the UK check their phone an average of 33 times a day, racking up the equivalent of one month’s screen time every year. Personally, I feel that I’ve reached a tipping point. Any time I’m having difficulty at work I pick up my phone for distraction, then surface some 40 minutes later, no closer to finishing the task at hand. Though I could probably commute in my sleep, I obsessively check and refresh Citymapper every morning. I reply to WhatsApps within minutes of waking up, I think in Instagram captions before I’ve even taken a photograph, and can easily sit through dinner with my family while simultaneously scrolling eBay for vintage chairs.
So I’ve decided to take action. The American science journalist Catherine Price recently released a book entitled How To Break Up With Your Phone, which I’m trying out after seeing it splashed across social media (don’t worry, the irony is not lost on me). The first half of the handbook is intended to scare readers into action – with facts on how our devices have been engineered to addict us – before the second half lays out a 30-day plan for setting yourself free.
Week One
To begin, I’m trying to tune into my motivations for using a smartphone throughout the day. Am I picking it up out of boredom, anxiety, loneliness? Price reassures me that there’s nothing wrong with engaging in mindless distraction when you want to zone out. But for me, that state has become something of a default.
The next step is to install an app to monitor the time I’m spending connected (Moment is good for iPhone, Offtime for Android). On average I spend two hours a day on my phone, which I find horrifying (if I did anything for two hours a day – started to play guitar, learned French, took up karate – I’d surely become really, really good?). But according to Offtime’s data, this figure technically puts me behind 75% of other smartphone users. What’s more concerning is my number of sessions – 122 per day, more than 80% of people around the world. Essentially, I’m constantly checking in and out of my phone like a toddler with the attention span of a goldfish. Towards the end of the week I delete all social media apps. I hold the ‘x’ down on Instagram as it jiggles and asks if I’m sure I want this. I am.
Week Two
It’s hard to quit social media cold turkey, though. I may have removed the mobile apps, but end up logging onto the desktop versions, which is permissible according to Price’s guide as long as I ask myself why. This process of questioning is useful for someone like me, who engages with social for work (then often ends up getting sucked in beyond the call of duty). Has anyone actually been on the desktop version of Instagram? It’s clunky, a bit like operating Windows 98 and dial-up internet. Scrolling on my laptop makes the whole app feel even more voyeuristic than it usually does. I sign out.
This part of the break-up, according to Price, is about creating speed bumps that break down learned behaviour. It involves deleting push notifications, downloading an app-blocker for working hours and establishing 'no-phone zones' at home. The change that I find most useful is leaving my phone outside of my bedroom at night, which has an almost instant effect on the quality of my sleep. Rather than rousing to a shrill squeak, I wake up to Radio 4 and start the day calmer.
Week Three
This week is all about ‘reclaiming your brain’, undoing some of the negative effects that smartphones have on our attention span, memory and creativity. It’s to do with practising attention-building activities – like reading or meditation – and taking moments to pause when you’d usually reach for distraction instead. I find the urge to reach for my phone is strongest when I’m on public transport. But by opening a book to read for the entirety of my journey instead, I feel cleared of the usual fog that clouds me when I get off at the other side.
This pursuit of a zen state of mind is meant to prepare me for a 24-hour separation this weekend. My break coincides with a hangover, which makes things tricky as my inclination is to reach for WhatsApp and debrief the night before (one of my friends messages my boyfriend to ask if my phone has been stolen). I push through: I cook breakfast, pick up the papers, and go for a walk without stressing about getting a little lost. I also just allow myself to get bored, to let my mind wander. Throughout the day I’m actively more engaged in conversation than I usually would be. When I turn my phone back on, I find I haven’t missed anything anyway.
Week Four
An unwanted side-effect of my break-up is that I am becoming incredibly irritating. Like a former smoker who now can't so much as look at a cigarette, I freely offer advice to friends on ways they can cut down their screen time, regardless of whether they want it or not. Because karma’s a bitch, in the twilight hour of my break-up I slip up. What I should be doing in Price’s final stage is making temporary changes more permanent by cleaning up other elements of digital life (like email) and re-engaging with social media in a more mindful way. But on day three I clock up a full FOUR HOURS on my phone – a bit like going back to sleep with an ex when you’re on your way to getting over them.
What is interesting, though, is that I’m conscious of the destructive nature of what I’m doing, and a weird part of me is almost relishing it, as though I’m testing the boundaries of my newfound independence. Before this process I could have clocked up two hours without thinking, but I’m now fully aware (and fully guilty about) this chunk of time that I’ve lost.
Which means I bounce back. By the end of Price’s plan, while I still have the tendency to fall down the rabbit hole, I am thinking more carefully about my phone, having transitioned from viewing it as a slavish keeper to a useful tool. I’m down to using it for around one hour per day, a lot of which is time that’s either useful or genuinely enjoyable – and when it’s mindless, I know it. I can’t say that I’m free of the traps of my smartphone, but after 30 days I do feel clearer, more focused – and even a little more free.
Despite Sweden’s reputation for progressive gender politics, two women have had to leave their positions in the wake of sexual abuse and harassment scandal for which they are being held responsible rather than the man who committed the crime.
Like Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits, Danius is well known for regularly wearing pussy-bow blouses. Men and women are getting creative to show their support. Many without a pussy-bow blouse are using scarves to recreate the look to post on Twitter.
Alice Bah Kuhnke, Sweden’s Minister of Democracy and Culture, joined in as well, donning her own pussy-bow blouse. “I find it frustrating that such a conflict ends with two women having to step out of the way,” she said later in an interview with a Swedish radio station. “I can’t accept that.”
“Fight the corruption!” writes one woman sharing a photo. Another dedicates her post to “all women taking the fight against male harassment in the literary world and elsewhere.” Others still use the photo as an opportunity to tag Danius and express their support.
I had to get out of bed to tie a bow to show my support for the permanent secretary Sara Danius, who was forced to leave the Swedish Academy which awards the Nobel prize in Literature #bowblouse#knytblus#knytblusförsarapic.twitter.com/Vx5TsJC8gM
On Thursday, Danius announced that she would be resigning from the otherwise lifelong position. "It was the wish of the academy that I should leave my role as permanent secretary,” she told reporters. As the academy’s deliberations are highly secretive, it is not known who chose to oust her, though many women have spoken out in her defence. Danius also hired a law firm to investigate.
The pussy-bow blouse has a long-standing history of coming in and out of fashion just when women need it most. It was first popularised in the ‘50s and ‘60s by high end designers including Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent as part of the then-radical idea of reworking menswear styles for women. It resurfaced in the ‘80s as a popular style among business women looking for an answer to the suits and ties of their predominantly male co-workers. The blouse has come into fashion once again with the rise of the #MeToo movement.
The scandal has divided the academy with three members quitting in protest. Two former secretaries of the academy, Sture Allén and Horace Engdahl, have publicly expressed critical opinions of Danius, describing the reaction to the allegations as “overblown” and calling Danius a “weak leader.” To make matters worse, the New York Times reports that textile artist Anna-Karin Bylund reported Arnault to then-secretary Allen for sexual harassmen t in 1996 and he ignored it, saying, “The contents of the letter didn’t seem important.” Allen remains a member of the academy.
What a week that was, amirite? You survived and came out on the other side, ready to tackle another week of rapid-fire activity.
This week is about shifting multiple gears at once: On the 15th, Mercury finally releases us from his retrograde and starts to report on what he’s learned after taking a second glance at certain bits of information. Keep your ears open for what he says as he makes his third and final pass through this stretch of the heavens.
That same night, we enjoy the first new moon of the season in Aries. Expect more surprises ahead, since Uranus, the planet of sudden change, is tied into the moon's energy at the moment. You might be fine with that, actually. You’ve been getting plenty of practice with letting go since Mars, Saturn and Pluto have been duking it out with Mercury and Uranus for weeks. Set your new moon intentions around being bold and innovative in your life. Commit to taking action and risks.
Saturn turns retrograde on the 17th and invites us all to review our work to date. This planet is about doing the heavy lifting necessary to earn your stripes or master a particular challenge. Don't be surprised if life feels harder during this retrograde. We’re all learning how to satisfy Saturn and get the work done with more precision and authority. Own your Saturn and keep your eyes on your own paper. This is about you, not them. Thankfully, we get a break from all the fighting and thrashing about when the sun moves from warring Aries and into Earth-loving Taurus. Despite the chaos and madness that’s been going on, life is still good. It's the little things, like the flowers, the food, the music, the kisses, and the great love Mother Earth offers all of us. Give thanks and enjoy her blessings. Sound good?
Aries March 21 to April 19
After the last two weeks of constant battling with internal and external bosses, you need some time to come back to yourself and reflect. The energy of the new moon is intense and it will call upon you to be radical and revolutionary in your approach to life. Dare to be different. Take chances and embrace innovation. You’re the first sign of the Zodiac for a reason, Aries — you’re the one who starts us off on our individual hero’s journey. You’re a natural leader. The question is, what kind of leader are you becoming?
You might not have an answer to that yet, but you probably know what you do not want to become — and that’s a big piece of the puzzle. Saturn is turning retrograde on the 17th, meaning you get to review, revise and rework how you wield your authority in regards to your career and reputation until September. You’re working out who you’re going to be in this world, Aries. Be sure to make it someone amazing.
After all that questioning, you deserve a break. Luckily, Venus is here to assist. She’s begging you to spend a little money, have a good time with friends, and enjoy the good life. Treat yourself to a last-minute birthday spending spree, but you may want to put aside a set amount of money so you don’t blow your rent. It's a week of compulsiveness and excess, so don’t go broke in your efforts to drown out the noise of life’s deeper questions.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
Rest up before your birthday season commences, Taurus. The new moon will ask you to withdraw from the world for a few days to charge your batteries and do some much-needed soul-searching. Then you can finally bless us all with your springtime beauty.
The energy of this week is kinda weird for you. On one hand, you’re happy to have more clarity around your inner soul, but, as a Taurus, you have a hard time believing in anything that you can’t touch, taste, smell or see. It's unsettling to feel like, despite following the rules, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the results you desire. While you may pride yourself in being down-to-earth, no-nonsense and practical, be cautious of becoming dogmatic or cynical in your worldview. You could be blocking your blessings in doing so.
For your birthday season, let others show you that there’s value in the intangible. Open your heart up to be wowed by the wonders of the universe, Taurus.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
Depending on how last week’s drama played out, this Sunday's new moon in your house of friendships and organisations will feel like a breath of fresh air for you, Gemini. If you lost a few friends or had to remove yourself from group texts for your own sanity, know that you did the right thing. You need to be around people who inspire you to take risks but can be trusted not to be shady and underhanded. Your friends are ultimately a reflection of you, right? Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. So as you say goodbye to old associations, be on the lookout for people who get you, your passion, and where your heart lies. Hopefully you’re of the Good Twin variety and looking to amass powerful friends who'll help you do good in the world.
Saturn going retrograde will help you review the finer points of intimacy and sharing resources with others. It may even prompt you to reevaluate your approach to such rawer emotions as rage and jealousy. Last week probably showed you what happens when we smother those urges and they find a way to sneak into places they don’t belong.
If you’re feeling icky about what you’ve witnessed, sign up for some goodwill volunteer activities in the next few weeks. Your ledger could use the good karma points. Hey, it can’t hurt.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
Your new moon story is about your worldly ambitions, Cancer. And those surely touch on your career, reputation, what you’re known for doing, and how you’ll be remembered. Who wouldn’t enjoy focusing on going after accolades in their field or feeling like a legend in their work? It's gratifying. However, it’s not worth a whole lot when it's a solo experience because then you'll have poured so much energy into your work and none will be left for your family, friends or intimate partners. It's like the story of Ebenezer Scrooge: He turned away from his relationships after he was rejected once or twice, dedicated his life to being ambitious (and a cold hard-ass), and in the end had nothing to show for it but a lot of money.
That’s the extreme telling of your current challenge, brought to you by Saturn retrograde. How can you make your relationships support your ambitions and your ambitions support your relationships? I’ll give you another hint, Cancer — relationships are just a mirror of who we are. We attract what we think we deserve in that moment (no judgment, no blame). If you’re struggling with your loved ones, look at where you’re struggling within yourself because they’re just the funhouse mirror of you. Take a long, hard look at who you’ve chosen to have by your side. Why did you choose them? Are they your biggest fan or your gravest enemy?
Leo July 23 to August 22
After last week’s conversation with Pluto, you may be wondering what’s true anymore. Is there anything that you used to believe in that you can still cling to? Maybe, maybe not, Leo, but it's good to know that beliefs can change and so can you. Use the new moon and Mercury turning direct to guide you in your discovery of a new belief system that actually inspires you. That may mean signing up for a new class, joining a new faith-based community, or hitting the road to find yourself out there in the wider world.
With Saturn turning retrograde, pay attention to where you feel stuck in your habits. Look out for ones that no longer serve you and take note if the thought of letting them go makes you feel anxious. You’re learning how to remain open-minded in the face of sudden change and that there's a thin line between healthy routines and obsession. You’re in control of your life, Leo. Be aware of how you allow your philosophies and routines to define who you are (and to what extent).
Try to funnel some of your driven energy into your career and goals (in a balanced fashion, please). If nothing else makes sense, your desire to shine brightly is always a steady constant, Leo.
Virgo August 23 to September 22
Hopefully your chat with Pluto last week set you straight, Virgo, because we so need you. The world is a mess and who else is going to help us get our collective acts together? With the new moon arriving on the 15th, remind yourself that you deserve to feel empowered about what you have to offer. You intuitively know what’s needed by those around you and you have a knack for cutting through the chaos to the heart of a problem. This is a brilliant and valuable gift to have. It's high time you thought of taking it on the road.
Don’t play small this week. Get into the spirit of sharing your talents far and wide with others. You’re learning that what you create, whatever it may be, is powerful and transformative. When you share it, you touch other people in unimaginable ways. With Saturn turning retrograde, your challenge lies in being spontaneous and free with your creativity. Take a page from Leo’s book when it comes to being expressive. If that’s not enough, look at what you do as an act of service. Think of all the people who will be better off after coming into contact with you. Don’t believe me? Fine, I dare you to prove me wrong.
Libra September 23 to October 22
You’ve come to the realisation that, when it comes to relationships, surface-level fairness won't cut it. Balance is created through pushing back and forth with others. It’s about being real — not over-intellectualising your interactions. Relationships demand vulnerability and a willingness to be emotional. You have to accept you might not be understood or wanted. (Whew, scary stuff!)
With this new moon taking place in your house of partnership, start a new story for your relationships, Libra. What would you like to create for yourself and others? Whatever it is, it's going to take a dash of raw honesty, a sprinkle of intimacy, and a big dollop of trust.
In the meantime, Saturn is reminding you that your most important work waits in your deeper mind. In order for you to do your part in your relationships you have to examine all the ways you feel blocked in being emotionally close to others. Remind yourself that love and intimacy can overcome time, distance and space; what it can’t overcome is a heart that remains perpetually closed to its advances. Ready to open up, Libra? Love awaits you.
Scorpio October 23 to November 21
You have a new schedule coming your way, Scorpio, thanks to the new moon showing up in your house of health and daily routines. Set intentions to make sure your daily grind feels good to you. You’re eating and sleeping well, you’re getting some exercise, you're hard at work refining your message. Last week had you putting some respect on your conjuring skills. Pluto told you enough was enough and to act like you know what the hell you’re doing — because you do.
This week, Saturn is turning around to review what you’ve come up with so far. Clean it up, and make it so easy to understand that even a 4-year-old would comprehend it. Practise the art of listening deeply and conversing intimately as you overcome your fears of being misunderstood. Know that all great teachers and communicators have to practise their craft in order to feel confident. So have fun every day as you challenge yourself to speak with respect, wisdom and authority. Create an environment where others feel safe to do the same around you.
Sagittarius November 22 to December 21
You’re here to create, Centaur. You have a need to express yourself in whatever way you deem fit. You’re here to be a light in the world and spread the good word like the fire sign you are, but guess what? All of that takes work. Much of it is hard and thankless, calling for sleepless nights, early mornings, and plenty of let-downs. Terrible, I know, but you’re going to do it anyway because you want to see results, don’t you, Sag?
The new moon arriving in your house of creativity is getting you fired up about your talents, urging you to own them and run far with them. Set new intentions about how you’re going to show up with your creative ideas and talents. Make sure you infuse plenty of revolutionary and innovative energy into what you do. This is a balancing act that’s going to take some trial and error to get right. My advice is to be okay with failing, reworking and trying again until you find a formula that works for you.
Saturn retrograding in your house of self-worth, values and money will ask you to reassess how you use your talents to boost your income and reinforce your self-esteem. Everyone knows that you’re naturally lucky, but this isn’t about luck, per se. This is about earning the right to your success. When you work diligently for what you have and see the fruits of your labour manifest over time, even supposed failure can't knock you down because at least you’ll know that you can dust yourself off and try again.
Capricorn December 22 to January 19
You know, it’s okay to lean on your family or those you consider your family, Capricorn. You’re so contained — the proverbial mountain, the rock that everyone goes to for support — but when you need a hand, who do you turn to? Do you even allow yourself to lean on someone during hard times? This new moon wants you to create a new story around your home and family. If in the past you felt unsupported, you get to change that by speaking up for what you want and sticking around long enough to receive the care that you need. Practise being kinder to yourself, Cap.
Saturn retrograding through your house of self will force you to be more aware of how you see yourself. There’s a difference between constructive criticism and just being plain mean and unyielding about everything you do. Maybe being pushed to succeed in all things was how love was shown growing up, but the care you show yourself now doesn't have to look like that if you don't want it to. Consider taking up a hobby that makes you feel empowered every time you do it. Get into the habit of praising yourself and others for doing their best. Be more generous with your self-love and watch it come back to you tenfold.
Aquarius January 20 to February 18
You can come out now, Aquarius, if only for some fresh air. Both the new moon and Mercury (which is finally direct) are asking that you make contact with the outside world again, but you’re going to do it differently this time around. Try setting some intentions to act on your words and thoughts. You’re still in a period of saying less but doing more, so don’t ramble about what you want to achieve. Say it once to yourself, then actually do what you said. Start small, like writing a daily to-do list, then progress to signing up for that class you’ve been meaning to take for years. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get around to completing that novel you’ve been writing for the last five years.
Step by step, you’re becoming the upgraded version of yourself, the one who's ready to take action on your dreams. Saturn is going to backtrack through your house of unconscious and review your guilt and fear. Facing your underlying fears is the only way to greatness. I know this doesn’t sound particularly appetising, but the alternative is never knowing what’s holding you back and, therefore, never being free enough to make your secret dreams come to life. So what’s it going to be, Water Bearer? Living in the shadow of fear or facing a new and uncertain reality of your creation?
Pisces February 19 to March 20
Settle into your body, Pisces. Indulge in your five physical senses. Appreciate the food on the table and the roof over your head. If you can’t appreciate those things just yet, allow this new moon to bring those practical, day-to-day luxuries into focus. Although you have a reputation for being otherworldly, you do live here (most of the time.) It's okay to desire stability in your life, don't be afraid to set some intentions around having more than enough, not from a place of greed or fear, but from a position of self-worth. Tell yourself you deserve to have more than enough of what you want.
Saturn will be helping you to get clear on what’s holding you back from having your immediate needs met. It could be the people that you hang out with who don’t support you the way that you support them, or perhaps your own impatience around meeting your goals. Think about all the times you've told yourself that you can live without a certain comfort because you deemed it excessive or too mundane for the spiritual being that you are. Would extra food in the refrigerator and friends who cheer you on be too much to ask for, Pisces? You value yourself enough to have those basics covered, right? Questions that need answers.
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If anyone understands the toxic combination of sexism and ageism that's used to demean and restrict women as they get older, it's Madonna. In recent years, the pop icon's every move seems to be met with reductive cries of "put it away" or "time to retire, grandma".
But one of the singer's defining characteristics is her determination to push back: if society tells her not to do something because she's a woman, and a woman who's not 25 anymore, she's sure as hell going to keep on doing it anyway.
In a new interview to promote her MDNA Skin range, she makes some typically perceptive points about the obstacles she faces as she approaches her 60th birthday in August.
"It’s an outdated, patriarchal idea that a woman has to stop being fun, curious, adventurous, beauiful, or sexy past the age of 40. It’s ridiculous," she tells The Cut.
"Why should only men be allowed to be adventurous, sexual, curious, and get to have all the fun until the day they leave this earth? Why should that only be the domain of men? How do we fight this? By standing up to men and by standing up to social mores or standards that say we cannot. The more women that do it, it will just be a matter of time."
Madonna goes on to explain that when she became famous in the '80s, she was labelled a "sexual provocateur" because she made sexuality an integral part of her work - something that was deemed unusual for a female artist at the time.
"Now, all the challenges that I had to face 20 years ago seem ludicrous," she reflects. "What I am going through now is ageism, with people putting me down or giving me a hard time because I date younger men or do things that are considered to be only the domain of younger women.
"I mean, who made those rules? Who says? I’m going to keep fighting it. Ten to 20 years from now, it’s going to be normal. People are going to shut up."
She's right - and that day can't come soon enough.
