How does that Shakespearean quote go? "Though she be but little, she is fierce." Now that Pluto is retrograde (and will stay that way until September), we'll come to understand the full truth of that sentiment.
Technically classified as a dwarf planet, Pluto remains as influential as the rest of the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). And though its effects may seem subtle, they'll be hard to miss while this small-yet-fierce planet is enjoying its annual backspin.
Where Mercury retrograde's effects are akin to stubbing your toe — it's jarring in the moment, but fortunately doesn't last too long — Pluto retrograde feels more like sitting in a jacuzzi that's slowly heating up: We might not feel it immediately, but as time goes on we'll become increasingly aware of its presence and what it wants us to address.
As Janelle Belgrave wrote in our April 'scopes, the issue we're expected to face during this five-month period is how we use and claim our power. This could lead you to question how much power you invest or perceive in your identity. You may realise your problems with power have more to do with your need to control your everyday life (your routine, your finances, even your friends and family). You might decide it's time that you start asserting yourself in situations where, before, you may have felt powerless.
Naturally, questions that touch on our relationship with power are extremely important — but understandably daunting to tackle. That's why Pluto retrograde sticks around for so long. This planetary period urges us to dig deep into our relationship with power and, first and foremost, sit with it. The longer we reflect, the more in tune we'll become with how our sense of empowerment affects the rest of our lives, from our self-confidence to our friendships.
Given enough time to reflect, we may find the courage to reckon with and even change our approach to control and power. Maybe you'll find a way to use your power to amplify the voices of those with less. Or, you might realise that seeking to control everything in your life is actually to your overall detriment. Ideally, you'll end Pluto retrograde with a better understanding of where your power is best used — and where you can actually loosen the reins a bit.
Like we said, these can be hard truths to face up to, so take it at your own pace. And don't forget: Slow-and-steady Saturn is also retrograde until September, so any hope of rushing through this Pluto backspin is probably out the window. With the ringed planet pumping the breaks, you'll have plenty of time to do the work that Pluto wants you to tackle — for better or for worse. At this rate, October's going to feel like a breeze.
For full-time influencers, a thoughtfully curated Instagram grid full of envy-inducing photos is not only their portfolio, it's how they pay their bills. The upper echelon of the influencer community monetise their posts through LiketoKnow.it, a mobile service owned by influencer platform RewardStyle, which makes it easy to earn money when followers shop through affiliate links.
This weekend the 11,000 influencer-strong RewardStyle community was alarmed to discover the website PopSugar was not only displaying many of their photos without permission — it had also replaced LiketoKnow.it's links with its own ShopStyle affiliate links. PopSugar explained the posts were a mistake, the result of an experiment accidentally left live on site, but it's unclear if RewardStyle will press charges. (Although RewardStyle declined to share influencer earnings through LiketoKnow.it, a spokesperson confirmed consumers bought over $300 million worth of product in 2017.)
While the PopSugar incident is an extreme example of what not to do — you can't take someone else's photos without their permission and profit from them — it does raise an important issue: The ease of sharing on social media, combined with a lack of knowledge around what counts as copyright infringement, means people's work is often used without their permission. There's a good chance you've infringed on someone else's copyright on Instagram, without even realising it.
There's a good chance you've infringed on someone else's copyright on Instagram, without even realising it.
For help defining the grey area and getting to the root of what you can and cannot do, we went to Ryan Garcia, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law and co-author of Social Media Law In A Nutshell. Here, a handy guide to staying on the right side of the law.
Photos you designate as "public" and "private" are not in the public domain.
"When other people see my content labelled as 'Public' they may confuse that with content in the public domain, or just think, Oh, it's marked 'Public' so anyone can do anything with it. But that's not what it means. That label is simply the access granted by the author — in this case 'Public' means anyone on the platform can view and interact with the content. It is not a waiver of all other rights for that image."
To share someone else's Instagram photo, you need to get their permission.
"Without [permission], you're infringing on someone else's copyrighted work. There are a few times when that may not be the case — it depends on the photo itself and its origins — but the vast majority of photos you see on Instagram and other services that were taken by the individual posting the photo belong to that individual.
"Photos have been covered by copyright protection from the beginning — the social media revolution hasn't changed that. It's just a lot easier for people to infringe on others' copyrights."
You can only share Instagram photos without permission when Instagram allows it.
"Right now, for example, some pictures can be shared to Facebook or shared with individuals via DM or by Messenger. If Instagram were to create a function similar to Twitter's retweet, then that would be allowed as well. But anything that goes beyond Instagram's built-in functionality infringes on the rights of the author of that photograph. That would include taking a screenshot and posting it, saving the image to your computer or device and posting it somewhere, or even using a third-party app to automate those steps and repost someone else's photo — even if you give credit to the original photographer or you don't make money off reposting the content. I see plenty of people who think their behaviour is okay if one of those two conditions applies to them. Sadly, that's not how copyright works."
At the end of the day, you own the rights to the photos you post.
"If I post a picture to Instagram, I still own that photograph. I've granted a very broad license to Instagram to use that photo on their platform, and another license to my fellow users to see the photo, but I still get to control how it's used outside the platform."
Always abide by one simple rule.
"Only post content that you have the rights to post, meaning you created it or, if it includes content that belongs to someone else, you've obtained permission from the original creator."
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Maybe Adam Pally was right: We're living in hell. There's nothing I slurp up more readily than absurd drama between internet celebrities, but this week felt like a particularly heightened version of the dystopian nightmare we as a society are steadily hurdling towards. There's no reason you should be keeping up with any of it, per se, but if you are also weirdly fascinated by internet culture, or need something to talk about with your 13-year-old niece, or just want to feel better about yourself in comparison, then I've tried to break down the three main internet beefs currently unfolding below.
Bhad Bhabie vs. Woah Vicky & Lil Tay
Who are they?
Bhad Bhabie is the rap name for 15-year-old Danielle Bregoli, who you probably know best as "Cash Me Ousside" girl. Woah Vicky is 18-year-old Victoria Waldrip. Lil Tay is nine.
What's happening?
The exact origin of this feud cannot be pinpointed, but thanks to the sleuthing work of Jezebel, we can perhaps blame it on a good old fashioned rivalry between the two musicians, fueled by alleged racial slurs. All of this culminated in an almost-fight outside a shopping mall (?).
Lil Tay is just kind of there for all of this, but had a lot to say after the fact in defense of Woah Vicky. The two appear to have some kind of alliance. I don't know.
"Broke ass bitch, you can't fight for shit and you a bitch," Lil Tay said in a video directed to Bregoli. "Go back to beating up your mom on Dr. Phil." She is nine!!!!!!!!
Why do I care?
Because at this rate, one of these women will probably end up president!
Lil Miquela vs. Bermuda
Who are they?
Well, first off, they aren't real, but it just gets stranger from there. The best way to describe Lil Miquela and Bermuda is "Sims characters who have Instagrams," except we don't know who is controlling them. Lil Miquela, aka Miquela Sousa aka it does not matter because she is not real, is meant to be a Brazilian-American 19-year-old influencer — and that's true! She has a million followers and is depicted via some impressive graphic design skills wearing all types of fashionable outfits hawking legit designers. She also is vocal about progressive movements like LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter.
Enter Bermuda, the polar opposite of Lil Miquela. She's a white Tomi Lahren-type character who is heavily conservative and loud about it. Her first post was back in September, but recently, she decided to start some drama. Or, maybe, drama started itself.
What's happening?
From what I can deduce, Bermuda's damage seems to be rooted in a mystery that's still unfolding. In order to pressure Lil Miquela to "come clean," Bermuda hacked Lil Miquela's account, posting, according to Motherboard, messages like this:
“Hi guys! Bermuda here. Soooo... you’re being lied to by a fake a*s person. Literally who is buying this for one second? Apparently a lot of you. …Sorry, Miquela. I tried to DM, I tried to call but you ‘stay curving’ me. You brought this on yourself, girl 😘 Leave me a comment if you care about the truth, k? 😘 Go follow @bermudaisbae.”
And what is this "truth"? Lil Miquela just revealed it:
She's not real, which we all knew. But she goes on to build a whole narrative that we're just getting the beginning of.
"My managers, people I considered family, lied to me. @brud.fyi told me I was created based on the life and mind of a human named Miquela Sousa who grew up in Downey," she wrote. "That was a lie. The truth is I was built by a man named Daniel Cain in order to be a servant. Brud stole me from his company in Silicon Valley and 're-programmed' me to be 'free.'"
"Brud," according to their Instagram, is a rival robotics and AI group. But it sounds like there's more to the story — including this tidbit hidden in Bermuda's recent post:
"Despite it all, there’s only three of us out there and we need to stick together," she wrote. Three. Three. That means there's another CGI robot out there who is another piece of this confusing puzzle, this Westworld of the Internet. Possibly this guy.
Why do I care?
Because whatever this story is, it's still unfolding, and so much work was put into setting it up over the past year that I need to see it through.
Mars Argo vs. Poppy & Titanic Sinclair
Who are they?
Poppy is an internet personality who makes music alongside cryptic, disturbing videos that appear to take down internet and celebrity culture. Mars Argo was an internet personality who made music alongside cryptic, disturbing videos that appeared to take down internet and celebrity culture. See the problem?
The two share/d the same schtick, have another thing in common: Titanic Sinclair. Sinclair directs all of Poppy's video, and before that, did the same with Mars Argo. Argo is accusing Sinclair of ripping off her persona and using it for Poppy — but there's more.
What's happening?
In addition to accusing Poppy and Titanic Sinclair of ripping off her identity, Argo has also accused Sinclair of "severe emotional and psychological abuse and manipulation." In a lawsuit filed on April 17, Mars Argo (real name Brittany Sheets) outlines the romantic relationship between her and Sinclair (Corey Mixter) that began in 2008 and spawned a number of creative projects, including Mars Argo and their YouTube channel. They released around 92 videos between 2009 and 2015, and began doing live shows.
"Although Mars Argo was growing in popularity during this time, Ms. Sheets was living a nightmare," the document reads. Their relationship ended in 2014, but Sheets says Mixter began to "repeatedly harass, stalk, threaten, and abuse Ms. Sheets, including — but not limited to — threatening to commit suicide, repeatedly showing up unannounced at Ms. Sheets' doorstep, breaking into her apartment, stalking her every move on social media, disparaging her to mutual friends, acquaintances, or others in the industry, and even physically assaulting her." This resulted in Sheets leaving Los Angeles.
She's been quiet on social media ever since, until returning this week with a statement to accompany the news:
I started this journey long before the #metoo movement found its footing, but I so am grateful for the brave women who shared their stories before me. I hope that by telling mine, I can be a voice for those who come after me pic.twitter.com/4uT7QHhEtz
She decided to come forward about the alleged abuse after being inspired by the #MeToo movement. She is seeking damages from Mixter for alleged abuse and from his company for copying her identity. She is also seeking a domestic violence restraining order. She is also seeking damages from Poppy for being an alleged accomplice in the copyright infringement.
Sheets, Mixter, and Poppy did not immediately return Refinery29's request for comment.
Why should I care?
Because a woman's success was buried and her career abandoned due to yet another instance of alleged abuse in the entertainment industry.
Picture your pre-vacation self: exhilarated and glowing bright with anticipation. Now, picture your post-vacation self: exhausted and dulled down from jet-lag and work dread. Pre-vacation bliss is real, but post-vacation blues are even more intense. We can handle the preparatory work for our eagerly awaited getaways, but no amount of planning, packing, and smooth vacation sailing is enough to brace us for dealing with the eventual paradise lost. Especially when we ultimately hop straight off our budget redeye flights and into an office-bound cab or train.
To combat the post-vacation blues, we're going to need a checklist that will help us reenter reality. Ahead we're detailing eight tips to prepare your home before jet-setting off on yet another travel adventure. It's as simple as not needing to do a load of laundry or deal with dishes after that four hour flight delay complete with crying baby. Or as soulful as writing yourself a pre-vacation positive affirmation. So spare yourselves the negative vibes by situating your space ahead of time!
Stabilise Your Fridge & Pantry While it's important to do a fridge check for tossing out perishables prior to long stays away, it's equally important to stock a few long-lasting groceries for eating upon return — so you don't have to muster up the energy for a last-minute, late night, or early morning supermarket run.
Wash Your Sheets & Make Your Bed Don't just wash the sheets OR make the bed before heading out on your next getaway — do both! Sleeping away for a few nights makes coming home to our own crisp, clean, and turned down beds all the more alluring for catching a peaceful night of Zs.
photographed by Cory Dawson.
Empty The Sink We may remember to wash the dirty dishes in the sink before hitting the road, but what about the clean stuff that's just sitting there? Put it ALL away and save yourself the sight of it.
Pre-Make A Self-Care Kit Gather essential toiletries for a speedy self-care station in your bathroom (e.g. favourite face masks, breath fresheners, dry shampoos, etc.) — this way, when you get back feeling tried AF from all that travel, you'll have a quick fix for freshening up before getting back to reality.
Do Your Laundry An already overflowing hamper isn't going to magically disappear while you're away on that tropical vacation — and piling even more dirty, post-beach ware on top isn't going to help. Instead, make time to wash, fold, and put away all that already-used laundry before you head out the door.
photographed by Eva K. Salvi.
Write Yourself A Note Help keep the back-to-reality feels at bay by writing a note to yourself pre-trip filled with any and all excitement jitters and wanderlust affirmations. Leave it on your bedside table and read it back post trip to relive the magic.
Centre Your Space Before jet-setting away, take a step back and do an overall sweep of your space to make sure all the odds and ends are put away (e.g. books are on the shelf, throw blankets folded in their baskets, and trinkets stashed in their trunks). Coming back to a centred home makes space for a centred mind.
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Miss Africa Great Britain is a beauty pageant that takes place every year in a grand venue in east London. Founded in 2011, its mission is to “give young African girls born or living in the UK a platform to showcase not only their beauty but their culture, talent and creativity.”
The pageant is typical in that there’s an evening wear round, where the beauty queens parade down a catwalk in a beautiful dress and a crown; a cultural wear round, where the queens model traditional dress from their native African countries; a talent round, and an interview round. The winner goes on to become a goodwill ambassador for Miss Africa GB, a role which revolves around implementing a charity programme in their native country. Of 26 contestants from 14 African countries, last year’s crown went to Larissa Tcheukam from Cameroon, a student and health practitioner whose mission is to support the education of underprivileged children, which was the basis for her charity mission to Cameroon in March this year.
Levon Ijeh, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017Ebele Nwangwu, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
South African photographer Alice Mann, who moved to London in 2014, attended the 2017 pageant to shoot portraits of the contestants. Having grown up in Cape Town, Alice is deeply interested in the African diaspora and themes of race, identity and community run through her work. Earlier this year, Refinery29 featured her previous series Always Wear Your Best On A Sunday – a portrait series of the community at Walworth Methodist Church in south London. This new series on Miss Africa GB addresses similar themes, while inadvertently reframing beauty pageants and Miss World-type competitions as meaningful celebrations of women that can have multiple positive impacts.
Here, Alice talks us through the series, and what she’s working on next.
Jessia Anyan- Brown, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017 Anta Wilkins, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
How did you find out about Miss Africa GB?
Alice: I found out about the pageant two years ago and it piqued my interest because of the scenes I’m examining and the images of empowerment, looking at African communities in the UK. When I initially tried to get hold of the pageant organisers two years ago, it didn’t work out, but last year I got an email from them to say auditions were starting, and that I could go along. I organised shoot portraits of most of the contestants. Miss Africa GB works with girls who have African heritage [entry requires at least one parent from an African country] and links to different African countries, and they work with girls in getting ready for the pageant too, increasing their confidence and creating a positive image around their cultural identity. It was a positive story, and I liked that. All the girls chose their own clothes for the portraits and I worked with a makeup artist who has an amazing sense of colour so it was a nice collaboration between lots of women, which was fun. In simple terms, I was looking at this positive sense of community, and I wanted to create images that people felt proud of.
Djene Camara, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
What happens in Miss Africa? What’s the format, is it like Miss World?
Alice: I know that beauty pageants are seen as quite outdated and as these archaic standards of beauty that women have to conform to, but what I liked about Miss Africa GB was that it’s a self-defining idea of beauty, focusing on the individual rather than making people conform. Miss Africa GB is linked up with charities in Africa and the winner does charity work for the subsequent year in her native country, so it creates positive links between London and Africa.
Djene Camara, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017Jamila Doh, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
Are the contestants judged on how they look or what they’re wearing or what they’re saying?
Alice: It’s a combination of things, they have several rounds including a cultural wear round. A number of them chose to wear their cultural outfits for the portraits, which I really liked. A lot of the contestants are second generation, born in the UK, so it’s that mix – it’s not necessarily African people or British people, the fact that they can be both is what I wanted to look at.
How old are they?
Alice: The age range was 18 to late 20s. And a lot of them were from outside of London – the pageant goes quite a bit wider than I first assumed.
Rebecca Mphongo, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
How did they feel about you photographing them?
Alice: A number of the girls are models, or online personalities, and I created a portfolio for each girl I photographed and sent it back to them, which I hoped they might use somehow. The goal was to create images that they wanted.
Do you know how they hear about the pageant?
Alice: I think it’s quite mixed, a number of them were part of modelling agencies and found out about it through that.
Oluchi Osuona, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017Julie Gikami, Miss Africa GB Beauty Pageant Contestant. London, 2017
Any other projects we should look out for?
Alice: I recently got published, which was quite cool; it was a series I worked on in Cape Town on drum majorettes. In an area that’s very badly affected by gang violence, there are these girls at a primary school who participate in a sport called ‘drummies’ which is taken very seriously as a sport in South Africa. I know in a lot of places it’s viewed as quite obscure, but these young girls train for hours and hours during the week and over their weekends; they take it so seriously and through it, they have become very empowered. It was incredible to work with them and they look amazing; they put on these uniforms of sequins and feathers and they just embody this confidence and power through being part of this team.
You’ve written about the fact that you are a white South African photographer who often photographs black subjects – and about wanting to dismantle white privilege. How aware of your skin colour are you when you're working on a project like this?
Alice: Being a white photographer is something I’m very aware of. I have to be aware of my privilege when I’m working with people – white or black. Having a sense and an understanding of the position that I’m coming with as a photographer is important. My awareness of my own position makes me more critically consider how I’m engaging with people. You can’t just ‘lightly engage’ on certain topics – you have to look deeper and that’s the way I tend to approach the subjects I’m working with. I am personally very interested in how migrant communities create a positive sense of community in a new place, and I wonder how I, as a photographer, can work to produce positive imagery, to counter the often negative imagery we see in the media of people who are seen as outsiders or ‘other’.
I never feel like I get concealer right. After a late night, I really struggle to actually cover up my dark circles without making them look weirdly… grey. Also, when I get spots, I wonder if I’m actually drawing more attention to them in my efforts to cover them up. What concealer type should I be using? Help!
Amina, 24
The desire to cover our blemishes goes back a long way. The Tudors caked their faces in toxic lead powder, choosing to risk death over letting their smallpox scars show. And in Ancient Egypt, Tutankhamun was buried with his anti-acne treatments – apparently even in the afterlife, pimples are frowned upon.
You’re totally right that the sheer variety of concealers on the market, from liquids to creams and powders, is staggering. The names don’t help either – surely you want all concealer to be 'high coverage'? You aren’t buying it to kind of mask a spot.
I recruited one of my favourite makeup artists, Bobbi Brown’s Keeley Wilson, for answers. "There are lots of misconceptions about concealer, especially what’s actually best to use under the eyes and for blemish coverage," explained Keeley.
Let’s start with under eye, which is certainly my biggest beauty bugbear. "Lots of people seem to think that you need to buy a lighter shade to help 'brighten', but in reality that will only make any darkness look ashier," explained Keeley. "Providing you have the right shade, the other reason your concealer might look grey is because you need to use a corrector first. Think about it this way: If you had a purple wall in your bedroom you wanted to paint white, you wouldn’t just go straight in with the white. The darkness of the purple would show through, so you’d use a primer first to knock the colour out. It’s the same principle here – if you have a lot of darkness under the eye, use a corrector to take the worst of it out first." I love Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Corrector – it’s super hydrating but very lightweight – or try BECCA Under Eye Brightening Corrector for even more coverage.
Aside from ashiness, creasing under the eyes is enough to make you want to just put on sunglasses and forget about it. "I can’t recommend using an eye cream first enough. It’ll help to keep the area hydrated and so the concealer will feel and look less cakey," added Keeley. "The other thing is to use the right tools. I like to use a brush to apply my concealer, and then use my ring finger to pat over the top to take off any excess; the warmth from your finger will help to blend the product, making it look more like skin." I’d personally recommend Charlotte Tilbury’s The Retoucher, or the Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer.
If your under-eye area is particularly dry, Keeley had some advice: "Use a concealer that has a slightly thinner texture. First apply a small amount of eye cream to prep, then use a brush to apply the concealer under the eye in an inverted triangle shape, making sure to blend the product out so that it’s not too thick. Then once you’re happy with how it’s looking, take a translucent powder and dust some over to keep creasing at bay."
Now, onto blemishes. As a rule of thumb, I’d say a creamy concealer is your best bet for covering spots – you can even get concealers with salicylic acid or other zit-busting ingredients for particularly juicy ones. "Always choose a cream or liquid concealer the same shade as your foundation," confirmed Keeley. "I’m not sure that fingers are best for these thicker textures, as you’ll only end up removing a lot of the concealer as you go. I always do foundation first, then use a small brush to dab concealer on, and then finish with loose powder. You really can’t afford to skip powder if you want it to stay." I love NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer or Glossier Stretch Concealer for blemishes, FYI.
If you’re looking to cover a larger area of pigmentation, scarring or uneven skin texture, you might want to step things up and try something heavy duty, like Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. I’ve seen it cover tattoos, surgery scars – pretty much everything. The two tones in the pan let you correct then conceal, and the pressed texture makes it easier to apply to a large area without looking cakey.
That’s not all concealer is good for, mind you. Keeley’s shown me in the past how to use a small amount to highlight my brow bone or tidy up my lip line. In fact, one of my favourite tricks is to apply concealer to my lips before red lipstick. It takes all the natural tone out, meaning that your lipstick goes on a much truer red. "Also use concealer to highlight the brow bone! It masks any newly grown hairs, especially in between brow appointments," added Keeley.
Got a question for our resident beauty columnist Daniela Morosini? No problem, qualm or dilemma is too big, small or niche. Emaildeardaniela@refinery29.uk, including your name and age for a chance to have your question answered. All letters to ‘Dear Daniela’ become the property of Refinery29 and will be edited for length, clarity, and grammatical correctness.
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If you've ever worked in a bar, café or restaurant, chances are you'll have some empathy for fellow waiting staff. It can be a tough gig – long hours, hard on your feet, bad tips, picky customers and measly pay. We asked one waitress to dish (sorry) the dirt...
How long have you worked as a waitress? Two years.
What kind of restaurant do you work at? An American-style bar and grill.
What are the best things about the job? You get a free lunch. Plus, on a busy night you can get good tips.
What are the worst things about the job? Dealing with drunk customers…or rude customers. Or serving customers who don’t tip. The restaurant I work at is big on service. Some customers pick up on that and take advantage by making silly complaints.
What are the most difficult aspects of waitressing? It’s tricky when a customer complains [about the food]. Being the middle-man and the messenger is difficult – having to tell the kitchen that a customer has sent their food back is so awkward.
Do you get attention from male customers? The restaurant I work at has a popular bar, so people are often drunk before they even sit down to eat. The waitresses get hit on a lot. Having said that, the owner of the restaurant (who is a woman) actually encourages the waitresses to flirt with male customers to get drink sales up.
Do you have a uniform? Black T-shirt, trousers and apron.
Do you have a good relationship with your boss? It’s okay. She tends to sit around and get drunk with the customers. She has a reputation for being a bit of a party girl.
What about the other staff? A lot of the full-time staff stay after hours and drink for free. Two actually had sex in the stockroom after hours once.
What are the hours like? We do either day or night shifts – so 9am to 5pm, or 5pm until midnight. We have a lot of eastern European staff who work double shifts though. I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be a limit to how many hours you can do. It sounds like they’re being exploited but they really try to work as many hours as possible…which the employer ultimately benefits from, of course.
Staff often nick food off customers’ plates. Just the odd chip, nothing you’d notice.
Let's talk hygiene... The cutlery and plates get washed in a massive commercial dishwasher, which in most restaurants will have seen a few years’ service. They’ll often leave bits of food on plates and between the prongs of forks. There’s usually a porter or waiter who will give them a quick wipe with a damp cloth to remove any bits. So basically, things are never as clean as you’d like to think. Also – kind of gross, but waiting staff often nick food off customers’ plates. Just the odd chip, nothing you’d notice.
Worst encounter with a customer? A while ago I had a table – a couple of guys – who just walked out without paying. I chased them out of the restaurant but couldn’t really do anything about it. Another time a drunk customer had an altercation with my manager and spat in his face. The manager pressed charges and, as I was a witness, I ended up going to court. Another time, I served a large table and when I gave them the bill they basically claimed they had already paid. So the manager went over to the table and the customers made out that I had charged them twice. So humiliating. Most of the problems in the restaurant stem from the bar. There have been some fights between customers. It’s gone as far as the police being called. I don’t think anyone’s actually been bottled (so far).
Do you get good tips? No. Not really. Any tables with under six people, the service charge is optional. Gratuity is encouraged but it’s very rare that your tips meet the suggested amount. I think anyone who has worked in a restaurant appreciates the importance of tips. The tips are shared out between servers, which causes tension because, obviously, some of us work harder than others, and some give better service than others.
What do the restaurant staff make of the customers? Chefs will always complain about customers sending food back to the kitchen, no matter if it’s a legitimate complaint or not. I’ve never seen anyone actually spit in a burger, but to be honest I wouldn’t put it past them.
Do you give your friends and people you like free drinks or food? Sometimes, but only because everyone else seems to. I don’t take the piss with it, though.
What's it like working with a hangover? Bad. I’ve come to work pretty much straight from a night out before. Not as bad as one waiter I know who came into work so drunk from a night out that he was being sick in the bin behind the bar. He then carried a load of drinks to a table without cleaning up. My coping mechanism is hiding in the store cupboard for 10 minutes at a time, plus drinking loads of soda water.
What’s the pay like? Minimum wage. Plus tips, when we get them.
Fashioned from Nature, the Victoria & Albert Museum's next big fashion exhibition, opens this weekend, inviting audiences to "trace the complex relationship between fashion and the natural world" from 1600 to the present day. The split-level show explores how designers have been inspired by nature – from the feathers of birds to the fluidity of the sea – and how, at the same time, fashion has harmed our planet. Asking two questions – "How can we design a more sustainable fashion industry?" and "What can we learn from the past?" – the exhibition encourages us to analyse our relationship with the Earth and with clothes in 2018.
Ahead of the show's opening, we've rounded up the four big talking points from the exhibition, from our gruesome ancestors to futuristic fabrications.
Fashion Vs. Nature Isn't New
Though fashion's impact on the environment feels like an immediate and urgent issue, thanks to fast fashion and a global fashion industry speeding up environmental damage, air and water pollution is in fact nothing new. In the 17th and 18th centuries, clothing was handmade with natural materials like silk, wool and cotton. Come the dawn of international trade, though, materials were imported from across the globe, with Britain sourcing from Asia, Africa and America.
At the same time, the 1800s saw mega technological advancement, meaning that the textile industry could be powered by steam, rather than relying on animals and wind. Add this to growing wages and higher standards of living, and you have a much greater demand for clothes, met at a much faster pace. The original fast fashion.
Our Kids Will Think Our Fashion Was Brutal
While the exhibition features some beautiful dresses, the most fascinating are the morbid pieces. On display are a pair of earrings from 1875 made from the (whole) heads of honeycreeper birds – statement earrings indeed – and an 1860s muslin dress covered in the green wing cases of hundreds of jewel beetles.
The use of whalebone and turtle shell was pretty common back in the day too, which begs the question: If we see these practices as cruel, damaging and unnecessary, what will our grandchildren think of our use of leather and fur?
Eco Doesn't Mean Ugly
Alongside an exploration of past fashion customs and the way they impacted our planet, there are some pieces at the exhibition that prove sustainability needn't be labelled worthy or staid. (Just look at H&M's latest Conscious launch.)
On display are: Calvin Klein's monochrome Met Gala look for Emma Watson, made from recycled plastic bottles; the floral dress from Erdem's Eco-Age Green Carpet Capsule; an up-cycled dress by Christopher Raeburn; and of course, womenswear from Stella McCartney, including her George Stubbs "Horse Frightened By A Lion" print shirt and trousers. If there was ever any doubt that responsible fashion could be contemporary and cool, this collection refutes it.
The Future Looks Hopeful
While the earlier sections of the exhibition could get an eco warrior down, you'll leave the show feeling hopeful. Look to Vegae, an Italian brand that turns some of the seven million tonnes of waste grape seeds, skin and stalks from wine production into vegan leather. A dress made from the chemical-free leather alternative sits alongside other pieces made from orange peel and pineapple fibre, too.
Alongside Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood's tireless work in promoting sustainable clothing, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion is undertaking important research and encouraging young and emerging designers to think more widely about the way they make clothes. Fashion Revolution too, a collective looking into alternative sources for our fashion, has posters on display, as does London designer Katie Jones, who created a vintage customised piece for Susie Lau in 2015. While the past certainly looks bleak in the context of our planet's current fight against plastic, chemicals and water waste, there is reason to be optimistic about our future.
The V&A is known for its blockbuster fashion exhibitions – think Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion; Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear; and Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s – so there's no doubt this instalment will be just as successful as the last. The key difference with this show, though, is that Fashioned from Nature will be instrumental in convincing people to alter their consumerist habits for the greater good of our planet. In 2018, we're at a tipping point, and this might just be the action-inspiring show that turns the tide.
Fashioned from Nature will run from 21st April 2018 to 27th January 2019 at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
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We're as heartbroken as the rest of the music-loving population that Glastonbury is out of action this year, but we won't let that stop us from throwing ourselves headfirst into festival season. In the UK, we're frankly spoilt for choice when it comes to alternatives. Whether you're looking to throw some shapes at a mud-free city festival, or already have your tent and wellies prepped for a full-on camping experience with some highbrow culture thrown in, the options are endless. So it pays to be selective if you want to ensure the best possible time.
Click through for our roundup of the best festivals to fill the gaping Glasto-shaped hole in your life this year. iCals and debit cards at the ready!
The new kid on the block this festival season, All Points East looks set to be an epic addition to the capital's festival scene. The 10-day event includes a three-day music festival, headlined by LCD Soundsystem, The xx and Björk, and also featuring the likes of Lorde, Sampha and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. On the other days you can enjoy an outdoor cinema, comedy and some delectable food. The whole thing has been organised by the brains behind Coachella, so we have high hopes.
All Points Easttakes place from 25th May–3rd June in Victoria Park, east London. Day tickets from £59.95.
Parklife
If you've got diverse music tastes or want a festival to cater to your whole friendship group, Parklife is your best bet. This year's stellar lineup includes Manchester's very own Liam Gallagher, The xx, Skepta, N.E.R.D, Lorde, Bonobo, A$Ap Rocky, Sampha, Annie Mac... we could go on. General admission weekend tickets have sold out so we'd advise bagging your ticket(s) stat.
Parklife takes place from 9th–10th June at Heaton Park, Manchester. Saturday and Sunday bundle tickets cost £130 plus booking fee.
Isle Of Wight
It may be a slight kerfuffle to get there, but revellers report that Isle Of Wight festival is well worth the ferry ride. Topping the bill of the four-day festival this year are Kasabian, Depeche Mode, Liam Gallagher and The Killers, with sets from Chase and Status, Camilla Cabello and Norwegian rising star Sigrid earlier on in the day.
Isle Of Wight festival takes place from 21st-24th June at Seaclose Park on the Isle of Wight. Adult weekend tickets cost £209 plus an £14.20 fee.
Wireless
Wireless is your best best for the biggest names in hip-hop, R&B, rap, grime and mainstream pop, so it's not really surprising that the London event sold out in record time this year. The all-star lineup is something to behold, boasting homegrown and international talent, including headliners Stormzy, J. Cole and DJ Khaled, along with Partynextdoor, Migos, J Hus, Giggs, and Mabel, one of the (regrettably) few women on the bill.
Wirelesstakes place from 6th-8th July in Finsbury Park, north London. Tickets from £55.
Latitude
Whether you're a parent with little ones to entertain or a party animal just looking to let loose with your mates, there's something for everyone at Latitude. This year's music lineup is pretty special, boasting headliners The Killers, Solange and Alt-J, comedy from Bridget Christie, along with a plethora of panel talks and debates, an action-packed kids' area and a lake for swimming. And don't forget to take a selfie with the pink sheep.
Latitude takes place from 12th–15th July at Henham Park, Suffolk. Adult weekend tickets cost £197.50 plus booking fee.
Lovebox
This beloved two-day dance party may have headed west from its usual east London setting to Gunnersbury Park for 2018, but the lineup is as good – if not better – than usual. Headlining this year is London's very own Skepta, Childish Gambino, N.E.R.D and "very special guest", the inimitable SZA.
Loveboxtakes place from 13th–14th July at Gunnersbury Park, west London. Tickets start at £59.50 plus booking fee.
Citadel
If you're planning on going to Lovebox, it would almost be rude not to journey to west London for Citadel as well. The one-day event, happening in the same place the following day, calls itself "the ultimate summer Sunday" and truly, what better way to banish the Sunday blues than by getting down to Tame Impala, Chvrches, Leon Bridges and many more in a gorgeous park? (Refinery29 will be taking part in Sunday Papers Live at the festival – come and say hello.)
Citadeltakes place on 15th July at Gunnersbury Park, west London. Tickets cost £49.50 plus booking fee.
Wilderness
It's dubbed one of the "poshest" festivals out there, thanks to the fancy food on offer, highbrow talks, debates and performance artists, the luxury camping options and idyllic Oxfordshire setting, but don't let that intimidate you. On this year's music bill are headliners Nile Rogers & Chic and Bastille, and exciting newcomers including IAMDDB and Mahalia. Refinery29 is working with Wilderness to offer free self defence classes for women at this year's festival. Why not follow all that physical exertion with a refreshing dip in the lake?
Wildernesstakes place from 2nd–5th August at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. Spring release tickets cost £179.50 plus booking fee.
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.
A group of friends kick a ball in Greenwich Park as London has clear blue skies and temperatures rise for the hottest day of the year so far on 19th April 2018 in London, United Kingdom. The hottest April temperature in 70 years was recorded by the Met Office in London at 27 degrees Celsius.
Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Helen Housby and her England teammates celebrate winning the netball gold medal on day 11 of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games on 15th April 2018. Housby made history by netting the winning goal in the last second of the match, to make the score 52-51 and beat Australia to win England's first ever Commonwealth gold in netball.
Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images
This picture taken on 15th April 2018 shows Indonesian villagers releasing painted terrapin or saw-jawed turtles into an estuary at the mangrove conservation area in Tamiang district, Aceh province. The painted terrapin is a critically endangered species according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images
A Somali refugee girl stands in a makeshift shelter at Dadaab refugee complex, in northeast Kenya, on 16th April 2018. The Dadaab refugee complex, which has some 235,269 refugees and asylum seekers in four camps about 80km from the Somali-Kenyan border, was established in 1991, according to UNHCR camp population statistics from January 2018.
Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images
Thomas Daley and Daniel Goodfellow of England compete in the men's synchronised 10m platform diving final on day nine of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Optus Aquatic Centre on 13th April 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Rohingya refugees look for their belongings in New Delhi on 16th April 2018, following a fire that broke out at their camp and left around 200 people homeless. No casualties were reported after the fire ripped through the camp early in the morning of 15th April. The refugees living in New Delhi have fled persecution in Myanmar, with their numbers increasing following a brutal crackdown starting in September 2017 that saw hundreds of thousands pour into neighbouring Bangladesh.
Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa lights the Eternal Flame of Freedom during Zimbabwe Independence Day celebrations at the National Sports Stadium on 18th April 2018 in Harare. Zimbabwe marked its first independence day without Robert Mugabe in power, with new leader Mnangagwa vowing to hold 'credible' elections and turn around the southern African country's moribund economy.
Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
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Yep, you've guessed it. The sun has finally decided to appear, with the temperature set to be the hottest we've seen since last August in much of the UK. It was as high as 27C in London on Thursday and is expected to reach 25C on Friday and to continue into the weekend. This is unusual for April – considering it was still freezing just a couple of weeks ago – and this hasn't gone unnoticed on social media.
The sun is out in Britain. The nation flocks to parks to drink cans of fruity cider and get sunburn as is tradition. A man takes off his shirt in public as a display of dominance but looks like a pale ham mannequin, as is tradition. A 99 with a flake is £60.
People are losing their minds over the so-called heatwave, with #WarmestDayOfTheYear trending on Twitter and people greeting the weather in typical British fashion: with humour.
We may put our winter coats away every spring, but it seems the novelty of being able to ditch them never wears off.
I feel like every time #WarmestDayOfTheYear is trending in the UK we should get the day off. Not because it's warm, but because of the sheer panic in people's eyes. pic.twitter.com/1qvXTlkvj7
Why is #WarmestDayOfTheYear trending?! Of course it's the warmest day of the year. Every day for the foreseeable future has the potential to be the warmest day... because so far this year it has been WINTER.
Not everyone has been able to join in the fun, however, with the temperature in Scotland lower (cooler than a respectable 20C in parts). Hey, at least they've got a sense of humour about it.
Many people experience a boost in their mood and energy levels when the sun comes out and it's finally warm enough to laze about in rooftop bars and let their legs see the light of day. But not everyone's experience of spring and summer is sunshine and roses.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression related to changes in seasons, is most commonly associated with the cold, dark autumn and winter months, but many people instead experience "reverse SAD", whereby they feel particularly low during spring and summer.
It's unclear what proportion of people with SAD experience it in "reverse", but research has put it between 10 and 40%, says Laura Peters, head of advice and information at Rethink Mental Illness. The causes are also less clear compared with SAD associated with the winter months, which has been linked to changes in melatonin, serotonin and the body's circadian rhythm caused by lack of sunlight.
While research into the triggers of reverse SAD is sparse, theories abound. "It could be due to people staying up later during summer, which can interrupt their sleep-wake patterns and change their mood," suggests Peters. "Or it could be down to increased melatonin production because of increased sunlight."
The signs of reverse SAD are often different from those of SAD experienced during the winter months, which often include low energy. Reverse SAD symptoms are most often agitation and irritability-related, which may be mild to begin with at the end of spring but become more severe as summer progresses, says Isabel Leming, senior technician at Smart TMS. These might include trouble sleeping (insomnia), poor appetite, weight loss, agitation or anxiety.
If the symptoms of reverse SAD sound familiar, rest assured that you're not the only one whose mental health is adversely affected by warm, sunny weather. Disorders like anxiety can also be triggered and worsened by the "good" weather and the pressure to be constantly happy and enjoying the sunshine.
Seeing everyone having fun in the sun during summer has made my depression worse because I couldn't enjoy it.
"Mental health in summer can be hard," says Eleanor Segall, 29, a mental health blogger and freelance writer, who has been on lithium since she was 25 following a serious manic episode. "I struggle with the heat – my medication dehydrates my body anyway so I have to continually drink water and try to stay out the sun at midday. I burn like a tomato.
"In the past when I've been low, seeing everyone having fun in the sun during summer has made my depression worse because I couldn't enjoy it."
Zoe Thomson, 22, an office administrator, was diagnosed with depression and generalised anxiety at 19 and says the heat and humidity make her feel claustrophobic and so trigger her anxiety. She says the worst thing about mental health struggles in summer is "feeling left out" and feeling the pressure to be happy and "joining in with everyone else's fun".
"I just prefer the colder seasons and my depression can’t go away for the summer. It doesn’t work like that. It makes me feel like an outsider because I’m the only one not praying for the season to never end."
It's a similar story for 19-year-old student Alice Wardman, who has had depression and anxiety for a few years. "The warm weather can sometimes help my mental health, but it's mostly short-lived. I don’t feel ‘better’ in the sun."
Most often, it means feeling pressured to be sociable when she doesn't always want to be. "The worst thing is having friends want to go out and take trips when all you want to do is stay in bed. I feel too guilty saying no, so go anyway as they're so keen and I don’t want to feel like I’m letting them down."
Mental health issues don’t just stop because the weather is nice, they continue just as if it were a miserable day.
Olivia Callaghan, 25, a mental health advocate who works in retail, lives with bipolar disorder, anxiety and bulimia, and has self-harmed in the past. She also cites the "pressure to have a good time in the sun when all you want to do is to crawl back into bed and sleep" as a burden. "People can’t imagine you being depressed when the weather is lovely, but mental health issues don’t just stop because the weather is nice, they continue just as if it were a miserable day."
It's also a difficult time of year for Callaghan because she has self-harm scars. "Wearing summer clothes is hard because I feel a tad scared to show my scars in case I’m met with stares or comments."
Ricky Thamman, 39, a graphic designer who hosts a mental health radio show called Mentally Sound, lives with anxiety and depression and says the heat is a "trigger", stopping him from being able to control his symptoms. "I feel faint and it brings on palpitations, leading to faster breathing and anxiety attacks. I regularly carry water and freeze gel, sometimes freeze spray used to treat sports injuries.
"The most difficult thing is not being able to enjoy summer like everyone else, not being productive, and the difficulty in getting from A to B, which affects day-to-day things like work. I don't socialise, travel, or go out in general in high temperatures." He still experiences anxiety during winter, but this isn't weather-related.
If you think you might be suffering with reverse SAD, show yourself the same compassion and care you would if you had any other mental health issues. "Like all depressive disorders, it's important to speak to your GP," says Peters. "They may prescribe medication or talking therapies. It also helps to eat well, do some exercise and make sure you get enough sleep."
Alternative treatments for depression, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which modulates brain activity and is approved by NICE, can also be used to treat SAD, says Leming. She also recommends blocking out as much natural light as possible when trying to sleep if you're suffering with insomnia as a result of reverse SAD.
If you are experiencing depression and need support, please call Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Last week, The Sunday Times Middle East Correspondent Louise Callaghan was reporting from a refugee camp in northern Syria. She describes talking to a woman with chemical burns on her arms, whose 7-year-old twin daughters were pale, listless and coughing a lot. Their clothes reeked of chlorine. Like the other Syrians from the area of Douma who Callaghan talked to that day, they gave individual, corroborating testimonies about a chemical attack on 7th April, most probably carried out by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad on his own population.
If life in the camp was bad, says Callaghan, grimmer was the life that the people of Douma had left behind: “They have been under siege for four and a half years and their homes have been relentlessly pummelled by bombing and chemical warfare,” she explains to Refinery29 over the phone. “This time dozens of people died because they didn’t realise that gas was coming.”
Since the attack on 7th April, Syria has been in the news more than usual. Many claimed the chlorine attack was “fake news”, designed to legitimise Western intervention in Syria. UK Prime Minister Theresa May decided to join France and the US in launching a response attack on Syrian chemical weapons bases, without consulting parliament. Donald Trump sent a series of typically wild tweets in the lead-up to the response strike, stating that the US’ relationship with Russia, Syria’s political ally, has never been worse. And this Wednesday, after access had been blocked for almost two weeks, inspectors were finally allowed into Douma to evaluate whether a chemical attack had taken place, only to be shot at and evacuated.
Caroline Lucas, the leader of the UK Green Party, has maintained before and after the Western strikes on Syria last Saturday that they were a mistake. She warns: “With the [UK] government refusing to rule out further strikes, there's still a real risk that our actions in Syria could spark further violence and civilian casualties.” The British government claims the strikes were “successful” but Lucas believes that, “as yet, there's no evidence that the strikes achieved anything significant in military terms, despite giving the Syrian and Russian governments a big propaganda opportunity.”
Seemingly backing up Lucas’ point is the fact that, last April, the US struck an alleged Syrian chemical base. “These recent strikes were bigger than last year’s, hitting three targets instead of one,” Callaghan explains, “but as with last year’s strikes, I don’t think this is going to permanently stop the regime from launching gas attacks on its own citizens. The regime has a long record of acting with impunity.” She points to a video posted on the Syrian presidency’s Twitter account the morning after the strikes, of Assad walking into work holding a briefcase: “It was to show that things are, quite literally, business as usual.”
Rana Khalaf is a PhD researcher at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester, with a focus on Syrian civil society. “When it came to the strike I think the reaction of local Syrians was not huge. It looked like a power message sent from the US to Russia, but nothing about Syrians,” she says. “A few weeks before that strike a much higher number of people were dying and there was no response. So the two key messages Syrians got is that the regime is staying, because obviously the strike didn’t aim to remove the regime itself. And the second message is that Syrians can be killed, just not by chemical weapons.”
Since the strike from the West, Trump has said that he is “locked and loaded” for more attacks. Meanwhile, in the UK, MPs have been very publicly arguing over what a resolution to the Syrian conflict might look like. Jeremy Corbyn has said that the decision over military action lies with the United Nations. Caroline Lucas has been adamant that tough action shouldn’t mean bombs and bullets.
“For a start, that must mean cracking down on Russia, Syria’s bloody-handed ally,” Lucas tells Refinery29. She suggests hitting Putin where it hurts: the Russian economy, with both unilateral sanctions (imposed by one country on another), like a crackdown on Russian money and property in London, and multilateral (international) sanctions, targeting the wider economy. “US sanctions against Russia are finally beginning to have an effect,” she says. “New US sanctions on seven oligarchs, 17 top officials and 12 companies led to tens of billions of dollars in losses on Russian markets on Monday, and the rouble recently suffered its biggest daily fall in over three years.” Although it’s worth noting that sanctions risk mass job losses, Lucas says "we need to double down on these actions".
As for peace brokering conversations in the UN, there is currently a deadlock. On Wednesday, Russia refused a draft resolution on Syria. “Clearly the UN isn't able to act in a unified way on this issue – in part because both Russia and the US are unwilling to compromise,” adds Lucas. “I'd actually like to see the UN security council reformed so it better reflects world opinion, and isn't just a talking shop for nuclear-armed states. In the meantime, the UN should be trying to get all relevant parties around the table for discussions on how to broker peace between the region’s key players: Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kurdish leaders and Israel.” To be a diplomatic leader, and set an example for the world, she adds, Britain must “immediately end the hypocrisy of selling arms to Saudi Arabia, and be clear about our opposition to Israel’s recent violence against the Palestinians”.
Photo: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images
When asked about the idea of UN reform, Khalaf says: “I don’t know what ‘UN reform’ means because the very premise the UN is based on is problematic to start with; it’s based on working with states and institutions, not with people.” She points to the system of vetos, which allows Russia and China to block action on Syria. Sometimes vetos are ignored – but apparently not in the case of an intervention that could prevent humanitarian abuses in Syria. She adds that, on the ground in the country, the UN is somewhat limited to working in regime-controlled areas and will not work with highly politicised civil society groups.
As for what would happen, hypothetically, were Assad deposed, Callaghan says there is the question of who or what would replace him. “Iran and Russia want the survival of the regime because they court their interests – most simply put, Iran’s political reach across the Middle East, and Russia’s strategic military base in the Syrian town of Tartus – so they don’t want Assad replaced with someone pro-Western,” she explains. And as for the West? “Conflicts spring up in Syria all the time, but if Assad was deposed tomorrow it could become more unstable, giving rise to groups like ISIS. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a good thing if he were deposed, just that these are some of the arguments against regime change.”
Khalaf says it is thought by many Syrians that countries in the UN talks have, for now, agreed that Assad is there to stay. But while there is no clear diplomatic solution in sight, Caroline offers a reminder: “All too often the plight of Syrians themselves is forgotten in discussions on the conflict. If Britain wants to help people in that country directly, we can do so. That's why I’m calling on the government to take more refugees directly from Syria – to give them a chance to start a new life here.”
Khalaf agrees that Syrians themselves are often those who are left out of the conversation. The way security is perceived on the ground in Syria is different from how international actors see it, and depends largely on each community's situation and which part of Syria you are in. “Although humanitarians talk about securing locals’ livelihood, we keep seeing double standards in the sense of what matters most, and usually it’s foreign interests,” she says.
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If you went to Uni, chances are your student days involved plenty of cheap alcohol, pesto pasta and trying to accrue as many freebies as possible at the freshers' fair. It's unlikely you whiled away your days swigging champagne, buying designer outfits or having your life admin ticked off by a personal assistant.
Being a student in much of the UK in 2018 is financially challenging/crippling for most. With yearly university fees at £9,000 (and the interest rate on loans due to increase this year) and maintenance grants having been completely replaced with meagre loans (to the detriment of the poorest students), students can expect to rack up more than £50,000 worth of debt, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
According to the latest Student Money Survey, 84% of college goers worry about making ends meet, with the biggest chunk of their monthly spend (£394 on average) going towards rent (surprise, surprise), followed by food (£126) – in other words, bare necessities. Half of students have experienced mental health issues as a result of money problems, while a similar percentage say it affects their relationships (42%), diet (61%) and presumably their health as a result, and even their grades (34%), the very reason they're racking up astronomical levels of debt in the first place.
It's understandable, then, that many students need to scrimp and save and spend as little money on unnecessary extras as possible. Living a "luxury lifestyle" is the last thing on their minds.
That's why we were intrigued by a company called The Luxury Student, a concierge service and private members' club for students in London. Founded by 26-year-old Aileen Gilani, it aims to offer "a truly unique service for those who seek the finer things in life whilst studying in London", and to help them receive "a VIP experience everywhere they go".
More than 80% of its 500+ members are international students and bloggers, who, the company says, tend to be "more interested in luxury brands", while the gender split is more even than you might expect, at 60%-40% female to male. It offers three levels of membership, with the most comprehensive package costing £400 for six months and entitling students to the following perks:
• A Nespresso machine as a welcome gift. • A "virtual personal assistant", which can help with everything from proof-reading assistance to managing deadlines and timetables. • Invitations to private store events on Sloane Street. • Exclusive offers from luxury brands, such as the members-only "lifestyle management and concierge club" Quintessentially Travel. • Complimentary access to members-only apps, such as the invitation-only "VIP lifestyle app" Urbanologie and The Influence Room, "where brands and people of influence meet for mutually beneficial partnerships." • Membership to Quaglino's restaurant in Mayfair. • Access to Albert's Club, a private members' club in South Kensington. • Launch products from luxury brands (such as drinks and travel brands), and more.
The company says one of the most common requests from members on the most expensive membership is to get them into "exclusive restaurants and bars" in London, along with private styling sessions with luxury brands like Jimmy Choo and Burberry on Sloane Street in Chelsea. All of which sounds a far cry from the SU bar and discounted ASOS orders of our student days.
Meera Mawkin, 20, a second-year neuroscience student at King's College London, joined the club in January during her second semester of university because she "wanted to experience something a little bit more glamorous and luxury than just the ordinary university lifestyle". So far, she has attended private viewings at Jimmy Choo, been invited to social drinks and has, of course, received her free coffee machine.
Meera admits to having a penchant for "the luxury lifestyle" but says she wouldn't describe herself as wealthy. "I've particularly enjoyed the social drinks event. I think it was the fact I could dress up in my sparkly jumpsuit and heels and take lots of lovely pictures. It was a great evening and a great bonus for my social media feeds."
She insists that "it's not just about the discounts, etc. It's more about the experiences, meeting new people and enjoying a night away from the hustle and bustle of university life." Meera has even enlisted the service to help her arrange her 21st birthday dinner in June.
When asked whether she thought paid-for services and private members' clubs perpetuated social-class divisions among students, she says The Luxury Student "isn't actually that expensive". "Bear in mind that a student might spend over £50 on average a month on alcohol, and £80 on gym memberships, so this price isn't elitist." She pays £50 a month on her standard membership.
"I actually think the membership joins together the people who can afford luxury and those who might not be able to afford luxury," she adds, although she admits that not many of her university friends are members.
When we start university, we automatically think it's all about going out and going for the 'cheaper alternative'.
On the issue of elitism, the company's founder, Aileen Gilani, reiterates that members aren't selected based on how much money they have. "We just want students to join who love the [luxury] industry," she tells Refinery29. "We do ask members to complete a profile which gives us an idea of where they go out, what they spend on the most and what sort of brands they like, but that's more for us to try and connect them to the brands."
Students are "the most powerful target market in the luxury industry," she believes. "When we start university, we automatically think it's all about going out and going for the 'cheaper alternative', but actually I wish someone could have guided me to spend my money on more quality experiences – even going to get your hair blowdried – instead of buying what you would usually buy on a night out."
Thousands of students across the country poured into streets, parks, and public squares to call for an end to gun violence in the second school walkout of the year on Friday. After the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, young activists are demanding measures such as banning assault weapons, universal background checks, and a minimum age of 21 on all gun purchases.
The National School Walkout began with a moment of silence for school shooting victims, and continued with rallies, educational and volunteer activities, and voter registration. Students have made it clear that young people are registering to vote en masse, and that they will vote out every politician who is beholden to the NRA.
Lane Murdock, a 16-year-old high school student from Connecticut, organised the nationwide event. In an interview with Refinery29 in March, she explained why she decided to hold the walkout on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, in which two shooters killed 12 students and one teacher.
At the time of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, Murdock was very young, but she said it had a major impact on her. "I can't remember a lot from that age, but I do remember the specific moment of seeing my mom crying on the couch," she said. "Not a lot has changed since Sandy Hook, and that's actually why I chose the Columbine date — because not a lot has changed since Columbine." There has been no major congressional action since Parkland, though some cities and states have introduced restrictions.
There was a school shooting in Ocala, FL, on Friday, just minutes before the National School Walkout was supposed to start. One student suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the suspect is in custody.
On Friday, many students risked disciplinary action to march. Some found themselves among few — or were the only — kids in their schools to do so. But they came out in thousands, marching everywhere from the US Capitol to Chicago's Grant Park, to Downtown Los Angeles. Ahead, some of the most powerful signs from the historic protests.
The Tribeca Film Festival held a screening of Scarface in celebration of the film's 35th anniversary, with key players from the movie ready to answer burning questions about Brian De Palma's iconic gangster movie. Per Vulture, however, one question from moderator Jesse Kornbluth struck a nerve with members of the audience. That question was: How much did Michelle Pfeiffer weigh while working on the film?
"As the father of a daughter, I am concerned with body image... In the preparation for this film, what did you weigh?"
Kornbluth stated that "this is not the question you think it is" as fans in the audience booed the odd question. The Murder on the Orient Express star, however, chose to answer it, as delicately as possible. She explained that being thin was "part of the physicality of the part" (she played a woman addicted to cocaine), but added that it was not easy to maintain such a body weight. She told the crowd:
"You know, the movie was only supposed to be a three- or four-month shoot. I tried to time it so that as the movie went on, I became thinner and thinner, and more emaciated. The problem is, it ended up going six months... I was starving by the end. The one scene, the end of the film, where I was thinnest, it was always [pushed back]. I literally had members of the crew bringing me bagels because they were worried about how thin I was getting. I was living on tomato soup and Marlboros."
"It is true that a gentleman should never ask a woman about her weight. But that was not my question. It is a comment on the knee-jerk political correctness of our time that no one would be shocked if you asked Robert De Niro about the weight gain required for his role in Raging Bull but you get booed — not by many, but by a vocal few — for asking Michelle Pfeiffer about the physical two-dimensionality required for her to play a cocaine freak in Scarface."
Except, that's not the question Kornbluth asked: He asked the specific number on the scale that Pfeiffer weighed during Scarface. Kornbluth's explanation doesn't exactly fit in with his framing the question around "body image" — if this was truly about the physicality of the role, why go there?
Kornbluth is not wrong that men are often celebrated for undergoing physical transformations for a role. (See: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club.) It's just not what he asked Pfeiffer about — at least not initially. The saddest thing about it is, the question he did ask just feels like a waste. You have Pfeiffer, on stage, ready to talk about Scarface — and that is what you focus on? Come on now.
There's so much more that Pfeiffer could say about being a working woman in Hollywood — or even about the pressure to look a certain way to embody a role. While this question from Kornbluth may not have meant to offend, it sure as hell was boring.
The '70s is one of our favourite decades to look back on, even for those who weren't alive when the electric era of Studio 54 and punk was in full swing. Brimming with inspiration at every turn, it's no wonder we get nostalgic.
Music was on fire, no matter which group you were affiliated with: disco from Chic, Donna Summer, The Pointer Sisters and Sister Sledge; folk from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin and Nick Drake; rock'n'roll from Blondie, The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith and The Velvet Underground; and punk from the Sex Pistols, The Clash and Iggy Pop – arguably, there hasn't been a more eclectic and exciting decade for music.
It isn't just the soundtrack of the time that makes us so nostalgic – the style, too, is still referenced and reworked today. Think jewel-toned velvet, bookish cord blazers, broderie anglaise blouses, and bell bottoms; we owe a lot to the fabrics and cuts of the '70s.
Imagine our delight, then, when we stumbled across the Instagram account 70s Babes. Dedicated to our favourite people of the time, from the gender-shirking Prince and David Bowie to outspoken icons like Liza Minnelli and Grace Jones, there's a plethora of photographs to inspire your style. Whether you look to the bohemian romance of Stevie Nicks' twirling kimonos or the disco-ready glamour of Jerry Hall's sequin-embellished ensembles, there's a model, musician or It Girl to learn from.
The creator of the account has even made a playlist of the best tracks from the 1970s, so you can listen while you scroll. Ahead, we've selected our favourite get-ups from the decade, from leather jacket-clad punks to flares-and-all disco freaks. We'll meet you in Beyond Retro.
Farrah Fawcett hung on every teenage boy's bedroom walls in the '70s – but we're more interested in her teaming of Nike Cortez and flared denim.
We adore Joan Didion for her brain and words, but the literary genius was also a sharp dresser, making the most Céline-esque minimalist outfits come alive.
This 1970 Harlem shoot by Jack Garofalo could easily be 2018 with that red vinyl mac.
If you haven't seen Cabaret, then you must – just look at the beauty of Liza Minnelli, from the beaded dress and directional fringe to her babydoll lashes and metallic green manicure.
Blondie may have been known for her animal-print dresses and way with a fuchsia eyelid, but this soft-focus shot of her in a cute peachy knit is a keeper, too.
It wouldn't be the '70s without Grace Jones - who knew what to do with a sequin get-up.
The face-covering sunnies, the fur jacket, the short bangs – Donna Summer, we love you.
Who knew denim hotpants could look so cool? We're nabbing this tie-front floral blouse for festival season, too.
Ali MacGraw's college campus style in Love Story is our autumn/winter go-to. Must find a camel coat with an oversized stiff collar.
Look to Angela Davis and Toni Morrison for casual workwear this spring.
Model Jerry Hall brought an unshakeable glamour to Studio 54 in gold lamé dresses, fringed minis, and high-as-they-come heels.
This wouldn't be out of place in a Reformation lookbook. Spring aim: find some dusky pink flares.
Will we ever look as chic as Charlotte Rampling in a simple black turtleneck dress? Doubt it. Also, without the layered, whooshing hair of the decade, the '90s would never have had 'The Rachel'.
Model Jean Shrimpton was a huge part of the '60s Carnaby Street scene, but we'd be remiss to overlook her more bohemian '70s get-ups.
Joan Jett, a rip-roaring punk with the pin-covered leather and chopped-in mullet to prove it.
To say our connection to Earth is a great relationship gone very wrong is an oversimplified statement, obviously, but it's not a far stretch: Record high temperatures, increasing acidity of ocean waters, and shrinking ice sheets are just a few of the negative changes scientists attribute to human activities over the past century.
The short film We Need Space, released to coincide with Earth Day, depicts this disintegrating relationship. Its stars are not professional actors or climate scientists; they're women working on the frontlines of our exploration into space, building the engines and rocket parts that will soon depart Earth for other atmospheres.
If this casting choice seems confusing, you need only look at NASA 's vision for the future to make sense of it: "We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind." According to NASA, learning about what's out there can help us improve our relationship with this place we call home.
This Earth Day, Refinery29 is recognising the film for shedding light on the realities of climate change, and celebrating the female engineers who are working to explore other planets, so we can know more about our own. Ahead, three of the women in the film speak about their experiences in the space programme, from the misconceptions others have to what makes them unlikely employees.
We Need Space is an original short film exclusive to Refinery29.
designed by abbie winters
Julia Levy, 25, Propulsion Development Engineer, Virgin Orbit As told to Refinery29
“When I graduated, I started working at Northrop Grumman, but it was super slow-paced and old spacey. Six months later I transitioned to Virgin and I’ve been here for almost three years now. A lot of people imagine movies where mission control is all these men in white short-sleeve button ups with shaved heads and that’s space. Maybe it was that way at one point, but it’s not anymore.
“I started as an entry level engineer working on the first stage engine, the big one that blasts you off from the ground or, in our case, from the 747. I’ve transitioned to a position on the second stage engine team where I’m responsible for one of the main engine components. I’m also one of three people on our team who goes out to Mojave for a period of time and tests things.
“For any test campaign, you have the people who are in charge of making sure your tanks are full and there aren’t any leaks in plumbing and then you have an engineer who is responsible for the thing you’re testing. In our case we’re testing the engine. I’m an advocate for the engine throughout the process so it’s my responsibility to make sure the engine is healthy and we’re collecting all the data we want to collect. Then, I review all the data to make sure everything looks good and we don’t suspect anything is broken.
“Even though I’m an aerospace engineer, maths is my weakest subject; I lean heavily on my writing and communication skills to coordinate with my team and keep my projects moving forward. I do better with managing products than managing people so I can definitely see myself working as a programme manager. But I’d love to be an astronaut, someday. I think there is a romantic aspect to space travel. Most of the iconic pictures that we see from space are of the earth. We’re obsessed with getting off the earth but looking back at it, too. We’re ready to move on and explore but at the same time we’re never going to lose our ties to earth.”
designed by abbie winters
Eshwari Murty, 25, Microdevices Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory As told to Refinery29
“I have completely blue hair and tattoos and piercings, so when people first meet me or look at me I feel like it’s really easy for them to assume that I’m not a NASA engineer. If someone just saw me walking on the street that is not what they’d peg me for at all.
“I’ve been on a bunch of different projects since joining JPL. I started off in the microdevices lab, where I worked on creating sensors for harsh environments. If you’re doing any sort of planetary science you need to make technology that’s going to work in an environment where it’s 500 degrees or really high pressure or the atmosphere is super acidic, so stuff we use on earth wouldn’t necessarily work on Venus, for example.
“Now I’m working on the Mars 2020 rover. I like the idea of creating something that is going to be put to use immediately. The Mars rover has a bunch of different instruments on it so the whole team is split up working on all of these different instruments. I’m focused on two of them: Moxie, an instrument that is going to convert the Mars atmosphere into oxygen; it’s kind of like a proof of concept thing — if we were to live here, we do have a mechanism to create oxygen? The other one is called the EDL camera. It’s a series of cameras that are going to capture the whole landing process of the rover.
“I really like my job but I also have a lot of interests outside of that, too. People overlook those and when I tell them what my other hobbies are they’re surprised I do stuff that’s so unrelated to my career. I do improv comedy, and I’m a dancer and rock climber. I’m starting to be a freelance photographer, too. [When you’re working in the space programme] people think you’re extremely smart and brilliant and must know everything. I get that a lot and it makes me really uncomfortable because it’s absolutely not true.”
designed by abbie winters
Nimisha Mittal, 32, Spaceflight Operations Test Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory As told to Refinery29
“A lot of my friends just associate my work with being an astronaut. It’s very different — at JPL, we primarily work with robotic spacecraft. I’m not an astronaut, and I don’t intend to go into space.
“I started out working on the Mars exploration rovers which was amazing because that was the mission that inspired me to want to work at NASA. When I was in high school they were just sending those rovers up to Mars and I was watching the coverage of the mission on TV all the time. Just the fact that they were still going by the time I got to JPL was incredible to me.
“I began as part of the tactical operations team. Even though these robots are incredibly smart, they need to be told almost on a daily basis what to do. I was part of a team of engineers that met every day to decide what we wanted the rover to do on a particular day. I was also working on the Cassini mission to Saturn, helping plan the sequencing for that spacecraft.
“Right now I’m working on the InSight mission to Mars. It’s being launched in three weeks and is supposed to study seismic activity on the surface of Mars. It’s a small one compared to some of the other ones I’ve worked on because it’s a lander, meaning it will sit in one place and listen for Marsquakes. But for me, the best part of the InSight mission is getting the opportunity to work with some of our European partners, and share in the excitement of working towards a common dream.
“It’s definitely an exciting job, but just like any day-to-day job, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. On a daily basis, it just feels like a regular job — a really good one, but it’s not exciting all the time. It’s not what people like to hear, but it’s just the reality of any job, I think."
Word on the street is that brands are embracing sustainability. Some are going fur-free, too. Today, it's more common than ever to find round-ups of ethical fashion brands in your favourite publications (including on sites like this one), as fast- to mid-level and luxury labels are attempting to bring more transparency to their pre- and post-production processes. And while that's certainly progress, we may never reach the goal of a quality/quantity equilibrium — at least, not in our lifetime. In fact, by 2030, the industry could reach a standstill — with natural resources becoming so jeopardised that any move towards a more sustainable future will be near impossible.
But after polling some of the world's top ethics and sustainability organisations, there's another sector of the industry that deserves more attention and resources: child labour. While you're reading this, over 218 million children are hard at work — 73 million of those are working in hazardous conditions that "directly endangers their health, safety, and moral development." Crazy, right? Not really, when you take into account that consumers — you and me — contribute to this number with every £15 pair of jeans we buy. And when those jeans are hand-dyed by very tiny hands, that discount actually comes at a much higher cost.
While it's much easier to track the life of clothing once it's already made, retracing its origins is another story. That's why transparency, at every level, is crucial. And though we may never know just how much of the industry's clothing is made by children, here's what information is currently available.
The Three T's: Trust, Transparency, & Time Getting a brand to allow an institution like the International Labour Organization into its supply chain — and making it down to level where one might find children sewing and harvesting cotton — isn't easy.
"This requires trust building between different partners (brands, factories, NGOs, trade unions) and time to really get better insight in the supply chain — beyond the first tier — and into outsourcing. These partnerships take time and often start by a joint effort to conduct in-depth research in the sector to find out the key issues and in-depth knowledge of the reasons why children are working," says Jolijn Engelbertink, head of business and human rights at the Stop Child Labor coalition.
"It's important to note that ensuring that there is no more child labour in your supply chain takes time. An important first step is that a brand acknowledges the fact that there is child labour in its supply chain; only then can the work begin on how to address this."
Photo: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/NurPhoto/Getty Images.
There's No Checklist, Because A Checklist Is Impossible In theory, a visual guide to spotting a piece made through child labour sounds like a great idea. Several clothing brands feature tabs on their websites dedicated to elaborate flow charts depicting a supply chain that starts in a sustainable mill somewhere in the mountains of Europe or Asia. But in order for those to exist, companies need to be more open about their process from start to finish.
"A garment itself won't be enough to establish its production. We can't see from the way it's made if there is exploitation in its making. It’s up to the brands to publicly disclose its supply chain, which factory it was made in and where the raw materials are sourced," says Orsola de Castro, co-founder and creative director of advocacy group Fashion Revolution. "The public can be vigilant, use the hashtag #whomademyclothes, and, from their answers (or lack of) determine if they are satisfied that what they are buying is made in dignified conditions, with supply chain workers protected by unionisation, and further than that, any disclosure on the provenance of the raw materials with which it is made."
Fashion Revolution's co-founder and global operations director Carry Somers adds that most fashion brands have little or no supply chain transparency at all, down to raw material level: "Child labour is still rife within cotton fields, as well as in ginning and spinning, so how do consumers know that they aren’t supporting child labour with the next cotton garment they buy? Most fashion brands have child labour within their supplier code of conduct, but many brands are failing to take steps to ensure their policies are put into practice."
Photo: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/NurPhoto/Getty Images.
"Made In The USA" Doesn't Always Mean Better It's just as crucial to understand which auditing companies and methods are being used in analysing the supply chain as it is to know where our clothes come from. For example, “Made in Italy” or “Made in the USA” does not guarantee that garments are safely produced, while “Made in China" or “Made in Bangladesh" is not necessarily indicative of lesser standards. There are very good factories in developing countries just as there are very bad systems (sweatshops, low pay, and unsafe conditions) in countries we might consider above suspicion.
"Different countries have different legislations in terms of what child labour consists of. In Myanmar (as in the United Kingdom until 40 years ago), the legal age for work is 13, so although this might not be acceptable to us as consumers, it is nevertheless legal in certain countries," de Castro explains. Newly drafted laws such as the Modern Slavery Act in the U.K. and a "duty of vigilance " or "duty of care" law in France aims to curb this.
"It can also be imagined that homeworkers employed for embroidery or beading (skills that are often delegated to communities of homeworkers) might potentially be using children, or younger family members, but that in itself is very, very difficult to prove. We need to encourage transparency, vigilance, and openness so that organisations working on the ground have the tools to check and act promptly if abuse and exploitation is detected."
Adds Engelbertink: "Where a product is made does not say much about the conditions in which it was made. Even in European countries working conditions can be abominable and children can be found working. The label only mentions the first tier of production, so clothing that is produced in a low-risk country can still have its textile colouring, spinning, or other parts of the process done in other countries or areas where the use of child labour is much more likely."
Photo: K M Asad/LightRocket/Getty Images.
Gender Matters, Age Doesn't It's hard to adequately measure, but studies show that young boys are at greater risk of being subjected to hazardous work than girls, but the recording of domestic child labour of young girls goes widely under-reported.
Nearly half of child labour victims are are aged five to 11.
Photo: Mehedi Hasan/NurPhoto/Getty Images.
So, What Can We Do? Honesty — from top to bottom — is key. But it's only the beginning. To put it into perspective, there are more international organisations that work to end child labour across the globe than there are institutions that teach designers, both up-and-coming and established, how to produce clothes ethically and sustainably.
The first step: Check whether the brand you're shopping is connected to or a member of a certification of sustainability initiative (one great resource, the app Good On You that makes clocking a brand for its impact on people, animals, and the planet ridiculously easy and engaging, can be found right in your phone) and go from there.
"Ensuring that the supply chain is mapped and published will give brands and consumers the understanding of who their manufacturers are and what are their practices in relation to subcontracting," adds de Castro. "[Transparency] doesn't lead to best practice. It will not prevent child labour or any other abuse, human or environmental, but public disclosure is important to apply vigilance and scrutiny along the supply chain to ensure that if there are deep rooted problems, they can be addressed openly and swiftly. The fashion supply chain is notoriously murky and human rights abuses thrive in secrecy and opaqueness."
Photo: K M Asad/LightRocket/Getty Images.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
On Sunday morning, over 40,000 people will line up in Blackheath to begin the gruelling 26.2-mile route of the London Marathon. The annual event is known for attracting runners in quirky costumes - over the years, we've seen people pounding the pavements dressed as Teletubbies, Wombles, and even a kind of human loo roll. With expected temperatures of up to 24C on marathon day, frankly they're all a lot braver than I am.
But two women will be running this year's marathon in just their underwear to make an important point about body image. Writing on their fundraising page, journalist Bryony Gordon and model Jada Sezer say they're taking on the course in just bras and knickers "to prove that curvy girls can".
The aim, they add, is to show "that exercise is for everyone" and "that you don’t have to be an athlete or a clean eating obsessive to get out there and shake your ass".
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain yesterday, Gordon and Sezer told viewers that they struck up a friendship after meeting at a wellness weekend. When Sezer expressed surprise that Gordon had already run the London Marathon, Gordon asked her to run this year's event with her.
Gordon and Sezer then explained that they decided to run the marathon in just their underwear to dispel the false assumption that slimmer equals fitter, and to show the reality of what most healthy women's bodies look like.
"Elite athletes run in little crop-tops and tiny little shorts, why can't we?" Sezer noted.
"I thought running was something other people did," Gordon added. "I really thought that if I went out and ran, people were going to laugh at me. Of course, no one cares. It's really empowering to learn what you can do with your own body."
Very best of luck to both of them tomorrow, and indeed to everyone running the marathon. Let's hope the temperatures are a little cooler than expected.
