Latest Stories from Flo
Are music festivals facing extinction?
With difficulty booking headliners and rising costs, music festivals face their toughest year yet. Music events are often signposts of our year. Memories with friends, seeing acts you’ve only dreamed of witnessing play live. These near-mythic gatherings of collective euphoria are a mainstay of modern culture. But they’re facing a crossroads. What used to promise a steady stream of sold-out tickets has become a risky operation littered with bureaucratic obstacles and...
Is London’s dream of ‘swimmable rivers’ a safe one?
Mayor Sadiq Khan has made a bold pledge that rivers across the capital will be swimmable within 10 years. But local authorities are concerned the plan is a threat to public safety. In 2023, Sir Saqiq Khan announced plans to ‘turbocharge’ restoring London’s rivers and waterways, part of a broader environmental agenda that aims to bring the capital in line with other global cities like Copenhagen and Paris. Khan’s initiative includes...
Why are we still lowballing women in 2025?
Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes paycheque has reignited the age-old issue of the gender pay gap. When will talented women be adequately rewarded for their work in a relentlessly unappreciative industry? The Golden Globes kicked off 2025’s awards season with a milk-glass-full of memorable moments. And if you didn’t get that Babygirl reference, then I assume you don’t care enough about the Hollywood news cycle to sacrifice over four hours (if...
Is there a ‘perfect’ level of sick pay?
As we enter peak flu season, more companies are grappling with questions about sick leave. But is there a ‘right’ amount of statutory sick pay? And how much is too much? If you’ve entered the new year with a blocked nose, you’re not alone. It feels like the morning commute has been peppered with coughs and sneezes for the past week. A trip to the shops transformed into a minefield...
Opinion – Blake Lively drama shows we’re still quick to hate women
Blake Lively proves our desire to watch successful women burn is both pervasive and insidious. But are times finally changing? When Colleen Hoover’s wildly successful novel ‘It Ends With Us’ was released as a feature film last year, the media went wild. But besides the dedicated fans who lined up to see their favourite characters on the silver screen, much of the attention shifted to on-set issues. It was somewhat surreal...
Why ZAYN’s all-female band is so important
The singer has been praised for spotlighting the seven-women brand supporting on his latest tour. Zayn Malik’s decision to tour with a seven-woman band had people talking, and for good reason. While male-dominated lineups are the default in the music industry, this ensemble – featuring Molly Miller on guitar, Baby Bulldog on drums, and Tina Hizon on keys – breaks the mold. The question is why it’s still a rarity. The music...
Indigenous craft is still being co-opted by the fashion industry
Actor Lily Gladstone has called out Valentino, the latest brand to copy Indigenous designers. Protecting these cultural crafts from the capitalist machine is a longstanding – and often exhausting – battle. By now, it’s a familiar cycle: a fashion house unveils its latest collection, the press fawns, social media unearths its problematic roots, and the brand issues a half-hearted statement about inspiration versus appropriation. This week, it was Valentino’s turn under the microscope,...
Wicked star slams ableism on social media
Marissa Bode has called out ‘very gross’ comments about her ‘Wicked’ character Nessa Rose, as internet trolls prove that – despite growing representation – disabled individuals are still pushed to the fringes. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware that Wicked, a movie adaptation of the award-winning Broadway show of the same name, is one of the most commercially successful films of 2024. The glittering sets, showstopping musical...
One of the world’s greatest female footballers faces transphobic abuse
Barbra Banda’s mistreatment highlights the insidious misogyny and transphobia launched at women in sport. Barbra Banda, a Zambian footballer, was awarded the BBC’s Women’s Footballer of the Year last month. The prestigious award marked a milestone in Banda’s illustrious sporting career and should have been an opportunity to spotlight women’s football, which continues to grow in popularity. Soon after she was surprised with the award by her teammates, Banda shared...
Should UK CEOs earn the same as Premier League footballers?
Lord Michael Spencer, founder of ICAP, has suggested that British CEOs should be paid like professional footballers. It’s a claim that’s ignited a fiery debate. If society accepts footballers raking in up to £20 million annually, why does it balk at CEOs of major companies, like BP or HSBC, earning comparable sums? That’s what Lord Michael Spencer, founder of financial firm ICAP, has argued. It’s a controversial suggestion, and one...
