Latest Stories from Flo
‘Heated Rivalry’ is reigniting dangerous debates about queer storytelling
The surprise hit for HBO Max has just been renewed for a second season – but its success highlights the age-old question of who gets to tell queer stories. Heated Rivalry, a show based on Rachel Reid’s novel about two ice hockey players who fall in love, was only meant to air on Canadian streaming service Crave. The explicit sex scenes and niche plotting weren’t likely to draw in huge numbers...
How capitalism turned hobbies into personal brands
In an age obsessed with niche interests and self-optimization, community has become collateral damage. There was a time when hobbies were simply things we did. You ran because you liked running. We watched films because we liked them. We read books because we fancied reading books. These activities stitched meaning into the fabric of daily life. But today, there’s a relentless insistence that leisure needs to justify itself in order to...
Gen Z are reading more than you’d think
Despite AI fearmongering and negative social media narratives, Gen Z might be reading more than you’d think – albeit in untraditional ways. If you’re searching for stats on Gen Z reading habits, the results are often confusing. One report suggests young people are giving up on books – deeming them a ‘waste of time’. Another, published in the same year, states reading has never been more in vogue. Amongst all the...
Should we all be working less in December?
It’s time to embrace a slower pace – at least until January. December is a funny month. Things are usually amping up in your personal life and winding down in your professional one – and this imbalance strikes up a range of issues. It can be hard to focus; you might feel overwhelmed; niggling feelings of not doing enough start to creep in. The minute an advent calendar appears, I start to...
Should ‘work-life harmony’ replace ‘work-life balance’ as a lifestyle goal?
A modern twist on work-life balance encourages a more ‘realistic’ and fluid approach to juggling our daily commitments. From the moment we start working, the question of balancing that work with our personal commitments becomes a lifelong fixation. And as modern capitalism demands more labour, time, and skills for comparatively less compensation, the chasm between our work and non-work selves seems only to grow. Navigating that gap feels impossible for many...
Forever chemicals have been found in cereal
Your humble bowl of cornflakes might carry more risk than you know. We can all admit cereal isn’t the healthiest breakfast option – but it’s convenient and relatively inoffensive. Most simple options like cornflakes and shredded wheat provide a source of fortified carbohydrates and natural occurring nutrients. And if you avoid the super surgery brands like Krave and Coco Pops you’re starting the day with a convenient, decent meal. At least, that’s...
What Pantone’s Colour of the Year says about the state of the world
For the first time, a shade of white has been given the prestigious ‘Colour of the Year’ title by Pantone. Every December, Pantone – a media company widely regarded as the mecca of colour theory – announces its annual ‘Colour of the Year’. This title appears frivolous on the face of it, but it's become a signpost of the year ahead – what trends might crop up in fashion, art and media....
Financial abuse has been declared a ‘national emergency’ in the UK
A new report reveals millions of mums and children face quietly pervasive economic coercion – with family budgets being used as tools for domestic abuse. Abuse isn’t always obvious – least not when it takes place in the domestic sphere. But new figures from the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) show that financial coercion is quietly affecting a staggering number of women and children. It’s a form of violence that remains underreported...
Women are bearing the fertility burden with invasive treatments
Lack of research and misdiagnosis is forcing couples, disproportionately women, into gruelling fertility treatment. When a couple struggles to conceive, you would expect both partners to be treated equally during the process of diagnosis. But fertility care still leans heavily toward invasive focus on the woman and little attention on the man. Not only does this imbalance place the onus of fertility struggles onto women, who then face an isolating sense...
Feeling low? Here’s how to tackle the winter blues
From getting outside to tweaking your routine, these small changes make a big difference. Every year, winter rolls around and smacks me in the face. I know it’s coming – and yet I remain naive to its impact on my mental state. I’ll be half way through December before I realise the nagging sense of doom I’m feeling isn’t just ‘me’. My body’s been contending with dwindling sunlight, freezing temperatures, and a...
