Latest Stories from Flo
The UN warns that women face rising online abuse
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, UN Women reveal a disturbing rise in violent abuse toward women in digital spaces – with little consequence for perpetrators. A few years ago, someone described the internet to me as ‘the world’s biggest public square,’ which sounded charming until I remembered that public squares throughout history have also hosted witch trials, duels, riots, and the occasional beheading. The past year...
Is menstrual blood the future of female healthcare?
How ‘femtech’ startups are using groundbreaking tests to overhaul a systemically misogynistic healthcare system. Despite around 800 million people experiencing a period on any given day, very little is known about menstrual blood. The history of menstruation is itself a fraught story – women and those who menstruate have been ushered into a code of shameful silence since time immemorial, and despite strides in healthcare and gender rights, this sense...
The media has missed the point of the Epstein story
Coverage has fixated on big names and sordid details, but the focus should remain on Epstein’s victims. If you’re an internet user you’ve probably scanned at least one headline pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein in the past week. The child sex offender is back in the news due to newly revealed details around his crimes, and mounting pressure to release the infamous ‘Epstein files’ – a hypothesised document containing the names...
What the age of AI music says about the future of art
We’re living through transformative times. I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing. When Nick Arter first downloaded Suno and Udio – off-the-shelf AI music tools – he wasn’t thinking about a career comeback. He was a 35-year-old call-centre drone in Washington, D.C., who’d long since abandoned dreams of being a professional rapper. But somewhere between composing prompts, tweaking lyrics, and using Midjourney to conjure album art, Arter discovered that you...
Gen Z are backing intellectual growth
Being chronically online in the age of AI fatigue has us all fearing for our brains. But it’s also pushing a movement of intellectualism and academic stimulation amongst Gen Z. I divide my saved posts into folders on Instagram. Bar a few short-lived, overly aspirational extra-curriculars (cough, baking sourdough, cough), these have remained the same since I saving posts became an in-app feature. Outfit inspiration, books, recipes – the usual suspects. But...
Gen Z don’t know how to feel about perfume in public
Is spraying in shared spaces a cardinal sin? I love perfume. Personal fragrance, scent, whatever you want to call it; giving myself a spritz of luxurious notes is what keeps my heart beating. No more so than during winter when, let’s face it, there’s little else to brighten up a drab day. To be honest, I thought everyone was with me on this one. I know personal preference varies greatly when...
Reaction to Claudia Sheinbaum’s assault highlights normalisation of gender violence
If they can grope the president, what hope do the rest of us have? The groping of Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum by a drunken man has sparked outrage among women, many of whom saw their own fears and experiences reflected in her plight. But a tepid and partisan domestic reaction to the sexual assault reveals how normalised gender violence has become in the country and around the world. ‘If the president suffered...
Would stop and search have prevented the rail attacks?
The tragic incident has ignited debates around the effectiveness of stop and search tactics. A stabbing on board a LNER rail service between Peterborough and Huntingdon left 11 people in hospital last week, with several in a critical condition. It’s since thrown UK transport officials into heated debates around security, with many calling for firmer stop and search protocol on board national rail. After a man was charged with 10...
Should celebrities speak out on politics?
Jennifer Lawrence says speaking out against Trump would ‘add fuel to a fire’ ripping America apart. As political binaries continue to sharpen, should those in the public eye take sides? The question of whether famous people should be politically outspoken is a complex one. I’ve argued with friends and family about it to no end. But my own stance has also shifted plenty of times over the years. If you’d asked...
Opinion – women are done with heteronormative ideas of love
As Lily Allen’s scathing account of marital infidelity resonates so broadly, it’s clear women are detaching from outdated ideals that their value can only ever truly be found within men. Maybe it’s because I’m a single woman in her late twenties – but something feels different lately. A change in energy, if you will. That shift has crystallised in two cultural moments that landed almost simultaneously: Lily Allen’s new album West End...
