Latest Stories from Flo
Major shoe brands finally address size and gender inclusivity
Heels, pumps, and other ‘feminine’ footwear are often restricted to smaller sizing. But with increased pressure from consumers, the biggest brands on the market are working to include shoe lovers from all walks of life. Feet are funny things. Some love them, some really hate them. They’re big and small; wide and narrow, with wonky toes and curious anomalies. Last year, Brits spent almost £10 billion dressing up these strange...
Harry Styles’ beauty brand reignites discussion of modern masculinity
Not one to turn down a purple feather boa or a pearl drop earring, Harry Styles’ new beauty line, ‘Pleasing’, has reignited questions of sexuality and gender that constantly swirl around him. But must a man’s foray into makeup and skirts always be the subject of such social debate? On Monday night, ‘Dazed’ magazine uploaded a photo of Harry Styles to its Instagram, hands on hips and straddling a...
Nobel Laureate winner Malala Yousafzai is married
Activist and author Malala Yousafzai has married her partner, Asser Malik, in an intimate ceremony at home in Birmingham. It’s been a busy year for Malala, which perhaps comes as no surprise. In June, she covered British Vogue in a suite of striking photographs by Nick Knight. The accompanying article promoted her organisation, the Malala Fund, which has ensured thousands of young girls have access to an education...
Women handball players no longer required to wear bikini bottoms
After the women’s Norwegian beach handball team was fined for refusing to wear bikini bottoms in July, the sartorial rules of hand-based sports have been welcomely revised. In welcome news, the International Handball Federation has dropped the requirement that women players wear bikini bottoms. This comes after the Norwegian women’s team was fined in July 2020 for refusing to abide by the rule. The controversy reached a climax...
Is Veganuary really a sustainable option to save the planet?
Hundreds of thousands of us chose to take part in Veganuary last year. But is this seemingly eco-friendly trend as healthy for the planet as it is for us? As the days get shorter and Christmas approaches, most of us inevitably turn to feasting, lounging, and Netflixing binging. The indulgence of winter usually triggers a surge in healthy eating at the start of a new year. But is Veganuary, the...
Opinion – Chappelle’s transphobia is dangerous but he won’t be ‘cancelled’
We may have thought the Dave Chappelle fiasco would have died down by now. But it hasn’t, and it shouldn’t. For those that don’t know, Chappelle’s new Netflix series, ‘The Closer’, launched early this month. The tirade of transphobic jokes featured in the programme have caused an uproar that shows no signs of waning. Notable comments include Chappelle’s defence of ‘team TERF’, and author J.K Rowling’s transphobic Twitter commentary. The statements...
Playboy features its first ever queer male cover star
Playboy has announced queer influencer Bretman Rock as its latest cover star. What do these inclusive shifts mean for pop culture’s most exclusionary spaces? Playboy has long been known for its nude female models. But in a first for the magazine, gay Filipino Bretman Rock has been revealed as October’s cover star. Rock announced the news on Twitter last week, writing ‘I’m a @playboy bunny DUHHHHHH’ above two images from...
Paris Fashion Week highlights industry disparity with Gen Z
As fashion looks backwards, Gen Z turn toward a future of change. Paris Fashion Week highlights the growing differences between the two. Paris Fashion Week kicked off last week in a whirlwind of retrospection. From Miu Miu hailing the return of the ultra mini skirt, to Chanel’s flirty homage to the 90’s, the French capital was abuzz with nostalgia. But many of fashion’s reruns highlighted the growing distance between luxury retail...
Hijabi ex-model Halima Aden to address modest fashion’s diversity problem
Aden denounced modelling last year, but her latest decision to work in modest fashion sheds fresh light on an immutable industry. Halima Aden, the first hijabi to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, defiantly quit modelling last November. In the wake of her career change, she is now turning her sights to the roots of fashion’s diversity issues. Aden plans to design clothes for the Turkish brand Modanisa, one of the...
Opinion – Pop culture has skewed Gen Z’s perception of money
Sex and the City’s new spinoff promotes the same irrational spending as its predecessor – but how much does the content we consume shape our financial habits? Despite being just one year old when HBO’s juggernaut Sex and the City first aired, I probably devoted the majority of my teenage years to Carrie Bradshaw’s tumultuous love affairs – emotionally unavailable businessmen and bejewelled underwear included. Sure, certain storylines have since...
