Latest Stories from Flo
TikTok wants you to fact-check your For You Page
With its new ‘footnotes’ feature, the platform is betting on crowdsourced context to clean up the chaos of viral video culture. TikTok’s endless scroll has always been a cocktail of brilliance, absurdity, and the occasional conspiracy theory. For every dance challenge or cooking hack, there’s a dubious wellness tip promising to fix your gut in three days or a breaking news claim with no evidence beyond a shaky iPhone video. The...
Is social media demonising female contraception?
The wellness narrative on apps like TikTok is driving a distrust of the contraceptive pill. Is this a regression of modern feminism, or a valid stance against medical intervention into women' s bodies? Speaking about her role as a school sex educator, Maya Walsh-Little told Polyester readers that the most frequent question she hears from students is ‘I heard on TikTok it will completely mess up your hormones if...
What does Vogue’s new editorial lead mean for the brand?
Chloe Malle has been named editorial lead of American Vogue. The self-confessed ‘nepo baby’ marks a new chapter for a former fashion mecca that seems to have lost its way. Anna Wintour stepped back from American Vogue in July of this year, signalling a seismic shift for the editorial powerhouse amidst growing criticism around its political stance and commercial priorities. Wintour had been at the helm for 37 years, and her...
What Rylan Clark tells us about the failure of government communication
The presenter’s stance on immigration has caused widespread backlash. But is the response a sign that the immigration debate is shifting? When Rylan Clark first appeared on the X Factor in 2012, sporting a set of blinding white veneers and a wotsit shade of spray tan, it was hard to imagine he’d one day be at the center of a national argument about immigration policy. But on a recent episode of...
Opinion – nobody can relate to TV’s mega-rich
Almost everywhere we look, TV and film are hell-bent on portraying characters with exorbitant amounts of wealth. I’m tired of it. And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot, has had largely negative – if not heavily mixed – reviews since it premiered a few years ago. And for many viewers, its loss wouldn’t be that heartfelt were it not a symbolic ending to the beloved world of Carrie...
Amidst a cost of living crisis, children are the ultimate status symbol
Large families are increasingly hard to achieve – and afford. As the cost of living continues to rise, have children become the ultimate status symbol? And what does this say about our values? In Britain today, raising a single child is enough to stretch most households to the edge of their means. Housing costs, childcare, food, and education make family planning a calculation in survival as much as sentiment. Against this...
Police are posing as runners to tackle street harassment
How far must women go to enjoy exercise in peace? I’ve been a runner for years now. To me, it’s one of the joys in life. Getting the miles in is less about fitness and more about mental clarity – it’s one of the few times in my week where I’m alone, in silence, focusing on the road ahead of me rather than staring at a screen. But this meditative experience is...
Is Gen Z the rejection generation?
From job applications to dating apps, rejection has become a defining experience of modern young adulthood – but is it shaping resilience, or just burning us out? Whether it’s delivered by a cold recruiter email, a reluctant date in a dimly lit bar, or the ‘seen’ label beneath an unanswered text message, rejection has always been one of the tougher inevitabilities of the human experience. But for many members of Gen Z,...
Are young people really reading more?
Popular bookshop chain Waterstones claims young people are turning to books more than ever. Is this a sign of gen Z’s growing disillusionment with the digital world? According to CEO James Daunt, Waterstone’s – the popular British bookstore chain – has seen sales up 5% in the past year. As a result, the retailer is set to open 10 new stores across the country, even as the high street continues to struggle...
Experts call for boys and girls to learn about periods together
Education reform in schools could drastically decrease stigma around menstruation, according to research. Now excuse me for being brash, but when I read that experts were calling for boys and girls to receive period education together I thought ‘umm, duh?’ This ostensibly revolutionary insight feels, to me, like common sense. And I’ll admit I was surprised it’s not already happening. Granted, when I was at school the education around anything to...
