Latest Stories from Sofia
You decide – is beauty glamourising drug culture?
Harry Styles’ long-awaited cosmetics brand just dropped a psychedelic-inspired collection. Aesthetic visuals aside, there may exist a wider issue with the way these products are being marketed. Whether we like it or not, psychedelics are having their moment. Permeating both mainstream media for their extraordinary medical potential and our social media feeds as young people struggling with mental health conditions increasingly look into them for personal development, hallucinogenic...
Rihanna’s maternity style sparks debate on pregnancy beauty standards
In encouraging a new generation of expecting mothers to flaunt their bellies as they see fit, the singer-cum-business mogul is advocating the importance of rejecting societal expectations regarding what women should be wearing during those nine months. When those iconic pregnancy reveal pictures graced our feeds back in January, they were – for the most part – met with an overwhelming influx of adoration from die-hard fans and humble observers...
Guatemala passes ‘nefarious’ anti-human-rights laws
Campaigners are calling the country’s decision to triple jail sentences for abortions and issue an explicit ban on same-sex marriage ‘hate-fuelled policies’ that foment discrimination. Guatemalan lawmakers have passed a ‘nefarious’ new bill that punishes abortion with up to 25 years in prison, legalises homophobia, and explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage. It will additionally outlaw the teaching of both sexual diversity and gender ideology in schools, stipulating that no orientations other than...
Beauty consumers now favour ingredients over brands
Life in isolation has provided us with time to reconsider our priorities when it comes to buying cosmetics and skincare. It seems we no longer care what the box says, rather what the product inside actually contains. If you’re partial to experimenting with makeup, or spent lockdown perfecting the ultimate skincare routine, likelihood is you’ve been swayed by aesthetic packaging or brand advertising at one point or another when buying...
Reproductive healthcare in England sees yet another setback
Marking a significant regression in the abortion rights of women across the country, the government has scrapped its ‘pills by post’ scheme, which has been celebrated as a game changing move that made terminating unwanted pregnancies safer and more accessible. Throughout the duration of Covid-19, attitudes towards the ever-contentious pro-choice/pro-life debate have shifted significantly across the globe. With the movement to secure women’s rights to abortion in flux (regardless of...
What we learned about fashion’s future at the Superverse summit in Dubai
Blaise Lanphere travelled to the largest-ever collaborative event connecting creators, entrepreneurs, and artists that are disrupting their industries. She returned with a rundown for Thred on how Web3 – the next phase of the internet – is disrupting the style sector. As in all sectors, technology is revolutionising how businesses operate. Embracing artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital manufacturing, and so on, fashion is drastically evolving to adapt to the new landscape. Its...
The Ukraine-Russia border crisis explained
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia were at their highest in years. A Russian troop build-up near the two nations' borders eventually lead to a full scale invasion, prompting universal condemnation from the West. Update 28/02/22: Months into Russia’s slow-moving buildup along the Ukrainian border, Putin announced that he was launching a 'special military operation' in Ukraine. This was followed up by reports of explosions around cities, including the capital...
Opinion – our obsession with wellness is hurting both us and the planet
Although wellness touts itself as being the key to a more fulfilling life, it may in fact be destroying both our bodies and the planet. Throughout the last decade, ‘wellness’ has become such a ubiquitous part of mainstream culture that in 2022, it’s relatively difficult to imagine a world without it. The term, which was coined in the 50s when people began realising that there’s a great deal more to health...
Colombia is the latest Latin American country to decriminalise abortion
The Constitutional Court’s decision to legalise the procedure within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy follows a growing trend across the region, which is renowned for its deeply conservative values. Adding to a recent string of legal victories for reproductive rights in Latin America, Colombia’s top court on constitutional matters has just ruled that having an abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy will no longer be considered a...
Why ‘gaslighting’ becoming more than a dating buzzword is progressive
The term recently made an impact within the UK legal system, speaking to a wider and long overdue culture shift in challenging abusive behaviour. If you’ve ever dipped your toe into the dating pool, likelihood is you may have experienced ‘gaslighting’ at one stage or another. The term, which was in fact being used colloquially as early as the 60s but only recently began to gain traction...










