Why Nigella Lawson’s Bake Off stint is already revolutionary
The new judge is dismantling diet culture with big bites and no nonsense. We need more of this on TV, now more than ever. I’ve always loved Nigella Lawson. I’m a fellow foodie, I’m a writer – which means I’ve devoured her written recipes as fervently as the dishes themselves...
Current in Culture
You’ll own nothing and be happy: the subscription crisis
Gen Z subscribes to everything from music and films to software and storage, paying endlessly for things we never actually own. As ownership is increasingly replaced by access, are subscriptions making life more convenient - or creating a generation that pays forever and owns nothing? There was once a revolutionary...
Is it acceptable to bring an iced coffee into a job interview?
Recruiters are debating on TikTok whether it’s okay to bring iced coffee into a job interview, highlighting discrepancies in professional standards between different generations and industries. Would you bring iced coffee into a job interview? A debate has been underway on social media this week as Gen Zers and older professionals...
The rise of ‘thinkfluencers’ and why they’re everywhere
From Substack to explainer TikToks, everyone’s craving thought-provoking content. But is our hankering for brain food a reaction to AI or evidence of a deeper desire for fulfillment in the modern age? What is a ‘thinkfluencer’? Consider them the talking head in your pocket: a bastion of knowledge on often...
Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after ‘free Palestine’ speech
Rapper and musician Macklemore has been removed from Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Loop’ tour after making comments on stage regarding Palestine. He took to Instagram to explain and defend his position, arguing that ‘there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.’ Macklemore has reportedly been dropped from Ed...
Booking.com vulnerability exposed by fake Downing Street listing
Researchers from consumer group ‘Which?’ say they’ve successfully listed 10 Downing Street on Booking.com as part of a security test. The property was ‘available’ for two months before being removed. Fancy a stay on Downing Street? Consider yourself a future Prime Minister and need to trial run your accommodation? We’ve...
Can having tattoos still hold you back professionally?
If findings from recent research are anything to go by, the answer is yes. Around 60 million Europeans have at least one tattoo. Personal ink is hardly the taboo it was a few decades ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s warmly welcomed in the workplace. Dr Alyssa Grocutt spent several months researching tattoos, and found that employers are ‘still less likely’ to hire candidates with visible tattoos. Grocutt has hundreds...
Microdramas are fuelling exploitation in the entertainment industry
The booming world of rapid, vertical mini dramas has generated a multi-million dollar mobile entertainment industry. It’s also fuelled worker exploitation, low wages, and suffocating schedules. Is TV getting dumber? In today’s post-literate society – an era Rose Horowitch deftly explores in a recent piece for The Atlantic – how we entertain ourselves is a hot topic. From the second-screen problem to the rise of AI-generated content, the general consensus is...
How TikTok failed to take down Perez Hilton’s livestream
The celebrity blogger was hospitalised after allegedly harming himself on a TikTok livestream. Now the platform is reckoning with the consequences. Last Tuesday, celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) appeared on a TikTok livestream naked, covered in a red substance that appeared to be blood, and holding what looked like a knife. As viewers watched on in horror, a concerned number called the emergency services who...
Cable moved from Dobby’s ‘grave’ to appease Harry Potter fans
A new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland is to be relocated due to complaints from Harry Potter fans that it would damage Dobby’s ‘grave.’ Fancy some unhinged Harry Potter news? Of course you do! A new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland has been relocated following complaints from Harry Potter fans who were concerned it would destroy Dobby’s ‘grave.’ Yes, the fictional Dobby, the house elf who...
