Vinted users complain AI is causing unfair suspensions
The resale app is the latest platform facing backlash for its use of automated tools. Thousands of Vinted sellers have said they were suspended unfairly or permanently banned after automated fraud detection deemed them to be using the app inappropriately. The BBC reported that several users feel the platform’s integrated...
Current in Style
Can we stop dressing celebrities in looted ancient artefacts?
Zendaya is the latest star facing backlash for her red-carpet fashion choices – this time sporting a pair of ancient Iranian artefacts to promote Christopher Nolan’s latest film The Odyssey. Only a handful of stars have the fashion world under their thumb quite like Zendaya (and her trusty stylist Law...
OpenAI has launched its own… merch?
The parent company of ChatGPT, OpenAI, has launched its own merchandise brand, which includes hats, tees, tote bags, socks, and even a glowing green basketball. Despite online criticism, stock appears to be selling well. OpenAI has unveiled its first public merchandise brand, Supply Co. Its new line of products includes...
Is your perception of sleep quality why you’re really tired?
A UCLA study has built on research suggesting that our belief of how well we sleep has a greater impact on cognitive performance, tiredness, and general mood than how many hours we actually get. If there’s one thing this generation loves martyring itself over, it’s how ‘exhausted’ we are and...
Do we really need all these brand trips?
Influencers and celebrities are being shipped off on elaborate holidays, ostensibly to promote products. But are these lavish stunts a marketing tool or a wasteful display of wealth? Markers of extreme wealth become more normalised as the 1% grow exorbitantly richer. Take private jets, once revered as an exclusive mode...
New study finds arts engagement to slow biological ageing
Research from UCL suggests engaging with arts and culture improves overall health outcomes. These days, the fountain of youth is marketed as some kind of AI-backed, biohacked offshoot of the billionaire class. Health and wellness has crept further into a digital landscape – one often shaped by far-right thinking – and...
The PMOS renaming is a huge win for women’s healthcare
Reclassified as PMOS, the condition is finally stepping away from decade’s worth of misconceptions that have prevented many patients from getting well-deserved care. ‘It’s probably just stress or anxiety; there’s nothing wrong with you’. This is just one of the many things said by healthcare professionals before they go on to dismiss patients with PCOS, who have struggled with irregular cycles and unbearable pain for years. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, otherwise known as...
Opinion – The outrage over Olivia Rodrigo’s dress is disturbing
Criticism over the singer’s babydoll-style dress is a projection of misogynist and perverted hypersexualisation. But the women targeted by this kind of backlash are still framed as the villains. When Olivia Rodrigo stepped out on stage in a sweet babydoll dress, I’d never have guessed it would start an internet controversy. But alas, the limits of internet outrage continue to surprise. The popstar has quickly become the target of disturbing scrutiny...
Opinion – Brands continue to capitalise on women’s bodies
Before, women were supposed to be skinny. Then they were supposed to be strong. Now, women are being told it's possible to be both, and brands are looking to capitalise on it. Back in the 90s, women were kept skinny. Late-night dinners were traded for low-rise jeans, and subsisting while in a calorie deficit was considered an achievement. Kate Moss was heralded as the body to strive for, and...
Should the Met Gala still be celebrated in 2026?
With war raging around the world this year, should we still be lauding celebrities for their expensive outfits and elitist parties? As costs soar and wealth inequality widens, it feels harder to engage with it all, especially given the Met Gala’s insistence on billionaire endorsements. The Met Gala is back, folks, with all the usual celebrity appearances and outfits making their annual rounds across social media. Regular attendees like Rihanna, Jay...
