Nasal tanning sprays are TikTok’s latest questionable trend
Experts are worried that unregulated substances found in tan-enhancing nasal spray could have serious health consequences. While self-applied tanning lotions have gained popularity over the last two decades for being kinder to skin, many people may still be making a trip to the sunbed, especially as we enter peak winter...
Current in Style
6 sustainable fashion accounts to follow in 2022
Between Covid variants, a disquietingly sharp rise in the cost of living, and a carousel of Downing Street parties, 2022 may seem like the year of unwanted change. But it’s also an opportunity to implement positive new habits. Perhaps you intend to read more, learn a new language, or...
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...
We need to talk about fashion’s current obsession with balaclavas
The face-obscuring wintertime fashion accessory is having a moment, but many argue that jumping on the trend requires having a specific level of privilege. It’s the end of January, and guess what? It’s still freezing outside. Enter, the balaclava – a sock for your head. Designed to slide over your skull...
Opinion – Fashion’s relationship with ‘difference’ is still a toxic one
A video of French brand Sézane exploiting an elderly Indigenous woman for their summer campaign has emerged as the fashion community fervidly mourn the late André Leon Talley. These distinct responses to Otherness prove that the industry’s approach to difference is still a strenuous affair. A video of an...
Plant-based fashion is finally having its moment
A major shift in clothing manufacture is underway, fronted by a surge in the number of brands experimenting with next-generation ‘livestock-free’ replacements for conventional animal-based materials. It’s common knowledge that fast fashion has long-dominated the style landscape, for the affordable and straightforward way in which it enables consumers to keep...
Opinion – Let’s drop our self-improvement obsession in 2022
Reports predict almost half of UK citizens vow to exercise more, improve their diet, or lose weight at the turn of a new year. But is that an image we should still be chasing? Food, sparkling wine, Christmas markets and snow; I have loved this time of year ever since I can remember. But soon after the laid-back lifestyle and the feasts comes 1 January and its long list of to-do...
Could prescribed park visits aid our mental health?
Canadian healthcare practitioners are now allowed to prescribe patients a year-long pass to the country’s national parks in a bid to improve their mental and physical health. If you’ve struggled or are currently struggling with mental health issues, I know what you’re thinking: when has a medical professional suggesting you ‘go for a walk’ ever actually improved your situation? Well, while tales of this may certainly be considered meme-worthy on...
Beauty brands are advocating for the redefinition of Black
MAC Cosmetics, e.l.f, and Morphe are just some of those involved with a campaign that’s seeking to shift perceptions about what it means to be Black. In 2020, the pressing question of ‘how can I help’ was one that dominated social media well into the following year. It came on the back of protests across the globe which not only called for an end to police brutality and justice for George...
Influencers may soon have to label digitally-altered images
To combat the rise of eating disorders and body confidence issues post-pandemic, a proposed bill in the UK is calling for commercial photos featuring retouched bodies to be labelled as such. Last February, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that social media influencers had to begin disclosing when using a beauty filter to endorse products, namely those exaggerating the results cosmetics or skincare being sold by brands were capable...
