Opinion – social media is stifling our style and individuality
We now live in a time where the term ‘microtrend’ doesn’t suffice to describe the short lifespan of social media trends. ‘New year, new us’ right? And with that, new conversations online about how we’ll improve our unique style and find our identities this year. But are we truly trying to...
Current in Style
Why we should be redirecting our gaze towards male bodies
There’s a distinct lack of body positivity discourse for male, masc, and non-binary bodies. We need to challenge the attitude that views a specific type of body as more beautiful than another and start to praise all kinds of peaches. Scrolling on social media, I come across a before and...
Levi’s net-zero action plan gets scientists’ seal of approval
In efforts to cut company emissions and pollution by 2050, the denim brand Levi Strauss & Co. has announced its new climate transition plan detailing its road to net-zero. It’s no secret that the fashion industry is now one of the world’s most unsustainable, with textile waste, pollution, and greenwashing...
Indigenous craft is still being co-opted by the fashion industry
Actor Lily Gladstone has called out Valentino, the latest brand to copy Indigenous designers. Protecting these cultural crafts from the capitalist machine is a longstanding – and often exhausting – battle. By now, it’s a familiar cycle: a fashion house unveils its latest collection, the press fawns, social media unearths its problematic...
Opinion – a woman’s business is not to be beautiful
From the 1874 Ugly Girl Papers to the overt normalisation – and promotion – of harmful practices such as preventative botox, are we looking at the end of variety and youth in faces which have all been touched by the same needle? ‘The first requisite in a woman toward pleasing...
LFW ban on exotic animal skins criticised by experts
Scientists from one of the world’s leading conservation bodies have condemned London Fashion Week’s decision, warning that it’s ill-informed and that exotic animal skins are often far more sustainable than alternatives such as leather and synthetic materials. Amid continued protests against the use of exotic skins (think snake, crocodile, and...
Cosmetic vagina surgeries are hugely popular among Gen Z
‘Designer vagina’ surgery is one of the fastest growing cosmetic procedures among young people worldwide. Recent research has uncovered that this is due to a lack of education and diverse representation. It’s never been easier to look at a vagina. In the digital age – unless parental controls are active – a quick dig through the less-regulated social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit will bombard users with a torrent of...
Gen Z’s latest accessory? Ear plugs
The unlikely trend has made ear safety stylish. What’s the harm? The soundtrack of your teens and twenties usually involves crowded festivals, loud nightclubs, and headphones dialled up to high-volume. But Gen Z are starting to reject this cacophony with help from an unlikely accessory: the earplug. Studies have shown that for many young people, noise exposure poses a serious risk to the health of the ears and can even lead...
Modern medicine continues to neglect women’s health
Women are disproportionately suffering from a lack of medical attention, facing difficulties seeking treatment for painful symptoms and having their needs misunderstood. In a supposedly developed world, we are consistently letting women down by failing to close the gender health gap. From Queen Elizabeth I’s white face makeup – which she used to cover smallpox scarring – to well-known modern-day lipstick brands including Mac, L’Oreal, and Maybelline,...
Opinion – we aren’t worried enough about our attention spans
Though people are discussing it openly online and trends have emerged to address it, our ability to concentrate is deteriorating by the day. Why does nobody seem that concerned? Two things I’ve noticed recently – both while commuting to work. For one, that all I ever seem to see these days is people looking down, staring blankly at the screen in their hands. I’m by no means exempt from this, I...
