So here’s the thing about the stars and heavens above: It's chaotic. Things shift slowly then quickly. There are ups, downs, and everything in between, dancing above our heads and within our hearts. It’s poetic and it’s tragic. Some days there are rainbows while others bring nothing but fire and brimstone.

Astrology is simply the tool we use to track the chaos — and, when we can, make sense of it. So this week, when you’re experiencing your special blend of beautiful madness, just remember that all you have to do is show up and do your best, whatever that may be. Embrace the highs as well as the lows and know that they’re moulding you into the best version of yourself. If you need to tap out because Mars, Saturn, and Pluto are crushing your soul, do that. If you want to go full tilt with those feelings of lust, courtesy of Venus and Mars, do that. If you need to find a place to pray because Jupiter and Neptune are calling on you to find your faith, that’s allowed, too. Get it?

The lyrics that come to mind when looking at this week’s transits came from an insightful Sagittarius, Imogen Heap of Frou Frou: "So let go / Jump in / Oh well, whatcha waiting for? / It's all right / 'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown."

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We'd go by anything that SZA recommends, because have you seen her? So when she became the zillionth person to tell us that she swears by castor oil for her hair instead of coconut oil, we knew it was finally time to explore it further. Turns out, the ingredient is popping up in many new hair launches (along with our tried and trues) for a reason. "Castor oil has been shown to improve circulation, which helps hair growth," Ron Robinson, cosmetic chemist and CEO of BeautyStat, tells us. "It also adds shine and conditions the hair."

Jamaicans have sworn by it for years as well, often considering it an "all-purpose healer" according to Lois Hines, founder and CEO of Tropic Isle Living. "The oil is anti-fungal and antibacterial. Jamaican Black Castor Oil, specifically, has become popular over the years because it's a great sealant, which helps the hair and skin to retain moisture," she says. "Traditionally, it is used as a laxative, to heal baby’s umbilical cords, and to relieve body aches through a massage with the oil. As for skin care, it aids with hyper-pigmentation, reduces the appearance of dark spots, and combats acnes and scarring."

And because it's good for all hair textures, you should expect to see much more of Jamaica's secret weapon more and more. Learn more about castor oil — and some of spring's most exciting new hair products — ahead.

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Cutting down on plastic waste isn't a trendy lifestyle choice. It's completely necessary to preserve our environment for future generations and make horrifying viral videos like this one a thing of the past.

Last month, the government announced plans to introduce a "deposit return scheme" in England to crack down on plastic bottle waste.

Meanwhile, plastic-free supermarket aisles and zero-waste shops are springing up with increased frequency. Bans on common single-use plastic items like bags, straws and microbeads are being implemented, and campaigners are lobbying to discourage coffee chains from using disposable cups.

Now we're being given the option to cut back on plastic waste in another area of everyday life: coffee pods. Typical Nespresso or Nespresso-compatible pods are made from a mixture of plastic and aluminium which is difficult to dispose of. They can be so detrimental to the environment that the city of Hamburg actually banned them from state-run buildings two years ago.

However, a new range of biodegradable coffee pods created by The Eden Project cause no environmental damage because they break down into simple raw materials in a matter of weeks. Once you've enjoyed your coffee, you can simply add the empty pod to a compost heap or your regular recycling bin.

The Eden Project says the packaging they come in features vegetarian inks and is also 100% recyclable and compostable.

The organisation's commercial manager Tracey Smith said: "At Eden we are always searching for sustainable solutions and looking to reduce waste. These fully compostable capsules allow coffee lovers to enjoy delicious ethically-sourced coffees without creating additional plastic waste”.

The eco-friendly coffee pods come in four flavours: Colombian, Guatemalan, Costa Rican and Italian Espresso Decaffeinated. They're on sale now at stores including Waitrose.

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Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant are back at it again with a sketch that shows what real women are like despite popular culture trying to send us a different message. And one thing women are good at with enough practice, and shouldn’t feel bad about, is being lazy. Queue the ultimate lazy girl hack: performance, moisture wick, and flex-fit technology athletic leggings.

Leggings are a great way of making you look like you have your shit together simply because you opted for clothes like an adult instead of chillin’ in your underwear all day.

In a new parody, Saturday Night Live wondered what women really do with performance leggings. Plot twist: it’s not always working out.

“I’m a runner, I run,” says Heidi Gardner.

“I’m a fighter, I fight,” says Melissa Villaseñor.

“And I just sit the hell down and chill in these soft pants,” says Bryant. #Relatable.

If you’re lucky, you’re able to wear leggings to work, then wear them to the gym, because changing your pants just discourages you from actually working out after a long day. But if you still neglect to hit the gym, your leggings stretch, so don’t even worry about it.

The clear difference with wearing regular knit leggings is the chance that your underwear of choice will show through, so why not spend the extra money on durable leggings that include the word “technology” in the description. This. Is. The. Future. I mean, Nike literally makes Dri-Fit for babies who haven’t even acquired the strength to walk.

I’m not sure when we began to judge women outside of the standard fit mould for wearing a comfortable pair of leggings but it needs to stop. “Let’s get real. Leggings can be pants, pyjamas, and a napkin,” says McKinnon – a line I want to start seeing in Instagram bios.

“Women can do anything they want. And I want to do nothing!” Yes, Kate! Scream it for the people in the back.

Nike, I hope you’re watching and McKinnon and Bryant get proper accreditation for when Pro-Chillers launch this spring.

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Immediately after Joyce Wang posted her birthday fundraiser to Facebook in November 2017, she tried to take it down. Wang didn't realise that all Facebook fundraisers are public — there is no option to limit visibility to friends only — and she's not in the habit of sharing personal stories, like the one in her birthday fundraiser, so publicly.

But one thing stopped her: Less than a minute after the fundraiser went live, a friend donated $1,000. Wang's fundraising goal was a modest $300, or 45 cents from each of her Facebook friends. Within a matter of days she raised $3,680 — more than 10 times that number.

"The part that surprised me the most was I got donations and comments and shares from people I haven’t seen or talked to in over 10 years," Wang told Refinery29. Her campaign received donations from complete strangers, as well as distant connections.

Birthday fundraisers, which let you raise money for one of the 750,000-plus non-profits with Facebook pages, are a relatively new offering. Facebook launched the tool in August 2017, five months after introducing personal fundraisers. Prior to this, users could put a "Donate" button on their own posts, or click the "Donate" button on a non-profit's Facebook page, but there was no dedicated space for launching a campaign. Facebook has not shared how much money birthday fundraisers have raised but says they are gaining momentum.

Creating one is ridiculously easy: Pick the non-profit, set a fundraising goal, choose an end date, write a story about why you're raising money, and give your fundraiser a title. Click "create" and your friends will see the fundraiser in their News Feeds and get a notification letting them know you're raising for a cause.

The ease of use — and the personal validation that can come from doing good — means it's likely your News Feed is flooded with a host of birthday fundraisers happening at any one time. The result can be overwhelming. If everyone's raising money, how do you decide which cause is worthy of your money?

Wang, who works in the non-profit space, says she is "constantly inundated with requests for funds" on her personal Facebook account. She had never given to any of the birthday fundraisers on her News Feed, because she already gets so many requests for money on a daily basis. She only decided to launch one because she was celebrating a milestone birthday, 35, and was passionate about AnnieCannons, the non-profit she was supporting with her fundraiser. The group helps human trafficking survivors learn technical skills, an issue close to Wang's heart. Before working for a conservation non-profit, Wang worked as a lawyer, representing victims of domestic violence. As she explained in her fundraiser story, "Many of the same women subjected to human trafficking and sex work are also subjected to domestic abuse and other violence."

Wang attributes the success of her fundraiser to a couple of factors: The compelling, vulnerable story she shared along with the fundraiser, and the fact that the non-profit she chose has nothing to do with her current day job in conservation. "A fundraiser for animals or wildlife would have been completely expected from me," she said. "This came out of left field."

While the Facebook of the past was a place where birthdays meant well wishes from 200-plus of your closest friends, the Facebook of 2018 is a place to use your day to celebrate a cause. Fundraisers are perfectly positioned to address this shift in use. Raising money for a non-profit gives friends a peek into what you care about — or, at least, what you want to appear to care about.

Before Wang's fundraiser, Jessica Hubley, one of the co-founders of AnnieCannons, didn't view Facebook as a good place for raising money. In the past, Facebook charged non-profits a 5% fee, covering non-profit vetting, fraud protection, and payment processing, along with operational costs and payment support. That fee was more than the amount charged by either PayPal or Stripe.

"We were disincentivized from actually encouraging anyone to create a fundraiser on Facebook, because we had to give up more of the donations to processing fees," Hubley said. "We pay attention to any fees, because those dollar amounts translate to something very tangible that we could do for someone."

Facebook eliminated these fees in late 2017, and Hubley says Facebook has "gone to great pains to emphasise they no longer charge them." Non-profits set up on Facebook can get the money through direct deposit; those that are not set up will get a check for the full amount in the mail.

While Hubley says Wang's $3,680 donation doesn't compare to the $50,000 to $100,000 grants the non-profit usually spends its time seeking, it's comparable to crowdfunding campaigns AnnieCannons has done on other platforms. And far less effort: "On those [campaigns], we spent substantial amounts of time first trying to get our friends and family to seed the campaign and then promote it. [Birthday fundraisers are] a more efficient way to raise money at the crowdfunding level."

Still, raising money on a social platform can, for some people, turn into a bizarre kind of popularity contest. While almost all of the feedback Wang received was positive, when she told one friend about the success of her campaign, she was surprised to hear him respond, "Yeah, I saw that and I was just like, If I tried to do that, I would have only raised $200, and my friends would have said I owed them money."

"He was totally joking, but it was so interesting to me that his first reaction was a comparison to how much he could have raised if he had done a fundraiser," she added.

Of course, competition or not, the ultimate reward goes to the non-profit — and that's a good thing.

"If 100 people start trying to prove that they have more friends that will donate to AnnieCannons and their intrinsic motivation is about competing with someone else, the benefit of what they do still comes to AnnieCannons," Hubley says. "We would still be able to do our work better because those 100 people are competing, even if from a higher level social perspective that wasn’t a great dynamic."

As is often the case when giving to charity, people who feel happy about giving once are more likely to give again in the future. Since her fundraiser, Wang has given to others, and so did Trudy Chan, a sales manager at New York's Lincoln Center. Chan, who raised $801 — far more than her original $180 goal — for the National Dance Institute, said her surprise about the positive result of her fundraiser made her want to return the favour for others.

As Facebook deals with the continuing fallout of fake news, Russian trolls, and now, the massive data breach, birthday fundraisers seem like a lone bright spot. They serve as a reminder of the way social media can be used for good — even if there is some personal incentive included with the confetti and balloons.

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Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa "One Kiss"

Summer is almost here, and I know it because Calvin Harris is out here with new music. This time he teams up with everyone's fave, Dua Lipa, who brings her trademark deadpan vocals to Harris's return to electronic music after dabbling in "real instruments." It's a little repetitive, but it's also highly danceable. The whole tone of the song is very 1989 by way of diva vocals; or, put in shorthand, ACS: Versace -friendly. Gentle reminder that April is not too early to be going for song of the summer.

Sabrina Claudio feat. Khalid "Don't Let Me Down"

There isn't an opening for the new Sade, but that's not stopping Sabrina Claudio from trying to fill it. She's got shades of Mya and Jhene Aiko in her whole aesthetic, too, and on this track she's got some fly calypso beats and guest vocals from Khalid. Their call and response is hotness overload, where she goes breathy and he holds the baseline of the melody. If you were wondering what your summer make-out playlist for 2018 should start with, we found it. Now can someone tell us where to get her leopard print bikini?

Wild Moccasins "Boyish Wave"

I grew up in Houston, so I had to give Wild Moccassins a listen when they hit my inbox. I've got a soft spot for everyone from my hometown (looking at you, Bey). It's got that glam rock vibe that I'm a sucker for and makes me want to toss my hair around while doing my best Molly Ringwald kick dance. Apparently it's about breakups and relationships gone wrong, but you could have fooled me. All I hear in the music is a good time.

FLETCHER "I Believe You"

I've heard several #MeToo songs at this point, and I kind of thought I was done being emotional about them. Then I hit play on this one. FLETCHER spoke to lots of other female songwriters and women in music before writing this track, and just thinking about it makes me both sad and pissed. I love that it's an affirmation, though, for people who haven't said anything because they can't imagine anyone would believe them. There are a lot of guys in studios. FLETCHER just launched a "we see you" missive.

After my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to matchmake people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book calledRecord Collecting for Girls and started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or leave me a comment below and tell me what you're listening to this week.

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What does a '70s disco music enthusiast living in Greece have in common with a dinosaur-trainer, a superhero family, an FBI drug unit, and a CIA agent played by Tom Cruise? They are all coming back for long-awaited second (or in Cruise's case sixth) instalments this summer.

Seriously — 2018 is the summer of sequels. Between Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Incredibles 2, Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado, and Mission Impossible: Fallout, there's a lot to catch up on before heading to theaters when the warmer months finally decide to grace us with their presence.

And while not exactly sequels per se, we've got some other big franchise projects to look forward to: Solo: A Star Wars Story, the second spinoff to come from the galaxy far, far away, will take fans back to a time before Han Solo even knew Chewbacca; Ocean's 8 is here to make all your Rihanna/Cate Blanchett fantasies come true; Crazy Rich Asians will make you question everything you thought you knew about money, and look great doing it ; and while The Darkest Minds hasn't been announced as a multi-movie project yet, I sense Hunger Games -like status in its future.

In the standalone category, we have The Spy Who Dumped Me, Susanna Fogel's female-driven comedy about two friends who get caught up in a spy ring after one of them is dumped by a James Bond wannabe ex-boyfriend.

And then, there's Tag.

Click through for a look at the movies we're most excited about, and the badass woman moments you should watch out for in each of them.

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Lycra-clad Eclipse is single-handedly fighting off an armed gang and seems to be doing a pretty decent job of it. That is, until the police turn up and arrest him. “I’m a superhero!” he protests. “Look at the cape!” But it’s too late – he’s already being carted off while his assailants are given hot chocolate.

Of course we were never going to get Black Panther -style triumph in BBC3’s Famalam.
Helmed by an all-black cast including Chewing Gum ’s John Macmillan and former Vine star Tom Moutchi, it’s a sketch show that plays on ideas of what it is to be black and British today. Such was the social media success of its pilot episode last year – which led to a BAFTA nomination for one of its stars, Samson Kayo – it’s now back for a four-episode run. So why is it worth watching?

The gags aren’t one-note

A multitude of scenarios keep Famalam fresh, whether that’s Scribbler P – the garage MC who delivers sharp, taboo-busting black history lessons on everything from the royal family to Cheddar Man – or Professor Lofuko, the Croydon witch doctor who offers unexpectedly common sense advice along with his usual ‘healing’. There’s even a Midsomer Murders -meets-'70s blaxploitation cop parody, which sees Kayo play the inept Moses Mountree. The overall effect could be disorienting if it wasn’t for the writing, which is perceptive rather than predictable.

It’s political without feeling heavy

Through those frantically paced scenes, Famalam gently prods and subverts racial stereotypes, whether that’s a black woman who deems a white man’s Tinder activity racist before rejecting an Asian match, or references to Mountree’s perceived sexual prowess. Dipping in and out of different scenes in a subtle, varied fashion, it tackles race and racism with a light, intelligent touch. Among the highlights of episode 1 is the brilliantly deadpan ‘black Jesus’ (Macmillan) who explains his identity to a surprised believer (“I was arrested by a mob of angry government officials ... that shit doesn’t happen to white people”).

It’s genuinely funny

From The Real McCoy to 3 Non-Blondes, The Black British Sketch Show has a rich history. However, Famalam doesn’t just work because it’s a tried and tested formula; rather, the cast’s comic timing and the material come together to make something special. Not everything works: The Luther-a-like cop who takes Snapchat selfies with suspects is weak, as is the character who follows his best friend everywhere, including to the birth of his own child. However, when it works, it really works – it’s worth a watch for its ropey ‘Fantastic Egusi films’ parodies of low-budget Nigerian cinema alone, which include a Fast and Furious rip-off with a wonderfully deadpan accompanying single performed by producer and sometime cast member, Akemnji Ndifornyen. Plus, look out for a brilliantly observed Game of Thrones parody and Gbemisola Ikumelo’s turn as chicken-obsessed schoolboy Fat Sam.

50% of the cast is female

Bored of sexist comedies where women merely exist to prop up men? Tired of women – especially women of colour – getting rubbish parts? Half of the main Famalam cast (Ikumelo, Roxy Sternberg and Vivienne Acheampong) are female, and they’re great. Ikumelo is brilliant as Funke, who can’t keep her hands off her morning TV co-presenter husband William, while in episode 2 she’s in a Sex and the City -style scenario, deconstructing the 'sassy black best friend' trope. Sternberg is an all-rounder who is particularly menacing as the girlfriend who makes her boyfriend stay over by brandishing a rifle (funnier than it sounds). Elsewhere, Acheampong steals many a scene, including a stonking piss-take of food-based sex games in episode 3. Because who needs strawberries when you’ve got hot sauce?

Famalam is available on BBC3 from Monday 9th April with new episodes each week. Hear what creator Tom Moutchi has to say about the show here...

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“Remember that light becomes light,” explains Alexandra, wearing a hard stare and a gold cardigan, “and when you are doing magic, make sure you ask specific questions, otherwise you confuse the universe.”

“You must only do magic when you have exhausted all other possibilities,” interrupts her husband, rising up from the opposite side of the table. I scribble their words in my notebook: ask specific questions; DON’T confuse universe.

Around the table are about 15 other people, all straining to hear Alexandra above the drunken chatter in the room and furiously scrawling in the notebooks we’d been handed at the start of the evening.

I am at a Wicca meeting in the upstairs of a pub in central London. Wicca is the British strain of witchcraft, just as Hula is unique to Hawaii and Shinto to Japan. It seeks to engage the ‘old ways’ of pagan pre-Roman Britain, and its practices date back thousands of years.

I found the event (Spring Equinox: Introduction to Wicca) on an app called MeetUp, having thought about dabbling in witchcraft for months but never knowing how or where to start. At one point I booked a tarot reading but got scared and decided not to show up at the last minute, then spent hours worrying what effect my abrupt cancellation would have on my spiritual currency.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first Wicca meeting, or why I’d been feeling so anxious about it all day. I imagined a group of young women, armed with crystals and tarot cards, sitting on the floor of a dimly lit room, doing a seance. I imagined me, standing on the periphery, not knowing what was going on but pretending I did.

What I’d actually signed up for was a couple of tables pushed together at the top of a Greene King pub, and a group of mostly elderly men. I was surprised and sceptical. This didn’t fulfil my stereotyped version of witchcraft, informed by social media and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And to be honest, I had always associated witchcraft with women – in my ignorance, I hadn’t considered that it was something men were interested in, too.

You can use the witch as a symbol of feminist resistance

Over the last few years, witchcraft has quickly risen in popularity. From magazines like Sabat to Instagram accounts like The Hoodwitch and events like Coven and Cuntemporary, witchcraft is definitely having a moment. But it’s difficult to differentiate between aesthetic witchcraft, inspired by '90s films like The Craft, and practising witchcraft – like the witches who meet each month to perform a hex on Donald Trump.

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For Sabat founder and editor, Elisabeth Kohn, both have their place and can be empowering. “You can use the witch as I do really, as a symbol of feminist resistance,” she tells me, “but it can also be a very serious spiritual pathway that can take a lot of time and effort, and is something you need to really invest in.”

For young people around the world, the appeal of witchcraft is greater than ever. According to a study published on MarketWatch at the end of last year, the 18-30 demographic is turning to witchcraft and astrology in these tumultuous political times. Apparently, it's a way of attaching substance to our lives, which are increasingly "hyper-mediated and rational" but without any semblance of meaning.

Michelle Goldberg reasoned in a piece recently published in The New York Times that occultism often gains currency during times of social crisis: “Often when traditional institutions and beliefs collapse and people are caught between cultural despair and cosmic hopes, they turn to magic.” On the other hand, Kohn thinks the rise of the witch coincides with a heightened engagement in feminism.

I think I agree with both of them. Witchcraft is, in many ways, anarchic. It’s a way of removing yourself from societal constraints and restrictive institutions. At its crux, it encourages you to listen to your own needs and desires, which makes it comforting and empowering.

The witch is this outsider, alternative figure and this very potent feminine archetype.

“The witch is this very versatile figure,” Kohn tells me. “She is this outsider, alternative figure and this very potent feminine archetype. I don’t think that means she necessarily has to fight for feminism or female independence. She also appeals to a lot of queer people, trans people, environmentalists – a lot of groups of people are using the witch with or without her ‘femininity’ as an attribute.”

The group sitting around this particular table seems to be seeking both spiritual guidance and a sense of community, which unites them with the witchcraft movement playing out on social media and beyond. Listening to Alexandra, I learn that Wicca draws on ancient beliefs, but also welcomes new interpretations. The main thing that sets it apart from traditional religious practices is that it resists hierarchy and encourages people to take control of their lives by channelling the magic that is deeply rooted within us all.

The history of witchcraft, as much as its beliefs, relates to our current social climate. Its negative connotations come from Roman propaganda; Satan was once an ancient pagan god, who was seen as evil. The pure fact that witchcraft has continued to endure throughout centuries of persecution means that this group of us sitting at a Wicca meeting is magical in itself.

Witchcraft and its history are a testament to human faith and endurance, which is what makes it so popular in times of personal or societal strife. It is an antidote for a generation that is questioning the meaning of everything they have been taught.

By the end of the evening, I’m feeling less anxious and more certain that witchcraft is something I could get into. My final question for Alexandra and her husband is whether the popularised witchcraft phenomenon is here to stay. They don’t seem to think so. “It’s a fad,” they tell me bluntly. “Every decade or so, it becomes very in vogue, but we’re lifers.”

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Over the weekend, a video of Tony Robbins questioning the motives of the #MeToo movement went viral. In the 11-minute clip from a March seminar in San Jose, CA, Robbins tells a story about a “very famous, very powerful man” who didn’t hire a qualified woman for a job because she was “very attractive” and he knew she was “too big a risk” to have around. “I’ve had a dozen men tell me this,” Robbins says, implying that #MeToo is actually hurting women rather than helping them. “I’m not suggesting you have to agree with me,” Robbins at one point tells the crowd. “I’m just suggesting you consider what its impact is.” Robbins apologised for his comments on Sunday.

One of the people who considered Robbins’ take on the #MeToo movement was the founder of #MeToo, Tarana Burke. On Twitter, Burke laid out why Robbins’ comments are so harmful to the movement, while also praising the woman in the video who stood up to the life coach. “I was made aware of this video BEFORE I ever saw it because Tony Robbins people reached out to do damage control within 24 hours. They wanted to ‘give me context’ apparently. I don’t need any. I have eyes,” she tweeted. “Bravo to this woman.”

I was made aware of this video BEFORE I ever saw it because Tony Robbins people reached out to do damage control within 24 hours. They wanted to “give me context” apparently. I don’t need any. I have eyes. The full video is 11 mins. And it’s gross. Bravo to this woman. https://t.co/gjbm9GF1Mz

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) April 7, 2018

That woman was Nanine McCool, who tells Refinery29 she took offense to Robbins’ claims that women are looking for “significance” or importance from telling their sexual abuse or harassment stories. Right before she got up to speak, McCool says Robbins talked about what a great guy Steve Wynn, the casino magnate who was accused of sexual misconduct, is. (Wynn, who resigned as CEO of his company, has denied the allegations.) “I remember sitting there and thinking, ‘You’ve got this wrong, you’ve got this so wrong,’” she says.

In the clip shot by activist and musician Butterscotch, who McCool says was forced to take the video off Facebook by Robbins’ people, McCool tells Robbins, “So I think you misunderstand the #MeToo movement.” Before the New Orleans native gets a chance to explain why she thinks this, Robbins cuts in to tell her that he respects all opinions on the subject. “I’m not knocking the #MeToo movement,” he says. “I’m knocking victimhood.” McCool, who was sexually abused as a child, believes he was shaming victims of sexual assault. “You know, I was a victim, I still am in many ways a victim. I will always be a victim,” McCool says. “But I’m a survivor because I was a victim. That victim, she saved my life. That’s what kept me alive.”

RAINN says that survivors of sexual violence often deal with depression, flashbacks, and PTSD, which includes feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear. Anger is the emotion McCool felt, she says, and she blamed herself for what happened. During the seminar, Robbins said that anger is hurting the #MeToo movement, but McCool disagrees, saying it’s what helped her work through her trauma and get to a better place. She’s a survivor only because she addressed what it’s like to be a victim. “Being sexually abused, harassed, raped, you’re entitled to your rage,” she says. “I just think that the #MeToo movement is a platform, a place for discussion and empathy.”

McCool says Robbins wasn’t displaying empathy in his understanding of the #MeToo movement, which focused on the accused instead of their accusers. It’s why she needed to speak up, to start a dialogue, even if she’s still surprised she did. “I don’t remember making that decision to stand up but at some point I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m yelling at Tony Robbins. I need to sit down,’ but it was too late.” McCool says she saw “real pain in Robbins before the anger kicked in” and his anger was “quite intimidating” and triggering for her. For many, seeing the six-foot-seven-inches Robbins push back at McCool, not just with his words but physically, was hard, but she says she had to stand her ground for anyone who, like her, was once a victim.

“The video itself could be used to train men who don’t get it because I’m so triggered in that video,” she says. “I totally reject what he said, I think it’s dead wrong, but he spoke his truth and if he had been politically correct and hadn’t been triggered himself, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I don’t fault him for his opinion, I just strongly disagree with him.”

Hi Julie, that was me. I am so grateful for this conversation that has erupted around this video, which was taken by brave @TheButterscotch. She originally posted it on FB and it had hundreds of comments but TR Team made her take it down!

— Nanine McCool (@NanineMcCool) April 7, 2018

While Robbins considers himself a “life and business strategist” he’s not trained to deal with survivors of assault and abuse. Those that are trained are encouraged to offer support and avoid judgment. In RAINN’s tips for talking with survivors of sexual assault they suggest saying things like “I believe you,” “it took a lot of courage to tell me this,” and “it’s not your fault” as a reminder that they’re not to blame, something Robbins never does. Listening is also the best way to show support for survivors, which Robbins also doesn’t do much of in the video. Instead of trying to make McCool comfortable in coming forward, he aggressively takes over the conversation, using his physicality and power to impose over her. Robbins tells her she needs to understand his point of view instead of considering hers.

After watching the video, Burke tweeted Robbins’ “misogyny runs deep.” “If you talk to more SURVIVORS and less sexist businessmen maybe you’ll understand what we want.” Burke wrote. “We want safety. We want healing. We want accountability. We want closure. We want to live a life free from shame. That’s the reality of the @MeTooMVMT sir, do better.”

@TonyRobbins If you talk to more SURVIVORS and less sexist businessmen maybe you’ll understand what we want. We want safety. We want healing. We want accountability. We want closure. We want to live a life free from shame. That’s the reality of the @MeTooMVMT sir, do better.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) April 7, 2018

After attending the seminar, McCool, like Burke, also wants to see Robbins do better. She says she was “horrified” with how he spoke about women and this movement though she also “genuinely see[s] potential in him.” McCool holds out hope that Robbins is capable of listening and even changing.

“I hope he will sit down with Tarana Burke and other women that can speak for this movement and help him understand it,” she says. “To me the discussion will keep going, and if that discussion leads to Tony Robbins humbling himself and saying he got it wrong and I want to fix it, I would think, Yay, that’s so cool.”

Robbins has since apologized on Facebook for “suggesting anything other than my profound admiration for the #MeToo movement,” explaining he agrees with the goals of the movement and that they are in line with what he’s been trying to do at his seminars. “I teach that ‘life happens for you, not to you’ and what I’ve realised is that while dedicating my life to working with victims of abuse all over the world, I need to get connected to the brave women of #MeToo.”

In his apology, Robbins doesn’t make mention of McCool or explain how he’ll connect with Burke and other women from the #MeToo movement, but says he will work to stay “true to the ideals of the movement.” "That begins with this brief statement but will not end until our goals are reached,” he wrote.

https://t.co/rWJ2wob8Ap pic.twitter.com/vRzXEdXVoJ

— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) April 8, 2018

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Nineties fashion wasn’t bothered. It was the first casual decade. In every decade prior, silhouettes were strong. The '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s were shapely and tailored – recall cinched waists, mini skirts, flares and shoulder pads. But the '90s just hung out and hung loose, that was the look. It was shapeless and for the most part, genderless. The '90s was the best decade for fashion because no one’s thought of anything better yet. Instagram is brimming with '90s throwbacks, Urban Outfitters pretty much just sells '90s styles and what’s in now? Sportswear, baggy tees, camouflage trousers, long-sleeved sweatshirts and Converse. As far as style is concerned, it’s still the '90s.

My own style peaked in ‘97, the moment I jumped around to “Backstreet’s back, alright!” in my bedroom wearing white jeans, tan Timberland boots, a white crop top, big plastic yellow hoop earrings and a white Kangol cap. I was only 10, but I knew style would never feel as true again.

In the '90s when kids like me were glued to MTV watching 10 hours of music videos a day, you wanted to look like the people in music videos. I would study these videos in great detail – the dance moves, the accessories, the hair, the styling – and do everything within my means as a 12-year-old to emulate them. Top of my MTV style heroes was Britney Spears in “Baby One More Time” (1998) wearing a yellow crop top, red joggers with just the right number of poppers unpopped at the bottom, two pigtails, small hoop earrings, sparkly eyeshadow and that shimmery brown lipstick shade everyone wore no matter what. My next best heroes were T-Boz from TLC in “Creep” dancing around in an electric-blue silk jogging suit, Mya in “Ghetto Superstar” in a red PVC boob tube, Björk in a bright orange silk dress in “It's Oh So Quiet” and Gwen Stefani in everything, but particularly in that blue fur bikini with matching blue hair worn in two buns and a pre-woke bindi.

Full of colour and guts, the TV look of the '90s was Cher and Dionne from Clueless (1995) in their tartan mini skirt suits, velvet button-down skirts and stretchy headbands. It was Will Smith and Hilary Banks fighting for the freshest looks in Fresh Prince, Will in all manner of lairy shirts, sideways caps and dungarees, and Hilary in block-coloured trouser suits and a hat collection to rival the Queen Mother.

As a pre-teen, confined to home, school and school discos, '90s style for me was really just American music videos and TV. Of course, there was a whole scene happening above my head, but I didn’t discover it until later in life, looking back at the decade. I got into Nirvana six years after Kurt Cobain died and started wearing blue jeans, long-sleeved sweatshirts with open checked shirts or baggy jumpers over the top and Converse All Stars in his memory. It took me a while to figure out that Kurt’s style was really all about his hair.

I watched Larry Clark’s Kids(1996) when I was 24 because I was interviewing Larry for the magazine I worked for. After that, Chloë Sevigny’s blue T-shirt with the white collar and her blonde pixie crop became my new '90s emblem. Kids is set in New York, and the teenagers in it are skaters. Their style of baggy T-shirts, baggy jeans, short-sleeved shirts worn unbuttoned, backwards caps and backpacks has become cult. It was the same stuff Cobain wore – the style of the alternative scene, copied (and still copied) by every teenager who felt that way inclined.

The Britpop version in the mid '90s was the Gallagher brothers wearing Burberry checked shirts, Harrington jackets with the collar popped, parkas and more blue jeans. The older kids, in their late teens or 20s in the '90s, were raving to house anthems like Hardrive’s “Deep Inside” (1993) and Snap!’s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” (1992) wearing bucket hats, dungarees, baggy jeans or camo trousers, yet more crop tops, sequins stuck on their faces and their hair in two buns. Every time I look at photos or footage of rave culture, I wish I’d been born a decade earlier.

Corinne Day's early shots of Kate Moss, her hair hanging either side of her face in two tiny plaits, summed up the much more natural photography style which dominated fashion magazines of the era. Her covers for The Face and i-D, alongside Naomi Campbell wearing halterneck PVC mini dresses and party shoes, were the high-fashion execution of '90s club culture. Another prominent photographer of the time, Wolfgang Tillmans emerged shooting the acid house scene in clubs where pretty boys wore vests and sports jackets.

Sportswear was all the rage with adidas tracksuits, Tommy Hilfger windbreakers and that yellow satin fabric on zip-ups. Athleisure has dominated the style pages in the last five years, but it was really a '90s thing.

What was great about the decade was its inclusivity. Goth, grunge, pop, R&B, skate and rave all lived together in harmony; they all had their corner, they all did their thing. I swear, style then was pretty much the same as style now. The only difference was authenticity.

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Ah, Zara. The global high street fixture that allows us to dip a toe into each season's trends for a fraction of the cost. Rather than having to skip rent to invest in a designer piece, we're able to wear that lilac knit, don the polka dot dress, nab a statement-sleeve blouse and keep up with fashion's fast-moving trends as they come. Sure, it's not a forever piece, but everyone deserves to tap into whichever trend they like; fashion shouldn't be reserved for the wealthy.

Such is our love for the Spanish retailer that when we stumbled across this Instagram account, we immediately hit follow. The Devils Wear Zara was set up by two Who What Wear editors, Mimi Postigo and Lauren Eggertsen, who, after realising their wardrobes were pretty Zara-heavy, decided to start snapping all of their outfits containing pieces from the brand. "Everything we wear is Zara," the account bio reads, "So we made an Instagram about it.

Great news for us then, as not only do we get to see what Zara pieces look like on real women – the duo also post Zara OOTD images they've been sent or tagged in by any of their 49.7k followers – but we also get a sneak peak of forthcoming drops before they hit stores.

Click through to find our favourite looks from Mimi and Lauren, from ice cream-hued two-pieces to structured wicker bags.

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When Alice Little, a legal sex worker, gave Refinery29 a peek at her life in the form of a Money Diary last year, the post received more than 300 comments. People wanted to know how Little got into this line of work and what she studied in school, and they wanted to get to know her more as a person.

"I was struck by how much I felt like I could easily be friends with this girl, despite the vast differences in our careers," one reader commented.

Needless to say, it was clear that people harboured preconceptions about sex work. But they were fascinated by Little's life, and what it really means to be a "legal" sex worker in the United States. There are many types of sex work, but prostitution, specifically, is illegal in most of the US. This isn't the case in Nevada, however, where prostitution was legalised in 1971 (albeit with restrictions).

Currently, prostitution is regulated in registered brothels in smaller counties in the state — meaning, cities like Las Vegas and Reno are excluded. One such registered brothel is the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, made famous by the HBO series Cathouse. This is where Little works, and it's where she was working last year when she chronicled her life for Refinery29. At the time, she was earning upwards of $10,000 (£7,000) per week, reading the book Sex At Dawn, and dealing with an emergency appendectomy — without health insurance.

It's been a year since then, and people are still asking us about Little. So, we caught up with her to hear more about her life, and what she's been up to.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Blame the royal wedding hype, the new wedding song John Legend just released, or the impending wedding season, but there seems to be a lot of talk about matrimony in air. If you're in a committed relationship, there is a very good chance that you've wondered what it would be like to be married to your partner. You may have even dropped subtle hints about it, or found ways to meld it into your everyday conversations. Still, Want to get married?, feels like a loaded question to confront head-on.

"It's scary for a lot of people, because it seems very consequential," says Kayla Knopp, a clinical graduate student who studies facets of commitment in relationships at the University of Denver Center for Marital and Family Studies. If you're someone who does care about marriage, then it can feel nerve-wracking to talk about, because there's a chance that your partner might have an answer you don't like, she says. Or, even if you don't have strong feelings about marriage, communicating something about your own commitment naturally puts you in a vulnerable position, she says. "You sort of give up power when you give your partner information about your commitment that they're also not giving you back," she says.

So, the logical solution to avoid all this awkwardness is to just put off the conversation about marriage forever, right? Wrong. When people are uncertain about their partner's intentions in a relationship, they tend to clam up and not talk about things, Knopp says. "But, there's other research that says that, even though that seems to protect you at the time, it actually doesn’t help in the long term, and you’re better off having those conversations," she says. In other words, while you may feel motivated for a variety of reasons to keep your relationship ambiguous, it's worth it to talk about commitment so you know that you're both on the same page, and you don't waste your time.

At some point, you just have to be okay with what's important to you, and be okay with asking for what you need in a relationship.

The thing is, every relationship progresses at a different speed, so there's not really a "right time" to bring up marriage. Many people worry that bringing it up "too soon" would end their relationship, because it comes across "too strong," Knopp says. "Typically, people are their own best guides in terms of when something becomes important to you," she says. That said, it's possible to make a commitment too soon in a relationship.

Based on studies, Knopp says serious commitments should never be made sooner than a year in, at least — but that's just a ballpark estimate. "Definitely go slowly in a relationship, let it develop over time, and take time to get to know your partner," she says. (Hey, even John Legend said he "grew into his relationship " with his wife Chrissy Teigen.) It's also a good idea to discuss your future and views on marriage before moving in together, she says. "We know that [moving in] tends to be a bigger commitment than people think they're making," she says. "They need to really know what that means to the both of them."

Basically, the best thing you can do is trust your gut, and know that it doesn't make you high-maintenance, "crazy," or uncool to want to discuss your future with your partner. "At some point, you just have to be okay with what's important to you, and be okay with asking for what you need in a relationship," Knopp says. "And, really know that you deserve to get what you want in a relationship, even if that means looking for somebody else who could fit that better."

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Anti-choice politicians should remember: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Last month, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed into law the nation's most extreme abortion restriction yet: The first-ever 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions only in the case of a threat to the mother's life. And now the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), along with reproductive rights advocates in Mississippi, are fighting back with a mega-lawsuit challenging dozens of anti-choice laws in the state, some of which have been on the books for decades.

The suit, which was filed Monday morning, is an expansion of the emergency suit filed to request an temporary restraining order of the 15-week ban, which a federal judge granted soon after. Filed on behalf of the state's only abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health, the expanded suit challenges a ban on telemedicine abortion consultations, a 24-hour waiting period and state-mandated counselling law that requires women to come to the clinic in-person twice, a law that says only physicians can perform abortions, and the state's burdensome licensing scheme for abortion clinics.

"These laws are designed for one purpose only and that's to put us out of business," Diane Derzis, owner of Jackson Women's Health, said on a call with reporters Monday morning.

The lawsuit is a bold step, but it's not the first of its kind, added Nancy Northup, CRR's president and CEO, on the same call. The centre filed a similarly bold lawsuit in 2017 in Louisiana, and a federal judge there recently ruled the suit could move forward.

Emboldened by the Louisiana decision as well as the Supreme Court's 2016 decision in Whole Women's Health V. Hellerstedt that clarified that abortion laws could not cause an "undue burden" on women's access to the procedure, the centre is convinced that now is the time to act, not just against the 15-week ban, but also to turn the tide on years of piling on that has affected women's ability to access abortion in Mississippi and beyond.

"We’re seeing a level of aggressiveness this year. Mississippi’s 15-week ban is blatantly unconstitutional," Northup said, adding that 15-week ban is just "the straw that broke the camel's back" on top of all the other regulations.

Although the Supreme Court has upheld a 24-hour waiting period in the past, Northup is hopeful that courts will re-consider the standard. "What we’re seeing now is the real effect [of the waiting period.] We can see it is burdensome," Northup said. "Women are able to make decisions about their health without being told to go home and think about it."

All of this is a response to intensifying anti-choice efforts to completely ban abortion, by either strangling providers with the "death by a thousand cuts strategy" of overregulation or setting up a legal challenge that will make it to a Supreme Court that is more hostile to reproductive rights than it has been in decades.

Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, previously told Refinery29 that the 15-week abortion ban is an example of the latest in the anti-choice lobby's bag of evil tricks. "The next move by abortion opponents is to come up with a ban that is later in pregnancy than six weeks, but earlier than 20 weeks," Nash said. "This is something to watch very carefully, and to see how the courts react. It's different than a six-week abortion ban, but they all have the same goal in mind."

But as this latest suit shows, the Center for Reproductive Rights has their own strategy in mind. If they win in this latest challenge, this could spell relief for women in other states as well. "These restrictive laws aren’t necessary in Mississippi or across the nation," Northup said. "We certainly would look forward to knocking these laws out in other states.

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Given that the entire premise of new horror film A Quiet Place rests on the characters being quiet, a huge source of tension is that one of the characters, Evelyn (Emily Blunt), goes into labour during the climax of the movie. Even when her water breaks, Evelyn has to remain completely silent or risk certain death at the hands of monsters that hunt by sound.

To say the least, it's not the typical labour scene you get in movies — where a person giving birth is free to scream as much as they'd like. Thanks to a distraction that Evelyn's son sets off, she's able to let out at least one satisfying scream as she gives birth. But, even so, the movie raises the question: Is it possible to give birth in complete silence?

Malaika Alert, a certified birth doula in Washington, D.C., says that she's actually been present at several births where mums were silent throughout — including one mum who she says was so quiet, it was hard to tell whether or not she was having contractions.

While Alert says it's totally normal to scream, yell, and generally make a lot of noise throughout labour and birth, she says some people might also do so because they're influenced by how much pain they anticipate.

"A lot of the time, people see in movies and TV that mums giving birth are screaming. Or, they're told by family and friends that birth is going to be really painful," she says. "You think that you're supposed to be screaming."

But, for those who do need to scream it out, Mariel Lugosch-Ecker, a certified doula for Open Hands Doula Care, says that making sounds during birth, especially low moans, might be a way to cope with pain, and can actually be a way to help labour along.

While it might help one person to scream through labour, that might not be the case for everyone.

"The natural instinct to make noise — which I think a great majority of people have — serves a physiological purpose, which is helping the pelvic floor relax so that dilation can happen and labour progression can happen," she says.

Vocalizing your pain, Lugosch-Ecker adds, can help you feel more comfortable and aid in the flow of hormones like oxytocin, which induces labour.

That being said, there's no one way to give birth, and while it might help one person to scream through labour, that might not be the case for everyone.

"Just like most of life, labour and birth can look like so many different things for so many different people," Lugosch-Ecker says. "I've seen births where it really helps someone to roar through, and they feel really powerful and warrior-like, and I've seen births where the person wants to lie in bed and gets really internal and maybe only moans a little throughout."

For what it's worth, Alert says that the labour sequence in A Quiet Place was fairly realistic (given the circumstances): from Evelyn's breathing during her contractions to the scream that she lets out once the noise-monsters are distracted. The perfect storm of tension in that labour scene is not just an acting feat from Emily Blunt, it's also a reminder that women are strong as hell, and yes, silent labour really is possible.

As Lugosch-Ecker puts it, "Throughout history, people have given birth in some really trying situations. Babies are born in war zones, and women are so strong."

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In light of an annual report by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that found that 57% of people get plastic surgery to stay competitive at work, we asked Raleigh Seldon, a 26-year-old marketing coordinator in L.A., to explain, in her own words, how rhinoplasty boosted her self confidence — and her career. The following story was told to Kelsey Castañon and edited for length and clarity.

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, plastic surgery, or anything else that altered your natural state, was super hush-hush and taboo — I knew nothing about it. The only real introduction I got was from reality shows like the Real Housewives, and even then they only talked about Botox. So I always knew I hated photos of myself, but I never knew what could be done. It wasn't until last year, when I was working as a style editor at E! News, that I started to consider getting a nose job.

These days, everyone in media is becoming the face of their own personal "brand." I had all these editors around me who would include selfies of themselves in their articles or go on camera, and I just couldn't do it. I never wanted to shoot anything live because I was so worried about what my profile looked like. That absolutely hindered the path I could have taken my career on. When I wrote first-person pieces, I would either opt out of including a photo of myself, or I would reluctantly take one and my boss wouldn't be happy with the imagery.

I never directly said anything about my appearance to my boss, but I had a personal relationship with her, so she knew my nose was something that bothered me. Whenever I got photos back, I'd be so picky and push it back to the retoucher. She observed that behaviour and was like, "Okay, I see what's going on here."

A good friend of mine was the beauty editor at the time, and so she was discovering all these crazy procedures that celebrities I admired were doing. I was like, "Wait, people get lip injections and undereye filler?" There was just so much I'd never heard of, and everyone who I thought was natural turned out not to be.

Once I opened that door and started looking into it, I couldn't shut it. My nose was on my mind at all times. I started analysing past behaviours and realising every photo of me from high school on showed me covering my face, drinking something to cover my nose, or hiding behind someone else in a group. It's crazy to go back and realise how much it was affecting me throughout my life.

So I started saving up my money and researching plastic surgeons, and I found Dr. Deepak Dugar in Beverly Hills. He's originally from a town in Canada that's just outside where I grew up, and we bonded immediately. I felt completely comfortable with him. Obviously, I was also itching to get it done, so after the consultation I was like, "When can you get me in?" and we booked the procedure for a month later.

After the rhinoplasty, I was so much more confident about the way I looked. Things at work just started happening. I was suddenly eager to get in front of the camera, and became way more involved with my own photoshoots. I just started making bolder choices with my career.

Since moving to L.A. seven years ago, I've been really great at networking. One night, I was at a birthday dinner and one of my mentors in a completely different field was there. She introduced me to a celebrity's manager, who was looking for a marketing coordinator. Because of my newfound confidence, I wasn't shying away from going after any opportunity and I ended up getting the job!

In the end, getting plastic surgery is a personal decision. If you're going to do it, figure it out within yourself first. Don't ask other people what they think. They will say you're fine, or that you don't need it, which is true — no one needs it. But personally, it helped me become a better advocate for myself. Not just to get ahead in my career, but even in the smallest ways, like on social media. My personal brand is more well-rounded than it was before because I'm not afraid to show my face. As long as you are okay with your decision, that's all that matters.

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The videos coming out of Janelle Monáe's recent singles have been visually stunning and increasingly queer. Back when the video for "Make Me Feel" dropped in February, Twitter was losing it over the bisexual themes that were woven throughout song. In the video for "PYNK," which dropped today, the themes aren't so much woven as they are shouted, with Monáe both singing heavily suggestive lyrics and parading suggestive imagery throughout the video. This is a fancy way of saying the video is filled with vaginas.

Let's just start with the lyrics, which come in hot with "Pink like the inside of your..." Your what? Vagina. It's vagina. Then there's "Pink like the folds of your brain," but also vagina. And also "Cause boy it's cool if you got blue / We got the pink." Vaginas. We have vaginas.

For instance, these are vaginas:

This is a vagina:

This clam is a vagina:

This cat is a pussy. Which is a vagina.

This is an actual vagina:

This donut is a vagina:

This grapefruit is a vagina:

This video functions both as an ownership of the female anatomy, but also an embrace of sexual fluidity. It's a love letter but doesn't directly label or define the relationship or the gender of the subject. That being said, it does suggest a lot of things, which seems half on purpose, half Monáe having fun with just how many vaginal references she can get into the video.

Overall, however, it's about so much more. The video features a lot of familiar faces, like Tessa Thompson, and is set to an extremely catchy song. Check out the full video below:

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A lot of serious issues were discussed during Mark Zuckerberg ’s testimony before Congress today. The main issue, and the reason Zuckerberg was summoned to Capitol Hill, concerned the Cambridge Analytica data breach that has consumed the news cycle for the past two weeks.

While user privacy is certainly no laughing matter, many people watching the live stream (and even Zuckerberg himself) had to chuckle at some points during the hours of questioning. That’s because it very quickly became clear that some of the politicians questioning the 33-year-old founder knew very little about how Facebook works or, for that matter, social media or the internet in general.

Twitter erupted with quips about the olds and their prehistoric-era level of tech knowledge (with numerous mentions of VHS tapes and the Interwebs). Dad jokes aside, it was an important reminder that we need younger people in government: The average age of a U.S. senator is 63; the average age of a member of the House is not far off at 59. In the UK, the average age of a member of the House of Lords is 69 and in the House of Commons it is 51. While politicians don't need to be a tech experts, they should at least be familiar with products the majority of the country, and their constituents, are using. As today's hearing showed, it's those very tech products they may soon need to start regulating.

You know this painful questioning of #Zuckerberg by people who have no idea what they are talking about? Now imagine them making laws regarding it. If you don't agree with a company's policies on using your info, don't use their products/services or use them carefully/accordingly

— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) April 10, 2018

This Zuckerberg questioning is a great reminder of why we need the average age in Congress not to be 100 years old. #Zuckerberg

— Denizcan James (@MrFilmkritik) April 10, 2018

So the #Zuckerberg hearing ended up being less of a grilling and more of a social media tutorial for senior citizens.

— Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) April 10, 2018

Ahead, three moments that made the lack of tech familiarity painfully evident.

The WhatsApp Question

The hearing often landed on Facebook's confusing terms of service, something the company has sought to rectify in recent days. In one question spinning off talk of these complicated permissions, Senator Brian Schatz asked Zuckerberg if he would see a Black Panther banner ad on Facebook if he sent an email about the movie in WhatsApp, the messaging app acquired by Facebook. The question intended to get to the heart of Facebook's data and advertising practices, but most people paid more attention to the fact that you cannot actually send an email in WhatsApp — and, it's encrypted.

"If I send an email via whatsapp about black panther, will i get ads on facebook about it"-- AND I ASK, WHERE IS THE YOUTH?!?! 🗣️🗣️

— Marielinha (@Marielcaribe) April 10, 2018

The Business Model Question

Facebook is still a free service (though Zuckerberg said some things today that implied a paid model could be forthcoming). This means the company makes money from ads, which anyone who uses Facebook knows since they see them the second they log on to their News Feed. This fact seemed to evade Senator Orrin Hatch who asked how Facebook remains free. Zuckerberg tried to suppress a laugh as he responded, "Senator, we run ads."

Orrin Hatch just asked how Facebook makes money, but, in his defense, he was distracted because he forgot where he parked his dinosaur.#Zuckerberg

— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) April 10, 2018

The Competition Question

Senator Lindsey Graham asked Zuckerberg a valid question: “Who’s your biggest competitor?”

This initiated a series of questions that eventually led to the big one: Is Facebook a monopoly? But along the way, he asked a few queries that raised eyebrows. For example, when Zuckerberg answered that original question with the usual queue of tech companies — Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Graham asked, “Do they provide the same service you provide?” He later brought Twitter into the party, asking “Is Twitter the same as what you do?” Granted, these were likely rhetorical questions.

Tomorrow, Zuckerberg will testify before a House committee. You can tune in here at 10 am, and expect to see more humorous takes on Twitter.

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.

This week we're with a 24-year-old who recently made the move from industry to consulting. She works in engineering and her male-dominated company was dragging her down. Her boyfriend is at naval college and gets a monthly stipend of £700 that is sucked up by rent. Their lifestyle is substantially lived at the weekends: camping trips, hikes and breaks to see friends and shop in London, Liverpool, and Manchester. These things can get expensive when you're paying for two! She also sends him cash for fuel; he doesn't accept cash for food and booze so she finds ways to get this to him (Graze boxes and buying rounds or giving him her credit card "to look after" on nights out).

Her house sucks up a lot of money. It rinsed her savings – buying it a year ago and decorating and maintaining it is her primary hobby right now. You'll find her in IKEA at least every fortnight and she often sells stuff on Facebook marketplace – it's amazing!

Age: 24
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Salary: £30,000
Paycheque: Around £1,700
Number of housemates: Officially, and for the purposes of council tax, none. My boyfriend stays here on weekends and the college holidays but officially he still lives with his parents and rents a room near his college. My spare room is on Airbnb and I have a regular turnover of long-term guests in there. I’ve got a good business going with German medical students and a new couple just moved in. They’ll be here for two months. (I’m not sure how long they’ll need to be here before my friends, boyfriend and I stop calling them “The New Germans”.)

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: £406 on my mortgage
Loan payments: £56 on student finance
Utilities: £77 on gas and electricity, £30 on water, £86 on council tax and another £30 on house insurance.
Transportation: Up to £3 on buses during the week when I don’t make it in on my bike. I fill up my car for around £30 every other weekend. In theory, I give my boyfriend £50 for fuel to get back home every other weekend. He’s supposed to front the weekends between but regularly has no cash so I have to give him money.
Phone bill: £45.48 for both my phone and the 4G box I use for my laptop. I don’t have broadband; I give the Airbnb guests the password for the Wi-Fi from the student house-share next door.
Savings? I put aside a standing order of £400 every month. This is for holidays, doing work on the house, car maintenance and other large, annual expenses like car insurance and my climbing pass. It doesn’t stick around very long with all my DIY projects, but I try to keep it at a minimum of £1,000. I also put £200 towards my pension that I’m unable to touch ever.
Other: I try to keep monthly costs to a minimum… I don’t pay my TV licence and use my boyfriend’s dad's Netflix login. My friends and I are on a Spotify family subscription so only pay £3.75 each for that.

My only real “luxury” spend is on my cleaner, it’s around £90 a month… It was difficult for me to justify hiring a cleaner for myself, but I did plenty of research and am happy that I have someone who is benefitting from me employing them. I’m able to crack on with more DIY and housekeeping without needing to scrub the bathroom walls or hose out the recycling bin on a Sunday morning.

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