Making environmentally conscious shopping decisions in today's retail landscape isn't as easy as it should be. With Earth Day, April 22, right around the corner, we're paying a daily homage to notable up-and-coming labels that are rooting their ethos and manufacturing processes in creating sustainable products.
Say it with us: environmentally responsible, pretty, and size inclusive. It's real. Lara Intimates, a sustainable underwear brand based in London, is trying to bridge the gap between ethical craftsmanship and cute, comfortable products within the lingerie industry.
Trendy underwear on the outside, reclaimed, luxury surplus fabrics on the inside, the two-year-old label is not your run of the mill cotton-based "sustainable" company. London College of Fashion alums (and friends) Faith Leeves and Cindy Liberman launched Lara Intimates in 2016 after spotting a notable lack of sustainable craftsmanship within the industry. Liberman says: "So much design, sampling, and production (for lingerie brands) was done overseas that our skills weren't valued. We decided to create a sustainable, premium alternative to the high street."
Under the website's "About Us" page you'll find a statement outlining Liberman and Leeve's steadfast design approach: "We couldn’t find a responsible lingerie factory at a price we liked, so we started our own," it reads. "We are socially and environmentally conscious at every stage of our supply chain." Made up of an all-female team, Lara Intimates' factory in the middle of Central London creates all of the brand's products in small batches by colour and style. According to the designers, everything you order from the label is made in studio utilising "unused material from large factories or brands," while elastics and packaging (i.e. garment labels, swing tags) are "made and dyed by responsible suppliers in Britain." In short, most of Lara Intimates fabrics are deadstock, meaning instead of creating their own textiles, they recycle and reuse factories' excess for their garments.
But don't think their efforts have put them a step behind. Lara's founders are setting out to prove that existing as a fully sustainable brand doesn't spell out doom for being competitive and effective. When asked whether there have been any unanticipated difficulties in their manufacturing process, the response was a resounding no. "We make and source everything locally, so our logistics are extremely simple," Liberman explains. "People always ask if it's cost effective to manufacture in England, but we're proof that it's possible! The hardest part about starting your own brand is creating a distinct personality and value set. I think local and sustainable practices really set us apart and make our customers loyal."
Echoing its mission, Lara Intimates extends beyond responsible practices into offering revolutionary bra sizing for the millions of women wearing the incorrect bra size (hi, yes, most of us). Liberman tells us: "We heard women constantly complaining they can't find bras that fit properly or comfortably. The majority of our customers are actually women with larger busts (D+) that want wireless bras with support." Sharing a story about a young female who recently came into their studio on the hunt for a 28F bra that wouldn't be equivalent to the uncomfortable, poky wire bras she's worn her entire life, Liberman shared that one fitting with Lara's Coral Bra was love at first sight for the woman, who ended up buying three. "After the fitting, she messaged us on Instagram saying she was seriously considering breast reduction surgery, but 'now that I have found your bras, I love my boobs again.' That's how I want every woman to feel in our pieces — like they love their boobs!" While the brand's current size range runs from 28A to 36E, the founders are working to expand the offering from 26A to a 36J.
Ahead, get to know some of our favourite pieces from Lara Intimates. And if you're looking for a more IRL experience, stay on the lookout: Liberman and Leeves recently converted a retro mini bus into a mobile shop to road trip around in next season. "It's bright pink with boobs painted on the outside and has two fitting rooms. This summer we're road tripping across the United Kingdom, offering bra fittings to as many women as we can!"
Lara Intimates Wren Bra, £60.00, available at Lara Intimates; Lara Intimates Classic Brief, £20.00, available at Lara Intimates.
Lara Intimates Baby Bra, £62.00, available at Lara Intimates.
Lara Intimates Clio Bra, £72.00, available at Lara Intimates; Lara Intimates Classic Brief, £20.00, available at Lara Intimates.
Lara Intimates Coral Bra, £58.00, available at Lara Intimates.
Lara Intimates Thong, £20.00, available at Lara Intimates.
Lara Intimates Crop Top, £55.00, available at Lara Intimates.
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"They tell you that the pill will set in quickly, but the urgency of how quickly you need to get home I don't think is emphasised enough," says Claudia Craig, 23, who nearly miscarried on the way home in a taxi after taking the medical abortion pill at a clinic last year.
"About 10 minutes into the journey home I started cramping and feeling really faint and queasy. Luckily I only lived a 15-minute drive away, but I was counting down the seconds until we got home. When we arrived back I almost collapsed in the kitchen. I made it to the bathroom but not to the toilet, and my abortion started on the bathroom floor."
In light of her experience, Claudia has started the #homeuse campaign with the Women’s Equality Party, urging health ministers Jeremy Hunt and Vaughan Gething to change the law to allow women to take the abortion pill at home.
A medical abortion is a non-surgical procedure typically carried out at up to nine weeks of pregnancy. It’s a combination of two pills – mifepristone and misoprostol – taken over the course of two days, which cause a breakdown of the uterus lining and contractions to expel the pregnancy.
Last year, Scotland changed its abortion legislation to allow women to take the second pill (misoprostol) at home. In England and Wales however, women are still required to take misoprostol at a surgery or clinic. Many now argue that this is simply an outdated hangover from the 1967 Abortion Act, when abortion was exclusively a surgical procedure.
"It is time that England and Wales caught up with other countries that have approved home use. These rules date back to the 1960s, and they do not reflect the medical advances that have happened in the last 50 years," a spokesperson from the Women’s Equality Party told Refinery29.
"Home use is recommended by the World Health Organization, and studies have found no evidence of adverse medical effects."
"This is important because these outdated rules are putting thousands of women, like Claudia and the others who spoke of their experiences, through a wholly unnecessary ordeal by making them travel after taking misoprostol. There is no good reason for it."
Statistics published by the Department of Health show that a medical abortion is the most common way for women in England and Wales to end a pregnancy, accounting for 62% of all abortions in 2016 (up from 30% in 2006).
Professor Wendy Savage, who is a member of Doctors for a Woman’s Choice on Abortion and a prominent campaigner for women’s reproductive rights, told Refinery29 that there were no medical benefits to the law remaining the way it is. "I’ve not done a survey but those doctors involved in abortion work are united in their desire to see women able to take the pill at home," she said. Other prominent British doctors such as Professor Lesley Regan, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, have also argued for women to be able to take the pill in the comfort of their own home.
Many women do not make it home, many women cannot afford a taxi, and many women start miscarrying on public transport. It's awful, yet could be changed overnight.
In 2016, the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published the results of a study of women in the Republic and Northern Ireland who had used the services of Women on Web, a Dutch nonprofit which provides pills and advice to women seeking an abortion in countries where it’s illegal. Ninety-seven percent of the 1,023 respondents who successfully ended their pregnancy at home using the pills provided felt they had made the right choice.
The Women’s Equality Party says the Department of Health has acknowledged its campaign but urged it to do more. "The Department of Health has responded to the campaign by claiming that it will continue to ‘monitor the evidence’. If it was looking at the evidence, then it would see home use is safe, effective and will save women distress and discomfort. The sooner the health secretary recognises that these rules are nothing more than an anachronism, the sooner he can make the simple change needed."
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Clive Spence-Jones said that women should be placed at the centre of the debate but that there were reasons why they had previously been required to take the pill in-clinic. "It’s all about looking after someone in what is a very traumatic moment in their lives," he said. "I think what matters, however it’s done, is that we are looking after people, which is making sure they are taken care of and given pain relief and that they understand what is likely to happen next in terms of miscarriage."
The law surrounding reproductive health, particularly abortion, is under review in numerous parts of the UK. On the Isle of Man, where abortion is currently illegal in most circumstances, there are plans to review the law in light of a public consultation which found the majority of the population supported reform; meanwhile, Ireland's referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment, which makes abortion illegal, will be held on 25th May.
"Forcing women to return sometimes repeatedly to the clinic for each separate dose can represent a real barrier to care," said a spokesperson from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, "particularly for women in already challenging circumstances, and needlessly subjecting them to the risk of bleeding and miscarriage on the way home is quite simply wrong."
"Home use of misoprostol is safe, effective, and used extensively across the world."
The law in England and Wales permits women who are experiencing a miscarriage to administer misoprostol at home; but women who want an abortion will have to attend a clinic to take the same drug.
"As has been demonstrated by the likes of BPAS and other medical professionals, the evidence shows that home use is safe, effective and more comfortable than the current situation," Claudia told Refinery29. "I was lucky because many women do not make it home, many women cannot afford a taxi, and many women start miscarrying on public transport. It's awful, yet this could be changed overnight."
"Sex is nothing anymore. Sex doesn't mean anything. Sex is just a pleasure," says a male college student named Loden, from Florida, in the opening sequence of a new Netflix documentary about one of the key aspects of today's dating landscape: casual sex.
Obviously, not every young person is into casual sex, or able to detach themselves emotionally from the physical act of sex, but reams of research show that there has been a sea change in the dominant attitude towards sex among young people who have grown up with the internet (porn being a huge factor), the inescapable nature of sexual imagery, and dating apps.
Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution, available now on Netflix UK, makes for eye-opening viewing even if you're a member of the generation being put under the microscope and casual sex is part of your life. Award-winning filmmaker Benjamin Nolot follows groups of British and American students during spring break in the US, uncovering some of their attitudes towards sex and gender.
Your ultimate goal is to take her back and have sex with her. As a guy, that's your goal every time
"It's a totally different world nowadays. It's easy to have sex with girls, they're down just like guys are down," says an unnamed young man who sums up how the process works: "You meet a girl, you hang out with her, you flirt with her, you maybe make out with her... and then you can tell right away if she's down or not. Your ultimate goal is to take her back and have sex with her. As a guy, that's your goal every time."
Then there's the guy who boasts of sleeping with four "girls" (it's always "girls", never "women") a night, another with a bracelet pronouncing him "DTF" (down to fuck), and another who brags about enjoying the "challenge" of sleeping with virgins.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
While none of this behaviour is shocking in itself – particularly if you've been on nights out in university cities in the UK – in a post #Me Too world, witnessing some of the straight male entitlement over women's bodies and the sheer brazenness of their behaviour caught on camera shows we have a long way to go.
It's no wonder that many of the women featured claim to have "given up on love" or believe it doesn't exist. Women are treated like slabs of meat, asked by the men if they "can get a hug?" (or more) and if they're "down" (for sex) within the first five minutes of meeting; they're ranked solely by their looks and are generally treated with zero respect. "Our generation has given up on love," says one young woman. "It's easier to find a fuck buddy than a boyfriend."
Dakota, a college student from Florida, says the bar for their male hookups' behaviour is so low that if a man texts them the following morning, they're considered a rare "great guy" – despite that being, by most people's standards, common courtesy. "People will completely dismiss any emotions that go along with sex because it's not supposed to matter anymore. It's not supposed to be a big thing."
Dakota's theory is that the main difference between the sexual revolution of the '60s and now is that the link between sex and emotions has been severed completely. "[Sex is] no longer about love or relationships." And that's the case for both men and women, the documentary concludes.
"Traditionally, it has been men who have driven that kind of culture. Men who have wanted to be able to 'score' without complication," says Dr. Robert Jensen, a professor of media law and ethics quoted in the documentary. In our "hookup culture", however, women are also active participants who accept the rules of the game.
To its credit, the documentary doesn't glamorise casual sex and goes some way in exploring how, for most students, it is rarely an "exciting, one-time experience full of desire and pleasure". It calls out the toxic masculinity promoted in porn, video games, music and more, as one of the main reasons why men consider their sexuality (and the number of women they've slept with) to be a key signifier of heterosexual manhood.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
“Masculinity in this culture is about a notion of male strength and women play into that," says Sut Jhally, a professor of communication and founder of the Media Education Foundation. "Women are one of the ways in which [men] express that power and on whose bodies [men] express that power. Many men then become “players” to assert their place in the world, feeling the need to sleep with a lot of women to be considered a “real man”. It's through the physical act of sex that many men gain self-esteem and validate themselves among their peer groups, gaining the all-important proverbial bro fist-bump in the process, he explains.
In the same way that both women and men are disadvantaged in a patriarchal society, a hookup culture that valorises casual, emotionless sex blights these men's lives, as well as those of the women who feel objectified and pressured into acts they’re not comfortable with.
What do you mean get to know her? Get to know her name and where she’s from and then it’s down to business.
The pressure to sleep with as many women as possible brings "its own level of anxiety", says Jhally. “Men are full of these insecurities and anxieties about not measuring up,” with many feeling pressure to be sexually “on” at all times and from an increasingly young age. However, it's difficult to feel sorry for many of the men interviewed in the documentary, particularly after they reveal their tactics for sleeping with women.
“Compliment a girl, she’ll fall for it, especially with the accent,” says a British student named Ben, while another called Shep says girls are "troopers" if, "once you’ve banged them they... put their clothes on and do one.” Another asks: “What do you mean get to know her? Get to know her name and where she’s from and then it’s down to business.”
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
When making the film, Nolot said he was struck by the ownership the men seemed to feel over women's bodies. “It’s clear that as a society we tolerate this in all kinds of contexts. Liberated draws attention to the connection between pop culture, hookup culture and the normalisation of sexual violation. The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements has brought us to a cultural tipping point, which for us makes the Liberated release exceptionally relevant.”
The fashion industry is a notoriously hard market to crack. And for many young aspiring designers, getting a collection into stores can often feel like an impossible dream.
That’s where ASOS Fashion Discovery comes in. Since its launch in 2016, the competition has garnered a devoted audience of fashion fans and helped launch the careers of some very exciting young designers.
Open to labels which have been trading for less than five years, this is very much about the fledgling fashion startups. Winners receive £50,000 in funding and their collections will be sold on ASOS for at least two seasons – and they'll have exclusive access to some of the best brains in the business.
Right now the latest iteration of the competition is down to its final phase, with 10 Fashion Discovery finalists waiting to find out which two will be this year’s winners.
And in the true spirit of ASOS, this isn’t a closed-industry event; the public can also get involved, by voting for the winner of the coveted People’s Pick award. The designer who takes home this prize will have an edit of their collection sold on ASOS for a season. If they bag the main competition prize as well, they’ll be awarded an additional £10,000 instead.
So without further ado, let us introduce you to this year’s finalists. You only get one vote, so make it count…
Hailing from west London, Tolu Coker puts an emphasis on timeless unisex designs. Employing print and texture in modern fashion sometimes means compromising on quality, but that’s something Tolu Coker refuses to do. Celebrating the production process and helping with the public’s conscious education means Tolu Coker doesn’t take any shortcuts.
“I love how clothing can bring people together and empower us all, so starting my own brand to continue that process and journey was inevitable,” says the designer, who also moonlights as an illustrator. Which probably explains her wish to speak to people through her clothing. Slashed denim, lace, prints; they're all angled to convey ideas and start conversations.
Bans Illustration was born out of Brixton, with a focus on self-love and wearability. “I like to think of each of my pieces as having healing qualities for whoever wears them,” says Bans, whose sense of humour often masks some deeper motifs within her work.
The brand was born as an art project and evolved organically from there. “I've been an artist for as long as I can remember,” says the young designer, who’s always pleased when her pieces turn heads as she walks down the street.
Every now and again a designer comes along to challenge the status quo. This is exactly what Essie Buckman is hoping to do with her Vogue Italia -acclaimed brand Fortie Label.
The 20-year-old, who counts Rihanna as a fan and was chosen to appear in the 2017 Central Saint Martins BA press show, is busy using her designs to "demolish outdated stereotypes and unify women". This is fashion with a real cause, and we’re into it.
Inspired by luxury brand Delpozo and its use of bold shapes and colours, designer Desree Akorahson set about starting her own label. With the help of a few friends and an old sewing machine, her creations are now under the eyes of ASOS’ expert panel.
Drawing inspiration from the '60s, Akorahson encourages creativity and self-expression through her work. With bright primary colours and laser-cut details, you'll know an Akorahson design when you see it.
“Everyone should have some CARBS in their life,” says designer Jessica Deacon (a self-proclaimed glitter enthusiast). With a playful and bold wearer in mind, Deacon’s designs aren’t aimed at any specific demographic or age group, just people who like to have fun with their clothes.
“I used to really struggle to find clothes that I liked – usually, if I found something I loved that was unique, I couldn’t afford it!” says Deacon. “I design what I want to wear but can't find.”
With a host of unique, bright and playful pieces, CARBS’ designs are the perfect antidote to monochrome and minimalism.
Katie Gementera designs for the statement-makers. Inspired by childhood and drawing on themes of nostalgia and playfulness, Gementera employs contemporary silhouettes and whimsical accessories to create her designs.
Counting herself as part of a generation which carefully considers its identity – often under great scrutiny – Gementera has no plans of being put into a box, saying she sees her clothing "evolving with no constraints of staying within one brand concept".
"I'm inspired by anything from art to movies to photographs," she continues. "Even one small detail can trigger a whole collection." Watch this space.
Another shortlisted designer who’s preoccupied with the female condition is Sullen Girl. Inspired by photographer Larry Clark, Sullen Girl turns female stereotypes into bold, unapologetic and wearable statements.
With his game-changing designs, the designer says he "wanted to create a collective identity for girls – to give them something which would make them feel empowered". From '70s British punk fangirls to old Chinese martial-art film posters, the references behind Sullen Girl’s silhouettes are diverse and consistently fresh. Expect the unexpected.
Gender neutral clothing has been a priority for many fashion brands over the last few years. LYPH has a focus on this too but it comes not just from a desire to be on trend, but rather from an obsession with design and functionality, and a rejection of conventions. LYPH is all about creating playful, unisex cuts.
The concept of sticking to one type of look is alien to LYPH – they’d rather merge trends and silhouettes, and imagine something new every time.
Another finalist with a view to shaking things up is Krasimira Stoyneva. With designs tailored to the risk-takers, Stoyneva makes clothes for people who aren't afraid to express themselves through personal style.
Crucially, ethics is at the forefront of the brand; she creates all her clothes using sustainable, synthetic hair and pushes the boundaries of art and fashion by being innovative through her use of unique materials. For Stoyneva, the way to further the sustainability agenda is to put collaboration at the heart of everything: “I intend to collaborate with other sustainable designers to be able to offer more exclusive ranges and extend my vision to new products.”
And finally we turn to east London, where Walthamstow-based Wesley Harriott is using striking silhouettes and multifunctional fashion to create a new type of fashion brand. Harriott doesn’t just see himself as a designer but as a storyteller. “I have created my brand as an outlet for those narratives,” he explains.
Once again, this is a brand with a noble cause: “At the core of Wesley Harriott lies a vision to tell stories of empowerment and to offer style that amplifies a woman's perception and presence,” says Harriot, who challenges fashion’s sometimes limited view of womankind.
Even at a time when minimalism is fetishised on Instagram and "organising consultants" like Marie Kondo can become globally famous for their decluttering advice, most of us still hold on to unwanted clothes. Maybe we know they'll never fit but can't bear to throw them away. Maybe we're too lazy to sell them online. Maybe our look has changed and we're due a complete style overhaul.
In any case, it would be more useful for us to recycle these garments than to let them fester at the back of our wardrobes – and now a new app promises to simplify the process, which isn't always easy to get right, and encourage eco-friendly behaviour.
The reGAIN app, which launches today and is free to download, enables users to recycle their unwanted pieces in return for discount vouchers at big fashion brands and retailers. How does it work? Download the app and ship your old clothes, shoes and accessories to the company for free from over 20,000 drop-off points across the UK.
Users then receive a discount coupon that can be redeemed at stores including Missguided, Asics, New Balance and boohoo , as well as lifestyle brands and experiences including Expedia, Hotels.com and EVE Sleep.
reGAIN will only accept one drop per customer each week, with a minimum of 10 items in each shipment, to keep its carbon footprint as low as possible. Once the clothes have been delivered to the app, it ensures they're either reused and reworn, recycled, upcycled or burned for energy production.
The app's recent research found that despite greater public awareness of the importance of recycling and the need to develop a circular economy, a worrying number of us are still throwing unwanted clothes in the bin. The equivalent of 50 trucks' worth of unwanted clothes is dumped into landfill each day – that's 300,000 tonnes every year, reGAIN says, and it estimates that as much as 95% of those items could have been reworn, recycled or upcycled.
According to its study on over 2,200 adults from across the UK, more than 10% of people throw their clothes away rather than recycling them or donating them to charity and in London the figure is as high as 27%. Almost three-quarters (73%) of people admit to wearing only half of the garments they own. This suggests something must be stopping us from letting unwanted clothes go, and reGAIN believes incentivising recycling with vouchers is the answer.
“We are realists, not idealists," said Jack Ostrowski, founder of Yellow Octopus, the company behind the app. "We know that we can’t stop people from buying clothes, but we can incentivise them to change their habits and divert hundreds of tonnes of clothing from UK landfill. Our goal is a world in which clothes never become waste."
Many individual clothing brands, from H&M to Zara, already have their own clothing recycling schemes and encourage their customers to think about the circular economy on a small scale. But apps like reGAIN have the potential to make wider change, urging people to think about their fashion consumption in a new way.
The pivot should come as no surprise: Faux fur has evolved from a once trashy, often cheap and itchy material to a luxe, highly affordable, and believable version of its real opulent self — one that’s so soft, glossy, and realistic that consumers and brands alike are finding themselves hard-pressed to tell the difference. Increase your margins, streamline your sourcing, and stem the hate mail in one swoop? What’s not to like?
So maybe designers aren’t declaring themselves fur-free for purely altruistic reasons. But if the outcome is the same, who’s really the wiser? Unfortunately, just because a piece of fashion is animal-free doesn’t mean it’s not hurting animals in more insidious ways.
If you believe that it’s morally wrong to kill or use animals for the benefit of human consumption, that’s a perfectly valid (and fiercely debated) personal moral opinion — but it’s not exactly measurable or even scientific. Sustainable fashion advocates have resisted incorporating animal welfare into their measures because there’s simply no way to quantify it. And what science-y information is out there is either put out by animal rights groups or the fur industry, neither of which can be trusted to be fully unbiased or to tell you the whole truth: One study, which was commissioned by a pair of animal rights organisations, says that a fur coat is worse for the environment; a competing study commissioned by the International Fur Trade Federation says a faux fur coat is worse.
So who’s right? Or more accurately, which choice of fur — or “fur” — hurts animals and the planet the most? Really, it depends on a host of factors, which we’ve broken out with some checks and balances below.
Is the fur from a carnivore or herbivore? The pro-faux study showed that producing one kilogram of mink fur has a higher negative environmental impact than producing one kilogram of other textiles in 17 of the 18 environmental categories, including climate change, eutrophication, and toxic emissions. But as they point out in the study, most of those negative environmental effects are because of the enormous amount of meat-based feed minks require. (Yes, these seemingly adorable creatures are actually agile hunters.)
Let’s also consider how many of us are realistically thinking about buying a full mink anything? More likely we’re pondering a pom-pom keychain or a pair of fur-festooned shoes or gloves, and it’s probably rabbit fur, one of the most ubiquitous (and affordable) types of fur out there. Considered one of the more sustainable types of meat to raise, the rabbit is an herbivore. And it’s pretty widely documented that the quickest way to lower your personal carbon footprint (and by extension, the carbon footprint of your fur) is to consume less meat.
The gist: If we’re talking a kilogram of rabbit fur versus a kilogram of polyester...well, the rabbit fur might actually win. Things get even better if you’re talking about alpaca. But with mink? Avoid.
Was it from a farm or wild-caught? Maybe you’re considering buying a Canada Goose jacket, which has a hood lined with coyote. The coyotes are trapped in Canada after roaming around in the wild. Free-range fur, if you will, addresses the second largest environmental concern in mink fur production: dealing with manure. Plus, coyotes have spread from their traditional territories all the way east after their biggest predator, wolves, were extirpated from most areas. Some conservationists are concerned that they are preying on the baby caribou and exasperating the decline of this vulnerable population. (Kill a coyote, save a baby caribou?) Ironically, however, experts believe that aggressively trapping coyote won’t help the population of moose and caribou, because coyote are so abundant that unleashing an army of eager hunters on them wouldn’t even make a dent.
The gist: It’s not great for individual coyotes, but coyote fur is better for the environment (and the animals that coyotes eat) than a similar faux fur hood lining.
How long do you plan on keeping that new fur thing? As with most fashion, how sustainable your purchase is largely depends on the overall quality of the piece, and how often (and how long) you will wear it before it heads to the thrift store. Real fur coats are investments, nostalgically passed down through families from grandmas to granddaughters, or can be resold in vintage shops. Head over to Etsy and you can procure plenty of fur coat AND trims to to spruce up any ordinary winter coat.
Instead of comparing fur to non-fur textiles, the pro-fur study compared a real mink fur coat to a faux fur one, assuming a real fur coat is typically kept for 30 years compared to a faux fur coat that’s kept for six. With that assumption, it showed that a faux fur coat poses four times more risk of damage to the ecosystem, 2.3 times more risk of adding to climate change, and 2.7 times more risk of impacting resource consumption. (Risk to human health was about the same, though that switched in favour of faux fur if you decide that people usually keep a faux fur coat for eight years or more.)
The gist: Don’t pat yourself on the back if you buy a $30 fur coat that may inevitably fall apart next year. But if you honestly believe you’ll wear that faux fur coat for more than a decade, go for it.
Is the fur upcycled? Because people are generally less likely to toss a pricey fur coat, it’s not hard to get yourself an upcycled version. There are services that will take your mother’s massive coat from the ‘80s and slim it down, luxury brands that reincarnate fur into more modern concepts, and even fur accessories made from actual roadkill. And don’t forget, vintage stores are jammed with racks of fur coats that sell for a song.
Of course, some argue that wearing upcycled vintage fur still promotes the wearing — and thereby wanting — of any type of fur, but with faux fur looking more and more convincing, that argument doesn’t hold up well to scrutiny.
The gist: Secondhand fur cuts down on the need for new production. And it's hard to argue with something that prevents from adding more fur — or faux-fur — pieces into the market.
Will it ever biodegrade? One thing all of these studies lack is a component examining waste from real fur versus faux fur. Real fur, since it's organic in nature, will eventually biodegrade. (That’s why it deserves such special upkeep and storage.) But we’re not really sure how long faux fur, which is mostly made from acrylic or polyester, will take to break down — if ever. Polyester is essentially just plastic spun into a thread, and plastic could take anywhere from 500 years to more than 1,000 years to biodegrade.
On a similar point, the fashion industry now stands accused of filling the stomachs of fish (and people) with synthetic microfibres, tiny pieces of polyester, acrylic, or rayon that wash into our water systems every time we (or a clothing manufacturer) put a synthetic piece of clothing in the wash. They’re so tiny that they flow past water treatment plants and are now, according to a worldwide study, found in 83% of tap water samples, and are laden with heavy metals and toxins. This is such a new issue that there's a lot more intensive research that needs to be done in order to actually determine which types of synthetic fibres are the worst offenders.
The gist: If you hate plastic and love the oceans, real vintage fur would be the better choice.
The gist: If you can find a nutria fur accessory, go for it. You’re doing a solid for Louisiana’s wetlands.
What about climate change? The fashion industry contributes to one thing that's sure to be a huge animal killer: climate change. Eight percent of total global emissions are attributed to the fashion industry alone (more than air travel). But when Quantis and ClimateWorks put out their own exhaustively researched report on the fashion industry’s contribution to climate change at the beginning of this year, they were more explicit on their exclusion of the most controversial material: “furs and exotic leathers were not included in the study due to their minor mass flows, correlated with the resource investment required to access corresponding data.” In other words, researching the tiny fur industry’s environmental impact was simply not worth their time.
The gist: If we really care about ALL animals — not just the fuzzy, cute ones — we need to focus on the fashion industry’s most dire issues: factories being powered by dirty energy, the proliferation of microfibres in the ocean, and toxic effluent (a.k.a. wastewater) being poured into rivers.
So, why are we focusing so much of our energy and ire on fur? It’s not just because it’s currently well in favour across Instagram feeds and slinky fashion editorials. Maybe it’s because, as a brand, going fur-free is a lot easier and cheaper than helping your factory in China transition to wind power, and will garner you more press. (Most consumers simply cannot be bothered to read about energy retrofits, or the information isn’t that easy to find in the first place.) Maybe it’s because it’s not possible to create a shocking video showing the slow displacement of endangered frogs because of climate change.
Or maybe it’s because, “I’d rather go naked than wear petroleum-based, microfibre-shedding polyester products” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Either way, as consumers who care about fashion and the future of the planet, we all have choices to make. But when it comes to decisions that take a variety of ethics, statistics, and priorities into consideration, it's crucial we're relying on real information — not faux ones.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
The clothes and FROW may steal the show at London Fashion Week but we love getting down to the details. A good look is made great with nails, hair and makeup, perfected by a slew of backstage professionals manicuring every last nail and ensuring not a hair is out of place. For AW18, we kept an eye on emerging nail art created by the innovative nail techs behind the scenes. Here are three nail trends we liked and how to recreate them at home.
Power Polish
Statement-making nail art, as seen at Gareth Pugh, Ryan Lo and Vivienne Westwood, celebrated bold women who are unapologetically vocal. At Gareth Pugh, nails were long and dark with sharp pointed tips.
Photo: Ian Gavan/BFC/Getty Images
Red nails make a statement. Try this maroon shade from butter London – apply two coats for maximum opacity and seal the colour with a high-gloss top coat.
butter London Ruby Murray Lacquer, £8.95, available at Nail Polish Direct
(Vegan)
Add some length and sparkle to your look with this red and black instant manicure designed by House of Holland.
House of HollandLuxe by Elegant Touch Stiletto Nails in Ruby Tuesday, £14.99, available at ASOS
Get ahead of the futuristic fashion trend with these iridescent falsies.
Elegant Touch Holiday Nails in Bora Bora, £7.95, available at Elegant Touch
Orange Crush
This season, orange accents were seen in clothing, makeup and nail art at Manish Arora and Sophia Webster. From bright hues to softer corals, the versatility of orange brought energy and freshness.
Photo: Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
To achieve the two-tone ombré design at Sophia Webster, apply Vinylux Electric Orange from the base to mid-nail, then blend yellow from the middle to the tip of the nail with a small fan brush.
CND Vinylux in Electric Orange, £6.90, available at Just My Look
If you’re not one for neon, try this sweet coral-toned polish from Zoya.
Maximalism and minimalism continue to compete to be the defining aesthetic of the moment. But why can’t we have both? The collections from AW18 combined minimal apparel design with dramatic nail couture. The crystal-covered manicure was a trending look at Manish Arora, while Libertine went avant-garde with fringe accents and three-dimensional nail art.
Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for CND
This nail art kit from Gems & Jewels has everything you need for a straight-off-the-runway manicure. Sprinkle some glitter or carefully place rhinestones onto wet nails. Apply a glossy top coat to seal the gems in place. The gel polish starter kit is sold separately.
Gems & Jewels Platinum Ice LED Gel Polish Nail Art Kit, £25, available at Beauty Bay
For a subtle sparkle, try this silver glitter varnish on top of your favourite, go-to shade.
Nailberry in Star Dust, £14.50, available at Nailberry
(Vegan)
These nail stamps from Moyou London are great for a unique, geometric design.
Moyou London Crystal Clear Stamper & Scraper, £9, available at Nail Polish Direct
Dress up any look with this glitter polish from Smith & Cult. Layer a few sparkles from base to mid-nail, over a solid jewel-tone polish.
Smith & Cult in Shattered Souls, £19, available at Cult Beauty
There’s that moment when you’ve just woken up and your dream felt so real that you briefly wonder if (or wish) it actually happened. The majority of us quickly realise it didn’t – how could it when you’re safely tucked up in bed? However, the estimated 2% of adults who sleepwalk can’t always be so sure.
Like most millennials, Amy, 26, is a big texter who rarely actually talks to friends or family on her phone. "In fact, I actively avoid it – my missed call list is proof of that – if they really want me they will text, is how I see it. The problem is, as someone who has sleepwalked for most of my life, I often find I text people while I’m sleeping. I write totally coherent sentences, but the topics can often be random (for them at least). I’ve texted friends about issues that have bothered me, things that I’d decided I wasn’t going to bring up to avoid possible conflict, only to then let loose over text. The aftermath of that is never fun. Then there was the morning I thought I’d dreamt sending a flirty text to a co-worker, only to discover I actually had. I concocted an ‘I was drunk and texted the wrong number’ story to get out of it, but couldn’t look him in the eye after that. I’ve tried leaving my phone in another room when I go to sleep, but I simply ‘sleepwalk’ to retrieve it – so I’ve had to tell friends about my nocturnal texting, just in case they receive an odd message from me. The only issue now is I have to convince them I’m actually awake if I purposely send a text late at night."
This isn’t that unusual. It is possible to carry out very complex activities like texting during sleepwalking episodes, explains sleep expert Dr. Irshaad Ebrahim, medical director of the London Sleep Centre. "Sleepwalking is a broad term for what is actually a disturbance to the steady brainwave patterns we experience when we are in deep non-REM (non-dreaming) sleep. This disturbance leads to an arousal that doesn’t wake sleepwalkers up but induces a sleepwalking episode."
Having the urge to switch on all the lights in the house can be harmless, albeit irritating for people trying to sleep, but finding yourself half-naked on a walk in the middle of the night can be pretty scary, as makeup artist Lucinda, 29, can attest.
I’ve begun to sleepwalk again and this time I’m more worried than ever.
"I used to sleepwalk as a child but I couldn’t ever remember what I’d done, and for the most part my parents found it quite amusing. They weren’t laughing much when I went through the stage of walking into their bedroom convinced it was the loo and peeing on the carpet every night, though. That only lasted a few months; apparently the only other thing I would do was sit up in bed and have conversations with people who weren’t there. Fast-forward 20 years and I’ve begun to sleepwalk again, and this time I’m more worried than ever. A few months ago, I walked out of my flat, got in the lift, exited my building and started strolling down the road. Luckily I had a friend staying over who thought she had heard the door open and close, and when she realised I wasn’t in bed next to her she did a quick sweep of the flat and discovered I was gone. Thankfully I hadn’t gone far at this point so she spotted me out of the window, threw on some clothes and came outside to ask what I was doing. I told her I was going to work, and got quite agitated when she insisted I go back to bed. The next day things started to fall into place. I’d done this before but woken up and run back to the flat, not mentioning it to anyone because it had always happened when I had drunk a lot and I didn’t want a lecture. Now that I’ve realised alcohol triggers these ‘dramatic’ sleepwalking episodes I’ve decided to curb my weekend drinking, for fear that I could bump into the wrong person or walk into the road the next time it happens."
The embarrassment and confusion surrounding sleepwalking means that, like Lucinda, many people don’t seek help or talk about their experiences with others. Lorraine, 45, can relate. As a regular sleepwalker, she had never experienced night terrors until she and her two children were involved in a car accident.
"Both night terrors and sleepwalking fall under the umbrella of parasomnia (sleep behavioural disorder), in which the subject reacts to a perceived threat. Screaming, crying and thrashing around in bed are common but so too are violent acts to oneself in a bid to ‘escape’ or to others in an attempt to ‘protect’ oneself," explains Dr. Ebrahim.
"For years after the accident I would sit up in bed, heart pumping, arms out, with my hands clenched around an imaginary steering wheel as if I were driving," says Lorraine. "I’d then attempt to perform an emergency break to stop us from having a collision. I’d wake up at this moment every time, sweat dripping off me, often with my husband looking on, not knowing what to do. Even after I got rid of the car we had the accident in, I still experienced these night terrors. I’d often attempt to leave the house and get into the car and actually drive, which was incredibly scary, so my husband would have to hide the car keys and leave me a note telling me where I could find them. I never spoke to anyone outside of my family about what was happening to me, and so it wasn’t until my children got a little older that my general protective anxiety subsided, and so did the night terrors. Much to their amusement I’m still sleepwalking but my fixation with driving is no longer an issue."
This makes total sense to Dr. Ebrahim, who cites stress as a major precursor to sleepwalking: "There can also be a genetic predisposition to sleepwalkingllll, however, stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol consumption, and obstructive sleep apnoea, seizures, and restless leg syndrome can cause more frequent episodes." In order to prevent sleepwalking, you first have to figure out if your disturbed sleep is caused by an underlying medical condition; if so, treating said condition should stop the bouts of sleepwalking. "If stress, lack of sleep or alcohol are your triggers, stress management techniques and lifestyle changes should be implemented," he advises.
For years after the accident I would sit up in bed, heart pumping, arms out, with my hands clenched around an imaginary steering wheel as if I were driving.
First off, look out for patterns in your sleepwalking episodes. When do you sleepwalk most: after a night out drinking, after an argument with your partner or when you’ve not slept much the night before? Identifying your triggers can help you avoid them. Improving your sleeping habits in general is also a good place to start. Aim for a minimum of eight hours, and ditch devices before bed as the blue light they emit energises the brain, which you don’t want when you’re attempting to power down. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, have a warm bath, or try 10 minutes of meditation before getting into bed. Orgasms can help too, as the 'love hormone' oxytocin (which increases during climax) aids sleep. If simple lifestyle changes don’t do the trick, medication may help.
"Antidepressants were the only thing that helped with my verbally abusive sleepwalking episodes," says lawyer Abina, 33. "My boyfriend and I have been together for five years, and for the last three I’ve spent at least one night a week calling him every name under the sun, shouting and screaming at him, accusing him of cheating on me or lying to me – none of which I remember in the morning. It wasn’t until he filmed me one night and I watched it back the next day that I realised how bad it was. I’ve never had any issues with my sleep before, but I do work in an incredibly stressful profession and as I’ve progressed in my field the nightly abuse has gotten worse. We live in a one-bedroom flat so I have tried sleeping on the sofa to see if not being next to each other would keep him out of the line of fire, but I end up waking up in bed the next day and discover I’ve gone into our room, had a go at him, then gone to sleep. It put a major strain on our relationship, surprisingly more for me than for him. He refused to tell me what I would say each night because he didn’t want me to feel bad about it, but that just made me more anxious and worried. I tried sleep-inducing foods, meditation and sleep sprays in an attempt to sleep more deeply but when those didn’t work I went to see a specialist, who prescribed me an antidepressant that increases my serotonin levels and has helped with my overall anxiety and my abusive sleepwalking."
It was on plastic chairs in a faded consultation room that we were first told of your existence. The T-bomb had entered the building and that was that. The consultant repeated the words: "Try not to worry."
I have seen you many times – a white shape on MRI scans. But I admit to underestimating what you were capable of. Naïve as to quite how much you could change my life.
You’ve been prodded and poked with tools, my skull opened while I chatted about fish fingers; the "safe" beige tea I’d chosen to eat before a big operation. You said "no thanks" to surgery, being stubborn and awkward (in and around bits of me that really matter). There were only microscopic amounts of you removed for diagnostic purposes.
Your ill-defined edges mean you were unpredictably difficult; inoperable. You are tiresome, and exasperating – your presence is felt in the way that I walk, the stick that I use, and the (anti-seizure) medications I take daily.
Fears I once held are insignificant now and I am thankful for that. Before, I worried about things I couldn’t control, like losing my job, death, and the expectations of others. It is freeing to live without these fears – I have challenged myself and understand what perspective is now.
The familiarity of work and my career – once my largest focus – have been put on hold due to treatment spanning more than 12 months, and now I have found that I am reinventing myself.
My grip on independence, something I once held tightly, has loosened. I was weak and vulnerable, and had no choice but to accept help.
Previously equal in all senses, I have become "cared for" and the dynamics with my dearest have subtly, but irreversibly, altered. Friendships have been challenged – some are stronger, and others more strained.
I think of our "big trip" to Australia, and the meal we had on my 28th birthday; we chatted to the couple at the table next to us who were celebrating the end of her chemotherapy treatment. She wore a headscarf and their joy was palpable. Although we were strangers, we posed as couples and took photographs of each other, forever capturing that moment in time.
Illustration by Cecilia Castelli
My birthday was like many others, only further away from home. Unable to grasp the prospect or weight of what this means to me now, from the other side of the world, I put it to the back of my mind.
I have celebrated too: after finishing seven weeks of chemoradiotherapy, and then later, when we were told you hadn’t grown.
More rounds have followed, and now we know that there is slightly less of you there.
You have brought my family and friends together. Our stiff upper lips now delicately supple, the L-word casually dropped into chats and messages. Annual amounts of laughs and moist eye contact squeezed into weeks and months.
My body and brain, once taken for granted, are appreciated now. The one I had before could run and dance. Now, it is slower, more unsteady; it is rebuilding itself. It means more.
Those who love me hate the uncertainty you bring. They are angry about the unfairness. And although statistics from doctors have been mooted, everyone is only “hypothetically speaking”. It is too soon to say with any conviction what you may do in the future.
To ask you what your plans are would be to imagine it is all set in stone. So of course, I won’t. I won’t.
Sarah Gaffney-Lang is a Manchester-based operations manager turned writer and lifestyle blogger. Sarah was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 29, and underwent surgery soon after. Now 31, Sarah has spent the last 18 months undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy and rehabilitation treatment. Recent scans (in March 2018) have indicated that the tumour is now ‘stable’, and will be closely monitored. You can find the really important stuff about Sarah, like what she is eating, drinking, and wearing, over on her Instagram.
Welcome toMoney 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 freelance content producer who lives on a houseboat with her husband in London. Although it means her housing costs are cheap, she does have to move every two weeks and pay to get the toilets emptied. So how much does she save in the end?
Industry: Freelance content producer Age: 32 Location: London Salary: £35,000 Paycheque amount: £3k average (£0 some months) Number of housemates: 1 (partner, also freelance, bills etc. split equally)
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £68.70. I live on a narrowboat, which I own with my husband, so instead of rent or mortgage, we pay a yearly ‘continuous cruiser’ canal licence (£956.74) and boat insurance (£692.45).
Loan payments: £650. I pay a lot towards clearing credit cards but I also spend on another interest-free card and bounce my debt between 0% balance transfer deals. I try not to think about the house of (credit) cards I have built.
Utilities: £90 in winter, £50 in summer (diesel, gas, coal, logs). Electricity is free from our solar panels.
Transportation: £0-£200 depending on where the boat is that month. I bought a secondhand Brompton on Gumtree for £700 after my sixth bike was stolen. If we’re in a central London location I cycle everywhere, but we have to move every two weeks and cover at least 20 miles in a year so there are periods of time we don’t even technically live in London. When we’re on the outskirts, I’ll spend £11.60 a day (the TfL cap) commuting to meetings or shifting in central, or more if I have to get a train in. I need to be in town most weekdays.
Phone bill: £55. I have a £40 a month contract but always need at least a £15 bolt-on because you can’t get regular Wi-Fi on a boat.
Entertainment: £20.98 for my share of Netflix and Spotify and Audible. We share our Netflix login with our friends in return for their Sky Go one.
Savings? £12k but loads of that is saved to pay my next tax bill so I have no idea how much of it is actually ‘mine’. I sometimes google ‘what pension is best for a freelancer’ but have yet to do anything more than this. I have a Help to Buy ISA but there’s nothing in it.
Other: Toilets £12.50. We have to pay to have our toilets emptied. Glam. It costs £25 for both tanks (we’re super fancy and have two loos) and we do it once a month or so.
Laundry £30. We use launderettes as we don’t have a washing machine. To begin with we did it ourselves, but honestly, who has time to sit for three hours watching the machines so no one steals your pants? An Ikea bagful is £30, between two, twice a month.
Fitness £55. I use ClassPass mostly for the posh showers with Cowshed products, and the occasional go on a pair of straighteners.
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Day One
7.40am: Wake up. The boat’s a bit cold because we didn’t leave the fire on overnight. Get ready for work, locating clean clothes in the tiny wardrobe, then boil the kettle to wash my face and douse myself in dry shampoo. It’s not a shower day today. Husband can’t get up until I leave because it’s too stressful to have both of us getting ready in the small space.
8.15am: Cycle to the office I’m working at near Oxford Street. Love cycling in London, so much better than the Tube.
8.40am: Hangover kicks in so I buy a flat white and piece of toast and peanut butter from the café next door to the office. Beat myself up about not having a reusable cup (sorry, planet), and forget to ask for staff discount. Do I hate myself? £3.90
12.30pm: One of the girls in the office has a Nando's Black Card and it’s the best thing ever. Order a halloumi and mushroom burger and all the sides, and pay NOTHING. This is LIVING. Shame it’s my last day here.
3pm: Go for another flat white and another takeaway cup as hangover is a day-long one and Nando's has not cured it. Remember discount! £2.47
6pm: Remember I bought half-price Itsu for lunch the other day and rejoice that I left it in the work fridge. Hope it’s not off. Care not as it’s basically free because I paid for it on a different day. Not sure if that counts (FYI it was £2.50 in the half-price sale).
6.15pm: Cycle to Victoria to get the train to roller derby practice in the arse end of nowhere (Carshalton, £11.70 return). Couldn’t pick a closer team as I don’t live anywhere. Buy another flat white on the way because I read that caffeine before you exercise is good, and a Nakd bar for energy. £4.20. Bank transfer the club my £7.50 subs on the way.
9.30pm: Get the train back to Victoria after practice, then cycle back to Little Venice where the boat currently is. Realise it’s half-price Itsu time and seems a shame to waste it. Buy a couple of boxes of sushi. £6.99
10pm: Husband has put the fire on so we enjoy Itsu with alcohol-free beer we’ve had knocking around for ages and watch Netflix. We’ve run out of wet cat food so I give the cat a bit of sashimi as a treat. You can when it’s half-price.
Total: £36.76
Day Two
9am: Working from home today, which is a good job because the water pump is making a weird noise. Panic for a bit, then turn the entire water system off and go on the Facebook boating group to ask if anyone knows someone who can fix boat plumbing. A guy happens to be nearby so he pops in and promptly says it’s knackered and disappears. Not sure what to do with that information and decide to cycle to the library to work. Forget to eat lunch.
5pm: Get a call from the guy, who’s managed to source a new pump and is at the boat. Rush back to let him in. He fixes the pump, but it’s £130 for parts and £70 for labour. And he prefers cash. Ouch. He also diagnoses a future problem with our electrics, which I choose to ignore for the time being. Pay using the joint account. (£100 from me.)
9pm: To celebrate the new water pump we head out to the local pub in Little Venice, which has a regular comedy night. The tickets are pretty steep at £15 but we’ve moored in the area a few times and it’s always been sold out so we’re pleased to finally be making the most of the area. After all, how often are you living in Little Venice? Dinner is wine and a baked Camembert. The show is ace. £21
10.30pm: When we get home I realise it’s too late to wash my hair. Hairdryers are banned on the boat because they use the most electricity of anything in the entire world (apparently) so in the winter I have to sit by the fire until it’s dry, so I don’t sleep with wet hair and die of exposure. Another dry shampoo day it is.
Total: £136
Day Three
8.30am: Buy a giant bottle of dry shampoo on cycle in to the office, should probably add this to essential boat costs tbh. £5.99
1pm: Go to The Detox Kitchen with my friend and stump up £8.50 for a box of salad. What is life? I’m starting to get a caffeine-withdrawal headache so buy a flat white, £2.47, on the way back to the office.
5pm: Get to the Bridge Theatre early so I can do some work, buy a ginger beer for the extortionate price of £3.50. Regret not getting a real beer. Manage to make it last two hours until my friends arrive for pre-show drinks. We’re seeing Julius Caesar and have standing tickets, which my friend bought, so I give her the cash I forgot to bank transfer her (£25, not bad).
7pm: It’s one friend’s first baby-free night since she gave birth so I buy a bottle of wine to celebrate, £21. We forget to eat.
10pm: Show finishes and we are buoyed by the fantastic performance so we divide another bottle between three of us, £7. I am on the edge of being too drunk to cycle home, but I do anyway.
Total: £73.46
Day Four
8am: It’s Saturday but I get up early to work because freelancers don’t do weekends. Tether my laptop off my phone but this job requires significant data and going to a café requires getting dressed, so I just buy a £20 bolt-on to top up my data allowance. Wonder if watching the entire series of The Good Place really used that much data. They’re only 20 minutes each. Can I write that off for tax? I do write about entertainment…
10am: We’ve been at Little Venice for two weeks so it’s boat-moving day today and a couple of our friends have decided to join us, which is such a novelty I go to a Sainsbury’s Local for provisions. I suck up the inflated price because there are no other shops in walking distance. Buy chilled beer and prosecco because we don’t have a fridge, and general snacks, £31.70. Seems rude to ask them to contribute.
12pm: Because it’s the weekend, the canal is busy and we have to get in the queue for the water point to fill up our tank (free, included in our licence). The flow is bad so it takes two hours. We buy coffee and sit on the roof watching the tourists watch us. £2.95
3pm: Friends join and we have an unexpectedly smooth onward journey, securing a rare spot in Primrose Hill. Delighted, we pop the prosecco and sit on the roof, while the cat explores his new territory and poses for photos with the tourists.
4pm: Run out of booze and head to the pub.
5pm: See the incredible roasts going past.
6pm: Eat giant roast sharing platter between four.
7pm: Things escalate.
11pm: Bill arrives and is huge. Put our half (£109.86) on my interest-free credit card because it has the highest limit, and forget to ask husband to pay me back.
11.30pm: Take friends back to the boat to continue afterparty but there’s no booze left on board and we’re all steaming so we have tea instead. Good decision.
Total: £164.51
Day Five
8am: Too hungover to get up and work.
10am: Still too hungover.
12pm: Husband goes to the football and cat refuses to let me go back to sleep so I get up. Decide I can’t do any concentrating work so decide to do boat DIY instead. There is always something boring and practical to do on a boat.
1pm: Make my own coffee like an absolute money-saving guru. Grind the beans (cheaper than pre-ground) in a hand-grinder (not enough electricity for a powered one on board), and use the hob because we don’t have enough electric for a kettle. Can’t make a flat white because despite the McDonald’s ads I still don’t really know what one is. Have it black. It’s delish. Why don’t I do this more?
2pm: DIY requires power tools so I need to turn the engine on (the engine makes electricity as if by magic and means I can use normal 240v appliances). Crouch outside in the rain in my pyjamas, coaxing the 30-year-old diesel engine into life. For a change, it starts first time. I rejoice and spend a happy afternoon with a jigsaw attempting to create a work area for me to write the novel that will make me my millions – because clearly the only reason I haven’t written it so far is the lack of a dedicated space.
7pm: I’ve made a horrendous mess and neither of us has done the washing up so we decide to go out for dinner. We’re in Primrose Hill so google where to go and eat. After all, how often do you get to live in Primrose Hill? Manage to get a table in Lemonia and share bottle of wine, along with the Greek tapas. We put the bill (£98.72) on the joint account.
Total: £49.36
Day Six
8am: Wake up sweating because we left the diesel heater on all night and all the windows closed. This is a wonderful sign of approaching spring.
9am: As it’s lovely and warm I can sit at my excellent new workspace. Immediately get splinter and wish I were better at DIY/could afford to have someone make me a new workspace. Do work that doesn’t require the internet and then spend an hour working on the fabled novel. Don’t eat breakfast but spend nothing.
12pm: Feel incredibly accomplished so celebrate by going to Camden market and buying something nice for lunch, £6.50. When are we ever in walking distance of Camden market?
1pm: Get a flat white, £3, on the way home because I want to be super productive this afternoon so no time for manually grinding coffee beans. Find cat whoring himself out to passing tourists, taking pictures with him in their arms in front of my boat. We should definitely charge for this.
7pm: Cycle to meet one of the teams I work with for drinks and enjoy the rare perk of company-paid prosecco ‘til it runs out. Make my excuses and leave. Cycle home as not too drunk. If only more days were like these.
9.30pm: Nail half-price Itsu on the way home. Winning at life. £6
Total: £15.50
Day Seven
9am: Working from home today. Want a shower but it takes 45 minutes for the water to heat up. Do I need to be clean, really?
9.30am: Realise I haven’t showered in three days (my self-imposed limit) and remember I have ClassPass so decide to go to an off-peak yoga session. Find one five mins' walk away and it’s TriYoga, which has fancy products. Yasss. Congratulate myself for living the #freelancedream.
Accidentally buy £6.95 mylkshake as I’m leaving. It’s delicious. I regret nothing.
12.30pm: Make my own coffee again like a total boss and miraculously find we have both eggs and bread on board so I have eggs and soldiers, then worry about the lack of greens in my diet.
1pm: Go back out to buy a green juice to alleviate health anxiety. Living in zone one is dangerous. They don’t have green juices in zone seven. £6.95
2pm: Decide it’s time to do some work. Realise laptop is out of juice and we’re moored under a tree so the batteries are low. Go to a café near Camden lock to work. Buy most of their cakes and possibly earn less than I’ve spent. £13.50
8pm: Go home when they close and build the fire in the stove for the evening. Use the last of the kindling and notice dwindling bag of coal. Isn’t it spring yet? WhatsApp Pete, who sells everything, and spend the last of my overdraft on three bags of coal and one of kindling, £35. Hope one of the companies I’ve invoiced pays me soon or we might freeze.
After all that I don’t want to cook so I WhatsApp husband to get Itsu on his way home – how often are you in walking distance of an Itsu half-price sale? Do the washing up listening to a podcast, because obviously, we don’t have a dishwasher.
9.40pm: It’s ITSU TIME! Good haul tonight. We have mastered the art of the half-price Itsu sale – hover 15 minutes before, spend 10 minutes being ‘very indecisive’ holding several different sushi boxes, then give up all pretence and sit with them until it’s sale time. He’s put it on the joint account which I never check, so it’s like it’s not real money. (For the purposes of the diary he tells me it was £19.20 between us.)
9.45pm: Use husband’s tablet that has its own internet connection that I don’t understand to watch Sopranos using our friend’s Sky TV login. Husband has bought wine despite being expressly told not to. We finish the bottle.
Beauty buzzwords are thrown around all the time; it can be hard to keep up and know what's worth exploring further. We're here to break down the industry's latest obsession by tackling the science, talking to skincare and makeup pros, and getting real about what works and what doesn’t.
We're told to wear SPF every day, and we know it prevents sun burn, skin damage, and the ageing process. But what exactly is SPF?
If you weren’t paying attention in science class, then SPF – sun protection factor – is probably something you’re vaguely aware you should be wearing, but not entirely sure why, or what it does.
A spokesperson from REN skincare explains: “Sunscreen products contain ingredients that help absorb UV rays and convert the sun’s radiation into heat energy, which acts as a physical sunscreen that help to deflect and to scatter the rays before they penetrate the skin. These products are formulated to provide various levels of protection from UVA, UVB, and IR rays.”
And how does factor 50 differ from factor 15?
“SPF refers to the ‘theoretical’ amount of time you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned after application”, Dermatologist and founder of Murad Skincare, Dr Howard Murad, tells us. “For example, an SPF of 15 would allow you to stay in the sun 15 times longer than you could without protection”. So that explains why someone with sun-sensitive fair skin would need protection lasting up to 50 times longer in the heat. “It’s important to remember: the higher the SPF means the longer the protection; not the stronger the protection. So once that time period has elapsed, re-apply! And remember other factors may reduce the protection levels, like water, sand, clothes, perspiration – so if in doubt about your SPF protection, then reapply.”
REN’s spokesperson tells us, “The Sun Protection Factor rating system has been established by the Food and Drug Administration to measure primarily the amount of UVB sunburn protection the product will provide. No rating system has yet been established for measuring UVA protection.” So there’s a key difference between UVA and UVB and the suncreams that protect us from both. How do we protect ourselves from UVA then?
“The best protection from the sun is a product that is ‘broad spectrum’, which means it protects from both UVA ‘aging rays’ and UVB ‘burning rays’” A Skin Laundry spokesperson explained. So make sure your suncream is both wrinkle-busting and skin-protecting.
It’s a resounding yes for SPF. Skin is the body’s largest organ, so if you’re going to be purist about the cleanser you’re using or the green juices you’re drinking, it makes sense to be fanatical about skin protection too.
REN’s spokesperson says, “Everyone should use sun protection, even skin that tans easily and rarely burns, because like sunburn, a tan can result in DNA damage from exposure to the sun’s harmful UV radiation.”
Skin Laundry echoed this sentiment: “Using SPF daily should be as standard a part of our everyday routine as brushing our teeth. It is a habit that should begin as a child, and should last a lifetime. Even on cloudy, snowy or gray days, we need to protect our skin. Wearing SPF every single day is the smartest and safest way to keep your skin looking it’s youngest, healthiest and most beautiful!”
So now you know to use it every day – and we mean every day people, even if you’re nowhere near a beach – which should we go for? “I would recommend choosing an SPF that has added benefits for your skin”, Dr Murad tells us. “Sunscreens should always include hydrators, anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants, as these products will also help repair the skin’s barrier to make it better able to defend itself from the sun and other environmental aggressors, like bacteria and pollution.”
Clearing your skin post-suncream is just as key for skin health, Lisa Mammeri, Global Education Manager at Valmont skincare, advises us. “Cleansing and washing properly the skin after using a SPF product is a good recommendation to prevent breaking out, as some mineral sunscreens can clog the pores on some skin types.”
Lesson learned. Wear SPF all year round, and cleanse thoroughly to avoid breakouts. Click through to see our favourite skin-saving SPF products.
This day cream uses Vitamin C to help skin stay youthful, firm and illuminated. It also contains antioxidants to protect skin from harmful free radical damage, along with broad spectrum sun protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30, £55, available at Murad.
This broad spectrum moisturiser is lightweight, hydrating, and doesn't turn your face white like a lot of SPFs do (flashbacks to your mum spreading suncream on your nose on holiday).
Skin Laundry Advanced Protection Moisturiser SPF35, £24, available at Skin Laundry.
One sure fire way to protect your skin is to swap your regular products with those that have it built in already, like this BB Cream. It fights both UVA and UVB, and is silicone-free too.
REN Satin Perfection BB Cream, £28, available at REN.
Pixi's latest spring drop includes this lightweight mist. It's broad spectrum, with SPF 30 and chamomile and bamboo extracts, and is ideal for popping in your bag on sunny days.
Is the thought of adding yet another step in your beauty routine too much? This cleanser has SPF 30 to make your morning ritual more efficient.
Dr Russo SPF 30 Sun Protective Day Cleanser, £52, available at Dr Russo.
This mattifying sunscreen is ideal for oil-slicked skin and those who breakout at the first sign on sun protection.
Avene Cleanance Suncream SPF50+, £16, available at Boots.
Elemis' cult anti-wrinkle cream just got updated with much-asked-for SPF. There's a reason this hit product flies off shelves: it makes skin pillowy and bright, and now has broad spectrum protection to boot.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF 30, £82, available at Elemis.
Seven years ago two fashion students started a watch company from their kitchen table, using up every last penny of their £15,000 savings. Last year, the same two women sold that watch company to a major luxury accessories conglomerate for a cool £60 million.
Best friends Jemma Fennings and Lesa Bennett tapped into the affordable watch market at a time when it was becoming hugely competitive. There was a race to get to a neglected demographic looking for reasonably priced watches that – crucially – didn’t compromise on design or aesthetic and it’s fair to say that Olivia Burton got a slice of that pie. Working with your best friend, creating a world-leading brand, and making millions? That’s the holy trinity, surely. We sat down with them and asked them how they did it.
Hi Jemma, Lesa. Let's start off with you telling us a bit about how the idea for the company came about?
Jemma: When we were at uni we had lots of different ideas, but we knew that we had to go out into the industry and get some experience first, so we both started careers in fashion buying. It was once we'd been in the industry for about seven years that we then regrouped and revisited some of our ideas. We still had this burning desire to start our own business and do our own thing, but we obviously had a lot more experience and lessons learned having worked for other companies, including major high street brands.
Lesa: Yes, like Jemma said, we knew that we wanted to start a business, so really we were just looking for the right thing for us to do. One of my first jobs was working for an online retailer buying women's watches. From seeing what's going on in the watches market and talking to Jemma we really felt like there was a gap in the market for a new watch brand.
You’ve both worked for some very successful brands. What was it about setting up your own business that appealed to each of you?
Jemma: We'd worked really, really hard for other people, and felt that we were making significant contributions to businesses that we were working in. And I think we are both individuals who have that entrepreneurial spirit and a real desire to go it alone. We just desperately wanted something that we could grow and that we could nurture.
Running your own business, is it important to keep a clear distinction between work and home life?
Jemma: A lot of the companies that we'd worked in were typical 9-6 organisations and we recognised that the world was changing, and flexible working was something that we were keen to have for ourselves. Being able to pick our hours, and also the hours to grow a family while also growing a business, was something that was really attractive for us.
Are your approaches to work different?
Lesa: Yes, purely because of having different roles in the company. I would say that I'm actually quite good at separating work and life, and I enjoy being able to switch off so that I can build my work around the hours that I want to do and that works for me.
Jemma: I think because I look after the creative, and the product and the marketing side of things, my hours are probably a bit strange, in the sense that I'm always on social media in the evenings, and scrolling through Instagram for inspiration.
You must have so much going on all the time...
Jemma: Definitely! My fiancé and I share everything including childcare which means we have a really balanced work-life dynamic. It's really nice to be able to do both things; I think when you work you have your own sense of identity, and that's really important to me.
And what are the challenges of working with your best friend?
Jemma: I suppose it's a little bit like working with your family, that you really expect more from each other. So I think if you're going into business with your friend, then you need to be prepared that your friendship might change.
How do you think your personalities contribute to your success?
Lesa: So we do have quite similar backgrounds, and a lot of similar skills. But we've naturally taken slightly different paths within the company, to just follow our strengths. So I've taken more of the commercial side of the business, growing the sales and leading some of the business strategy while Jemma is leading more of the creative side, the marketing and the product. Although we have similar skill sets, we're diversifying to benefit the business.
And do you think there've been any particular challenges you've faced, being women?
Jemma: I think sometimes we found when we had to go and meet bank managers in order to open up a business account, and actually start having conversations about setting up all those practical things that you have to do when you start a company, we did sometimes feel patronised. And a lot of professional men that we encountered were quite condescending in the sense that they'd be dismissive of two young girls with an idea for a fashion business.
They couldn’t have been more wrong. So, what are your plans for the future?
Jemma: Our mission is to become the world's number one accessories brand for women. We would love to become a lifestyle brand, and explore other product areas. Because at the moment we have watches and jewellery, but there's so much more we can do in terms of product extensions, so we'd really love to put the Olivia Burton stamp on everything from homeware to stationery.
A London-based radio station has gone off air after a string of allegations of sexual harassment, racism and homophobia, and the mass resignation of its DJs and producers.
Several young people with experience working at Radar Radio have severed ties with the station, issuing statements on social media this week. The station announced it would be "suspend[ing] broadcasting" until the accusations were addressed.
We have made the decision to suspend broadcasting until we are in a position to address the recent commentary around aspects of the station.
The three-year-old station, owned by Ollie Ashley, the son of billionaire founder of Sports Direct Mike Ashley, is a well-respected platform for young musicians and broadcasters, and has hosted guests including Cardi B, M.I.A, and JME.
The controversy began when the DJ collective Pxssy Palace, which had a show on Radar, released a statement announcing it would no longer be working with the station after "a string of disappointing experiences".
In the social media post Pxssy Palace alleged that the station had allowed "the airing of sexist, homophobic and transphobic shows", enabled "organisational racism" in the form of unequal pay and promotion opportunities, and "[created] an uncomfortable and toxic environment", the BBC reported.
The station responded to the allegations in a statement on Friday, saying it was "concerned and disappointed to see [Pxssy Palace's] statement" suggesting it was "getting some important aspects wrong".
It apologised to anyone who felt "unsafe or discriminated against" at the station. "We don’t agree with all the opinions in that statement but like most organisations we know we are capable of making mistakes and have to be vigilant to maintain standards. We have taken immediate action to review and assess any shortcomings with the input of all Radar staff, especially those who are female, LGBTQI+ and POC."
The statement provoked a flurry of allegations from other DJs and producers on social media, including a detailed blog entry by Ashtart Al-Hurra, a former studio assistant and producer at the station, on her blog Mixed Spices on Friday. In the post, titled "I’m a Woman of Colour Who Was Mistreated at Radar Radio – Their Reaction to Pxssy Palace’s Leaving Statement Was Absolute Trash. Here's Why", Al-Hurra said she was "one of [the] women of colour staff" who had been mistreated at Radar.
She said she was "sexually harassed, like, fucking tonnes, by dickhead dj dudes", adding: "This is shit for anybody, but triggering especially for me, as I’m a survivor of child abuse, domestic abuse and r*pe (which I was dealing with at the time)."
When she complained to Radar's management, she wrote that she "was told that what happened 'just sounded like small things', that 'it’s just boys being boys', and that 'they’re just chirpsing'. They concluded by saying that I should tell a manager (which I had done) or 'stay silent on the topic'."
Many others affiliated with the station tweeted that they would be severing ties.
I am deeply saddened by the recent news regarding Radar Radio. Unfortunately, due to these views being so far removed from my own, this has left me with no choice but to step down as host of the breakfast show. I would like to thank all my listeners and every single guest.
After 3 years at Radar I'll no longer be a part of the station. I've felt uncomfortable for too long now being a part of something that doesn't align with my values & this pushes it over the edge. Solidarity to all those who've experienced harassment of any kind in the music biz. https://t.co/meLZlin7WS
Also if you’re an artist/presenter remember these words. Get them tattooed or something.
You ARE the culture! I know you want a likkle shine but don’t get starry eyed because of abit of glossiness and ps. It’s never that deep pic.twitter.com/6V5ra3Kfbw
— StyleAndGrace EP OUT NOW 💎 (@namesbliss) April 16, 2018
Quite gutted to say it, but I can't, in good faith, be on a platform that doesn't have its best interests towards people of diverse backgrounds.
Refinery29 is proud to partner with University of the Arts London's Xhibit for the second year running, helping to support the next generation of creative talent.
Xhibit is the annual art exhibition, founded in 1997, showcasing the best creative talent from across all of the UAL colleges (including Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, London College of Communication, Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, and Wimbledon College of Arts).
Xhibit is unlike any other University exhibition in that it's open to all students, from fine art first years to journalism Masters students, to those studying for a PhD. The entrants aren't given a brief, theme or medium constraints, their only requirement is that they're currently in education.
The R29 Vision Award is returning for a second year, honouring diversity and original thought in their entrants' chosen field. Judged by Refinery29's Creative Director Piera Gelardi, the winner of the R29 Vision Award will be profiled on Refinery29.
If Stormy Daniels wins her lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Michael Cohen, she plans to donate $130,000 (£90,000) — the amount of money she was paid to keep silent about her alleged affair with Trump — to Planned Parenthood.
The cherry on top is that the donation will be made in Trump and Cohen's name.
The condition for the payment was that Daniels signed agreement banning her from disclosing information about the relationship — including sharing texts, photos, or any information about Trump or his other sexual partners. Before she signed the agreement in 2016, she had discussed the relationship in a 2011 InTouch interview. (At the time Cohen blocked the interview from being published.)
But now, Daniels wants out of the agreement. She sued Trump and Cohen, alleging that the "hush money" contract was never signed by Trump himself and is therefore invalid.
"I don’t have shame," she told Penthouse. "You can’t bully me."
Sometimes you're just not in the mood for sex – and that's okay. There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to turn down your partner's sexual advances, at least when it comes to the health of your relationship, a new study suggests.
Research published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that as long as your rejection is framed in a positive way, saying no to sex won't harm your relationship.
This suggests that a mismatched sex drive, a common factor of many long-term relationships, doesn't necessarily mean a partnership is doomed.
Researchers from Canada carried out two surveys with 642 adults and found that people would prefer their partner to turn them down in a reassuring way (for instance, by saying you love them, are attracted to them and will make it up to them in future), than to have unwanted sex to avoid disappointing them.
“We were interested in this topic because couples often encounter times when one partner wants to have sex while the other partner does not," study c0-author James Kim of University of Toronto Mississauga told PsyPost. "This can be a particularly challenging issue for romantic partners to navigate. During these times, it’s not always clear what people can or should do to sustain the quality of their relationship and sex life."
Unsurprisingly, people were happiest when their partner accepted their advances enthusiastically, and least satisfied when they were met with frustration and criticism from their partner.
Interestingly, the researchers found that sex that's based on "avoidance goals" (namely, to avoid conflict or causing offence), can be more damaging – particularly in longer relationships and relationships in which sex is less regular – than rejecting a partner's sexual advance in a positive way.
“When people are not in the mood for sex and find that the main reason they are inclined to ‘say yes’ is to avoid hurting their partner’s feelings or the relationship conflict that might ensue, engaging in positive rejection behaviours that convey love and reassurance may be critical to sustain relationship quality,” the researchers said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Talia's lack of interest in sex with a former long-term partner was one of the biggest contributing factors to the relationship's demise. She now realises she took the wrong approach when she frequently turned down his advances. "I'd often say I had a stomach ache and/or headache and so wasn't feeling up to it, or I'd say I was too tired and ask to have sex the next morning instead – making sex with him sound like a terrible ordeal that had to be endured," she told Refinery29.
"My physical attraction to him had definitely waned after so many years of being together, which he'd probably already guessed, and there's no doubt my terrible excuses made matters worse."
Meanwhile, Naomi, 25, says the few occasions in which her partner turned her down years ago affected her sexual confidence for years. "It happened a few times when I was at university," she told Refinery29. He would spend up to five hours travelling to see her after a full day at work, and would use the excuse of being shattered when she "tried it on".
"I became so nervous about trying it on with him and I pretty much stopped. I hated how the rejection felt – even though it was for a legitimate reason – and really went into my shell sexually. When we moved in together later on, he brought up my timidness and reluctance to start proceedings, so I told him how devastated I was when he was too tired that one time We laugh about it now, but it really upset and frustrated me."
For the GOP, the party of "family values," few things are more destructive to the family — the "bedrock of our nation" — than abortion. Republican men in Congress have made banning legal and safe abortion a cornerstone of their platform, pushing policy that restricts access to the procedure time and time again, as the "sanctity of life" of an unborn foetus is paramount to America's future.
That's all well and good — unless said Republican wants the woman he's having an affair with to get an abortion.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
On Friday, Elliott Broidy, the Republican National Committee's deputy finance chairman, resigned after it was revealed he had President Donald Trump's personal lackey lawyer Michael Cohen pay off a Playboy Playmate he was having an affair with and who he happened to get pregnant. “I acknowledge I had a consensual relationship with a Playboy Playmate. At the end of our relationship, this woman shared with me that she was pregnant. She alone decided that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy and I offered to help her financially during this difficult period,” Broidy said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Broidy is not an outlier in the sanctimonious pool that is GOP men with skeletons in their closets.
Last year, anti-choice and pro-hypocrite Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy resigned after it was revealed he asked a woman he was having an extra-marital affair with to have an abortion. In texts revealed by the Post-Gazette, Murphy said he never wrote any of his anti-abortion messaging — it was all his staff's doing. Even after Murphy's scandal was revealed, he voted yes on a 20-week abortion ban bill, that he just so happened to be the co-sponsor of.
Tim MurphyPhoto: AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke..Elliott BroidyPhoto: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images/Pepperdine University..
Rep. Murphy isn't even particularly bold when it comes to his hypocrisy. In 2012, Rep. Scott DesJarlais — who called himself a "consistent supporter of pro-life values" — was outed as having supported his ex-wife getting multiple abortions. Scott "Family Values" DesJarlais also slept with patients, which led him to be fined by a medical board.
Then there's the party's current leader, President Donald Trump, who in a 2004 interview with Howard Stern said he asked then-girlfriend Marla Maples, "Well, what are we going to do about this?" when she revealed she was pregnant. “I’m glad it happened. I have a great little daughter, Tiffany. But, you know, at the time it was like, ‘Excuse me, what happened?'" Trump said.
In shouldn't be shocking that the party that has some members who believe there should be no exceptions for abortion — even in cases of incest and rape — also have members who like to bend the rules when it comes to their own lives. As author Jennifer Weiner wrote in the New York Times last year, "It’s almost as if these men don’t really believe that every time sperm and egg combine, the result is a child worthy of being cherished and protected. It’s almost as if these men are fighting to make abortion a crime because they’re more invested in curtailing women’s options and controlling their bodies than they are with saving innocent lives."
The party that says the government shouldn't be involved in citizens' healthcare should take their own advice (and perhaps not throw stones when they lives in glass houses) and leave the decision of getting an abortion or continuing a pregnancy between a woman and her doctor.
Deciding to go vegan is a personal choice: some believe that it's better for the environment not to eat meat, others want to take a personal step toward preventing animal suffering. Another sliver of the vegan population simply does it as a way to eat healthier.
Earlier this week, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay tweeted that he was going to "give this #vegan thing a try." This was surprising, given that Ramsay has thrown shade at vegan people in the past. In February, he joked "I’m a member of PETA ! People eating tasty animals." So, while we don’t know what his motives are for going vegan (or if his tweet about turning vegan was 100% earnest), we can assume that trying out veganism would be a big lifestyle change for him.
Perhaps you, or someone you know on Facebook, has seen the new documentary, What The Health? The film is encouraging veganism in viewers (there's even a meal planner to help you on your "plant-based journey"), based on a bundle of alarmist assertions and assumptions about the food industry. "Absolutely everyone is talking about [the movie], and I have clients and people calling me saying, 'I want to be vegan!'" says Mascha Davis, MPH, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Los Angeles and spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Veganism isn't new, but this movie is attracting a new crowd to the idea.
However, eating vegan isn't a silver bullet that's going to solve all of your health issues or make you instantly healthier, Davis says. "People love to have a quick solution and easy answer, and that's not the case with nutrition," Davis says. "That's why these myths, trends, and fads become so popular." Not to mention, a food product or diet being vegan doesn't mean that it's inherently healthy, says Jen Bruning, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Chicago and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
"When you come down to it, it just depends on what your diet is made up of," Bruning says. For example, you could eat nothing but fries all day every day, and it would be considered vegan, but not necessarily healthy. "The idea that [veganism] an automatic improvement in health or nutrition is probably one of the biggest myths," she says.
That said, it is possible to be vegan and eat a healthful, well-rounded diet, you just have to be smart about it and weigh the potential health ramifications with what you perceive to be the benefits, Davis says. "The issue is not that the vegan diet isn’t healthy, it’s that it’s a pretty extreme diet." If you drank the vegan Kool-Aid already, or are contemplating taking your first sip, here are a few more issues that you should consider.
Take Baby Steps
You wouldn't decide to run a marathon the day you started running, and the same holds true for going vegan. Instead of just dropping all the meat and cheese you were eating, consider taking small steps toward a more plant-based diet instead, Bruning says. "Any sort of lifestyle change that takes place overnight and makes a big sweeping change is typically not something that a person is going to stick with in the long term," she says.
Start by simply eating less meat, more vegetables, meat substitutes, and plant-based dairy alternatives, she says. Then, if you can comfortably make that adjustment, you can make a responsible, informed decision about whether or not the vegan diet is right for you. "Decreasing how much meat you’re eating and some of the animal products, instead of cutting them out completely, is a lot more balanced and a lot more realistic for people," Davis adds.
Eggs Are Not The Devil
If you're a vegetarian who eats eggs or an omnivore who loves yolk porn, perhaps the most disturbing claim in What The Health is that, "eating one egg per day is just as bad as smoking five cigarettes per day for life expectancy." If that gives you pause, that's because it's a wildly untrue and outdated belief, according to Davis.
The old logic used to be that eggs were unhealthy because they're high in cholesterol, but the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has since updated its recommendation on eggs, Davis says. "This is the confusing thing about nutrition, and this is why there are so many different diets and fads: It's constantly evolving, so we have new research coming out all the time," she says. "And when you have new information, you change your mind and the recommendation."
Plus, it's never a good idea to take one specific food and draw an absolute conclusion about it, Bruning says. "Nutrition looks at your whole diet, and lifestyle factors, so to say that one egg is the same as five cigarettes would not be consistent with research."
It's A Very Restrictive Diet
While eating a more plant-based diet can, in a broad sense, be beneficial to people's health it needs to be taken on a case by case individual basis, Bruning says. For example, if you're someone who has a lot of food allergies, restricting your diet even more might not be the right thing for you to do, she says. "Even getting into a mental space where food is being restricted can be a negative thing for a lot of folks," she says.
If you're someone who has struggled with eating disorders in the past, it can be a triggering experience to associate yourself with a restrictive style of eating again, she says. "Living in this diet culture, where people have so many questions about 'good nutrition,' we need to keep in mind the mental health aspect of how people relate to food."
Eating Vegetables Is Always A Good Idea
The vegan diet obviously emphasises eating more fruits and vegetables, which is great, Davis says. "It's absolutely true that switching to a more plant-based diet can come with health benefits," Bruning says. But the benefits come from eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and seeds, which have higher levels of essential nutrients like fibre, fat, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids, she says.
On the other hand, cutting out dairy and meat might not be blanket "good for you," Bruning says. There are a few "nutrients of concern," such as vitamin B-12 and calcium, that can easily become deficient in any scenario, but particularly with vegan diets, she says. "We want to make sure that folks are [getting adequate nutrition] when it comes to vitamin B-12 because that nutrient is not available in plant foods naturally," she says. "It takes quite a great deal of leafy greens to meet our calcium needs, and we'd have to look at some fortified alternatives." It's possible to be a "healthy vegan," it just requires knowledge and planning to do so, Davis says.
Be Open & Skeptical
Just because a study, a documentary, an article, or a friend on Facebook, says that being vegan is the healthiest option out there, doesn't necessarily mean that it is for you. The documentary, What The Health, tends to oversimplify and pervert some studies to push veganism, which makes it hard for regular people and experts to make an informed decision. "The biggest issue that I think most dietitians and physicians, people who have a background in the sciences, have is that it's really skewed what the research actually says," Davis says. "It creates confusion, and I would even call it fear-mongering."
If you've decided you want to give the vegan thing a try, consider meeting with a registered dietitian if possible, Bruning suggests. "That person is going to be able to help you look at what you eat now, and what you can change into this plant based alternative, that it keeps your nutrition adequate." And while the film might have shaken you, that's okay, "but they might not have the whole picture," Bruning says.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
We could go on and on about the many benefits of protective styles. They give your hair a break from hot tools and product buildup, plus they're so easy to maintain. Aside from the technical stuff, they also look really effing cool. We've already seen how Lupita Nyong'o has transformed the bob, but some people still want their long, flowing braids, twists, and faux locs for the spring — and we can't blame 'em. If you're going long, now is a great time to channel your inner African goddess and add beads to your look.
“Braids have been decorated since the beginning of time," César Ramirêz, Mizani's global artistic director, tells us. “I believe they're derived from a very old tribal tradition that has been passed down into fashion.”
He's certainly right about the latter: Disco divas like Patrice Rushen were known to rock them in the '70s, and hordes of imitators followed throughout the decades. We've seen mini resurgences of the look throughout the years, but now, they're back in a big way — and it can be yours, too. “I love shopping at [craft stores] for all sorts of beads, charms, and chains that I incorporate into hair," Ramirêz continues. “They can be sewn or clamped in. Even wrapping a thin wire in adds some texture. Have fun with it!”
Want to try it yourself? Scroll on for a dose of inspiration, and bookmark before you hit the craft store.
Miami is hot, but Gabrielle Union's fresh set is even hotter.
Photo: Via @gabunion.
Nai'vasha Johnson cited Stevie Wonder as her inspiration for these lob-length braids on Yara Shahidi.
Photo: Via @naivashaintl.
Two-toned locs and colorful beads practically beg to be worn on holiday.
Photo: Via @magicfingersstudio.
Brb, running to the craft store now.
Photo: Via @curlfriendari.
"A little twist on a traditional cornrows/box braiding style," Ramiêz captioned an Instagram. "Added metal jewels, shells, and chains and now it's steampunk."
Photo: Via @cesar4styles.
Ebonee Davis channeled Marsha Hunt (who was the first Black model to cover British mag Queen) with this stunning look, done by Lacy Redway.
Photo: Via @lacyredway.
Y'all know Beyoncé loves her cornrows, so we're not surprised to see her debut this look.
Photo: Via @beyonce.
Cowrie shells and bow barrettes, for the culture.
Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images/Tribeca Film Festival.
"Patrice is MOM," Solange captioned, giving a nod to Rushen.
Photo: Via @saintrecords.
Kelis is giving some Rick James realness for summer '17.
Photo: Via @theshaderoom.
You don't have to pile your decor on to get the look — sometimes simple is better.
Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images.
It was only right for @miss__posh to team her metallic accessories with a killer highlight.
Photo: Via @miss__posh.
Add head jewellery for instant goddess status.
Photo: Christian Vierig/GC Images.
"In my (Nyenyo) caste, women only get piercings done with gold, because they say other metals don't heal! And babies that are pierced with gold are called BÉTÉ-BÉTÉ, which means : pierced with gold," the regal Khoudia Diop captioned a shot from her Ode to Senegal, her homeland.
Photo: Via @melaniin.goddess.
"I remember watching Michael Jackson's "Remember The Time " music video feeling inspired," stylist Roger Medina explained. "Taking elements from that video and infusing them with influences of Rick James, Erykah Badu, and Solange."
Photo: Via @rogermedinahair.
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On the heels of Westworld season 2, Evan Rachel Wood shared that she didn't receive pay parity with her male co-stars on the show's first two seasons. In fact, until now, Wood had yet to receive equal pay.
"I almost got emotional [when I got equal pay]," she told The Wrap in a video interview. I was like, ‘I have never been paid the same as my male counterparts. Never, never.'" For Westworld, the pay disparity is almost understandable, given the level of talent. Wood is working with Hollywood's finest — there's Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, Ed Harris, and Jeffrey Wright, all heavy hitters. Not to mention, the female cast includes Thandie Newton and Tessa Thompson.
" Westworld, it's like, I get it," Wood explained."Because I'm like, well, you know, you're Anthony Hopkins. Or, like, Ed Harris. But I think now we're doing equal amounts of work and really hard work."
The interviewer pointed out that, Anthony Hopkins or now, Evan Rachel Wood is the face of the show. As host Dolores, Wood is the epicentre of the sprawling HBO series. She's in every advertisement and she narrated a good chunk of the first season.
"There's a lot of politics," Wood admitted. "But there's a lot of things that are now being talked about in a different way." For season three, though, someone did reach out to Wood to let her know specifically that she'd be on par with her co-stars.
"Somebody made a point of being like, 'Hey, you're getting this. And you deserve it,'" she said. Rachel Brosnahan, star of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, was also present in the interview, and she added that sometimes, when it comes to pay parity, you just have to take what you can get.
"There's a lot that goes into negotiating salaries on projects. But also, sometimes, the truth of the matter is..."
"You're afraid to lose the project!" Wood interjected. At this point, it seems clear that Westworld isn't going anywhere — time to negotiate up, ladies.
