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Lifestyle Barometer: your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week from size-inclusivity to smear tests
From detox tea to mobile phones and YouTube, this is our guide to what’s hot and what’s not
Going up:
Size-inclusivity
A recent survey by Cosmopolitan UK found that 83 per cent of women who wear a size 16 or over do not feel represented by the high street.
In a bid to tackle this, Laura Capon, a beauty and fashion journalist at the magazine, penned an open letter to fashion brands urging them to make plus-size women a priority.
The candid note was quickly backed by 14 models and influencers including Tess Holliday and Lottie L’amour who called it a “rally cry to the British high street to catch up with the times”.
Earlier this week, Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop launched a “size inclusive” clothing collection, which comes in sizes 02 to 44 – the largest female dress size offered in the UK.
The actor has revealed that the decision to launch the collection was made in order to push the conversation surrounding inclusivity in fashion.
“I believe we’re stronger if all archetypes are included, and we’re all able to be seen and lift each other up, which is why we partnered with Universal Standard to create this line of beautifully made pieces,” Paltrow said.
“We’re excited to work with them in this new capacity, and hope this collaboration continues to push this conversation into the mainstream.”
YouTube
Two of the fashion industry’s biggest names have announced they will be launching their own YouTube channels.
Designer Victoria Beckham and supermodel Naomi Campbell are set to introduce their platforms to give fans an inside look into their lives.
In a short clip with YouTube’s fashion and beauty director Derek Blasberg, Beckham announced on Instagram that her channel will include beauty tips and styling tutorials.
“Today, I have special news to share,” Beckham said.
“I will be launching my own YouTube channel with beauty tutorials, styling tips and lots of stuff from me.”
Meanwhile, Campbell’s channel, titled Being Naomi, will follow a vlog-style format and showcase her life as a businesswoman and activist.
“I want to show the world who I am and what I stand for,” says Campbell.
“My hope is that when you engage with my channel that you are inspired by what you see, that it pushes you to be the best you can be, to do your part in the world and to pursue your dreams.”
Smear Tests
Former I’m A Celebrity contestant Rebekah Vardy has shared a photo during her smear test on Instagram to encourage more women to book their own.
The photo, which shows Vardy’s legs as she lay on an examination table in a doctor’s office has since been shared more than 43,000 times and received more than 1,000 comments.
In the caption, Vardy explained that she had always feared having the procedure done, but wanted to raise awareness about the importance of being tested for cervical cancer.
“I dread smear tests and I don’t even know why,” she wrote.
“I wore my red jungle socks from @imacelebrity to my smear test today to remind me that if I can do a Bushtucker Trial and eat a sheep’s anus to win food, then I can certainly brave a smear test that could potentially be life-saving and you can too!”
She continued, explaining that despite the fact that more than 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK, one in four women avoid having smear tests out of “embarrassment”.
Earlier this month, actor Michelle Keegan also spoke about her experience of having a smear test, assuring women that they shouldn’t fear having the screening done.
Angry women
Actor Noma Dumezweni, best known for playing Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has explained why it’s important for women to express their anger freely.
Writing for the BBC 100 Women series, the actor discussed how feeling angry as a child, teenager and adult left her with “deep feelings of shame”.
Now at the age of 49, the Laurence Olivier Award winner is keen to discuss why it’s important for women to be able to acknowledge their anger and convey it in a healthy way.
“I see now that these were boiling points – slow-build internalised anger that bubbled over when triggered by a sometimes random moment – the way I perceived a shoulder shrug, a sigh, or laughter,” she says.
“What I have learned is that if you suppress your anger through fear or passivity it can and will go on to explode.”
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has introduced new food and drink labels to inform customers of the items most needed by food banks as part of a new campaign, Help to Brighten a Million Christmases.
The initiative, which launched on Friday, will see 1,400 branches of the supermarket label priority items, such as cans of fish, meat or vegetables, and non-perishable juices, that are needed by local food banks.
Customers can then place the items in a donation area after checkout.
Over the festive period period, Sainsbury’s’ sister-store Argos will also be accepting toy donations until 16 December.
The goal, according to the press release, is to encourage one million food and toy donations in stores across the UK during the Christmas season.
Going down:
Mobile phones
Many of us can’t imagine venturing out without our mobile phones, but if you’re heading to a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant any time soon, you might just have to.
The Italian-American chain has become the first family restaurant in the UK to implement a ban on customers’ phones.
Upon entering the restaurant, diners will be asked to deposit their phones in a designated “no phone zone” box at the table with the intention of keeping it there for the duration of their meal.
The initiative is part of the restaurant’s “No Phone Campaign”, which aims to champion families spending time together without the interruption of buzzing smartphones and runs from 29 November to 7 December.
Similarly, a private all-girls school in northwest London called on its pupils and their parents to reduce their smartphone use at home, asking them to sign a contract to make their promise official.
Christmas turkey
The traditional turkey Christmas dinner could soon be a thing of the past as the rise in veganism has seen an increase in meat-free meals.
According to Tesco’s annual Christmas report, one fifth of hosts will cater for vegan or vegetarian diets this year. However, there is a clear north-south divide when it comes to the boom in plant-based festive mains.
In Scotland, just 5 per cent of families will sit down to a vegan or vegetarian Christmas dinner compared with 9 per cent of people living in the south.
And it should come as no surprise to learn that Brighton has been declared “the vegan capital of the UK”, where 12 per cent plan to serve a plant-based Christmas feast.
Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, the plant-based chefs behind popular YouTube channel Bosh!, say that mushroom wellington makes for a great alternative to roast turkey and that you can also make vegan friendly versions of popular dishes such as pigs in blankets and sticky toffee pudding.
Detox teas
Actor and presenter Jameela Jamil has criticised celebrities such as Cardi B and the Kardashians who promote “detox” teas on their social media channels, explaining that the laxative effect of the products can be detrimental for your health.
The star of Netflix series The Good Place has previously called out Kim Kardashian for promoting appetite suppressant lollipops on Instagram and created the “I Weigh” movement earlier this year in an effort to promote body positivity.
After Cardi B shared a video on Instagram in which she encouraged her followers to buy “detox tea” from Teami Blends, Jamil said: “They got Cardi B on the laxative nonsense ‘detox’ tea.
“GOD I hope all these celebrities all s**t their pants in public, the way the poor women who buy this nonsense upon their recommendation do.
“Not that they actually take this s**t. They just flog it because they need MORE MONEY.”
Cheap Monday
H&M has announced it is closing denim brand Cheap Monday due to poor sales.
In a move that will affect roughly 80 employees, the label known for its skinny jeans and skull motifs will close its online store and Carnaby Street branch on 31 December.
According to a statement from H&M, who acquired the brand in 2008, Cheap Monday has encountered financial difficulties in recent years due to industry changes, though it did not specify what these changes were.
“Cheap Monday has a traditional wholesale business model,” it reads, “which is a model that has faced major challenges due to the shift in the industry.
“There has been a negative trend in the Cheap Monday’s sales and profits for a long time.”
Topshop and Primark could be hiring children as young as 14 to work in their supply chains.
When representatives from some of the biggest brands on the high street appeared before MPs to discuss sustainability and ethical practice within the fashion industry, it came to light that Topshop and Primark both have policies that allow them to employ people from the age of 14 within their supply chain.
While the retailers stated that they don’t employ children, there are loopholes in the law that could lead to young teenagers joining the workforce.
This is because the retailer’s code of conduct says it doesn’t employ anyone under the age of 15, except in developing countries where there’s a minimum working age of 14.
Meaning that in countries such as India, Pakistan and Tanzania, where there’s a minimum working age of 14, children of that age may be hired to manufacture clothing.
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