Welcome to our weekly news round up where we highlight the news stories that have captured our attention during the past seven days. Seeing as we have been taking a break for the month of January, our first ever news round up is a big one.
Fashion
Business of Fashion
The Power and Problems of Protest Dressing
Alexandra Schulman
12/1/18
‘From the French Revolution’s tricolour cockades to the all-black outfits worn for the 2018 Golden Globes, the history of change is filled with clothes. Will the international fashion weeks take part?’
The New York Times
Male Models Say Mario Testino and Bruce Weber Sexually Exploited Them
Jacob Bernstein Matthew Schneier and Vanessa Friedman
13/1/18
‘For a fashion model, success is the ability to incite desire. The job requirements often include nudity and feigning seduction; provocation is a lever for sales. In the industry, boundaries between the acceptable and the unacceptable treatment of models have been etched in shades of gray.’
Business of Fashion
After ‘Monkey Hoodie’ Incident, H&M Hires Diversity Leader
17/1/18
‘The Swedish retailer has appointed a diversity leader, after having been accused of racism over an ad showing a black child dressed in a hoodie reading “coolest monkey in the jungle.”’
Business of Fashion
What Hedi Slimane Means for Céline
23/1/18
‘The surprise return of one of fashion’s most polarising yet commercially successful designers could double revenues at the LVMH-owned house. But will it alienate Céline loyalists?’
Business of Fashion
Miroslava Duma and Ulyana Sergeenko Accused of Racism, Homophobia and Transphobia
24/1/18
‘Miroslava Duma has responded to a disturbing video that has emerged of her making homophobic and transphobic comments, shortly after receiving a barrage of criticism for posting a racial slur on Instagram.’
Beauty
Teen Vogue
How Beauty Brands Are Profiting Off Racism
Alisha Acquaye
26/1/18
‘In this op-ed, writer Alisha Acquaye explores how brands are profiting off the backlash against racist advertising and continuing to harm people of color.’
Aljazeera
How the ‘diversity industry’ silences people of colour
Malia Bouattia
28/1/18
‘Just days after it was announced that Khan – a hijab-wearing Muslim beauty blogger – was to join French cosmetics company L’Oreal’s “diversity-celebrating” haircare campaign, she was forced to pull out. Her decision followed a right-wing witch-hunt against her over past tweets condemning Israel’s actions during the war on Gaza in 2014.’
Health & Fitness
ABC News
The AMA wants sugar-sweetened drinks taxed, but will it happen?
Emily Clark
7/1/18
‘The idea of a sugar tax is back on the agenda. This time, it’s the Australian Medical Association (AMA) calling for one as part of a positioning paper on the country’s nutrition.’
Feminism and Equality
Teen Vogue
23/1/18
‘It’s no secret that the film industry is especially brutal for the careers of minority creatives, who are routinely overlooked when it comes to landing jobs both in front of and behind the camera. And the challenges faced by intersectional minorities, like women of color, are even greater.’
The Financial Times
Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show
‘A furore has erupted over a men-only fundraising dinner in London for the Presidents Club charity after an FT investigation revealed hostesses at the event were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned.’
The New Yorker
20/1/18
‘Around the world, demonstrators returned to the streets in screaming pink.’
The New Yorker
When Barbie Went to War with Bratz
22/1/17
‘How a legal battle over intellectual property exposed a cultural battle over sex, gender roles, and the workplace.’
The Guardian
The poorly reported Aziz Ansari exposé was a missed opportunity
17/1/18
‘We can – we must – wade into the messy, complicated nature of sex in a misogynist world. But this celebrity exposé doesn’t do the job well enough.’
Culture
The New Yorker
2018 Oscar Nominations and Predictions (And Who I Wish Had Made the List)
23/1/18
‘This year’s Oscar nominations, announced on Tuesday morning, are all over the place, offering honors equally to the good, the bad, and the ugly.’
The New Yorker
The Google Arts & Culture App and the Rise of the “Coded Gaze”
26/1/18
‘In December, Google introduced a feature to its Arts & Culture app that allows you to take a selfie with your phone and use it to generate results from the company’s image database for your own museum doppelgänger. Last week, as more and more users discovered the feature, Arts & Culture briefly became the most downloaded app in the iTunes store.’
