It's sold in a lovely bottle which, as we well know, is one of the main deciders when it comes to wrestling with the question: "Should I be sensible and buy the cheap stuff or should I get the stuff in the nice packaging?"
This gin is also, as has been mentioned, pink. Millennial pink, to be correct. We're going through a kind of millennial pink "phase" at the moment (in case you hadn't noticed). In the past two months alone we've been subject to millennial pink trainers, makeup, millennial pink home decor, millennial pink-themed movies... Even millennial pink pasta has made an appearance.
Here in the UK, though, pink gin is and has been a thing for quite a while. Just a few weeks back, infamous British gin distillers Gordon's leapt into the pink gin pool and announced their version.
Here are the best of the pink gins, to make your G&T suitably on-trend.
Edgerton Pink Gin
Around since 2011, Edgerton is distilled in London and is made with all sorts of exotic and exciting ingredients from all the corners of the globe, from angelica root to liquorice root, casia bark to Central American spice damiana, which Mexicans would drink as an aphrodisiac. The pink comes from pomegranates.
Edgerton Pink Gin 70cl, £24.25, available at 31 Dover
Mombasa Club Gin Strawberry Edition
Also distilled in the capital, this brand, which is popular in Spain, has taken its centuries-old London gin and added strawberries and red fruits to come up with this pinky delight, which leaves a "clean" and "bright" taste.
Mombasa Club Gin 70cl, £15.54, available at Uvinum
Manchester Gin Raspberry Infused
Created by a real-life couple (cute), Manchester Gin is the product of their shared love of gin and their home city (note the Manchester worker bee on the beautiful bottle). The raspberry-infused gin uses the same base as the classic gin but with added raspberries. Definitely one of those bottles you won't chuck after using.
Manchester Gin Raspberry Infused 500 ml, £36.99, available at Manchester Gin
Edinburgh Gin's Rhubarb and Ginger Liqueur
Technically not a straight gin. This is rhubarb and ginger liqueur infused with gin. As a result, it's got a lower alcohol content (20%) and is recommended as a nice base for a prosecco cocktail.
Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb and Ginger Liqueur 50cl, £18.50, available at Tesco
Fentimans & Bloom Gin and Rose Lemonade
The result of a collaboration between gin favourites Bloom and rose lemonade favourites Fentimans. This is a much classier version of that cut-price gin-in-a-tin you were eyeing for your Friday evening train journey.
Fentimans & Bloom Gin and Rose Lemonade 275ml, £3, available at Waitrose
Eden Mill Love Gin
Another Scottish brand, Eden Mill's bottles are super nice and definitely deserve to be used as candleholders for many years after you've drunk the contents. The pale pink colour comes from rose petals and hibiscus.
Eden Mill Love Gin 50cl, £30, available at Eden Mill
Gordon's Pink Gin
Brand new, this stuff is based on a recipe from the 1880s and uses raspberries, strawberries and redcurrant to give it a subtly fruity taste.
Gordon's Pink Gin 70cl, available from August at Tesco
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Four days ago, Robbie Tripp wrote a letter to his curvy wife on Instagram. It starts with, "I love this woman and her curvy body," and continues to talk about how he, as someone educated in feminism (or his version of it), rejects society's narrow view of what a woman should look like — namely, thin and without an ounce of cellulite.
His letter has been praised by multiple news outlets and has garnered headlines like "Husband’s Love Note To His ‘Curvy’ Wife Should Be Required Reading" and "People Are Applauding This Man For Celebrating His Wife's Curves On The Internet." These articles wax poetic about how sweet the letter is, and how wonderful it is to see a fit man stick up for his "curvy" wife. But here's the thing: While Tripp's sentiments may seem applaud-worthy from afar, they're actually problematic upon closer inspection.
Tripp's letter reeks of the worst type of "male feminism," the Matt McGorrys of the world who spout feminist dialogue mostly as a means to congratulate themselves for being feminists. That's not to say that men can't be feminists — but patting yourself on the back for being an ally, rather than lifting up the voices of women, is not feminism. According to Tripp's letter, his attraction to curvy women like his wife (whose name is Sarah, btw, but we'll get to that later), caused a lot of emotional turmoil in his teenage years.
"As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones who were shorter and curvier, girls that the average (basic) bro might refer to as 'chubby' or even 'fat,'" he wrote. "Then, as I became a man and started to educate myself on issues such as feminism and how the media marginalises women by portraying a very narrow and very specific standard of beauty (thin, tall, lean) I realised how many men have bought into that lie."
He's asking us to feel bad for him, yet ignoring the much more traumatic struggle his wife and women like her go through because of people who "buy into" the idea that only thin women are attractive. The struggle of women is what makes the body positivity movement so necessary in the first place. Are we supposed to give this guy a pat on the back for being so much more woke than other men and recognising that a "chubby" body can be beautiful? Sorry, sir, but you don't get an award for being a decent human being.
In outlining his struggle as a man attracted to curvy women and mentioning that he's not like other men, Tripp also sets up a power dynamic in his relationship with his wife. Words like these imply that she should be grateful that someone as fit as Tripp — who does fit into conventional standards of attractive body size — is interested in her and her body.
That would be enough to make this letter problematic, but Tripp later dips into fetishisation and objectification, as he continues to reduce his wife to her body.
"For me, there is nothing sexier than this woman right here: thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll, etc. Her shape and size won't be the one featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan but it's the one featured in my life and in my heart," Tripp wrote. "There's nothing sexier to me than a woman who is both curvy and confident; this gorgeous girl I married fills out every inch of her jeans and is still the most beautiful one in the room."
" Still the most beautiful," implies that curvy women really shouldn't be pretty and that his wife is somehow an anomaly among plus size women. And calling her fat a "cute little side roll" on a public platform like Instagram is just demeaning (in fact, Tripp also posted an Instagram Live video in which he calls her side roll #TheMoneyMaker — likely because Sarah is a body positive blogger).
Thankfully, individuals on Twitter have also noticed the problems in Tripp's "sweet" and "heartfelt" letter, and have been speaking out:
That Robbie Tripp post gives me hope that one day, I too will find a man who fetishizes my weight to make himself feel like a hero. #sobrave
While Robbie Tripp is squicky, the thing that really burns my toast is the media & people mistaking his fetish for feminism. pic.twitter.com/Go8zVreIZM
As a member of the "Dudes Who Did Basic Shit And The Internet Praised Them" club, I would like to vote against letting Tripp join our ranks. pic.twitter.com/vsuRbrfaAD
Listen, we don't know anything about Tripp's life with Sarah or how she feels about his views on her body. Maybe having a husband who is so outspoken about her fat rolls and cellulite is empowering for Sarah. In the privacy of their homes, all couples do and say strange things (like calling a fat roll The Money Maker), but when it's taken into public, rhetoric like that serves only to further fetishisation of plus size women's bodies.
There are a few other problems with the rest of Tripp's letter. In the interest of time, we've broken it down below:
"Guys, rethink what society has told you that you should desire [ Ok, yes, great. Please do that]. A real woman is not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character [ Um, yes, actually porn stars and actresses are real women, too. A mannequin, not so much]. She's real. She has beautiful stretch marks on her hips and cute little dimples on her booty [ thin women who don't have stretch marks or booty dimples are still real women]. Girls, don't ever fool yourself by thinking you have to fit a certain mold to be loved and appreciated [ Thanks, dude. All that girls needed was a guy to come along and tell us that we don't have to fit into society's narrow definition of beauty to deserve love]."
Tripp's last quote brings home the point that this letter is self-serving, and that, whatever his intentions, he's effectively using his wife and her body to prove to the internet that he's a really good guy, and a good feminist.
"There is a guy out there who is going to celebrate you for exactly who you are, someone who will love you like I love my Sarah," he wrote.
Again, we're supposed to applaud him for loving Sarah, curvy body and all, and for sticking up for plus size women. Also noteworthy: This is the first time he's mentioned his wife's name and he chooses to do so in a way that makes her a possession. She's not his Sarah — she's Sarah, and she actually runs a body-positive fashion blog called Sassy Red Lipstick.
If Tripp truly wanted to celebrate his wife and lift up her voice, he would take a step back and use his feminism to point people to her work. Real male feminists don't make feminism about them; they listen to women and do whatever they can to let them be heard.
It's easy to get lost in the ever-growing optimism of the body-positive movement and just see Tripp's letter as another example of how far we've come since he was being teased as a teenager. But, at it's core, that's not really what this letter is about — it's about a fit, white man jumping on the back of a movement led mostly by women to give himself a little pat on the back.
Gloria was nine-years-old when she got her first pimple. It popped up right before her inaugural period, immediately exacerbated by the red, blotchy rashes she was particularly prone to in the dry California heat. Her acne only worsened from there, with the mild cocktail of whiteheads and blackheads standing in stark contrast to her classmates' crystal-clear complexions.
"Nobody else was breaking out in fifth grade," she says. "There must have been a secret water fountain bestowing beautiful skin that I didn't know about. Some guys eventually broke out in high school, but I felt very much alone. The only thing people would say to me was that it’ll go away when I get older, but it didn’t."
Instead, it got worse. Gloria was bullied extensively in school (one classmate even "created a caricature and bobble head of me, with a face-full of zits, and continued to taunt me with them when we were in college," she tells us); she lost her friends; she stopped going to class. "It made me feel like I was disgusting and ugly, like I was this blob of pimples who didn't deserve to be loved," she says.
The psychological effects of acne are a lot like the symptoms at the bottom of a Celebrex ad: You can become irritable, angry, depressed, ashamed, defeated, insecure, withdrawn, lonely, and desperate. So it follows that even after your skin clears — which, for Gloria, happened in her mid-20s — you can experience something of an acne identity crisis.
"When I look in the mirror, I still think it’s there," she says. "My skin looks bumpy and red in the reflection, and I see red angry pimples on my cheek while [my dermatologist] tells me it's just one whitehead. I worked part-time at Sephora and people would compliment my skin, and I would think they’re crazy. I couldn’t help but point to my chin and say, ' No no, look! I have a lot of acne! '"
Acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S., affecting 50 million people across race, gender, and age.
Gloria, like many others who once struggled with acne, suffers from acne dysmorphia. A relatively unknown struggle, clinical psychotherapist Matthew Traube, MFT, tells us it's a form of body dysmorphic disorder, in which "people become preoccupied with an imaginary physical issue," he says.
Some might assume that when acne clears, the burden that comes along with it does, too. But that's not always the case: "In my practice, I often see patients who have objectively very little acne and catastrophise it," Traube says. "They are aware that others don’t see it, but for them it’s debilitating. It can cause limited social interactions, occupational issues, or prevent people from pursuing relationships."
Kind of like how you get an unsettling feeling whenever you hear someone creeping up behind you, acne dysmorphia sufferers live in a constant state of fear that the condition will return. "When people believe that acne was holding them back from finding love or being successful, the idea of acne returning is very scary," he says. "They may believe that they will lose everything they achieved when their skin was clear."
Illustrated by Anna Sudit
That's something Gloria experienced first-hand: "I was scared that I would never find a boyfriend, so when I started dating someone at 14, I stayed with him until I was 26 despite us not being a good match," she explains. "I just didn’t feel pretty or attractive enough."
Beyond the psychological, there's also a physical component, too: Treating these newfound foreign challenges like scars, dark marks, or unevenness can be exhausting and time-consuming. It's not like there's a post-acne tab on the dropdown menu of Sephora.com to help you through the process, after all. "I see the ghost of my acne's past all over my face every day," Gloria says. "The scars from my dad’s exuberant popping and from my picking at them, plus hyperpigmentation all around my chin and my mouth from old acne spots. My worst fear is deep pitted scars, and I’m still afraid all my acne will come back if I change up my routine."
As for treating the acne dysmorphia itself? Well, that requires challenging your thinking patterns. "You want to identify and question any negative thoughts you have about your acne," Traube says. "If you're feeling too insecure to go on a date, ask yourself why. 'Is it really true that no one will like me if I have pimples on my face?'" That way, he explains, you'll be inclined to remember of a time that contrasts your point. "If we continue to do this, over time we'll be able to create a mindset that prepares us to manage the negativity."
Gloria is now in her early 30s, working as a successful publicist in L.A. and managing the breakouts that pop up every now and again. (She swears that lasers have significantly reduced her post-acne scars.) She'll never not be afraid of the skin condition returning, and that's okay. For now, she'll relish in the fact that she no longer ducks from the mirrors she walks by — because even if her reflection doesn't always look "perfect" to her, she's learning to love it anyway.
At the age of 47, two years out of a sexless marriage that ended in divorce, Morgana Muse wanted to end her own life. But before she went through with it, she decided to treat herself to one more evening of intimacy with a paid escort. That decision started a domino effect, and three years later, Morgana is an icon in the world of feminist porn. Inspired by her journey, a group of filmmakers decided to bring the adult film star's story to life in a documentary, titled Morgana. The producers are currently crowdfunding their post-production work through Kickstarter.
It's understandable why this team wants to spread Morgana's story. The now 50-year-old mother is living proof that, despite ageist tropes, there isn't an age limit to sexual self-discovery. "My films depict my sexual exploration and my curiosities," Morgana says. Below, I chat with the adult film star about how she got her start, the stigmas that surround women of a certain age, and what, exactly, her daughters think of their mother the porn star.
Can you tell me how you got started in porn? "I didn't deliberately choose this path in life. At the age of 45, I asked [my then-husband] for a divorce. But two years after my divorce, with my 47th birthday coming up, I found myself in a depression. [I was] lonely and alone, and I wanted to kill myself. At that point, I'd been celibate for 12 years, but the one thing I wanted to do [before I killed myself] was experience sex and intimacy one last time. And since I didn't have the confidence to go out and meet someone in the usual practise, I decided to hire an escort. I planned this beautiful day. I booked a suite at a five-star hotel, I made beautiful dinner reservations, and I booked theatre tickets for the two of us. The whole experience was so wonderful that I decided I wanted to experience more. I wanted to see my escort again.
"On one of our dates — if that's what you'd call them — I mentioned to him that I'd read about this competition for first-time erotic film makers, and that I'd had this idea to do a film about our first date. I entered the competition, and actually wound up wining first prize, which was unexpected. People started to approach me to continue filmmaking, and I realised that I enjoyed the process of making porn. I find it very cathartic, liberating, and empowering. I love to tell stories, so the whole idea of filmmaking appealed to me."
Had you been at all interested in pornography and exploring your sexuality in your life before filmmaking? "It was not something I ever contemplated! If I hadn't read about the competition, I wouldn't be where I am now. I wanted to make that first film so that I could watch myself being a sexual being. It was to remind myself that I am a woman, and I do have needs. I wanted that film to be almost like when people send each other nude photographs. I wanted that reminder that I am a sexual being."
" I chose not to be shamed by society's expectation that I should just fade into the background after my divorce."
It's like when you hear of men and women who want professional nude photographs or paintings commissioned of themselves. "The boudoir photos!"
Yes exactly! So this was like your version of a boudoir photo in a way. "That's a good way of saying it. [Laughs] But this turned into a career!"
How did you feel when you saw the positive reaction from that first film? "At first, I was a bit worried, because I didn't know what the reception would be like. But it has been absolutely positive. I've yet to experience anything negative. That positive reaction gave me the courage and the strength to continue in this path."
What do your daughters think of your career? "I didn't want to go publicly pursuing this path until my daughters and my ex-husband knew what I was doing. I never wanted to create an issue between us. I love telling this story. I sat my eldest daughter — who was 16 at the time — down to tell her what I was doing. And I was so nervous. But she only had two questions for me. She asked, 'Can you make money?' To which I said yes. Then she asked, 'Are you happy?' And when I told her yes, she just said, 'Okay. Just please don't tell me too many details!' [Laughs]
"I can understand that reaction. I remember at that age being embarrassed to think that my parents were sexual beings, so I related. I wasn't upset with her for saying that. I thought it was rather cute."
I think that brings up a good point, though! There's such a stigma against older women as sexual beings. It seems that once a woman hits a certain age, or becomes a mother, she is no longer allowed to be sexual. People will criticise her age, or call her a bad mother, just because she wants to indulge her sexual side. "I definitely experienced that after my divorce. The community that I was involved in when I was married all but shunned me after my marriage ended. They figured I should just gracefully disappear. But there is no expiration date on sexuality or our explorations of sex. I chose not to be shamed by society's expectation that I should just fade into the background. I refused to do that.
"I also didn't have the opportunity to explore my sexuality at a younger age, because I had a very strict upbringing. I consider what I'm doing now a belated teenage rebellion that I can control by being well-informed."
I love that! "I'm doing everything in reverse!"
So how many of these films have you made? "I think about 10 at this point."
I'd like to be proof that there is no expiration date on our sexuality.
Do you have a favourite? "I must admit that my favorite is Having My Cake. It's shot in Paris, and it depicts me at various tourist locations — like Versailles and the top of the Eiffel Tower. And at each place you see me eating a cake. That's the setup. And then, in the second half of the story, I met up with my gorgeous male lover, and the sex scene involves a lot of cake."
That's so decadent and sexy. "Yeah, there's a bit of food play. It's basically me having my cake and eating it, too!"
Have you learned things about yourself and your sexuality through this experience that you probably wouldn't have realized otherwise? "I was always curious about the BDSM and kink communities. I always thought I had an attraction to women, too, but I never pursued it. So I think in getting the divorce, and giving myself permission to seek pleasure, I've discovered that I am into quite a lot of things that I never realised I was curious about."
What has your experience in the BDSM and kink communities been like? "It's like a family. I'm encouraged to just continue what I'm doing, which is pretty awesome. I find the whole experience quite nurturing. The play and the community [gives me] quite a spiritual type of feeling, as well. It's as close to spiritual as I've ever felt."
What do you hope the documentary will accomplish? "I hope it will show people that it's never too late. It's never too late to learn, to experience new pleasures, and to explore your sexuality. I'd like to be proof that there is no expiration date on our sexuality. We should be able to enjoy and continue our explorations until we see fit to stop."
You can contribute to the Kickstarter to help fun the documentary Morgana until August the 10th.
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When 30-year-old interior designer Andrew Loren hit the wedding circuit this summer, he was faced with the inevitable dilemma of what to wear. Though a standard suit would seemingly fit the bill, Loren, who identifies as a cis gay male, didn’t feel as though society’s expected attire of dress was going to cut it. “I wore a tux to one [wedding] and my skin was crawling, I felt so uncomfortable,” he recalls. “It was just not me and so then I’m faced with this choice: Am I going to sacrifice my comfort for everyone else’s or am I going to make sure I’m comfortable in my own skin?” The answer was clear: Loren picked the latter and for the rest of the season a long, sleeveless Rick Owens dress became his wedding go-to.
While borrowing fashion from the opposite sex is hardly a new premise — Owens, for one, has used inventive draping and tailoring to create an androgynous, genderless tribe since 2002 — it’s a concept that’s really taken hold in recent seasons. “[Owens] was the godfather,” says veteran casting director James Scully. “There are plenty of times when you couldn’t tell on his runway whether you’re looking at a man or a woman.”
In the early-aughts, Owens’s genderless runway was groundbreaking. “I don’t understand why this generation thinks they invented gender fluidity,” Owens deadpans. “They did it harder stronger and louder in the ‘70s......and 16th century Japan.” Today, his casting direction has been adopted by brands like Burberry and Gucci. During men’s fashion week in Paris in June, former Yves Saint Laurent and Ermenegildo Zegna Couture designer Stefano Pilati unveiled an all-black, 17-piece genderless and seasonless collection dubbed “Random Identities” on his personal Instagram account. Pilati offered well-tailored long sleeve dresses, as well as fishnet tights worn underneath a pair of trouser pants with a blazer sans blouse modelled by his close friends, both men and women alike. Days prior, Thom Browne showed pleated miniskirts, midi-skirts, maxi-skirts paired back to cropped blazers, oversized shirts, athletic socks, and heels on his male models. Perhaps the most exciting ensemble of his collection, though was a half tuxedo/half bridal dress look that closed his spring 2018 menswear show.
Fashion has always been a way of communicating one’s mood, personality, hell, life to the world at large. Thankfully, designers and brands inevitably create a much-needed sanctuary for those people who have otherwise been excluded — thus, the old rules of conformity have to be continuously challenged both from an acceptance and commercial point of view.
“This new generation is going to wear what they want,” says Scully. “Even the peacocks at Gucci make it more acceptable for a man to wear his girlfriend’s floral bomber jacket or blouse.” A prime example of this shift in attitudes is Jaden Smith, who posed in a leather jacket and an embellished skirt in a women’s Louis Vuitton advertising campaign last year. When asked for an explanation for his style, he told Nylon, “The world is going to keep bashing me for whatever I do, and I’m going to keep not caring. I’m going to keep doing the same things — I’m going to keep doing more things…in five years when a kid goes to school wearing a skirt, he won’t get beat up and kids won’t get mad at him. It just doesn’t matter. I’m taking the brunt of it so that later on, my kids and the next generations of kids will all think that certain things are normal that weren’t expected before my time.”
“I think there’s definitely a breakdown of who wears what,” says Scully. “These kids had no voice and now they have a voice, a style they can openly share. It’s touched a nerve and I don’t think that’s going away.” Fear of God designer Jerry Lorenzo, who recently began offering his men’s clothing line in women’s sizes, agrees, “I think people are looking to define themselves beyond the opinion that clothing has been made in advance for them.”
Even stores like Zara, Selfridges, and Opening Ceremony have begun offering remixed gender fluid clothing in their stores. “There has certainly been a rise in the number of genderless collections, both in high-end fashion and among more mainstream retailers like H&M—which launched its first unisex collection earlier this year,” says Neil Saunders, Managing Director and Retail Analyst at GlobalData Retail. But sometimes, only to a point. “In mainstream fashion, the collections aren't so much genderless as toned-down versions of male clothing. H&M's collection, for example, looked distinctly masculine; there were plenty of trousers for women, but no skirts for men,” Saunders continues.
Vogue, clearly aware of the changing times, saw this as an opportunity when real-life couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik covered their August Issue with the accompanying headline: “Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Are Part of a New Generation Embracing Gender Fluidity.” Though Vogue ended up apologising for failing to understand what that terminology truly meant — Hadid and Malik’s interview revolved more about the shapes of clothes than gender fluidity — it was clear the major magazine was trying to bring this idea from the fringes to the mainstream.
“It was completely publicity,” says Loren. “But you do have to be grateful for that publicity. Just putting gender fluidity or anything gender related on the cover of any magazine is going to push the envelope. 20-year-old social media star Parker Kit Hill agrees, “I wish they could’ve done something a little bit more; these are powerful people with a huge influence. I would have loved to see Zayn in a dress. Putting them both in suits—that’s been done before.”
Loren, for his part, hopes that fashion’s recent interest in these issues sparks larger conversations nationwide. “I think it’s kind of amazing that I’m dictated from the second I enter this world just because of my genitalia,” he says. “It’s like, ‘Oh, there’s a penis. This is what you have to wear.’ I still won’t get into a bar in Brooklyn, even when I’m wearing a Stella McCartney dress, because I’m not wearing a blazer. It is a bit weird.”
Transfeminine male Bradley Miller, who worked with Tinder on introducing 37 new gender options to the dating app and uses the hashtag #boyscanlooklikethistoo on social media, thinks the industry’s embrace of gender neutrality is more necessary than ever, especially as we continue to face divisive issues like Trump’s transgender military ban. “Inclusivity is the new norm and fashion has to be a part of that.” he says. “To this day, people ask me questions like, ‘Are you a boy or a girl? How do you identify? Are you transitioning?’ all because of what I’m wearing. But the truth is that the generations that are coming up now, the ones who are going to be in charge, care less and less. They just want you to be you.”
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There was a moment before the helicopter took off, my hands pawing along the perimeters of the hole in the side of the aircraft where a door should have been, when I truly felt like I understood regret. I regretted pitching a story about extreme shoe selfies. I regretted agreeing to test out the helicopter photo service that promised “a #shoeselfie” opp as one of its main features. I regretted not pushing back when the shoe brand that had sponsored the trip asked me to wear a popular pair of stilettos for the trip instead of the sensible flats I had initially picked out — heels so delicate, my nervous self had trouble on flat land, nevermind the floor of a doorless helicopter (did I mention that the thing doesn’t have doors?). I regretted sitting in the seat closest to the door hole. I regretted not putting deodorant on my hands, which were sweating so hard, I had trouble working my phone, which was the entire point of this stupid, stupid, stupid flight in the first place.
Most of all, I regretted the moment that I had first let myself be persuaded to “do it for the ‘gram.” I had never staged a photo on Instagram before — I ate the meals I took photos of, and liked whatever I recommended. I prided myself on keeping it real. But now dangling my feet out of the side of a six-person chopper for a single photo? I had found my limit, and it was too late to abort.
I was on a doorless helicopter (doorless!) because I was trying out luxury footwear brand Tamara Mellon’s newly launchedsweepstakes, where winners receive a free holiday and helicopter ride — a chance to take a #shoefie.
If this feels random, you haven’t been paying attention. The extreme shoe selfie has existed among sneakerheads for years, ranging from hypebeasts setting their rare sneakers on fire or rooftoppers trespassing onto skyscrapers and bridges for a shot. It wasn’t long before brands took notice. “I’ve been in meetings where the pitches have been ‘drone taking a sneaker selfie while they’re hanging off the Eiffel Tower,’” former Complex sneaker editor Gerald Flores tells me. Now the marketing trend has expanded from athletic shoe brands to women’s labels like Tamara Mellon, which paid for the flight and shoes for my own extreme shoe selfie.
Tamara Mellon's initiative builds on a growing trend in marketing where brands tap thrill-seeking photographers who embody the same values of adventure, wonder, and fearlessness their products claim to represent. The thrill that comes from being recognised on social media — compounded by their daredevil spirit — have made extreme shoe selfie photographers a natural partner for shoe brands that can provide exposure, freebies, and even sometimes cash in exchange for cultural cache in the form of stop-you-in-your-scroll content.
Take Tom Bruise for example. A year ago during a New York blizzard, Bruise (not his real name) got a call from a friend asking if he wanted to climb the Manhattan Bridge. Bruise had a taste for flouting rules, but he hadn’t ever ventured into something this illegal. When he made it to the top, the bug bit hard. “I was like, ‘This is where I need to be at.’ I can’t describe the feeling. It’s excitement, a crazy rush. You don’t feel like you’re on this planet anymore.”
Since then, Bruise has scaled about 80 separate buildings — sneaking past the front desk, picking locks in stairways, and scaling scaffolding and spires to take mind-meltingly terrifying shots. His passion is beginning to turn into a livelihood; he’s been tapped by shoe and clothing brands to rep their gear in his Instagram photos, and some have even paid him for images to post on their own accounts.
For Bruise, rooftopping is about euphoria. Others cite a Robin Hood mentality — accessing rich people’s domains the steal views to share. But most, even if they don’t admit it, do it for the ‘gram: “Regardless of what they’re trying to convey, they’re all still driven by scrolling down that feed and seeing those hearts pop up,” Flores, the ex-shoe editor, tells me.
Victor Thomas, who goes by Vic Invades, is another rooftopper in New York. In Thomas’ shoe selfies, he hopscotches between reinforcement bars or casually perches on a rooftop ledge like he’s waiting for pancakes in a diner. He wears his own Vans and Nikes, and also promotes shoes that have been sent by brands like Patos and Converse. He is thoughtful and surprisingly emo for someone with such a predilection for shock-value — his Instagram photos are captioned with things like “If you never cried about it in the shower, you never loved it.” On onepost, he asks his followers to comment what they feel when they see his photo. The responses flowed: “Anxiety.” “Peace.” “Getting used to being stronger.” “A desire to reach the same heights in my own life.”
The metaphor is not lost on Thomas: “For people like me, who live in a small brownstone or in my projects building, they don’t get that experience [of being high up],” he says. “I steal certain views for people who normally don’t get to see those views. It’s all inspiration so people can say to themselves, ‘Maybe I can reach some heights, too.’” Thomas’ photos have gotten him jobs, earned him money, and given him a level of notability — he collaborated with The New York Times on a video about his escapades. “I want people to know they can come from the bottom and go higher.”
Both Bruise and Thomas have been arrested for their climbs, and others have been slapped with criminal charges: An urban explorer known for photographing abandoned spaces was charged with misdemeanour trespassing by authorities in Cleveland. When asked about unauthorised photography atop public structures in New York City, including those involving brand sponsorships, a spokesperson from the New York Police Department responded: “A person found in violation may face criminal charges.”
Not all death-defying Instagram photos are illegal. Some are perfectly by-the-books while being perfectly terrifying. That’s exactly the type of aerial photography experiences that FlyNYON offers — and that Tamara Mellon’s campaign tapped in its new campaign. A 15-minute flight in one of its doorless choppers costs $241 (£184), but it grants you a unique opportunity to stay within the law for an aerial snap of the city. Brands are noticing:Superga andSaucony have both worked with FlyNYON for photo-op partnerships.
A post shared by Angela Nikolau (@angela_nikolau) on
Like rooftopping, there is a community of helicopter photographers. Natalie Amrossi, who posts photos at @ misshattan started taking photos from the tall vantage points from the offices of her employer at the time, JP Morgan. Now, she gets invited onto rooftops; unlike some of the others, she doesn’t have to break in.
More recently, aerial photos she took through FlyNYON have landed her invitations to shoot with different helicopter agencies around the world. Louboutin tapped her for a partnership: “For that, I crossed my legs all ladylike so you could see the red bottoms,” she says. “There’s also a cool way where you position your legs straight on, but a little bent. I call it Inception — like you’re falling into the city.”
I remember Amrossi’s advice while I drive the 40 minutes from Manhattan to FlyNYON’s hangers in Kearny, New Jersey (just enough time to contemplate what exactly was wrong with me that I agreed to do something like this). There, I watched a safety video and a thorough explanation of the harnesses for myself and my phone that’d keep me from becoming a flesh splatter, which offset the trepidation I felt from the youth of the FlyNYON employees, many of them sporting the beleaguered efficiency of amusement park operators.
But, after all that, I was inside. I had been strapped in and hooked on. There was no abort button, short of cutting through my straps with the knife each person had strapped to their chest (comforting much?). An attendant kindly taped over the release lock of my chest harness, “so you don’t accidentally, you know…” she trailed off.
The chopper lurched up without warning, and then the wooden pallet that we had docked on became the size of a sandwich board, a Wheat Thin, a pinprick… The wind whipped my fringe so hard I became convinced that my individual hairs could give me paper cuts (my contacts were clutching onto my eyeballs for dear life), but at least the wind dried my sweaty palms, and I was able to unlock my phone. Two minutes later, we were hovering above Columbus Circle.
Readers, the view. After a certain height, the real world looks as unreal as a screen. I realised, with some uneasy familiarity, that looking outside the door hole wasn’t unlike watching Netflix in my favourite position, where the laptop is perched right on top of my supine chest. But instead of a sitcom, it was the city I had lived in for almost ten years, in a way I had never imagined it could look. Times Square was a tiny crumb of lights. I looked the top of the Freedom Tower in the eye. The entire city was a patchwork of rooftops and spires, providing a view that only the very brave or the very rich are able to see from.
And yes, I took about a hundred photos of my feet, falling Inception-style, and with one perched on the other leg’s knee, Instagrammers-at-brunch style. The Tamara Mellon shoes were cute enough on land, but in the sky, weaving in and out of the mist, they felt like a trophy. I couldn’t stop taking photos of them. My shoes were an infant, and I was a new mum. My shoes were a teen heartthrob, and I was a Belieber.
But once we landed, and I had climbed back into a car to make the drive back into Manhattan, I realised that the real rush was yet to come.
I posted a photo, and waited.
Watch my shoe selfie adventure below:
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A couple's wedding day is supposed to be special—a celebration of their love shared by friends, families, and their closest co-workers. So it's always horrible to hear of something happening that spoils the jubilant atmosphere.
Lusea Warner, a just-married bride from Bridport in Dorset, has sadly had to use Facebook to share her own wedding day disappointment. Shortly after she and partner James tied the knot at. St John's Church in the nearby village of Symondsbury, two cars were broken into and her engagement ring was stolen from her maid of honour's handbag.
"This ring meant the world to me," Lusea wrote on Facebook. "I had designed this ring, and I loved it so very much. As a result, I was a heart broken bride and was reduced to tears on my special day."
Appealing for help from her Facebook friends, Lusea added: "I'm begging the universe that if they know of its whereabouts or if they saw anything strange in Symondsbury on the 2nd, please could they let me know or the police. Thank you for reading this, lots of love lusea xxxx"
Since being posted on Friday afternoon, Lusea's Facebook post has been shared over 850 times. One well-wisher wrote underneath the post: "I'm so very sorry beautiful lady that has happened to you ... I'm sending prayers and positive loving vibrations that it appears on your finger NOW! May love, light and joy surround you both always..."
Let's hope someone who sees her post has some information that can help the police. If you'd like to share Lusea's Facebook post with your own followers, you can find it here.
One of the UK's most popular annual Pride festivals is taking place on the south coast today.
Brighton Pride 2017, which is marking 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, will be attended by around 300,000 people.
The Pride day celebrations began at 11am with a parade through the city centre. As the day goes on, performers including the Pet Shop Boys, Years and Years, and Louisa Johnson will take to the stage in the central Preston Park.
Paul Kemp, Managing Director of Brighton Pride, told ITV that though this year's event is definitely a celebration, it's also about "standing up to hate crime [and] atrocities all around the world."
"There are still 73 countries where it's illegal to be LGBT, and eight countries where you can get the death penalty [for being LGBT]," he explained. "It's a campaign everyone can get behind."
The first Brighton Pride festival was held in 1973, but this year's event is expected to be one of the biggest and best yet. Check out the slideshow to the right or bottom of this article for some of the most fun, colourful, resilient, powerful, and inclusive pictures that Brighton Pride revellers have been sharing on Instagram today.
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On Friday, Jay-Z dropped a video for “Moonlight,” the latest single from his critically acclaimed album, 4:44. Never mind this video being new. You’ve seen it somewhere before.
In the premise, director Alan Yang recasts the popular ‘90s sitcom, Friends with an all-black cast. Issa Rae of Insecure is Rachel , Tiffany Haddish of Girls Trip is Phoebe, and Tessa Thompson of Creed is Monica. Actor Jerrod Carmichael plays a very paranoid Ross, while Lakeith Stanfield and Lil Rel of Get Out play Chandler and Joey. It’s a virtual who’s who in comedy.
The video specifically reimagines the iconic episode, "The One Where No One’s Ready,” where we see each of the characters in their purest form.
As the title suggests, “Moonlight” alludes to the best-picture fiasco at this year’s Oscars, when La La Land was mistakenly and momentarily given the award instead of the real winner, the Barry Jenkins-directed Moonlight.
“The hook is ‘We stuck in La La Land/Even if we win, we gonna lose,” said Jay-Z to Genius about the track. “It’s like a subtle nod to La La Land winning the Oscar, and then having to give it to Moonlight. It’s really a commentary on the culture and where we’re going.”
Despite our often romanticised view of the ‘90s, the era, like so many before it, was problematic. However, the overall message in Jay-Z's video is clear: create something authentic. It’s funny, yet awkward seeing Issa Rae and crew mirror characters in a world that was so clearly melanin-deficient it’s uncomfortable to watch now. This is also true when the debate of Friends, ripping off the all-black sitcom Living Single is tossed into the mix.
Jay Z's Moonlight music video is meta for so many reasons. Friends stole their concept from Living Single. Moonlight song shades La La Land pic.twitter.com/bqkKDKT2Yy
So apparently Jay-Z's #Moonlight video is appropriating white culture but Friends being a rip(spin)off of 'Living Single' isn't. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/ivjD0bunVV
In case you've somehow escaped the craze thus far (and boy have you been missing out), ASMR stands for "autonomous sensory meridian response" which is essentially a pleasant tingly sensation that crawls over the skin. It has been categorised as a "low-grade euphoria" and well, it feels pretty cool.
ASMR went mainstream a few years back when videos of people whispering in a certain way became super popular. The pleasing way these people formed words was producing ASMR-type responses.
This year, though, it's all about the slime. Yeah, slime. Slime videos have over four million tags on Instagram. They are pleasing on both the eyes and the ears. Why? Who knows. They are bloody delicious to watch, though.
But where to start? We gave our colleague Orla 10 slime videos to view on Instagram and asked how they made her feel...
"This bubbly tie-dye goo is amazing. Wait until they put the grate on. Also, I love the sound made when they pop the bubbles."
"This one is really crunchy and the noise is all kinds of satisfying. It sounds a bit like applause."
"This is so far my favourite. When they stretch it, it’s smooth like butter, hence butter slime. I just think it looks so soft."
"I love the texture of this one. It’s really satisfying because it’s completely crunchy."
"This one is so weird. I love how the whole top folds in when they push it. It reminds me a bit of a Venus flytrap. I also like that the texture is much less runny than the others."
"It is very satisfying when they break the top. It looks really pretty, too."
"I love the colour of this one so much, I can’t work out how they got it that way. Also I like how the texture changes from fluffy bubbles on top to the smooth slime when they lay it out on the table."
"I love it when they cut it open because it feels like stress was actually released from the stress ball."
"This one is cool because of the different textures. I think it looks like a flower."
"This one is simpler than the others but I like the different runny texture and squelch thing, also I think the white makes you notice the actual texture more as it’s quite a bland colour for these slime videos."
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It's 2017, people, and we're currently in the middle of World Breastfeeding Week. Despite this, a woman was shamed during a visit to London's V&A Museum yesterday simply for nursing her child in the museum's courtyard.
Her response to the incident was brilliant. Sharing what had happened with her Twitter followers, @Vaguechera highlighted the hypocrisy of the V&A shaming her for showing her own nipple when the museum's exhibition halls feature so many depictions of a woman's bare breasts.
"Flashed a nanosecond of nipple while #breastfeeding and was asked to cover up in @V_and_A courtyard. Am perplexed...." she wrote alongside a sculpture showing–guess what!–a woman breastfeeding her child.
In a follow-up post, @vaguechera continued to mock the ridiculousness of the situation by making a playful pun on the similarity between the words "mammaries" and "memories." Pretty nice work there, we've got to say.
On the upside, I had a lovely day at @v_and_a exploring depictions of breasts thru the ages and making lovely mammaries. I mean memories. pic.twitter.com/mMiL27WQZ8
At the time of writing, her original post has been retweeted more than 4,000 times. She has also received an apology from the V&A's director, Tristram Hunt, who wrote on Twitter: "V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & shld not be disturbed."
The woman has since thanked people on Twitter for all their support. "I was so surprised partly because this was the first time it's ever happened to me in 3.5yrs of BF [breastfeeding]," she wrote. "Reason it's important: embarrassment about #breastfeeding: one of most common reasons that women give up."
No woman should ever be shamed for breastfeeding while going about her daily business, and @vaguechera's Twitter posts make this point perfectly.
Pro tip for summer slackers: Basic just won't cut it this week. Not with Monday's lunar (full moon) eclipse landing in Aquarius, the sign of innovation, collaboration, and unicorn-level creativity. What might be considered extra during an average week will draw high praise and adulation now. So, by all means do go there. And be on the lookout for your soul tribe. No matter how quirky your interests are, there are no doubt others like you. Lunar eclipses can speed up manifestation and the result of any action will come swiftly. Be mindful of your every move in order to reap good karma. These supercharged moonbeams also reveal things that are hidden in the shadows. Given that Aquarius is the sign of technology, don't leave yourself open for hackers and trolls. Change to a stronger password and make sure you log off sites when you step away from your computer. A virtual relationship could take off at warp speed. Connect to kindred spirits on social media and swipe your way into the arms of love.
Another reason to keep your tech in check? On Saturday, messenger Mercury turns retrograde in analytical Virgo. This signal-scrambling phase lasts until September 5 and makes it easy for information to get into the wrong hands. Think twice before you fire off a heated email or a racy Snapchat. Put protective cases on your mobile devices and triple-check that you're not leaving them on the seat of your Uber. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And don't freak out. Mercury retrogrades are good for a few things — basically anything with the prefix "re." And since this one takes place in fussy, detail-oriented Virgo, use the next few weeks to research, review, and refine your plans and your work. You'll make everything stronger if you do.
Leo July 23 to August 22
Are you in or are you out? It's decision time, as Monday's lunar (full moon) eclipse lands in your seventh house of commitments. No more waffling. If you need to sign a contract, say "yes" to the dress or put a deposit down for an event — and you feel like this is the right step for you — just do it. Still unclear? Then it's probably best to say "no," so you don't hold up other people's time. A relationship could hit a moment that might actually require an ultimatum. Mind-reading won't work here. But a straightforward, "Are we doing this?" will get you the answer you need. And if the answer is a "yes," get ready for a mind-blowing adventure, Leo, one that could lead to a walk down the aisle (or to the tattoo parlour), an amazing holiday, or the purchase of a love nest. Solo Leos could meet someone who has "missing puzzle piece" written all over them. While it's never advisable to rush, don't be surprised if things heat up faster than they usually do. Go with it!
Has money been burning a hole in your pocket? Don't blame it on your distressed denim. With bean-counting Mercury turning retrograde in your finance house from Saturday until September 5, you're going to have to keep a tighter rein on spending. Put yourself on a temporary austerity plan — with the exception of that birthday present you owe yourself. You'll be amazed by how creative and resourceful you can get when you are operating on a limited budget. Communications with coworkers could get a little choppy so go out of your way to be concise — and if you don't understand an assignment, ask for clarification to avoid a do-over.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Virgo August 23 to September 22
Make some noise, Virgo! The squeaking wheel gets the oil as Monday's lunar eclipse lights up your work zone. An opportunity to advance your career could pop up out of the blue. Don't let it pass you by because you were too modest to speak up. If you've been hustling nonstop for the last six months, your efforts could pay off in a big way. Or, let this be your moment to step up to the plate and finish 2017 with a project that puts a feather in your fedora. (Hint: Add more creativity and soul to those goals.) The eclipse also brings a wellness wakeup call. If you feel sluggish, don't ignore it. Schedule those annual checkups and see what happens if you swap the coffee and frosés for something clean and green.
Every word counts starting Saturday, when your ruling planet, expressive Mercury, slips into a signal-scrambling retrograde until September 5. This one's a bit of a double-whammy, as Mercury will retreat through the Virgo zone of the sky until August 31. Trying to get your point across to people could be an ongoing exercise in futility. Save any sales pitches and big reveals until after September 5 — or make sure you've polished them to near-perfection before they make their debut. On the plus side, Mercury's backspin can inspire you to pick up a half-done project and work on it behind the scenes in earnest.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Libra September 23 to October 22
Romantic developments come fast and furious this week, thanks to Monday's lunar eclipse in Aquarius pinging your flirtatious, flamboyant fifth house. Single Libras, get ready for Cupid’s arrow to strike. Enjoy the attention, but don't try to foist a label onto it immediately. This might just be a warmup fling or a holiday romance. Time will tell. If you're in an LTR, you could hit a romantic milestone, one that might involve apartment hunting, special pieces of jewellery, or pregnancy tests. But eclipses also reveal shadows. Have you been sweeping an emotional issue under the rug? Down the truth serum and discuss. The innovative Aquarius eclipse can help you create surprisingly good (albeit edgy) win-wins. Fame could also come a-knocking with this attention-grabbing eclipse. Nothing to prep for here, Libra. The camera loves you, baby.
Are you so over a certain situation? On Saturday, Mercury turns retrograde in your 12th house of healing and transitions, helping you dive in and deal. Devise your exit strategy and try to be levelheaded about it. On the other hand, what might be necessary is a good, long talk to clear the air. Surprise, Libra: You might get the apology you deserve...but also realise that you need to say "sorry" for something, too. Do a closet inventory: A cluttered home can make it hard to concentrate. Bag up the things you know you'll never wear and see what you can sell online for fall wardrobe funds.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Scorpio October 23 to November 21
Does your home feel like your haven, Scorpio? Without proper privacy, you can get hella cranky. This Monday's lunar eclipse in Aquarius will shine in your domestic zone and show you all the things you need to fine-tune. Maybe it's really time to move into your own place or maybe you just need to discuss sleeping schedules with your noisy, waiter roommate. Be honest about your needs. An excellent deal deal may fall into your lap (starter home, here you come!) or you could unleash some makeover magic on a neglected area of your crib. A powerful woman could also pop up this week, lending an assist that launches you to the next level of the game.
People from your past could also play a prominent role in the days ahead. On Saturday, messenger Mercury turns retrograde in your community-minded 11th house until September 5. Getting the band back together could turn into more than just a one-time jam session. A successful sequel could be born — even a profitable one. Be extra careful with your digital devices, since this retrograde hits your 11th house of technology. Keep the iced coffee far away from your iPad, check the Uber to make sure you didn't forget your phone, and make sure you're hitting "reply" instead of "reply all" when sending those private (or snarky) messages.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Sagittarius November 22 to December 21
Handling too much by your lonesome? Monday’s lunar eclipse in Aquarius will reboot your (platonic) partnerships. Connect with likeminded people and focus on forging friendships with people who will genuinely have your back. Also, clear your social calendar to leave room for cultural activities. Within two weeks of the eclipse, you could locate your kindred spirits or tap into a juicy dimension of the local scene. An opportunity could pop up that requires you to commute between two cities. Explore, Sagittarius! The nomadic lifestyle could sate your inborn wanderlust — even if that means you have to update your mode of transportation.
On Saturday, messenger Mercury turns retrograde in your 10th house of career until September 5. An assignment you thought was complete could suddenly need revising — or there could be a change of guard at the office. Before you send off a presentation, give it an extra coat of polish — and ask a colleague to look it over in case you missed any salient points. How are your business alliances; have you and your colleagues been in sync lately? Nurturing professional relationships could move you up that ladder or bring a profitable tag team effort. Someone you worked with in the past could pop up on your radar. Explore possibilities because this could yield a sequel success!
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Capricorn December 22 to January 19
Ready to make it rain, Capricorn? (When aren't you, if we're being honest?) Monday's lunar eclipse in Aquarius electrifies your second house of income and activates your earning power. A job offer could show up in your inbox or you could be contacted by a recruiter. Eclipses bring surprises, so you might even get word of some changes coming up at your 9-5. Stay two steps ahead of the game by finding out what the company's growth objectives are and, if interested, developing the right skill set to evolve with them. Not feeling it? Polish up your CV and LinkedIn profile, because the universe is lining up to assist you with finding a better gig. If all is status quo with work, this eclipse might inspire you to be a better money manager. How can you turn your hard earned coin into actual wealth? Set up a pension or consult a financial planner who can help you create a diversified portfolio of individual stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
On Saturday, communication planet Mercury turns retrograde in your honest-to-a-fault ninth house until September 5. Your candid comments might be uttered in the spirit of friendship but…too soon? People will be ultra-sensitive for the next few weeks and it might not be the right time for a teachable moment. Instead, turn that energy towards your own self-development. A summer workshop — one that gives you skills for a side hustle, even — could be a fulfilling endeavour. Or revisit a place that holds special meaning in your heart. While Mercury retros aren't great for taking risky voyages, they are fabulous for a nostalgic return to your home base, university town, or honeymoon destination.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Aquarius January 20 to February 18
You are literally sparkling this week— and it's not just your metallic makeup. Give thanks to Monday's annual full moon in Aquarius, which is also a game-changing lunar eclipse. The spotlight is shining on you, illuminating not just your talents but your hard work of the past six months. Are you ready to bust out of a restrictive relationship? Jailbreak, baby, it's time to move on. Or maybe you'll boldly lay out the terms that work for you. There are always compromises in partnerships, but this week you can also have plenty of things on your terms. One of your passion projects could finally get the green light or you could be vaulted into a leadership role at work. Buckle up and don't even bother pulling the emergency brake. Your rocket is lifting off and you're so much more ready for this than you realise.
Got secrets? We suggest you start spilling them, Aquarius, before someone else puts their spin on the story. From Saturday until September 5, mouthy Mercury will be retrograde (backwards) in your eighth house of mysteries, sex, and, yes, scandal. Certain matters should be kept private. Password protect your confidential documents and delete any messages or posts that could potentially come back to haunt you. An old flame could return, tempting you away from a healthier path. While this person may indeed be the best sex you've ever had, you could also get tangled up in a messy obsession. Pro tip: When the message comes in, ignore, delete, and block.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Pisces February 19 to March 20
Light the bonfire, Pisces — and gather up some stuff you want to burn, like your ex's godawful band tees, the cards from a friend who betrayed you, or diaries you would never want a soul to read. This Monday marks August's first eclipse — a lunar (full moon) eclipse in Aquarius and your 12th house of endings. It's time to let go of things that no longer serve you, whether they're physical objects or limiting beliefs about yourself. There's something so liberating about permanently closing the door. Plus, a clean break heals the fastest. On the flip side, it might be time to extend an olive branch. Did you mess up with a friend? Write a letter asking for her forgiveness if she won't meet you in person. You might not get an immediate response, but if the rift can be healed, you could hear back from her within 2-4 weeks of Monday's eclipse.
Important people from your past could start popping up come Saturday, as social Mercury turns retrograde in your relationship house until September 5. Yep, Pisces, that Tinder date who bolted just when things started getting serious or even "the love of your life" could make a reappearance. Was it simply bad timing that short-circuited things? If so, it might be worth it to try again...but cautiously. You won't know for a few weeks if this is worthy of a sequel. Couples could see an uptick in lover's quarrels and common misunderstandings. Try to remember that you're on the same team! It takes two to tango, which also means you shouldn't blame yourself for the other person's misdeeds (a pitfall for your sometimes too generous sign). Hold them accountable for dealing with their B.S. It will make the relationship stronger.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Aries March 21 to April 19
You are now entering the collaboration station. Group efforts get a major boost this Monday, thanks to the electrifying lunar (full moon) eclipse in Aquarius and your 11th house of teamwork and technology. Chill the bubbles. The magic you've been making for the past six months could hit a milestone worthy of celebration. Once you've downed a glass or two, get real about next steps. Should you carry on with this squad or do you need to branch out and explore other energies? Don't stick around out of habit or misplaced loyalty — especially if you're the star of the squad. You won't soar your highest while others are riding on your coattails, Ram. But, if you've truly found your dream team, pumping up your online presence could be the next logical step.
Starting Saturday, Mercury slips into retrograde until September 5, beginning the retreat through you sixth house of work and wellness. No more blowing off shifts or showing up late because you were laying by the pool. For the rest of the summer, you'll need to dot every "i" if you want to keep your professional standing in a proper place. Looking for a better gig? Someone you worked with in the past could have a promising lead for you. Don't try to be the gym class hero only to pull a muscle or get swept up in some questionable health fad like vaginal steaming when doctors say to have an orgasm instead!
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
Game face: on! Your career could take a dramatic leap forward this Monday, thanks to the lunar eclipse in Aquarius and your ambitious 10th house. Meet the universe halfway and plant yourself strategically among the VIP influencers. Or make sure that key management is aware of your contributions. You can be slick about it, Taurus, sending out an email that innocently outlines your vision or dropping a humblebrag into conversation to pique curiosity. Ready to find a more fulfilling professional path? Eclipses can expedite change if you're willing to pounce. Check with corporate to see what new positions might be opening up in the autumn or, since Aquarius rules technology, wrap the summer with a short-term training to add a monetise-able skill to your CV, like social media marketing or Photoshop.
Starting Saturday, you'll need to guard your heart with greater vigilance. Communication planet Mercury turns retrograde in Virgo and your fifth house of love until September 5. This could seriously cross signals with your S.O. If a lover's quarrel heats up, do your best to not escalate it. Taking regular timeouts will be a relationship saver. Single? Slow down and assume nothing. You might be feeling "happily ever after" when bae is just looking for a season pass. An old flame could return to stoke the embers, but proceed with caution here, too. If a sequel is meant to happen here, you won't know for sure until after September 5.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
No more faking it! This Monday's lunar eclipse in Aquarius activates your tell-it-like-it-is ninth house. Down the truth serum (and that shot of top shelf tequila, if it's gotten really bad) and have The Talk. While you shouldn't mince words, you don't have to destroy people's dignity during these discussions. Buffer your admonishment in a "praise sandwich," starting and ending with a genuine compliment. A thrilling travel opportunity could pop up near Monday and hell yes you should go, Gemini, even if that means taking a few more days off work. This eclipse could also draw support for work that you've published or an entrepreneurial venture. Keep going, because this side hustle could become something more serious in the days ahead!
This Saturday, you may have to call a house meeting as your ruling planet, expressive Mercury, turns retrograde in your domestic zone until September 5. Tension that's been brewing with a flatmate could flare up. Get in alignment about sleeping schedules, paying bills, and how to divvy up duties like unloading the dishwasher and scrubbing the tub. On the plus side, this retrograde could bring a reunion with an important woman in your life. (Time for some Gilmore Girls style bonding with your mum?) You might even resolve a long-standing conflict, although it might take a few discussions before you can put the issue to bed.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
If the summer hasn't yielded much in the romance department, fear not, Cancer. This Monday's lunar eclipse in Aquarius and your erotic eighth house could illuminate a keeper — and someone who's as awesome in the sheets as they are on the streets. Eclipses speed up manifestations and someone you've been casually dating could sit you down to talk exclusivity within a month of the eclipse. Coupled Cancers could even put a ring on it, whether that's a spare apartment key or a princess-cut diamond engagement sparkler. But no settling, please! There's zero room for lukewarm feelings under these moonbeams. Lust and trust are the winning combination. Save your final rose for someone who arouses both.
You could also reconnect with an old friend group starting Saturday as social Mercury flips into retrograde until September 5. Revive your bond with a girls' trip or host a couple beloved pals on your living room floor. Just choose your words with care over the coming three weeks. Since this Mercury backspin takes place in your communication sector, it's kind of a double-whammy. Save any fiery messages to your Drafts folder. And no drunk — or drunk in love — Snapping! Anything dashed off in the heat of the moment could lead to regrets.
Illustrated by Alia Penner. Photographed by Jason Rodgers.
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What a difference a generation makes — or in this case, five generations. Selma director Ava DuVernay tweeted a photo of a tribute to Michelle Obama's ancestor that has been moving and inspiring many people.
The inscription on the tombstone states that the former First Lady 's great-great-great grandmother, Melvinia Shields, was born a slave in South Carolina in 1844 before settling in Georgia at age 6. The inscription details a vast change achieved in those generations. DuVernay shared a photo of the memorial with the caption, "Become your ancestor's wildest dream."
The director and filmmaker's tweet inspired others to share how far their families have come since the 13th amendment was added to the United States Constitution in 1865. Michelle Obama's predecessor, Melvinia Shields, would have been 21-years-old at the time the amendment was passed.
One tweet told the story of a Columbia University faculty member whose great-grandfather was a slave in Tennessee. Another shared a similar story along with how they became a genealogist. News reporter Erica Bennett tweeted some encouraging words, writing that, "the story of black America is one of strength, faith, and constant endurance. Still striving, but we have a lot to be proud of."
The story of Black America is one of strength, faith, and constant endurance. Still striving, but we have a lot to be proud of. 💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿 https://t.co/fUhx0HnmhS
A background that started with oppression and prejudice became history-making; innumerable families share a history like this. They had to fight for something that is and always should have been an inalienable right. Michelle Obama not only went to Princeton University — she earned her law degree from Harvard University before becoming the 44th First Lady of the United States of America. Inscribed on the tombstone are the words, "Theirs is a story of hope."
It is a beautiful reminder of the resilience and perseverance that can create lasting change in the world.
Beyoncé doesn't just break new ground. She smashes the floor open, and we love every second of it. She changed the game when it comes to album rollouts; we all remember where we were when our phones began blowing up from frantic texts from friends about her visual album on a random Thursday night. Lemonade became a symbol of power for many women, particularly women of colour. Lately, she's even elevating her Instagram posts to a new level: they're becoming mini-music videos unto themselves.
Simple posts showing off her fly outfits have become videos with looped music, multiple shots of her look, and even some candid phone pics with Instagram filters. The evolution of these unique posts have been slow, but she's been posting more of them since she announced the pregnancy of her twins.
Exhibit A: The first outfit-as-music-video post appeared on May 12, 2016, with a short loop of 3 photos with Bey and Blue Ivy in matching denim looks.
Exhibit C: The frequency of these posts really picked up steam when she was serving us her maternity looks. Once the arrival of Sir and Rumi was announced, we were blessed with a slew of Instagram music videos showing off her dope style and twin bump.
Exhibit D: Her rollerskating date last night with hubby Jay-Z takes up a level by including actual phone video looped and filtered to be as adorable as possible.
We'll all look on Beyoncé's prime creative years with fondness, feeling appreciative that we got to be alive and experience her work when she was at her creative peak. Beyoncé is never not changing the rules of the game.
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The costumes on Game of Thrones are an extraordinary achievement in simple technical terms, with the clothes feeling worn, lived-in, and practical. Some of the character's costumes can also tell us a lot about their motives. There's so much thought that goes into the wardrobes of Westeros, but crafting each of these exquisite pieces requires some ingenuity. As it turns out, the crafty designers have a little secret for staying on-budget: IKEA. Award-winning HBO costume designers, they're just like us!
The characters who hang out up in the North, either in Winterfell or by the Wall, wear thickly padded tunics and fur capes to stay warm. At a talk sponsored by the Getty Museum in L.A., chief costume designer Michele Clapton (who has won 3 Emmys for her work on Game of Thrones), explained that some of the fur on Night's Watch capes are actually carpets from IKEA. The process for turning the carpets into something wearable involves cutting them, shaving, adding leather straps, and "breakdown, which is like a religion on Game of Thrones." It is a process that ages and dirties the costumes so they look worn and old. "We want the audience to almost smell the costumes," she says. Arya's mud-covered boyish ensemble as she traveled the Riverlands could definitely be smelled on-screen.
We highly doubt that there were any IKEA parts on Euron Greyjoy's recent style evolution from mad pirate to Rick Owens model, but maybe he's rocking a secret OFELIA somewhere. The whole talk is fascinating and worth a look if you're especially interested in the historical references in the Game of Thrones costumes. The mindfulness that goes into these costumes is incredible, and the show wouldn't be as transcendent if these details weren't laboured over so painstakingly.
Clapton discusses the IKEA rug hack below, at around 27 minutes into the video.
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Some women don't leave the house without lipstick or a spritz of perfume. I never leave my apartment without mascara. Why? Because it makes me feel awake and polished. But no one ever said a perfectly combed-through, loaded-up lash was effortless, so while the rest of the world lusted after eyebrow tattoos, I started looking up lash extensions.
Eyelash extensions aren't new, but they are more prevalent and available than they've ever been. To a novice like myself, they seem like magic; something that removes the need for a coat of mascara — or even eye makeup in general. Was it too good to be true? Could I be one step closer to waking up like Beyoncé for weeks on end?
Turns out, the world of extensions can be slightly problematic. Yes, the procedure can be perfectly safe — but there are caveats. To help figure out what's safe and what isn't, what's bad, good, and better, I went to the pros to suss out the details.
First, What Exactly Are Lash Extensions?
There are multiple types of extensions, but the most natural and careful technicians recommend one-to-one application, where a single false lash is adhered on every single natural lash. A full set ranges from 150 to 200 lashes per eye, Tirzah Shirai, founder of Blinkbar tells Refinery29. This will cost you. Blinkbar's services start at $120 (£95) for a full set of lashes, but other salons might charge a few hundred for your first service. Beware of going to places that charge less.
"The biggest misconception is that there are all these places that say they do lash extensions for $65 (£52), but typically, what you're getting is a cluster," Shirai tells Refinery29. "A cluster is essentially a bunch of lashes that have been pre-glued together — and they're incredibly heavy. They'll completely destroy your lashes." Which brings us to our next point...
Understand The Risks
Eyelash extensions aren't illegal, but the FDA warns users to be careful. "Since the eyelids are delicate, an allergic reaction, irritation, or injury in the eye area can occur," the FDA website says.
In theory, lash extensions are fine. But they can be dangerous when applied the wrong way. "You want to make sure that the adhesive and extensions they're putting on are sterile and approved for use around the eyes," Dr. Andrea Thau, president of the American Optometric Association and spokesperson for Think About Your Eyes, told Refinery29. "Anytime you're adhering something to the delicate tissues of the eyes, you're creating a possibility of infection or styes." The sharing of equipment can increase the likelihood of infection, Thau notes.
Other technicians also recommend using extensions sparingly, warning that over-gluing lashes might damage your natural hairs. "In the long run, [extensions] can actually make your life harder," Lara Kaiser of Shen Beauty told Refinery29. "The extra-strength glue causes lashes to become brittle and the heavy extensions on top of compromised lashes cause breakage, stunted growth, and loss of lashes." A few of her clients have even developed an allergy to the glue after consistently wearing extensions, Kaiser says.
Still convinced this is for you? Read on to make sure you get the best experience.
Know Your Weights
The lighter the extension, the easier it is on your natural lashes. The typical fiber used is a 0.2 lash (where the diameter of the strand is 0.2 mm), Shirai says, but a good rule of thumb is to check if your salon carries 0.15-mm lashes. "That’s a safe, natural-looking thickness, and it shows that the salon has some sort of knowledge about the procedure," she says.
It's important to note that most good salons won't offer extensions more than twice your natural length or thickness for fear of breaking your natural strands. One-to-one lashes are the best for your lash health. Still, rules can be broken — by the right people. At Blinkbar, technicians will hand-glue together multiple 0.03-mm strands for volume sets that are just as light as a standard 0.2, creating the fluttery doll set of your dreams while limiting damage to your lashes.
Mink, Silk, Or Synthetic?
The three most popular types of lash extensions are mink, silk, and synthetic. Rumour has it, Beyoncé opts for mink. "Mink fur is actually hollow on the inside, so they're the lightest," Shirai says. "They give you a fluffy look that's really beautiful." They will, however, cost you more.
Not willing to shell out an extra £150 for mink? Silk and synthetic strands are slightly more affordable options — silk for high shine and a softer touch, synthetic for stylised offerings like ombré lashes. But, as usual, check to make sure you aren't allergic to any of the ingredients in the lashes or adhesive before you get them glued on.
Photographed by Ben Ritter.
Prepare To Take A Nap
You should expect the process to take anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, including consultation, Shirai says. "The first appointment should always be at least 90 minutes, and our longest appointment would be three-and-a-half hours," she says, "but it should be a painless procedure. People fall asleep all the time."
Arrive at your appointment relaxed — and maybe forgo the triple shot of espresso so you don't move around during application too much. Shirai also recommends coming in without any eye makeup on, removing your contacts, and avoiding waterproof mascara for the week leading up to your appointment, since the mascara will leave an invisible film.
After Extensions: Your Beauty Routine
The good thing about extensions? You won't have to wear a lick of mascara for as long as they last. The bad thing? Taking off makeup won't be as easy.
Immediately following the application, avoid getting your lashes wet for 24 hours. After that, Shirai tells her clients to get rid of oil-based products, since the oil may break down the adhesive.
Blinkbar does offer a a special (more expensive) adhesive that can immediately get wet and stand up to oil, but generally, "Stay away from mascara, unless it's been formulated to be used with extensions," Shirai says. You should also comb your lashes — but not over -comb them — and keep them clean with oil-free cleanser.
Learn Your Lash Cycle
Despite the hefty price tag, lash extensions do not last forever — but they should stick around for at least two weeks. Many technicians recommend getting a touch up every two to four weeks if you want to maintain the look. "We all have a growth cycle for our lashes, so it doesn't matter which salon you go to," Shirai says. "Everyone loses six to 20 lashes a week. When your natural lash sheds, you're going to shed the extension along with it."
It's also important to note that if you choose not to have your set touched-up, they will look uneven as they fall out. As much as we'd like our lashes to shed in unison, that's not always the case. This is a complaint many first-timers notice if they don't keep up with them — as the extensions fall out, your fluttery fringe tends to look patchy.
No matter how uneven they start to look, you should not, under any circumstance, try to remove lashes by yourself. "You cannot remove your lashes with coconut oil. If you start rubbing your lashes, you might end up in lash rehab," Shirai says. Pulling them or cutting them won't work, either (you'll lose the tapered end). Always get a pro to remove them to avoid any damage to your natural hairs.
Safety First
Nothing is worse than shelling out some cash for extensions only to get an infection. To avoid any disasters, make sure you find salons you trust — with technicians that sanitize often and do not share equipment or adhesives.
"[The safety of extensions] really depends on who is doing it and how careful they are," Dr. Thau says. "Are they washing their hands thoroughly before they touch your eyes? Or are they reusing the same adhesive over and over?"
For a quick spot-check, make sure that you can see the technicians' license posted by the bed and ask about the glue they use (be wary if there's formaldehyde in the formula). "I would recommend that you ask your technician where they were trained and ask to see before and after photos of their work," Shirai says.
And if it turns out extensions aren't for you? "I recommend a lash growth serum or even castor oil applied topically," Kaiser says. There are, after all, some crazy good mascaras on the market. But if you're still sold on extensions, go forth. Maybe just keep it to a few times a year for those truly special occasions.
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It's notoriously tough to translate sarcasm into the written word, but with the help of technology and science, it soon might get a little bit easier to tell when someone's being sarcastic with their emoji.
According to MIT Technology Review, researchers that initially looked to create an algorithm to filter out racism accidentally stumbled upon a way to identify sarcasm.
Using deep learning, which looks for repeated patterns in huge amounts of data, the researchers noticed that emoji were an indicator of strong emotion. Looking closer at emoji specifically, the team pivoted to focus on the tiny icons and the messages they accompanied.
"Because we can't use intonation in our voice or body language to contextualise what we are saying, emoji are the way we do it online," Iyad Rahwan, associate professor the MIT Media, wrote. "The neural network learned the connection between a certain kind of language and an emoji."
The algorithm looked at the 64 most commonly used emoji and scanned through 55 billion tweets to train the system to connect the emoji with various sentiments. After running through all the data, Rahwan and his team found that the algorithm could match various emoji with messages, even if sarcasm was at play.
Of course, MIT wanted to compare its robotic emoji maestro to humans. During a test, researchers found that humans could correctly identify sarcastic tweets 76% of the time. DeepMoji, which is what the team decided to call the new system, identified 82% of the tweets. DeepMoji can also suggest emoji to go along with any tweet, so if you're ever at a loss when choosing the perfect one, turning to this super-smart algorithm could help you make that very important decision.
It's good news for the impending robot takeover. According to Rahwan, tech like this could allow computers and other AI to sense human emotion, be it through a sarcastic compliment or frustration at a complex computer program, and toss out an emoji to either comfort their human compatriots or really annoy them.
"If machines are going to cooperate with us, then they're going to have to understand us, and emotion is really hard," Rahwan said.
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Ed. note: Ayahuasca contains the powerful hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is a Class A drug and illegal in the UK. The following is a first-hand account of one person's experience of ayahuasca; it is important to note that the experience is different for everyone and, as with all drug-taking, carries an element of risk. It may have serious implications for those with a history of mental health issues. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behaviour.
The strange thing is, I always knew I’d do ayahuasca. Some people say it’s a calling; you’re either summoned or you’re not. I first heard about it from an old boyfriend while at university. At the time, my recreational drug use hadn’t extended beyond a few spliffs at a café in Amsterdam and a terrifying ‘whitey’ in my hometown which – after a phone call to my sister, alerting her to the reality that I was probably dying – resolved itself in a curry house. I ordered half the menu and proceeded to suck on the end of the same chip for over half an hour, worrying that my relationship with salvia was well and truly over. I know, I’m a total cliché. I’m sorry.
But ayahuasca was different from any other psychedelic I’d ever heard of. It wasn’t recreational but rather a sacramental process to be respected. A potent, psychoactive, plant-based brew that has healing powers and spirit-enlivening effects, the experience promises a breakdown of the ego. The best explanation I've encountered is in Chris Kilham’s The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook: "A longing, part remembrance of something enduring and part intuition of future revelation."
Ayahuasca translates from the South American Quechua language as "soul vine" or "vine of the dead" and the ceremony has been practised for thousands of years by indigenous people who treasure the plant. The taste of the brown, bitter liquid is so potent and distinctive that just thinking about it brings the flavour to the back of my throat. The shaman who leads the ceremony, and acts as a spiritual guide and protector throughout what’s sometimes an eight-hour-long experience, is supposed to have dieted on the plant almost exclusively and sometimes for years in order to fully integrate with its qualities.
At first, I’d understood ayahuasca through sensationalised, fantastical stories that oscillated between facing demons who’d warn you about your impending, premature death and reaching the subliminal in total ecstasy with "God". All this while vomiting your guts out as you cry hysterically and possibly shit yourself. I was confounded. I couldn’t get ayahuasca off my mind and over a period of years I found myself intermittently reading around the topic. I was raised in a small, provincial village, in a 500-year-old house with a poltergeist that my parents had a priest exorcise three times. I’m not kidding. So I’d already experienced things I couldn’t explain or rationalise, and I was open to the idea of a spiritual world beyond the realms of human understanding.
So there I was, a girl who’d never so much as cast eyes on a hallucinogenic let alone tried one, on my way to drink the most powerful, mind-altering brew the world had to offer. My sister and I had flown to the north of France one dark October evening, to a large, rustic chateau in the countryside which belonged to the family of our friend. We’d arranged for a Peruvian shaman to come over to Europe and carry out a number of group ceremonies. We greeted one another in hushed whispers before being told to go upstairs and prepare. I remember feeling hungry. I’d been fasting for a week: no alcohol, vinegar, pork or beef, no dairy, nothing spicy, absolutely no lemon and no sex. I was told this cleanse would maximise my ceremonial experience. I put comfortable clothes on – a series of layers because I was aware ayahuasca altered your body temperature and I was, at that time, concerned about being cold. I was filled with anticipation but I didn’t feel scared. The house seemed swollen with a bolstering, warm energy that made me feel protected and calm.
There were 13 of us partaking in my first ceremony, including the shaman and his assistant (who’d later tell me they both believed they’d been practising these ceremonies together for thousands of years, over the course of many lifetimes). We each had a soft, grey mattress, pushed against the back walls to form a circle. Each mattress came with a pillow, a blanket, a purge bucket and 10 mapacho cigarettes (it’s believed the shaman can channel energy through this tobacco and they’re smoked when you’re having a particularly hard time, to achieve realignment). I also took some toilet roll because I was really quite concerned about the shitting bit. The room was almost pitch black, only slightly lit by candles so I could watch as the shaman walked around the room blowing smoke to ensure the space was protected. I listened as he opened the ceremony with a prayer, calling in the right spirit allies for our endeavour and praying for everyone’s intentions.
It’s important to come to ayahuasca with intentions – to know why you’re there and to understand what you seek. After a painful year of watching my father disintegrate into death from a brain aneurism and a series of strokes that left him brain-damaged, I was grappling with the rejection I’d felt from him during my life. He was an alcoholic and despite his numerous attempts to battle his illness, he’d fallen short. His death had extinguished my childlike hope that one day I’d have the relationship with him that I deeply wanted. I’d also just been dumped by my boyfriend, which came as a huge shock (at least to me), and I was struggling to come to terms with the layers of rejection I’d experienced from the men I loved.
At that time, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of being stuck, stagnant. Aware of and striving for a level of happiness that I knew I’d reached before, I felt a physical weight restricting me. As I tried to embrace all the love in my life and feel grateful for my many blessings, toxic vines of unknown pain and trauma wound around my ankles and kept me motionless. I felt unable to grow and develop as a person but was too determined and optimistic to give up and tumble into a pit of despair. I was nowhere girl. And it was fucking suffocating me.
So I sat on that mattress, ready to unload my daddy issues and grieve the most ego-demolishing dumping of my life thus far. Help, was my intention; I was caught and I needed to learn to move again. Mother Ayahuasca is responsive and reactive – like absinthe's green fairy, she leads you on an essential journey. Resist her and you’ll suffer. Try and outsmart her and you’ll lose. You can call to mind a person or a situation and, like an endless corridor, you can go through doors and experience twinges linked to your past and the source of your pain. Some people have more choice of where they go; some are forced into the rooms she feels you need to see. Others have just one heavy door that’s ever-so-slightly ajar – enough to show that what lies behind are the most terrifying things they will ever know – and they keep revisiting that door to confront its horrors. Everyone’s experience of the vine is different and unique.
Roughly 45 minutes after drinking the ayahuasca, I felt it. I entered into a synaesthetic spiral of colour and energy, a new universe of otherworldly beings powered by hues and feelings and thoughts that previously seemed beyond my imagination. I sat for a while and tried to slow myself in this world, flitting out of it and into the ceremonial circle, then back into ayahuasca again. I heard my friends start to purge and a deep sickness overcame me. Balls of energy that felt like wool tangled in the back of my throat made their way to the surface and my skin tingled. I vomited for hours, but it felt relieving and almost fulfilling. I’d look down at the hands of my childhood self and resume a memory from my past, consumed with emotional abuse and the disappointment of my father. I’d heave and quiver until I’d vomit again, dispelling the pain, then I’d collapse lifeless onto the mattress until the next wave came. This experience was relentless, it rolled over me again and again, another memory to acquiesce to, another purge. The next thing I remember is looking up at the shaman kneeling in front of me, singing a haunting melody which unearthed pain that I cannot explain in words as I cried uncontrollably and unashamedly. There it was: release.
Leaves from Banisteriopsis caapi (Ayahuasca plant). Photo: Neil Fletcher and Matthew Ward/Getty Images.
As the shaman sang his icaro, a sacred song used to call on specific spirits or to accelerate the energy in the space, I felt all the anguish and despair I’d experienced in my 27 years – but mostly I felt a sense of healing. Throughout the ceremony I witnessed "purging" icaros, which drive a more intense expulsion and enable you to relieve yourself of physical and emotional toxins. Certain members of the group would fall into a unanimous, violent purge during particular icaros. What startled me most were the songs that set the women off. I felt a stinging sensation as the women in the room vomited in unison and my sister and I craned over, retching and convulsing in perfect harmony. I often think about what it was that made the women purge but didn’t affect the men, what kind of emotional toxins we carried that they did not.
I’ve heard stories of ayahuasca helping people diagnosed with a terminal illness to reconcile their grief; of drug addicts who experience a revelation, enabling them to conquer their vice; of the young sister of a friend who, after a series of rehabilitations, faced losing her life to a crippling eating disorder but found recovery. But be under no illusion – ayahuasca will not solve your problems. Only you have the ability to do that. What it does, in my experience, is take you to a level of consciousness you’ve never reached before so that you can understand how to help yourself.
It’s work. At least that’s how I’ve noticed my friends refer to it: "I really hope she does the work that she needs to;" "I spoke to him yesterday and I’m worried he’s not doing his work;" "I’m so proud of you for doing your work." The most incredible thing about my first ceremony was reliving an experience that felt so familiar but which I couldn’t reconcile as my own. It was a situation I understood on an unconscious level, a pain I held. I could accept the weight of it was something I carried but I couldn’t understand the people or the surroundings. Weeks later, I would describe this scene to my mother and watch her crumple into tears as she listened to her youngest daughter describe a childhood memory that belonged to her. I tried to ease the fear in her eyes as I explained that in creating and birthing me, she’d unknowingly imprinted this experience on me. But now it was gone – in reliving it so viscerally I’d unblocked it, and I hoped I’d done that for her on some level, too.
The day after my first ceremony, I was reluctant to drink the brew again. I was too terrified. Imagine a world where all of your fears are a kaleidoscope in which you have to sit. But there was also something magnificent and illuminating about the experience that I couldn’t resist. What I learned in the course of that night would have taken me years in therapy: my innate fear of masculinity, my unhealthy obsession with time and planning, my emotional self-harm in the guise of impulsiveness and courage. The next ceremony, which took place the following night, was a closing ceremony. After drinking that thick, brown liquid once more, I lay on my mattress with a blanket over my head, focusing my mind on the present, hoping with every fibre of my being that I could resist its powers. But then they came – colourful, snake-like entities pushed and trembled around my body, my heart pounding and thudding until I gave into the incredible, healing work they were doing. It is impossible to describe this ceremony in words, a pre-symbolic experience of complete joy and ecstasy, where I met with my own version of "God" and visited the place I came from and will return to.
One of the things I treasure most from ayahuasca is the inimitable bond I have with the individuals I drank with, some of whom I’d met for the first time. Now it’s as if we are family, bound by our collective experience that only we will ever understand. The central revelation for me personally, though, was an understanding of my own fear. I’d been living my life through the lens and framework of something I didn’t understand and therefore had no hope of fixing. Nine months on, I can honestly say I’ve transformed the way I live and the relationship I have with myself. It’s ongoing work. It’s no miracle and it takes quotidian efforts – I actively commit to this new way of living when I wake up every day. Ayahuasca took me into a universe within myself and showed me many things that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. I am as enraptured as I am petrified by the idea of another ceremony but, just like the first time, I have the unquestionable knowledge that I’ll drink ayahuasca again.
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Every few years we see a significant shift in the shapes and cuts of denim; where the bootleg reigned supreme in the early noughties, 2010 saw the skinny jean take its place. Despite the cropped kick-flare taking centre stage in 2016, in recent seasons, there has been less of a prescribed rule of thumb, meaning more experimentation and – dare we say it – more fun.
For AW17 denim was polarised into light and dark, with rich indigos and inks playing off '80s and Americana-inspired light washes. Cropped, boxy jackets were seen everywhere from Off-White and APC to Stella McCartney and MSGM, while embroidery adorned the denim at Adam Selman, Libertine and Fyodor Golan.
Both Ashley Williams and Raf Simons, with his Calvin Klein collection, paid homage to the USA's lonely cowboy. Simons presented matching denim buttoned-up shirt jackets and bootleg jeans, complete with steel-toed tan boots, while Williams gave her contemporary cowgirls plaid shirts and high-waisted denim. All manner of denim skirts were spotted, too, from the A-line button-ups at Maison Kitsune to Loewe's cropped fishtails to Jour/Né's straight-up minis.
Autumn 2017's denim drop is varied, giving us contemporary cuts, frayed hems, off-kilter seams, and nods to the '70s and '90s. We're styling floor-skimming flared jeans with sandals and poplin shirts now but, come colder climes, we'll be teaming with sock boots and roll-neck knits. Our stepped-hem patchwork jeans look wonderful with a slogan tee during summer but when winter shows up, we'll be layering under midi dresses.
Click through to see the brands producing the most exciting denim pieces to help you transition seamlessly from summer to autumn.
Paulo Almeida and Marta Marques burst onto the scene back in 2011, bringing with them frayed hems and distressed denim. With an eye for experimental construction, they've always been inspired by '90s street style and attitude-first design.
This mid-rise pair is going to see us through autumn, thanks to its deep indigo denim and signature frayed hem. Wear with sandals and an oversized shirt now (remember, the brand's jeans look best skimming the floor), and with sock boots and a quilted jacket come autumn.
Marques'Almeida Frayed Mid-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans, £310, available at Net-A-Porter
You can always trust Zara to reflect the season's freshest trends, bringing us more attainable takes on catwalk looks. The brand's latest drop features vintage-inspired pieces, from the boyish straight jean with utilitarian five pockets, to this distressed multi-wash number.
With frayed hems across the arm line, multi-tonal shades and distressed edging, we're styling this jacket over floral dresses now, and under shearling jackets and puffers come autumn.
Zara The Vintage Denim Jacket, £49.99, available at Zara
RE/DONE alter vintage Levi's denim, updating the shape and fit to offer fresh jeans with a nostalgic touch.
This pair is every inch Farrah Fawcett; what makes it contemporary is a twist only visible from the side – an inner-leg panel of lighter washed fabric. The nipped-in waist and wider hem make this pair perfect for proportion play. Team with poplin shirts for now and under midi floral dresses when the nights get longer.
RE/DONE Leandra Jeans, £265, available at Farfetch
Originally based in Hong Kong, this Chinese brand relocated to Paris soon after its 2004 inception. Inspired by boy/girl mashups and Parisian and London street style, its denim pieces are a dose of wardrobe-friendly ready-to-wear freshness.
What sets this split-hem midi skirt apart is the just-off-centre front seam and the stepped hemline, making it a 2017 spin on a classic shape. Wear with gingham now, and rainbow-bright knits when the weather takes a turn.
MO&Co. Split-Hem Denim Skirt, £110, available at Selfridges
Bringing to life the spirit of the much-referenced '60s style icon Jane Ormsby Gore, M.i.h's autumn/winter denim collection lives and breathes a bohemian and rebellious west London.
You'll find faded stonewash denim in button-down shirt dresses and flared jeans, but this jumpsuit is the star of the show. Its nipped-in waist and statement collar make it oh-so-'70s but roll up the sleeves, button down the top and layer over a roll-neck, and you've got yourself a 2017 refresh.
M.i.h Jeans Icon All In One Denim Overalls, £295, available at M.i.h Jeans
Topshop offers some of the best new shapes in denim, and the coming season is no different. Head of design, Mo Riach, tells us that it's all about "diversity in washes for the new collection. While we're still inspired by vintage and authentic washes, we're loving cleaner and smarter looks too".
We love the exposed stitching on this deep denim boxy jacket, which is cropped to the perfect length for high-waisted jeans – don't be afraid to double up your denim.
Topshop MOTO Cropped Denim Utility Jacket, £46, available at Topshop
AG's autumn offering sees pinafore and buttoned-up dresses in dark indigo, embroidered jeans and shirt jackets, and – our favourite – repurposed raw denim. Inspired by the '90s, the brand has used visible seams and stitching to update classic hero styles.
These vintage-fit, high-waisted jeans have a straight leg and come in a faded cotton blend. We'll be pairing ours with slogan tees and Birkenstocks in hot weather, and thick-knit roll-necks and Chelsea boots come winter.
French Connection's new season collection is a denim delight, with dramatic wide legs, exposed stitching, kick-flared crops and patchwork miniskirts to choose from. There's a reworked '50s pin-up-inspired jean (we'd pair these with gingham), and a twill skirt with detailed pockets, if the '70s are your thing.
This high-rise straight-leg pair is a favourite from the collection. Made of super-soft denim, the inky blue makes them an instant classic. Don with loafers and a crisp white shirt for easy workwear, and turn up the hems for dramatic detailing.
French Connection High Rise Straight Leg Jeans, £75, available at French Connection
Ever since Mother's debut collection back in 2011, denim connoisseurs have been hooked. Recognised for its soft fabric, innovations in technology, and future-thinking shapes, celebrities and the style set alike have been seen in its denim.
Earn your racing stripes with this motocross-inspired pair, which we're currently sporting with Converse and band tees. Earning equal space in our wardrobes when autumn hits, we'll add a thick knit and point-toed boots.
Mother Whipping the Racer Jeans, £262, available at Farfetch
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
If you're a young woman or teenage girl in the digital age, you may have had your fair share of prospective partners – or even trolls, for that matter – asking you to "send nudes", aka naked photos of yourself. At best, such requests are inappropriate and tiring (unless they're made within a consensual relationship, of course); at worst, they're an example of sexual coercion.
So we're not surprised that people are calling out a popular fast fashion retailer for a sign urging shoppers to "send nudes" of themselves. The pink neon sign, which reads "send me nudes x", was spotted in the Missguided store in Bluewater shopping centre, Kent, and also appears to be on the walls of the store's Westfield Stratford branch in east London.
The sign has inspired reams of angry tweets and sparked a petition calling for it to be removed, which has garnered around 6,000 signatures at the time of writing.
What hope is there for girls when the stores they shop in give them this message? @Missguided it's time to respect girls & remove this sign. pic.twitter.com/0n0RYIIfgG
The petition is pushing for the brand to take down the sign and "respect girls more". Rachel Gardner, who founded the campaign and drew attention to it in a recent tweet, writes that the sign "legitimises the culture of sexual coercion that teenage girls and young women experience daily" and promotes "a negative and damaging culture".
"Teenage girls feel under increasing pressure to create and send nude pictures of themselves," she writes, pointing to an NSPCC report which concludes that teenage girls are most adversely affected by the culture of sexting. "Once online, these nude images can be seen and used by anyone, making girls and vulnerable young women the victims of bullying, revenge porn and exploitation. Many of these nude images can even make their way to child abuse websites."
Gardner highlights that it's illegal for nude images of under-18s to be created, sent and shared in the UK. She adds: "'Send me nudes' legitimises the culture of sexual coercion that teenage girls and young women experience daily. In posting 'Send me nudes' in their store, Missguided are promoting a negative and damaging culture. Instead, they should be empowering young women to value their intrinsic value and express their uniqueness through the art of fashion. So we are calling on Missguided to respect girls and take down their sign."
This is ghastly...@Missguided is a 'millennial brand' claiming to empower teens/early 20s.
Youth worker Tim Gough has also penned an open letter to the company's CEO, Nitin Passi, suggesting Passi "may be... ignorant to either the sexual pressures of young people, or the law regarding sexting culture."
He also slammed the sign for contributing to a sexting culture that can destroy young people's lives. "If you had spent any real time with a sixteen year old consumer who had followed your advice to ‘send nudes’, then you would witness first-hand the destruction that such a simple act creates. You would see the wake of broken relationships, emotional havoc, and intense bullying. You would learn about moved schools, social service involvement, police case numbers, and court hearings.
"You would see childhood robbed in a moment of poor decision making. Your sign, thus your brand, is complicit in that," added Gough.
Missguided attracted the ire of shoppers back in April, too, after it emerged that real cat fur had been found in a pair of pink high heels sold by the brand. Let's hope the store heeds shoppers' demands and removes the missguided sign.
A spokesperson for Missguided told Refinery29 that "the sign has now been covered and will be removed this evening". The company will be issuing a statement shortly.
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