When it comes to sexual assault, people often seem to assume that it's easy enough for survivors to just fight back, or somehow try to overpower and escape their attackers. But one new study provides some evidence as to why that's not always possible.
The study, published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, found that most sexual assault survivors "freeze up" during the assault, experiencing a temporary involuntary paralysis, known as tonic immobility.
According to the study tonic immobility as "an 'involuntary, temporary motor inhibition' when exposed to extreme threat," is believed to be a response to attack that occurs when there seem to be no other options to avoid it.
For the research, Anna Möller, MD, PhD, of the Karolinksa Institute and the Stockholm South General Hospital in Sweden, and her colleagues studied the cases of 298 women who visited the Emergency Clinic for Rape Victims in Stockholm within one month of a sexual assault.
Of those women, about 70% reported significant tonic immobility and 48% reported extreme tonic immobility during the assault. What's more, among the 189 women who completed a 6-month assessment, 38% had developed PTSD and 22% developed severe depression. Those who experienced tonic immobility were associated with increased risk of developing PTSD and severe depression.
The researchers said they hoped that the study will help us better understand how assault can affect survivors.
"The present study shows that tonic immobility is more common than earlier described," Dr. Möller said in a statement shared with Refinery29. “This information is useful both in legal situations and in the psychoeducation of rape victims. Further, this knowledge can be applied in the education of medical students and law students.”
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visitRape Crisisor call 0808 802 9999.
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Just when you thought this election couldn't get much more surreal. We've had Jeremy Corbyn join BBK and be adopted by the grime community, a Conservative candidate give us his best Alan Partridge impression, and now the prime minister has got us all laughing about – wait for it – wheat.
During a wide-ranging interview with Julie Etchingham of ITV’s Tonight programme ahead of Thursday's general election, Theresa May was asked to reveal the "naughtiest" thing she ever did as a child.
A self-described "goody two shoes", May, who was born in Sussex, initially seemed reluctant to answer. You can practically hear the cogs turning in her brain as she scrambles for the most politically correct response.
"Oh, goodness me. Well, I suppose... gosh. Do you know, I'm not quite sure. I can't think what the naughtiest thing...," she dithered.
But when pressed again by Etchingham, May revealed just how much of a thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie she once was. "Well, nobody is ever perfectly behaved, are they? I mean, you know, there are times when... I have to confess, when me and my friend, sort of, used to run through the fields of wheat, the farmers weren’t too pleased about that,” she added.
Judging by this answer, it came as no surprise to learn during the interview that she was a "bookish" child who enjoyed going to school and loved learning. One of those kids.
No prizes for guessing how the PM's answer went down on social media. The news of her wild youth has spawned an avalanche of sidesplittingly hilarious tweets and memes. Some people also used the hashtag #naughtiestthing to admit to the most mischievous thing they'd ever done. We're in fits.
Theresa May: Wanna run through a field of wheat? David Cameron: Can't bbz i'm busy May: There might be pigs in the field Cameron: pic.twitter.com/uEKjUI6lDw
Update: Authorities in the UK released the name of the third suspect involved in the London Bridge attack last Saturday. Youssef Zaghba was a 22-year-old man born in Italy and of Moroccan descent. The police said he was not a subject of interest before the attack took place. Zaghba and the other two attackers, Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane, were fatally shot by the police.
Khuram Shazad Butt was a 27-year-old British citizen of Pakistani descent who was known to the authorities. He had also appeared in a recent Channel 4 documentary called "The Jihadist Next Door." The second suspect, Rachid Redouane, was a 30-year-old who claims to be of Moroccan and Libyan descent. The authorities said they are still working to confirm the identity of the third suspect. All three suspects were killed by the police on Saturday.
This article was originally published on June 3, 2017.
A terrorist attack struck London on Saturday night, with police now saying seven are dead and the city’s Ambulance Service transporting at least 48 people to various hospitals around the city in the wake of the incident.
Metropolitan Police announced that three male suspects were also shot and killed, within eight minutes of the attack being reported. Several arrests have been made this morning, following police raids in the nearby east London area of Barking.
The first incident was confirmed by the Metropolitan Police at 10:28 p.m. at London Bridge. Pedestrians were reportedly mowed down by a vehicle, with the BBC reporting that eyewitnesses, including one of their reporters, saw the vehicle hit multiple people.
Info available at this stage: from 2208hrs officers responded to reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians on #London Bridge. 1/3
BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on London Bridge at the time of the attack, reported that she saw a van “probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour,” being driven by a man. "He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people. He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind," Jones told the BBC.
The second incident was reported at nearby Borough Market at 11:16 p.m., an area full of restaurants and bars. Metropolitan Police confirmed that shots were fired after armed officers responded to the scene.
Officers have then responded to reports of stabbings in #BoroughMarket. Armed officers responded and shots have been fired. 2/3
The Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said that the suspects drove from London Bridge to Borough Market, where they "left the vehicle and a number of people were stabbed, including an on-duty British Transport Police officer who was responding to the incident at London Bridge. He received serious but not life-threatening injuries."
Armed officers confronted the three suspects at Borough Market, where the suspects were shot and killed. Rowley said, "The suspects were wearing what looked like explosive vests but these were later established to be hoaxes."
A third attack was reported in the Vauxhall area at 11:44 p.m. but was later declared by police as unrelated.
Within an hour, Prime Minister Theresa May made a declaration. “Following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism,” May said. The Metropolitan Police followed suit, confirming that the two incidents were being treated as a terrorist attack at 12:50 a.m.
Theresa May described Saturday night's events as "dreadful", while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called them "brutal and shocking." Campaigning for Thursday's national general election has been suspended in the wake of the attack.
This morning, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee.
In a statement, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said, “We don't yet know the full details, but this was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts.”
The police advised Londoners involved in the attacks to run away, rather than negotiate or surrender with attackers. If they were unable to get away, citizens were instructed to hide with their phones off and call the police and make a report when they were able.
U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the attacks and tweeted his support to the UK, saying his country would do whatever was needed to help. He also tweeted about his so-called travel ban, citing this incident as a reason to support it.
Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!
The U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning the attacks, with spokeswoman Heather Nauert echoing the president's statements by saying, “The United States stands ready to provide any assistance authorities in the United Kingdom may request."
London Bridge remains closed overnight, with the neighbouring Southwark Bridge also closed. Several London tube stops were also closed, along with Borough High Street. This morning, people are being urged to avoid the London Bridge and Borough Market area while the emergency services continue to deal with the incident.
If you're concerned about friends or relatives who may have been caught up in the attack, you can call the Metropolitan Police's casualty bureau on 0800 096 1233 and 020 7158 0197.
The attack came two weeks after the Manchester attack during an Ariana Grande concert, and less than three months after a terrorist attack on London's Westminster Bridge left six people dead and 49 injured.
This is a breaking news story. We'll update it with more details as they become available.
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For the most part, Ikea is regarded as a reliable source for everyday home supplies, like plain bedsheets and basic dinnerware sets. The Swedish superstore's vast, no-frills inventory makes it the ultimate destination to shop for affordable apartment basics. But, if Ikea's June 2017 catalog is any indication, your next visit to the retailer is going to get much more colourful and interesting.
The brand has introduced Stunsig, a limited-edition line of tableware, cushions, and bedding in a variety of striking patterns. The edgy designs are created in collaboration with six artists and design teams with serious fashion credentials, giving rise to a daring collection (for Ikea at least) with lots of personality to spare. Think edgy hand drawings, cartoons and photography that scream " I picked this up at a cool indie boutique." Click through to take a peek at the eclectic new collection, now available in stores only.
The collection is created to inspire you to get creative about mixing prints at home. "All prints have a strong visual story on their own. The moment you mix various prints, the scenery expands and creates new, unique and unexpected magical stories,” says Tilde Bay, a Copenhagen-based artist behind some of the pictured tableware.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
Stockholm-based designer duo Team Hawaii is behind this whimsically illustrated duvet cover set.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
This rug by Steven Harrington looks like an item you'd spot in a cool art collector's home.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
Frédérique Vernillet 's pretty illustrated cushion covers will look amazing on any couch.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
The collection features a vibrant and cheerful palette that makes your home summertime-ready.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
“These cucumbers have problems. Some are sliced, others think they’re soon to be sliced and one seems shocked by something on their phone,” says Malcolm Stuart, an artist known for his playful and humorous illustrations.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
The cucumber motif also comes in machine-washable duvet covers and pillow cases.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
If you're in need of a bedding update, these funky Stunsig textiles will be right down your alley.
Photo: Courtesy of Ikea
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Mornings are hard enough without throwing intense summer heat into the equation. That equation being: As temps (we hope!) rise so does our exponential need for fast and easy a.m. refreshments. But don't worry, because we have the sweet solution to keep things cool: smoothies! And not the kind you need to drop a pretty penny (a.k.a. £6) on, but the quick and cheap kind you can make at home with only four ingredients — most of which you might have on hand already.
All it takes is your liquid of choice (nut milk, coconut water, yogurt, etc.), a creative combo of frozen and fresh add ins (fruits, greens, nut butters, etc.), and the right ratios blended together for that extra-frosty sip. If you're still in need of a little recipe inspiration, click on for three simple smoothies to soothe your summer mornings.
Cherry-Coffee-Nana Smoothie
Ingredients 1 cup almond milk 3/4 cup frozen (or fresh) cherries 2 coffee ice cubes 1/2 frozen banana
Instructions Pour ingredients into blend and pulse until well incorporated and liquified.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
Sip on coffee and breakfast in one jar with this tasty combo. Try this coffee cubes hack for quick blending — and if you're a non-caffeine sipper, subbing in a teaspoon of cacao powder makes for a chocolatey kick.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
Coco-Melon-Berry Smoothie
Ingredients 1 cup coconut water 3/4 cup of spinach 3/4 cup of frozen watermelon 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries
Instructions Pour ingredients into blend and pulse until well incorporated and liquified.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
Spinach adds a surprisingly creamy consistency to this refreshing melon-berry blend. Plus, you can try experimenting with different fruit combos (we're thinking cantaloupe-blackberry).
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
Peach-Nana-Butter Smoothie
Ingredients 1 cup coconut milk 3/4 cup frozen peaches 1/2 frozen banana 1 tbsp almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
Instructions Pour ingredients into blend and pulse until well incorporated and liquified.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
The sweetness of the fruit mixed with the almond butter's nuttiness makes for one satisfyingly smooth sip. Next time, we're thinking of subbing in yogurt in place of the coconut milk for a frozen after dinner treat.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.
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The baristas must be stopped. Carrot lattes are now a thing, and no, they're not a healthy way to get your morning caffeine fix. While you may assume that a carrot latte is some trendy veggie-flavoured concoction, that's not quite what's happening here. Instead, PopSugar reports that carrot lattes ("carrot-cinos," if you prefer) are actually just coffee placed inside of a hollowed out carrot. Instead of eating your root vegetables, you're just drinking out of one.
The idea comes from Locals Corner in Seaforth, Australia — but don't expect carrot lattes to eventually show up at your nearest Starbucks, or even be on the menu at Locals Corner itself. A photo of the creation showed up on the coffee shop's Facebook page, seemingly to troll all of their customers.
"How about carrot latte," the post read, followed by a winking emoji that is seemingly mocking everyone who prefers to drink out of a proper mug.
"Wow! So creative you guys! Keep re-inventing the wheel I say!!!," one fan wrote on the photo.
Okay, so the carrot latte isn't a real food trend — just an example of the shenanigans that the baristas at Locals Corner like to get into while they're pouring cappuccinos and espressos into regular ole cups. It's not the first shop to have tried a unique holder for their caffeinated beverage: You may remember that Melbourne's Truman Café invented the "avocado latte," much to the disdain of anyone who thinks avocados are ruining 20-somethings shots at ever getting into real estate.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, owner of Locals Corner, Vanja, clarified that these latte pics are all in good fun.
"We just like doing different things, we've being doing a few of these, one with an apple, one with an avocado, this week was a carrot and next week we will do something different."
That's all well and good, especially if it means I won't drip hot coffee down my shirt because I have to drink it out of an avocado.
No matter how much we tell ourselves that there’s no such thing as the perfect body or that we are in fact good enough, outside pressures to look a particular way are hard to shake. And ridding ourselves of that internal dialogue is no picnic. This is especially true when dating someone with a different body type.
If your partner’s endorphins are triggered by the sound of a juicer at 5 a.m. while yours are triggered by the single cup Keurig, it can feel like you’re inhabiting two different worlds. Not to mention, as many of us have learned the same lifestyle habits do not equal the same results.
Though one woman’s recent Instagram post is challenging that notion. Known as "Jazzy" on Instagram, the aspiring plus-size model, wife and mother posted a heartfelt photo of she and her hubby walking along the beach.
“Over the years this man has loved every curve, every roll, and every stretch mark on my body. I never understood why!” began the caption.
“How could he love something that isn't "perfect?" How could a man who was ‘born fit’ love someone like me! I don't have a flat stomach, I jiggle when I walk, hell if I run up the stairs to [ sic] fast my body claps (lmao)! But now I see I do have the ‘perfect’ body! Every roll, every curve and every stretch mark is put on me just perfect to make both of us happy!!! I love my body and I finally see why he does too!”
Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last penny.
This week we're with a 29-year-old Italian who moved to London five years ago. She was meant to stay just for a couple of months but three jobs and five houses later, she's still here and has a Canadian boyfriend and friends she considers to be her second family. She loves shopping, reading, discovering new restaurants, travelling (she has already been to five different countries this year) and is seriously addicted to many TV shows.
Industry: Retail, e-Commerce Age: 29 Location: London Salary: 34k Paycheque amount per month: £2,120 Number of housemates: 4
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £525 for rent, I share a big ensuite room with my boyfriend in a house we share with three friends Loan payments: None Utilities: £80 for internet, gas, cleaner and water Transportation: I pay as I go, ends up being around £80 Phone bill: £17 Health insurance: Covered by work Savings: Around £100 Other: £61 for Gymbox
Total: £783
Day One
7.45am: Drag myself out of bed and get the bus to work, I really need to get my bike sorted and start cycling again, so that I can stay in bed even longer. £1.50
8.30am: I always have breakfast at my desk, tea from the kitchen and I then alternate porridge or cereals that I bring from home. This morning is porridge! I'm Italian and used to have a lot of biscuits or croissant for breakfast, but porridge makes me feel healthier and I won't snack until late morning.
12.45pm: I walk to the gym for my weekly Ashtanga yoga class, I started doing yoga two years ago and I couldn’t live without it now.
2pm: Lunch at my desk, I cooked couscous with roasted vegetables yesterday. This is going to be an expensive week, so I have to try and save money on my lunches. Luckily we did grocery shopping yesterday so I'm ok with food for the week.
6pm: The weather is nice so I walk home, it takes me around 45 minutes. I stop at Sainsbury's to collect an ASOS parcel – I bought new shoes over the weekend, looking forward to try them on.
8pm: After a quick dinner it's time to book the accommodation for our last two days in Bali in August. Since we didn't pay for the flights (thanks to my boyfriend's company who gave him a bonus to use on flights last month), we decide to splurge on the accommodations. £171
11.30pm: Read for a bit before falling asleep. I need to catch up on American Gods as I want to read the book before starting the TV show, but everyone is already talking about it!
Total: £172.50
Day Two
8am: Bus to work. £1.50
8.30am: Breakfast at my desk, a colleague has brought croissants in, but I'm still hungry so I have some cereals as well.
10.30am: We're leaving for Rome on Friday for a friend's wedding so I go on Minicabit and book a cab for Friday morning. Total is £36, but boyfriend will pay half so it works out at £18. We have a very early flight and I can't be bothered taking the public transport at 4am.
11am: Tuesday we get free fruit in the office! Get an apple to use in my porridge tomorrow and one banana.
12.45pm: Vinyasa yoga class at work. My company offers free yoga once a week which is very convenient.
6pm: I run to my IPL hair removal appointment in west London. This is for free as I bought a six-sessions pack last autumn. Going by bus would be even longer so I have to take the Tube there. £2
6.30pm: I get there a bit early, so I check a big Asian food store close by and stock up on instant noodles, seaweed and sheet masks. £8.48
7.30pm: Pop into Zara as I really need some spring/summer clothes for Rome, it's 30 degrees there! £98. Oops.
8pm: Tube back home. £2
8.30pm: Finally home! Cook a quick pasta and overnight oats for tomorrow's breakfast. Watch a couple episodes of The 100 with the boyfriend before falling asleep around 11:30.
Total: £129.98
Day Three
8am: Walk to work.
9am: Overnight oats for breakfast.
12.15pm: I walk to the gym for a 30-minutes abs class. I love going to the gym at lunchtime, it breaks my day and the afternoon feels shorter. And let's be honest, I can then eat as much as I want.
1.30pm: I eat a salmon quiche from home and while I have lunch I renew my about-to-expire ASOS premium delivery. £9.95. I'm so used to this and Amazon Prime, I think if I had to wait more than 24 hours for a parcel I'd go crazy now.
6pm: It's been an exhausting day and I'm meeting a couple girlfriends in Soho for a cocktail and some gossip before heading home. It's a buy-one-get-two and we all have mojitos, so pretty cheap. £4
7.30pm: Bus home. £1.50
8pm: Boyfriend cooks chicken and corn on the cob and we then decide to watch a movie as we haven't watched any in a while. We decide to re-watch Mulholland Drive, I love David Lynch and the new season of Twin Peaks is out so I want to get in the mood!
Total: £15.45
Day Four
8am: Bus to work. £1.50
9am: A friend is in my building for a meeting so I meet her for breakfast in our canteen, cinnamon bagel with butter. £1.20
12:30pm: Walk to the gym for a pound class. It is so much fun! It combines Pilates and isometric movements, all with constant simulated drumming, so very good to release the accumulated stress. I love Gymbox because of the variety of classes offered, I never get bored!
2pm: Grab a Tesco meal deal on the way back to the office, salmon and cucumber sandwich, yoghurt and a can of Coke. I didn't prep anything yesterday and I forgot to bring my instant noodles. £4
5.30pm: I leave the office a bit earlier as I booked a luxury mani-pedi in Fitzrovia. This was a gift for my bday, so free. It's two hours of complete relaxation and they kept filling my glass of prosecco. I walk out a couple hours after, a bit tipsy and with an OPI goody bag.
8pm: Bus home. £1.50
8.30pm: I get home and no one can be bothered cooking, so we decide to order Thai food on UberEats and have a little feast with the flatmates. £11
Total: £19.20
Day Five
4am: Cab to Heathrow, paid on Tuesday.
5.30am: Porridge and croissant at Pret. £5.50
6am: It's very hot and sunny in Rome, so I buy an SPF at Boots before boarding. £6
11am: We land and we get a taxi to the hotel. When I travel with my boyfriend we always put money together, like £50 a day, it makes it easier as we won't have to divide the bills. £25
1pm: Walk to the Trevi fountain. I've been to Rome a lot of times but it's always beautiful, I could never get bored of this! We get two slices of pizza on the go. £8
2pm: I take my boyfriend to the best ice cream place in the world and we get a cone each. I forgot how much ice cream you get in Italy ordering a medium cone but oh well, I'll have to deal with it. £5.50
7pm: After a power nap at the hotel we have a Spritz and then walk to Trastevere for dinner. £10
10.30pm: After a full dinner including wine, starter, main and dessert we are a bit tipsy and so tired as we only slept four hours, so we walk back to our hotel and fall asleep by midnight. £20
Total: £80
Day Six
9.30am: Get up and have breakfast at the hotel. When I travel, breakfast is my favourite meal. I have croissant, homemade cake, bread and jam and an amazing cappuccino.
10.30am: Check out from the hotel and walk to the Colosseum, it's so hot I'm dying, we get some water and keep walking around. £2
12pm: A few of my friends have arrived in Rome for the wedding, so we meet one of them for lunch. We have pizza and Coke in the same place we went to yesterday. £10
2pm: We go back to the hotel to collect our luggage and get a taxi to the station, we could have walked, but is so warm we can't face it. £5
2.30pm: We get a train to the beach location we are going to stay for the next two days. Since both me and my boyfriend have been to Rome many times, we decided to stay by the beach for the rest of the time so that we can chill and get some colour on before the wedding. £4
3.30pm: We get to the hotel and we both completely forgot we booked this on Booking.com and still haven't paid for it. Unpleasant surprise. £90
4pm: We hit the beach and get a Spritz. They bring it with crisps, nuts, olives and focaccia bread. £10
6pm: We go to a local supermarket to get some goodies for after dinner: bottle of red wine, anchovies, olives and cheese. £12
8.30pm: After a shower we go to a restaurant we found online, it has amazing reviews. We have the most amazing burrata cheese, seafood pasta and cheesecake. Quite expensive, but well worth it. Once we get back to the hotel we are too full, tipsy and tired to open another bottle and have more food, we fall asleep around 11pm. £50
Total: £183
Day Seven
9.30am: Breakfast at the hotel, unfortunately is not included. Once again I have a lot of food, cakes, croissant, tea... £6.50
10.30am: We decide to try another beach, we get lounge chairs and an umbrella and the sun is already very warm. £10
1.30pm: Quick lunch, I get a Caprese salad and a beer, the tomatoes in Italy make all the difference, so good! £10
4.30pm: I get a popsicle and water, it's so warm! £3
6.30pm: Back to the hotel and we finally have all the goodies we bought yesterday. We have a nice balcony, so we have all the food and wine with a nice view.
9pm: We decide to splurge on a final seafood dinner, it's our last night here as we have our friend's wedding tomorrow. I decide to get the bill and not to use the money we have in common for the holiday. £100
Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, in which a woman decides to walk the 4,265km-long Pacific Coastal Trail, might have inspired a new generation of women to tackle huge walks in a bid to find themselves, but one walker had already set out to do another, much longer, trek by the time Reese Witherspoon's film adaptation had hit the big screen.
Sarah Jackson had just finished her sociology degree when she embarked on one of the most gruelling anti-gap years imaginable: walking Canada's the Great Trail. Over 10,000km later, though, she’s smiling. Now, aged 24, she’s become the first woman to walk across Canada from coast to coast. (She still hasn’t read or seen Wild, though).
She often walked with a partner, and admits she took breaks to go home for Christmas, but has essentially spent two years living outdoors, out of a backpack, spending much of her time alone. Sarah explains what led her to it, what it feels like to finish, and how the walk has changed her.
In previous interviews you have said the walk just sort of “happened” and I just wanted to ask, how did you start doing the walk? I had been interested in the idea of a long trek for a really long time. My uncle and I hiked the Camino de Santiago when I was a little younger so it was something that I had wanted for a while. I looked into a couple of the long-distance hiking trails in the States but I was working in a hostel for a little bit and I realised I was more interested I think in staying in Canada because there's so much of the country that I didn't know. As soon as I stumbled across the trail I knew it was something I was interested in.
Then I was wrapping up school and had an opportunity to move back in with my parents and save some money. But at first I didn't know I'd do the whole thing. I thought I'd do a section of it and see how I enjoyed it. Then I kept enjoying it and kept walking.
In Wild, a major life event inspired the heroine to start walking; did you have anything similar? Nope! Some young people take a gap year or set out travelling post-university, and I chose this. While I do think that seeing and understanding other parts of the world can be incredibly valuable, for me, at the start I looked at this as a chance to have a period of self-reflection while also making my footprint a little smaller.
You said accepting help has been a big lesson for you. More than anything it's just been developing a confidence maybe in my own ability or knowing I can do something or pursue something. I suppose it's like anything, if you set out to do something and you do it then it's something you can look back on and say, “I was able to do that, I was able to keep moving forward”. And this is like a really direct representation of that. I don't usually look at it that way until a little bit later, though. I try and take things as they come a little bit. And I think maybe that makes it easier: focusing on what you have at hand.
Did you have an example of a time when you had some help that you really needed? When my Achilles tendon swelled up it was like I had a golf ball on the back of my ankle. I was in the middle of the prairies and I knew I had to get into a city to get it looked at, but there were no buses, so at that point I had to go to a stranger and knock on their door and ask if there was some way of getting to town. In the end he gave me a ride.
It sounds like you're quite self-aware of how you’re feeling – has that helped? Absolutely. Even if I'm trying to live in a moment and solely be in that moment I think it's also come in terms of, that, not everything is permanent. If I'm not feeling great in a certain circumstance, it's not always going to be that way. But memory's a funny thing and you just forget that sometimes.
Once, we walked through a few days of really cold and wet weather and we were joking because I think you go through periods when you're like, “I'm so wet that I'll never not be wet, I'll always be wet, I'll never be dry again”. And it feels like that. That was coming through part of Nova Scotia, through Cape Breton. We were in the bush, the tent was wet and all of our clothes were wet, and we were walking in wet shoes that were completely waterlogged. Your hands are permanently wrinkled. It feels like you've been in a bath for hours, but no: it's just the rain.
Are you looking forward to having a break? Admittedly, I've had a couple of breaks from the trail but in those instances, almost as soon as I stopped walking I'd be itching for the trail. I'd spend a day or two at home, and it was really nice to see family and friends, but I'd miss the trail so much.
But I think being away from family and friends started to take its toll a little bit, and I missed having access to books and music and all of that. It's a lot to live out of a bag and to live outside for so long.
Do you have any advice for women who want to do long walks on their own but don’t know where to start? How I feel here is not any different from how I feel living as a woman at home. Carrying a safety device is nice but I don't know if it gave me confidence. I think it gave my mum confidence, though, and it made me happy that my mum was happy.
At the same time, I know it's different for everyone. For example, I'm a white woman walking across Canada and I know my experience could be very different if I wasn't. Just do what you're comfortable with. Putting yourself in a position where you're going to feel really anxious all the time will colour your experience in a negative way.
I also started out walking with someone and so maybe jumping in like that was easier. But that's just me – it doesn't mean it would have been the same for anyone else.
Did you ever feel lonely? Not often – maybe because I had so many people join me along the way. But even during parts I've been by myself, I didn't often feel lonely. Alone, yes; lonely, no. I think sometimes it's easier to feel lonely in groups of people: there's a feeling of lacking connection with the folks you're around that leaves you aching for intimacy, or a disconnect leaves you longing for someone to understand you. That is something that I've never felt when I've been walking.
What's one way you kept yourself entertained? I'm definitely doing a 21st century version of this journey. Sometimes I walk in the quiet, but on other occasions I listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts. I call my friends and family. If I have a friend on the trail, sometimes we'll play cards, or make up games. Mostly, though, I spend a lot of time with my thoughts.
With the news of Sofia Coppola's award for Best Director at Cannes for her new drama The Beguiled (disappointingly, she’s only the second woman to have won the prize in the festival’s history), we’re turning to her back catalogue to revisit her most stylish films.
From the fanciful, pastel-hued Marie Antoinette to the wanderlust-fuelling cult classic Lost in Translation, the director’s work can’t be separated from her aesthetic. Coppola’s cinematography is filled with colour palettes and costume designs that are as memorable as the plots themselves. Of course, Coppola is no stranger to the world of fashion. Marc Jacobs' longstanding muse since their first meeting at a 1992 Perry Ellis show, she was a regular in ‘90s magazines like Seventeen and YM.
Looking back through stills of the director’s best work, we’re here to make the case for (arguably) her most visually stirring film, The Virgin Suicides, as the inspiration behind our summer style. If you’ve not seen the 1999 indie hit, it stars Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett and Kathleen Turner and is based on Jeffrey Eugenides' bestselling novel. Set in 1970s Detroit, the story follows the five Lisbon sisters through the eyes of a group of neighbourhood boys who become enamoured with them. After the suicide of their youngest sister, their strict Catholic parents increase supervision and take the girls out of school, only furthering the boys' infatuation. As the girls become more and more isolated, the dreamlike film spirals into a claustrophobic suburban nightmare.
As well as the soundtrack, featuring Carole King and Al Green, the costumes are one of the highlights of the film. Designer Nancy Steiner chose vintage pieces, from ‘70s stripes and button-down skirts to virginal Catholic prom dresses. With the aesthetic inspiring the likes of Tavi Gevinson and Petra Collins, we’ll be adding stills of Coppola’s film to our Pinterest board, and floating in ethereal and pastel pieces all summer long.
Click through to see our favourite items inspired by The Virgin Suicides.
Kirsten Dunst's Lux rebels against her restrictive upbringing, writing the names of boys in her underwear and inviting them to the roof of the family home. She does it in great style. This rainbow bikini top will be top of our holiday wish list, paired with a midi skirt and sandals.
Photo: Zoetrope/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Warehouse Rainbow Stripe Bikini Top, £17, available at Warehouse
Free People Rainbow Stripe Triangle Bikini Top, £89.95, available at Free People
Stella McCartney Striped Triangle Cup Bikini Top, £90, available at Selfridges
The girls are made to wear dowdy, virginal dresses to prom, to which their mother adds fabric – the "four identical sacks" are floral and prairie-like. We're spoilt for choice this spring, with midi dresses with ruffles, tea dresses and high-necked styles everywhere.
Photo: Zoetrope/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Topshop Ditsy Floral Print Tea Dress, £46, available at Topshop
Ganni Marietta Georgette Dress, £135, available at Ganni
Heartthrob Trip Fontaine woos Lux from prom to football field, leaving her to wake up alone after their night together. This brown boxy jacket would look ideal over the aforementioned floral dress, and these tinted aviators aren't going anywhere.
Photo: Zoetrope/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Quay Australia Muse Fade Sunglasses, £45, available at Quay Australia
Death is still taboo in most western societies. Odd, considering it’s one of life’s only certainties (along with taxes, obviously), and we all regrettably experience grief and loss during our lifetime. This means most of us fail to talk about the experience of dying until it’s happening to us or someone we love, and when we think about what it might be like, we tend to think in negative terms. But a new study suggests dying – when there is foresight – is actually happier and less terrifying than we might imagine.
Researchers analysed the emotions expressed in blog posts written by a mixture of terminally ill patients and prisoners on death row and concluded that dying is "less sad and terrifying – and happier – than you think", reported the Independent.
The writers’ accounts of dying didn’t convey loneliness or feelings of anxiety, but were actually "filled with love, social connection, and meaning", the researchers said. The patients had terminal cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while the prisoners faced death sentences in Texas.
The study, conducted by psychologists at the University of North Carolina and published in the journal Psychological Science, compared the real accounts to the words used by volunteers asked to imagine they faced imminent death. The team used algorithms to analyse both sets of blog posts for words with positive and negative connotations.
The surprising thing? The emotional tone of the words used became more positive as the writers approached death, and they were more likely to broach weighty topics like family and religion, presumably as they took stock of their lives.
"All water and nutrition now through gravity bags – drip, drip, drip. Need assistance for every movement. Surrounded here by so much love and care I feel I am ready for the next step," read one of the posts analysed by the researchers.
"I have no regrets at all – I have had a full life, touched and been touched by such wonderful family and friends. So if there is to be a final lesson for me it is that love is the ultimate gift – love and honesty."
Assistant professor Kurt Gray, one of the researchers, said most of us "think mostly of sadness and terror" when we imagine our emotions as we approach death. But, as humans, we're "incredibly adaptive" and tend to go about our daily lives as normal, even if we're dying.
“In our imagination, dying is lonely and meaningless, but the final blog posts of terminally ill patients and the last words of death row inmates are filled with love, social connection, and meaning.”
68% of British people fear death, according to a survey by YouGov, and for some people, fear of death can become a phobia known as thanatophobia, or "death anxiety".
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Have you watched The Keepers? You should definitely watch The Keepers. And for good reason. Hailed as "the new Making A Murderer ", the documentary series has fast become one of the most talked-about television shows of the summer.
For those not in the know, The Keepers is billed as an investigation into the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik in 1969. The series suggests that her murder was covered up because Sister Cathy knew information that would be harmful to the Catholic Church.
However, The Keepers is much more than a true crime documentary. It is, sadly, a heartbreaking example of repeated abuse of power – but it is also a testament to the women involved. Every single woman (save perhaps one...) featured across the seven episodes is a role model. They are the sort of women you want to put in textbooks for future girls to look up to. Many never got the justice they deserved and The Keepers now serves as a lasting reminder of their incredible courage.
Working in Baltimore (home, too, to the crimes committed in podcasts Serial and Convicted), Sister Cathy Cesnik was a 26-year-old nun. It is said often during the show how beautiful she was, how well liked. Sister Cathy had, unusually for a nun in her order, secured a job in a local school and lived in a flat with another nun, Sister Russell Phillips.
The school where Cathy taught, Archbishop Keough High School, is the location of years of alleged child sexual abuse. No one has ever been convicted, although the archdiocese has paid out settlements to 16 people who have levelled accusations at the school's chaplain, Father Maskell – reported by many to be the ringleader and main perpetrator.
Beyond these 16 individuals, it's tough to know how many children were affected by the alleged abuse. Without going into spoiler territory, it is reported over the course of the documentary that abuse was widespread and that, for all the people who have come forward as alleged victims, there may have been many more.
There are four main women at the centre of the documentary. First up are Abbie Schaub and Gemma Hoskins; a crime-fighting odd couple of unlikely proportions. Both women are former students of Sister Cathy's and it is clear, even 50 years later, that the nun had a huge impact on both of them. In fact, Gemma says it was Cathy who inspired her to become a teacher herself.
For the past several years, they have been tirelessly leading their own investigation into the case. Despite being in their mid-60s, the two run a successful Facebook page (hands up whose similar-aged mums struggle even to upload a profile picture) which has been responsible for gathering information featured in the documentary. They also have a blog which collects articles and evidence. Abbie is timid and enjoys the research, spending hours poring over outdated news articles and ancient interviews. Gemma is more outgoing and takes it upon herself to go out and interview the people she thinks might have information. She's always nice about it, but she's got an edge you wouldn't want to cross.
Not for nothing have they been compared to Making A Murderer 's Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, the attorneys who represented Steven Avery and fast became viewers' favourites. Abbie and Gemma's dogged determination and tireless search for the truth about their former teacher has resulted in possibly the greatest meme of 2017 (so far).
The Keepers spends long, uncomfortable periods of time in the company of the former students of Archbishop Keough as they speak frankly about the abuse they claim to have endured at the hands of Father Maskell. It's painful to listen as these women, now in their 50s and 60s, describe their experiences. At the forefront is Jean Wehner.
Jean was, for a long time, known as "Jane Doe". She says she was witness to a shocking, case-changing piece of evidence which she suppressed, along with the other horrific memories of her childhood. However, when she says things started coming back to her later in life, rather than continue her family life and attempt to live with her demons, she chose to waive her anonymity and pursue justice. As it is, she's been key in providing weight and strength not only to those still investigating Sister Cathy's murder but also to the other alleged victims who, encouraged by her, have started to come forward as well.
Jean's measured delivery to camera, her bruised yet matter-of-fact emotional state, is a marvel. It is unfathomable that she is able to stand tall. And yet there she is, still fighting.
Finally, there is Sister Cathy. Not much older than the young women she taught, The Keepers makes much of her bravery in the face of oppression. As someone who had to plead her case just to teach at the school, the fact that – as The Keepers implies – she took it upon herself to stand up for her voiceless students in the face of a notoriously patriarchal and hugely powerful organisation is next level.
In the overwhelmingly Catholic city of Baltimore, the Church was key. Priests were well known, liked and trusted by parents, by students and by public services. To take on a priest was to take on your religion; it was to take on an entire town. And it may have cost Cathy her life.
There are countless other women who took part in the documentary. Countless more that came forward and told their stories after years of trying to move on. Women who haven't ever found closure for the demons they deal with today. For us, the viewers, we need to watch for this very reason. We need to remember that taking part can't have been an easy task for these women, but my goodness, was it an important one.
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The term 'cult beauty product' is overused by beauty editors and makeup obsessives alike but if ever there was a cult beauty product, then Urban Decay’s Naked palettes undoubtedly tick the box. Some of the most popular beauty products of all time, each one of its neutral (and universally flattering) shades is more pigmented and more wearable than most market alternatives, consistently earning rave reviews from loyal fans all over the world.
And just in time for summer, Urban Decay has turned up the heat: its latest 12-shadow palette has arrived. Its fifth offering, the Naked Heat Palette, is a sunset paradise, with coppers, burnt oranges, and ambers adding a flash of colour to your makeup bag. Ranging from a pale base shadow through to a scorched brown, the palette offers a buildable range that will look at home on both sunny days and hot summer nights.
The Naked Heat Palette, £39.50, is available exclusively for a limited pre-sale on the brand’s website starting 12th June. If you’re not already an Urban Decay Beauty Junkie, you’ll have to wait until 30th June.
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If you read “clean eating” blogs and follow #fitspo Instagrammers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that processed white bread is basically poison. Even if you pride yourself on eating a normal, balanced diet, you may still opt for brown or wholemeal instead because your mum once told you it was healthier.
We assume white bread has low nutritional value and contains scary amounts of sugar, salt and worse, and is therefore bad for us. The reality isn’t that simple, though, and processed white bread could actually be just as good for you as brown, according to a new study.
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel, monitored the effects of eating a traditional supermarket white loaf compared with artisanal wholewheat sourdough – and there was little difference between them.
In fact, we may all react differently to different types of bread and one shouldn’t be labelled as “healthier” than another, the researchers suggested. Sales of processed white bread in the UK have dropped by 75% since 1974, while sales of brown and wholemeal have risen by 85%, suggesting we've all taken the "unhealthiness" of white bread as a given.
For the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the scientists analysed the gut bacteria and levels of fat, cholesterol, glucose and essential minerals such as calcium and iron in 20 healthy volunteers.
Half were asked to eat a higher-than-average amount of fresh wholewheat sourdough bread for a week, while the others were given the same amount of white bread. They were then given a two-week break before the two groups' diets were reversed.
The results were a surprise – even to the researchers. “The initial finding, and this was very much contrary to our expectation, was that there were no clinically significant differences between the effects of these two types of bread on any of the parameters that we measured,” said Professor Eran Segal, senior author of the study, reported The Sun.
He said the results "are not only fascinating but potentially very important – different people react differently, even to the same foods.” This is because we all have a unique array of microbes in our gut.
However, the findings shouldn't be considered conclusive, the team warned. The sample size was small and the volunteers only ate each type of bread for a week. There also wasn't a control group, so there may have been other factors affecting the results (people often change their normal behaviour when they're taking part in a study).
Wholemeal and brown bread do have other benefits, though, as some have pointed out. Bridget Benelam, from the British Nutrition Foundation, highlighted that it contains more fibre than white. She said: “Going for wholegrain bread and other wholegrain foods is important as, in the UK, we eat much less fibre than is recommended,” TheSun reported.
Dr. Elizabeth Lund, an independent consultant in nutrition and gastrointestinal health, also touted the benefits of wholegrains. “It should not be forgotten the health benefits of whole grains may be much longer-term than a one week study can show, especially in relation to gut health and prevention of conditions like bowel cancer.” Turns out the concept of "gut health" is far from a load of shit, after all.
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I think we can all agree that Wonder Woman has crushed expectations.
The film made over £175 million worldwide in its first weekend in cinemas, making it the highest grossing domestic film by a female director. It has a rating of 93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, earned glowing reviews from critics and fans alike, and inspired little girls all over the world to embrace their inner superhero. I'd call that a major win.
But all this begs the question: Why were those expectations so low in the first place? In the months leading up to the premiere of Wonder Woman, questions were raised about director Patty Jenkins' ability to shoulder such a weighty franchise. The National Review 's Armond White, for example, wrote that "Jenkins is not an action director; clearly, she was hired only as a politically correct token."
Others were less explicit. The Hollywood Reportercalled Jenkins "a big gamble for Warner Bros," citing, among other factors, her lack of experience. The director only had one big-screen feature under her belt, 2003's Oscar-winning Monster starring Charlize Theron, which cost only £6.5 million to make. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, had a budget of £120 million.
Similar concerns were raised about Jenkins' predecessor, Michelle MacLaren, who was originally supposed to direct the film. Although Warner Bros. cited "creative differences" as the official reason for her departure, Varietyreported in April 2015 that executives had become worried about MacLaren's competence in directing such a large-scale project, given the fact that her experience lay mainly in directing prestige TV episodes of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, among others.
Add to that the suspicious lack of marketing surrounding the film, a move many interpreted as the studio lowering expectations to minimise potential fallout should it fail at the box office, and we have the makings of a glaring double standard.
In 2016, only 7 percent of the 250 top-grossing films were directed by women, according to San Diego State's Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film. This was a 2 percent decline from 2015. And while, Jenkins' success may pave the way for more women to direct big-ticket franchises, it's unacceptable that they should have to jump through more hoops even after they've been tapped to run a project. Aside from Jenkins, only a handful of female directors have ever been given the responsibility of a huge blockbuster with only one film on their resume. Sam Taylor-Johnson, for one, went from directing Nowhere Boy, a low-budget film about young John Lennon, to helming the first instalment of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
On the flip side, plenty of men have made the jump from indies to big-budget blockbusters, with little objections raised. Ahead are just a few examples.
Marc Webb
Indie Feature:500 Days of Summer (2009)
Next Project:The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Like Jenkins, Webb had only directed one feature-length film, an indie with a budget of less than £7 million, before being tapped to direct the £185 million The Amazing Spider-Man. At the time, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, said: “At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker’s life. We wanted someone who could capture the awe of being in Peter’s shoes so the audience could experience his sense of discovery while giving real heart to the emotion, anxiety, and recklessness of that age and coupling all of that with the adrenaline of Spider-Man’s adventure. We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey.”
James Gunn
Indie Feature: Slither (2006)
Next Project: Guardians of The Galaxy (2013)
Who doesn't love Baby Groot? James Gunn actually directed a few indie films between Slither and Guardians of the Galaxy ( and also worked as a screenwriter on a number of movies ), but the former was his biggest budget film (at £10 million) before taking on the £186 million dollar Marvel behemoth starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper.
Gareth Edwards
Indie Feature:Monsters(2010)
Next Project:Godzilla (2015)
Third Project:Star Wars: Rogue One (2016)
Garreth Edwards went straight from directing a film with a £400,000 budget (!) to Godzilla, a film with a budget of $160 million. From there, Edwards went on to direct the first spinoff in the Star Wars franchise, starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and Riz Ahmed. The budget for that one? £130 million.
Josh Trank
Indie Feature:Chronicle(2012)
Next Project:Fantastic Four (2015)
Trank's first film, a well received teen sci-fi thriller starring Dane Dehaan and Michael B. Jordon, cost only £10 million to make. His second was the highly anticipated Fantastic Four reboot starring Miles Teller. Yes, the one that has a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the time of the film's release, Trank tweeted (and then promptly deleted): “A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would’ve recieved [sic] great reviews. You’ll probably never see it. That’s reality though.”
Colin Trevorrow
Indie Feature:Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Next Project:Jurassic World (2016)
In an interview with SlashFilm, Treverrow said that he never even had to pitch to direct the £120 million reboot of the classic franchise, nor did he read a script, despite only having ever directed one film. Rather, he got the job after Brad Pitt recommended him, saying "he kind of reminds me of me."
"We talked for about two hours and then they flew me to L.A. a couple days later and Steven and I talked for a couple of hours and then he gave me Jurassic Park because it was a very strange week," Treverrow said. "You know, I don’t know exactly why he made that choice."
Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Indie Feature:The Kinds Of Summer (2013)
Next Project:Kong: Skull Island(2017)
Jordan Vogt-Roberts' £1.1 million coming of age movie premiered to rave reviews at Sundance. In 2014, he directed the You're The Worst pilot for FX, and three more episodes in the show's acclaimed first season before getting tapped to direct the King Kong origin story, starring Tom Hiddleston and Michael Keaton, and with a budget of £150 million.
As Vulturepointed out in an interview with Vogt-Roberts earlier this year, this transition from indies to blockbusters was a conscious move on the director's part. “After Kings of Summer, I came to realise that when you make an indie, it almost doesn’t matter how good it is," Vogt-Roberts said. "My friends had movies far better than mine, things like Fruitvale Station and Short Term 12, that were coming out the same year — you watch this thing that you love enter into the world, and it’s almost impossible to break through the clutter and the noise of pop culture,” Vogt-Roberts told Vulture recently. “So I was like, I want to make a big movie, because I want people to see the movie I make. ”
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Welcome toThe Drop, Refinery29's new home for exclusive music video premieres. We want to shine the spotlight on female artists whose music inspires, excites, and (literally) moves us. This is where we'll champion their voices.
Dagny stresses that she has no problem with getting naked, but when it comes to her new song, "Wearing Nothing," things aren't quite so literal. The music video, shared exclusively on Refinery29, instead explores what the Norwegian singer calls "being bare with someone," and the knack human relationships have for falling in and out of sync.
The first thing you'll notice about the video, however, are the colours.
"I think we very quickly decided we wanted this Wes Anderson inspired thing," she told Refinery29. "It would have been such an easy thing to do like 'Oh, we have a song called Wearing Nothing, Dagny, let’s get undressed.' I just didn’t have that vision, I guess."
Instead, she opted for the vintage fashion and decor she gravitates towards in her everyday life, and this personal touch extends to her dance moves. The entire video, which features Dagny opposite two male subjects, is choreographed to represent the way our movements can be so perfectly in sync with another person — as well as how they can fall apart.
"I guess it’s something in my head I’ve always imagined, this amazing La La Land meets, like, an old Fred Astaire movie or something," she explained. In turn, these movements tell a story, specifically, "this idea of you’re in sync with someone and then as time goes by you fall out of sync and you have this moment of alone and then you meet someone else and you’re in sync."
It's not about one relationship versus another, but rather the cycle of relationships — with others and ourselves — that is constantly turning.
"You’re with someone and then you’re totally in sync and everything is great and then time passes on and runs its course and you come to an end," she explains. "But then by then meeting someone new that doesn’t necessarily diminish what you had."
Instead, Dagny prefers to focus on self-growth. It's reflective and sometimes sad but, above all, fun.
As for what's next, Dagny will be performing at Mercury Lounge in New York City on June 27 to celebrate the single's debut, followed by a summer tour that takes her all through Europe. For more information, go to her website.
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In late May, the Universe gave us the gift of witnessing a new diplomatic bromance bloom: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron. And this week, we also got a sweet reminder that the friendship between former President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau is also still going strong.
The two leaders met for dinner Tuesday night after Obama gave a speech at the Montreal Board of Trade. He took a few digs at President Trump (without saying his name) and addressed topics such as climate change, the rise of populism, fake news, and the importance of standing by certain global institutions.
After the event ended, Obama and Trudeau went to grab dinner in the St. Henri neighbourhood. The Canadian prime minister tweeted a picture of the dinner and said, "How do we get young leaders to take action in their communities? Thanks @BarackObama for your visit & insights tonight in my hometown."
(In our opinion, not adding heart emojis to this tweet seems like a wasted opportunity. Trudeau had some characters left. Yes, we checked.)
How do we get young leaders to take action in their communities? Thanks @BarackObama for your visit & insights tonight in my hometown. pic.twitter.com/EwJXPEkN3w
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) June 7, 2017
Naturally, people on social media were glad to see the two leaders reunited, and it led to a barrage of memes. Some people speculated that they had dinner to please their fans.
its like obama and trudeau saw all the memes and said "let's do dinner, for the fandom"
Some wondered if the encounter hurt the feelings of former Vice President Joe Biden, whose friendship with Obama is just too pure. However, in May we learned that Obiden is strong as ever, so we wouldn't worry about it. It's very likely Biden may not be the type of person to share his ice cream, but we think he can share his friend.
^ 'Memories, light the corners of my mind Misty water-colored memories, of the way we were' pic.twitter.com/5sBsG196sN
And finally, a couple of people suggested that Macron should join Obama and Trudeau for dinner. Or you know, they should join forces to save the world.
Obama & Trudeau! My heroes!
But where's Macron?!
The Three Musketeers show the World what leaders should be!
— Rhonda Jo Aldrich (@RoosterWrangler) June 7, 2017
One day, all of this will be over and Trudeau, the Obamas & Macron can travel the world doing good deeds and solving crimes. https://t.co/DKbIHPLyMA
At around 4am, a hung parliament was declared. Some worried how to explain something to the President of the United States that none of us fully understood either.
Now, though, it looks like Theresa May might have made a deal with the DUP. Latest reports suggest she is heading to Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm to ask the Queen for permission to form a government.
But remember kids, whatever happens in this uncertain time, there are two very important things to take away from this election.
Firstly, 18-24 year olds NAILED this election. The official figures relating how many young people turned out to vote aren't known yet but estimates point to it being a stunning 72%. Young people are more politically engaged than ever, and whatever happens, that is fantastic news.
From 33% turnout in the EU referendum 2016 to 72% in #GE2017. 18-24 year olds you have just made history! pic.twitter.com/oVYZ16eMJ7
— Jonelle Awomoyi MYP (@jonelleawoMYP) June 9, 2017
This result has served as an elegant rebuttal to the notion that Britain's youth are feckless, disengaged, bed-bound wastrels. They rock.
Well, well, well. Theresa May – the one who wanted to steal kids' school dinners and make your nan homeless – has failed to get a majority. Instead, the beleaguered prime minister has had to ask the Queen’s permission to form a government with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) following an election that resulted in a hung parliament and massive increase in support for the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, once again defied the haters and pollsters to bring his party a 10-point surge.
Okay, so politics is unpredictable. But what else have we learnt?
Labour know how to rally the electorate
Ain’t no party like a Jeremy Corbyn party. No, seriously. He travelled 7,000 miles, from the Scottish Highlands to the south of England, addressing 90 rallies in total, with music and speeches from the likes of Steve Coogan, Four Tet and The Libertines. Seasoned campaigners, such as Maryam Eslamdoust, Labour councillor for Camden, claim they’ve never seen such “positive political engagement from the public before" and many say that political campaigning has changed for the better. The days of elderly people propped up with walking sticks and ticking off clipboards in half-empty halls is long gone. For the first time in what feels like forever, politics has become fun – maybe even cool?
Young people matter
All hail Big Narstie. “Bless the yute dem,” he said, in his recent election message. And how right he was. This was a day in which Britain’s younger generation flexed their political muscles to real effect for the first time. Some estimates have predicted the youth voter turnout to be as high as 72%. Michael Sani, CEO of bite the ballot, a movement designed to engage young citizens to lead change within society, says young people are finally taking their place at the table. “It’s fantastic,” he says. “We saw young people come off the back of a referendum and look at the Trump result and the subsequent talks around climate change and realise that politics isn’t something you can let flow past you. It’s something that affects us all. Their voice has been missing for so long and yesterday finally demonstrated they’re going to play a key role in their future.”
Social media isn't a waste of time
Insta yesterday was awash with polling station selfies, rose emoji and drawn-out political ramblings from your mates. But as cute or annoying as this may have been, it probably did help mobilise young people and previous non-voters. Sani reckons social media is far more important than we think. “Obviously, new form media has been criticised for being an echo chamber, in part by the mainstream press, but anything that sparks someone’s interest should be celebrated,” he says. “It’s a good thing to normalise talking about politics.”
Politics just got more confusing
May has struck a deal with the Democratic Unionists that will allow her to form a government, but the real question on many a little Englander’s lips is “Who the hell are the DUP and is this it for the next five years?" Well, according to Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University London, this is just a short-term solution. “I wouldn't be at all surprised if we're all here again next spring or even this autumn. May won't be leading the Tories into that election: they need to replace her but how do they do that when they need a PM to lead the Brexit negotiations and hold together a minority administration? It's a delicious dilemma for us political geeks.”
Women rule
Big up all the women candidates out there. As of today, there will be a record number of female MPs in the House of Commons, after at least 207 women were elected overnight. That's certainly something to celebrate.
It's not all about the centre ground anymore
This election saw a surge in both Conservative and Labour votes as first-past-the-post amplified the return of the two-party system after an absence of nearly 20 years. Oh yeah, and even former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg lost his Sheffield Hallam seat to Labour. Oh, and UKIP got zero seats. As Luke Akehurst, former Labour National Executive Committee member, explains, "Corbyn's taken votes off the Liberals, the Greens and the SNP and gotten non-voters enthused." Eslamdoust agrees. She says that just focusing on the centre ground is not the way politics works anymore.
Nothing has changed. For now.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but May’s latest speech outside Number 10 made it seem like nothing had happened. She walked back into Downing Street as prime minister, albeit as a diminished leader, but for how long? Brexit negotiations are still set to take place in about 10 days' time, but the whole thing is starting to look a lot more complicated. Deal or no deal, May's days are numbered and she's got no one to blame but herself. So what next for Corbyn? "The sky's the limit," said one unnamed Labour insider. He's likely to have the support of his party from now on, so who's looking strong and stable now, eh?
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Before yesterday's general election results started coming in, many of us knew very little about the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). But because of the 10 seats the DUP won in GE17, the Northern Irish party now finds itself wielding a significant amount of power. If the Conservatives are to overcome the hung parliament and form a viable government, it's this group of super-socially conservative politicians they'll need to woo. So here’s a handy primer on the DUP, the party whose hands Theresa May will have to hold if she wants to remain PM.
The DUP on Women:
The DUP's leader, Arlene Foster, is the first woman to have been appointed First Minister of Northern Ireland, a position she held from January 2016 to January 2017. In the wake of the so-called "cash for ash" scandal, in which fundamental flaws were exposed in a renewable energy scheme she'd set up, critics called for Foster to step down as First Minister. She claimed this outcry was "misogynistic", but critics said this was a hollow and opportunistic argument from Foster, who has done little to advance women's rights in Northern Ireland. In the province, abortion remains a criminal offence unless a woman's health is in grave danger, and Foster's DUP has campaigned hard to prevent any reform of the law. Last year Foster told The Guardian: "I would not want abortion to be as freely available here as it is in England and don’t support the extension of the 1967 act." This means that, in Northern Ireland in 2017, even a woman who becomes pregnant through rape cannot have a legal abortion. Foster's DUP is also in favour of criminalising sex workers, another policy which in practice has an adverse effect on women.
Foster's personal attitudes towards women were also called into question last month. When she was asked for her thoughts on Michelle O'Neill, leader of rival party Sinn Féin, Foster described her as "blonde." Pressed to expand on this comment, Foster added: "Michelle is very attractive. She presents herself very well and she always is – you know – her appearance is always very 'the same'. You never see her without her makeup. You never see her without her hair 'perfect'."
The DUP on LGBT rights:
Northern Ireland is the only area of the UK where equal marriage hasn't been introduced, and the DUP is committed to ensuring this doesn't change. At the moment, they're using a controversial veto mechanism in the province's political system to block the introduction of equal marriage. As recently as April, a former DUP minister said that the party has drawn a "red line" on the issue that it isn't prepared to cross. The party's past record on LGBT rights is even more reprehensible. In the '70s, the DUP tried unsuccessfully to prevent the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland by running a campaign called "Save Ulster from Sodomy". And just last year, DUP politician Trevor Clarke admitted that he thought only gay and bisexual people could contract HIV.
The DUP on the Environment:
The DUP's election manifesto doesn't even include the word "environment" and the party once appointed a climate change denier, Sammy Wilson, as Northern Ireland's Environment Minister. In 2008, Wilson predicted that in 20 years' time, governments will look back and feel as though they were "conned" into spending money to halt climate change.
The DUP on Brexit:
The DUP backed the leave campaign in the run-up to last year's EU referendum, but the party now wants to secure an open border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, so the party is not supporting a 'soft' Brexit. According to the Independent, Arlene Foster has said: "No-one wants to see a ‘hard’ Brexit, what we want to see is a workable plan to leave the European Union, and that’s what the national vote was about – therefore we need to get on with that. However, we need to do it in a way that respects the specific circumstances of Northern Ireland, and, of course, our shared history and geography with the Republic of Ireland."
The DUP in short:
This isn't a party that believes in liberalism or any kind of progressive values. Its founder, Ian Paisley, once said: "Line dancing is as sinful as any other type of dancing, with its sexual gestures and touching. It is an incitement to lust."
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