Lifestyle Barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week from abortion laws to Cannes Film Festival
From Cannes Film Festival to Gucci and marriage, this is our guide to what’s hot and what’s not
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▲ Cannes
This week, A-listers descended on Cannes for the 72nd edition of its world-famous film festival.
The event premiered a number of highly-anticipated films including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood and the new Sir Elton John biopic Rocketman, which reaches UK cinemas on the 22 May.
While the week-long event is primarily a cinematic affair, it is also well regarded for its star-studded opening ceremony and stylish red carpet poses.
This year, some of the standout looks include a Louis Vuitton satin-two piece worn by singer Selena Gomez, actor Elle Fanning’s silky peach gown and a Christian Dior Couture gown worn by supermodel Bella Hadid that featured layers of sheer tulle.
You can read more about the best red carpet looks of Cannes Film Festival here.
▲ Mental health awareness
For one week each May, the Mental Health Foundation campaigns around a specific theme for Mental Health Awareness Week. This year, the theme was: “Body image – how we feel and think about our bodies”.
The theme was the result of a study conducted by the charity which found that 30 per cent of all adults have felt so stressed by body image and appearance that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. That’s almost one in every three people.
In a bid to raise awareness of the impact unrealistic stereotypes can have on mental health, wellbeing platform Manual launched a campaign starring eight men, including transgender activist Kenny Ethan-Jones, vitiligo spokesperson Bashir Aziz and the UK’s first plus-size male model, Ben Whittaker.
Through the campaign, Manual sought to urge advertisers to move away from outdated and problematic depictions of men as stoic, Grecian gods to sell “the most basic of products”, such as underwear or fragrance.
Instead, they called on male-focused brands to champion men of all shapes and sizes with campaigns akin to those by Dove and Missguided that celebrate a diverse mix of body types and ethnicities.
▲ Doris Day
On Monday, Doris Day, the Hollywood icon best known for her work in the Fifties and Sixties, died. She was 97 years old.
The Doris Day Animal Foundation said that the actor, singer and activist died earlier this morning at her Carmel Valley, California, home.
The foundation said that she was surrounded by close friends and “had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia”.
Shortly after the news broke, media outlets and celebrities began paying tribute to Day on social media.
“Thank you for your talent,” actor Antonio Banderas tweeted next to a gif of the actor earlier in her career.
Star Trek star George Takei referenced Day’s song “Que Sera, Sera” from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much, tweeting: “For those of us in my generation, Doris Day was synonymous with Hollywood icon.
“She would no doubt remind us, upon this day of her passing, ‘Que sera sera,’ but we will miss her dearly anyway. Rest now in our hearts forever, Ms Day.”
You can read all about Day’s best fashion moments here.
▲ Baftas
London rolled out the red carpet on Sunday night for the 2019 Bafta Television Awards.
This year, the event was hosted by Graham Norton at the Royal Festival Hall and saw BBC drama Killing Eve triumph with three wins on the night.
The series, which documents the travels and murders of the bloodthirsty assassin Villanelle, picked up awards for leading actress, supporting actress and drama series.
Bodyguard had been Killing Eve’s main opposition, but it took home just one award – Virgin Media’s must-see moment – for a scene which featured the death of Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) in an explosion in the BBC One drama.
While the night was all about commending the work of those involved in the entertainment industry, as the stars arrived on the red carpet it was their style that took centre stage.
Some of the best-dressed guests included Killing Eve star Jodie Comer who wore a magenta one-shoulder gown by Stella McCartney, Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge who opted for a duck-egg blue dress with split sleeves and Sex Education’s Emma Mackey who wore a cream and black trouser suit.
You can see more of the best-dressed attendees at this year’s Bafta Television Awards here.
▲ Marriage
A new study has revealed that marriage is a key factor for finding contentment.
According to results of a survey published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) marriage has overtaken economic wealth in the list of most important factors when people evaluate how fulfilled their lives are.
Married people rated their life satisfaction 9.9 per cent higher than widows and widowers, and 8.8 per cent higher than divorced or separated people.
However, those who are single reported being 0.2 per cent happier than those who are divorced.
The findings follow recent ONS figures which showed that the divorce rate for heterosexual couples in England and Wales had hit a 45-year low.
GOING DOWN ▼
▼ Abortion laws
This week, Alabama became one of several US states this year to pass new legislation restricting abortion rights.
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to ban nearly all abortions in nearly all circumstances, including rape and incest. If the bill takes effect it will mean that those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
Other similar restrictive bans have been passed in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota and Ohio
Following the legislation, a number of celebrities including Lady Gaga, Jameela Jamil and Emily Ratajkowski took to social media to voice their outrage over the slew of recent abortion bans across the US.
Meanwhile, thousands of women shared stories about having an abortion on social media using the hashtag #YouKnowMe.
The online campaign was launched by actor and TV host Busy Philipps after she shared a tweet condemning Alabama’s controversial near-total ban.
“One in four women have had an abortion,” the 39-year-old wrote on Twitter.
“Many people think they don’t know someone who has, but #YouKnowMe. So let’s do this: if you are also the one in four, let’s share it and start to end the shame. Use #YouKnowMe and share your truth.”
You can read some of the most powerful #YouKnowMe stories here.
▼ Gucci
Gucci was accused of cultural appropriation this week after shoppers spotted the brand was selling a £600 turban at luxury department store Nordstrom.
The garment, which Gucci refers to as an “Indy Full Turban”, first stoked criticism in February 2018 when it debuted at the Italian fashion house’s autumn/winter show.
On Twitter, numerous people expressed their concerns over the headpiece, with regards to the brand not appreciating the turban’s deep religious significance.
“Dear @gucci, the Sikh Turban is not a hot new accessory for white models but an article of faith for practising Sikhs,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another person added: “The turban for #Sikh is a matter of faith and not another decorative piece.
“RESPECT Religious sentiments while thinking of filling your pockets.”
This isn’t the first time Gucci has been embroiled in controversy.
In February, the brand was criticised after shoppers complained its $890 (£688) “balaclava jumper”, which features a cut-out at the mouth and red lips, resembled blackface.
▼ Animal cruelty
On Tuesday, Martin Clunes was axed as a patron of animal welfare charity Born Free after footage emerged of him riding an elephant.
The Doc Martin star was criticised on social media after he was seen climbing on an elephant’s trunk in an episode of ITV programme My Travels and Other Animals.
Many campaigners demanded an apology from ITV, while some called for the television channel to remove the show from its catch-up service and others criticised Clunes for promoting animal cruelty.
“Very disappointing to see Martin Clunes involved in elephant cruelty,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another added: “If you climb up an elephant’s trunk and pull its ears you are condoning the appalling cruelty these poor creatures suffer to entertain ignorant humans.
▼ Spaghetti pizza
Domino’s New Zealand announced on Facebook that it is launching a limited edition that’s topped with tinned spaghetti.
Dubbed the “Hawaiian Spaghetti Pizza”, the dish also features chunks of pineapple, glazed ham and lashings of mozzarella cheese.
Sharing a picture of the pizza on its Facebook page, the fast food outlet wrote: “This is no joke!
“We’ve officially added Hawaiian SPAGHETTI pizza to our menu for a limited time only, with help from our friends at Wattie’s NZ! (no April Fools this time).”
The non-traditional toppings divided opinion on social media, with many saying they couldn’t wait to try it while others insisted the ingredients should never be eaten together.
“I have made my own pizzas using spaghetti and pineapple ... love it!” one person wrote.
While another added: “I’d rather lick the floor of a bus.’”
▼ Plastic pollution
This week, a new report by charity Surfers Against Sewage revealed that a significant amount of litter found in beach and river clean-ups in the UK is produced by consumer giants such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
The report, found that out of the 49,000 pieces of litter collected in a major beach and river cleanup last month, 20,000 could be identified thanks to their branding.
From the litter picked during the cleanup, 63 per cent was found to have been produced by major food and beverage brands, with most made by Coca-Cola (15.5 per cent) and PepsiCo (10.3 per cent).
They were followed by Mondelez International, McDonalds, Nestle, Suntory and Mars.
Of the unbranded items found, the most common products were cotton buds, cigarette butts and baby wipes.
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