Lifestyle Barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week, from Oreo Creme Eggs to Kylie Jenner
From sign language to diet trends and celebrity pregnancy announcements, Sarah Young rounds up what’s hot and what’s not
Going up:
Oreo Creme Eggs
It might only be October, but Cadbury has already got us thinking ahead to Easter.
This week, the confectionery giant announced it will be launching full-size Oreo Creme Eggs in the UK for the first time, following the success of the miniature versions last year.
The eggs, which will cost 58p, will have the same thick chocolate shell as the original, but will be filled with Oreo’s signature creamy filling, and crunchy biscuit chunks.
The bad news is, you’re going to have to wait to get your hands on one. Oreo Creme Eggs won’t be available until January 2019, and will only be on sale until Easter Sunday, which falls on 2 April.
Starbucks’s sign language store
Coffee chain Starbucks has opened its first signing store in the US, with all employees fluent in American sign language.
The store has opened close to Gallaudet University, in Washington DC, an institution that caters for students who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Employees are required to wear different green aprons depending on whether or not they have a hearing impairment.
Staff members who are deaf wear an apron that’s been created by a deaf supplier, and has been embroidered with “Starbucks” spelt in American sign language.
Those who don’t have hearing impairments wear standard aprons with pins that say “I sign” attached.
What’s more, customers who are new to sign language can use digital notepads and a console to communicate with staff, and even learn how to order by signing.
Off-White
Luxury streetwear label Off-White has beaten the likes of Gucci and Balenciaga to be named “hottest fashion brand in the world”.
The accolade comes as the brand topped a quarterly index compiled by Lyst, the global fashion search platform, which examines Google search data, sales and social media mentions.
In just a year, Off-White has risen 33 places, while searches for the label across online retailers are up 14 per cent, quarter on quarter,
A hit with celebrities such as Bella Hadid, Rihanna and Beyonce, the brand was only founded five years ago, by Virgil Abloh, the man recently named new artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear.
Off-White has also received a nomination for “brand of the year” at this year’s Fashion Awards, alongside Balenciaga, Gucci, Prada and Burberry.
Amy Schumer
This week, actor Amy Schumer revealed she is expecting a baby with husband Chris Fischer.
The comedian hinted at the news in an Instagram post in which she superimposed her and her husband’s faces on a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are also expecting their first child.
She captioned the post: “About to announce some exciting news on @jessicayellin insta page.”
The official announcement was made on the account of her friend, journalist Jessica Yellin, where a list of Schumer’s recommendations for Democratic candidates to vote for in the upcoming US midterm elections was followed by the words: “I’m pregnant – Amy Schumer.”
Capsule wardrobes
A new organisation called ALICAS is helping domestic abuse survivors by providing them with good quality clothing to help them rebuild their lives.
Founded by Rachael Bews, 25, the social enterprise provides women in need with a capsule wardrobe containing essential items chosen to suit the sizing, cultural and religious needs of the recipient.
Bews was inspired after she identified a need for women fleeing abusive partners to have clothing that helped them regain confidence.
“I saw there was a big gap between the thousands of women we have in clothing crisis, and the enormous quantity of surplus fashion stock being sent to landfill and incineration,” Bews says.
“It is my ultimate desire to bridge this gap and empower women to retain their dignity, identity and confidence, in the process.
“Not only does providing a capsule wardrobe give a woman the ability to choose to wear what she feels most comfortable in, it boosts her self esteem.”
Going down:
Diet trends
Great British Bake Off star and author Ruby Tandoh has criticised trends such as “intuitive eating” and “body positivity”, for being damaging.
Tandoh claims such trends are created with the aim of keeping a person slim under the guise of a positive movement, while “fat-shaming TV shows” such as Supersize vs Superskinny, serve to “make fatness completely unacceptable”.
The former columnist went on to explain how women in the food industry are cast into problematic stereotypes as a result of their body shapes, and how it can affect their careers.
“There are definitely some standards put in place that prohibit people of certain body sizes and shapes from getting in the door,” she says.
“If you’re particularly big, you’re not deemed an acceptable face of food media.”
Plastic
Poundland has been criticised by customers for selling plastic Halloween pumpkins.
This month, a woman called Jemma Morgan, from Liskeard in Cornwall, spotted the pumpkins in her local Poundland store, and posted a photo of them on Facebook alongside a caption expressing her outrage.
“I am appalled, beyond gobsmacked, and wonder how we can improve the outlook for our environment when I see Poundland selling painted pumps of polystyrene as carving pumpkins,” she wrote.
People echoed Morgan’s views on social media, criticising Poundland for its lack of regard for the environment.
As a result of the backlash, the retailer has announced it will no longer be selling polystyrene pumpkins.
Food waste
A married couple have been living off food that would have been thrown away, to make a point about how much produce is wasted.
Sophie and Paul Collins, who both follow a vegan diet, survived on food waste for four weeks, saving roughly £200.
During their challenge, they ate foods that had passed their sell-by dates, picked fruit and asked friends and family members for produce they were planning to discard.
They also made use of food sharing apps, such as Olio, which connects neighbours and local shops to make the most of surplus food, and visited the Cambridge Community Fridge, which collects food thrown away by supermarkets.
The couple hope their challenge will inspire others to do the same and seek out new ways to reduce food waste.
Postpartum body pressures
Women, especially those who have just given birth, can feel under pressure to conform to unrealistic expectations about their body; and that includes Kylie Jenner.
In the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the reality star revealed that while she may share photos of her seemingly toned physique on social media, she lacks confidence in her postpartum figure.
Speaking to older sister Kim Kardashian, while sorting through old clothes, Jenner admitted to “feeling a little insecure”, before explaining pregnancy caused her hips to widen.
“Nothing in my closet fits me. I’m getting rid of stuff that I just feel like, is never going to fit me. I know I’m not going to fit into a [size] 25 jean ever again,” she said.
“I’m just feeling a little insecure. I feel like my hips have just spread. My favourite jeans, they’re never going to fit me again. I feel like some people don’t get it. Some people are just body-shamers.”
Cultural appropriation
American Vogue has issued an apology after critics labelled a photoshoot starring Kendall Jenner “cultural appropriation”.
The magazine shared images from the photoshoot on Instagram, sparking a flood of negative comments from people who found Jenner’s afro-like hairstyle “offensive”.
Others questioned why the magazine cast Jenner, instead of a model whose hair was naturally styled that way.
In response, the Conde Nast publication issued a statement explaining the photos were meant to evoke a nostalgic aesthetic, reminiscent of the early 20th century.
“The image is meant to be an update of the romantic Edwardian/Gibson Girl hair, which suits the period feel of the Brock Collection, and also the big hair of the [1960s] and the early [seventies], that puffed-out, teased-out look of those eras,” it said.
“We apologise if it came across differently than intended, and we certainly did not mean to offend anyone by it.”
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