Love Island is back on our screens, and even if you haven't seen it, I bet you can quite accurately guess what a lot of the contestants look like, right?

This isn't a critique of the islanders' appearances (though there is no shortage of this online), but a comment on the beauty ideals which are becoming increasingly pervasive, for men as well as women. How many of your male friends have a six pack? I would wager few to none, but one look at the lads on Love Island and you might assume it's the norm.

Nearly a quarter of 18-24 year olds say reality TV shows have caused them to worry about body image, and you can see why! Aesthetic enhancements are also becoming more commonplace for men. A trend gaining ground on TikTok is "looksmaxxing" where young men invite criticism of their appearance and how to improve it, which can lead to interventions such as botox, hair transplants, or even jaw surgery. It's the kind of hyperfocus on appearance women have always been subjected too, but instead of dragging men down with us, can we all just agree there is no single way to "maximise" your look?

-Cressida, Head of Content

QUICK FIRE NEWS 🧨

🇫🇷 France face far-right threat

💤 Full-time students working long hours to support themselves

⚽️ Valencia football fans jailed for racial abuse of player

🧏 Newcastle United introduces ‘sound shirts’ for deaf supporters

💊 Supreme Court upholds access to abortion pill

LET'S GET INTO IT 🤓

Is your workplace carewashing?

Huh? The hustle, girl boss, rise and grind era is well and truly over. Priorities were re-examined post-pandemic and a new wave of workers emerged who were no longer driven by the "work hard, play hard" ethos that saw employers push their workers to the limits. Employees are now prioritising workplaces that cultivate a safe and open environment.

Enter carewashing: claiming to have a caring and positive workplace without putting in the real work.

Have you experienced this? Maybe your workplace offers a complimentary yoga class or mindfulness training, but is it a plaster masking a wider issue? These acts in isolation can often signal a performative gesture to look like they care, without the hassle of actually caring...

"Values" versus reality There is often a massive gulf between what a company claims their values are in their marketing materials, and the experiences of actual employees. But a genuine culture of care has become a really important pull for young candidates today, and carewashing will always be exposed one way or another. Look for long-term commitments, leadership buy-in, and a culture of transparency and trust.

Why are the far right gaining traction? 😰

Are we regressing? For a while now, it feels like there has been a drifting to the right in politics. European right wing parties are winning more seats, and historically left-leaning and centrist parties are moving further right. Vox claim that right-wing parties have been steadily gaining influence since 2013, leveraging hot topic issues to their advantage such as:

🥊 Immigration

🥊The climate crisis

🥊 The economy

They're gaining more and more ground with people who are dissatisfied with traditional parties: farmers struggling to maintain their livelihood, middle-class voters fretting about immigration, and increasingly, young people caught up in the "culture wars."

What does this mean? Far-right parties are becoming a more legitimate, mainstream option for voters. People feel that the centrist or left-leaning policies that have been in place are not working for them. And with new seats in European parliament, right-wing parties will continue to increase their influence on our most pressing policies. Across Europe...

🇫🇷 National Rally, France's far-right party is making concerning gains.

🇩🇪 AfD, the far-right Germany party, is now the second-most powerful in the country.

🇮🇹 Brothers of Italy is the ruling party, far ahead of the others.

🇬🇧 Reform UK overtakes Conservatives in new opinion poll

🌏 Radical right parties are in power/support the government in 7 out of 27 EU countries

"The radical right is no longer at the gates — it’s inside the palace and can no longer be ignored."

Female politicians face increased abuse 🤬

Online harassment is at a high As the election frenzy grows, so too does the abuse experienced by female election candidates. Hate speech online is commonplace, as well as the spread of disinformation and malicious complaints to public bodies. One female Labour candidate said she was urged by her family to step down in order to avoid the relentless abuse. If this is the treatment they face, it's no wonder we see so few women in political positions of power. "It’s corrosive to our democracy," she says.

Why the increase? Politicians are expected to have an online presence nowadays, with social media often being key to campaigns. Now, instead of critics writing a letter to a politician, they can berate them with hate speech in a matter of seconds, and repeatedly. And you can't just walk away from it.

Claire Reynolds, the director of Labour Women’s Network, said that just two weeks into the election campaign she'd seen "candidates’ offices graffitied, candidates’ families targeted, and endless misogynist and often racist abuse online.” Gender is the most significant risk factor for online abuse, but Black women are at particular risk.

THINGS WE'RE LOVING... 🥰

🙌 Matt Smith effortlessly corrects interviewer on pronouns

👏 Nicola Coughlan shuts down body shaming