Lifestyle Barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week from cans of G&T to the Game of Thrones
From the gender pay gap to Creme Egg Mayonnaise and pregnancy pranks, this is our guide to what’s hot and what’s not
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
GOING UP ▲
▲ Paper bags
This week, Morrisons announced it is planning to sell 20p paper carrier bags in all its stores by next month.
The UK supermarket has launched the initiative in a bid to reduce waste, and predicts it will save an estimated 1,300 tons of plastic every year.
The bags, made from sustainably managed forests, will be available to buy in Welsh stores next week, followed by English and Scottish branches in May.
“Our customers have told us that reducing plastic is their number one environmental concern, so introducing the paper bag across the nation will provide another way of reducing the plastic in their lives,” said Andy Atkinson, group customer and marketing director at Morrisons.
You can read more about what UK supermarkets are doing to tackle plastic pollution and food waste here.
▲ Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren has unveiled a new advertising campaign that features a same-sex couple – a first in the brands’ 52-year history.
The video, titled “Family is who you love”, features a diverse range of families including a single-parent family, a family that spans multiple generations, and gay couple Helena Tejedor and Cecile Winckler.
Talking about the new campaign, Jonathan Bottomley, chief marketing officer at Ralph Lauren, said in a statement: “We live in a world where the meaning of family is bigger, broader and more personal than it has ever been before.
“We believe that family is one of the most positive forces and powerful unifiers for all of us today,” he added, noting that the campaign is a “fresh expression of that idea”.
Winckler celebrated the couple’s modelling debut for the brand on Instagram, writing: “Looks like @ralphlauren got us out of their closet!
“Cheers to being their first same sex couple.”
▲ Cans of gin and tonic
Marks & Spencer has reported a 24 per cent rise in sales of its own-brand canned gin and tonics after they were featured in an episode on the popular BBC TV show Fleabag.
The drink first appeared on the show in episode two, when Andrew Scott’s “hot priest” character offers Fleabag – played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge – a “proper drink”.
In response to the sales surge, an M&S spokesperson said: “This isn’t any G&T in a can, it’s an M&S G&T in a can.
“An absolute favourite with M&S customers, as well as the occasional vicar as seen recently on the hit show ‘Fleabag’.”
Despite receiving critical acclaim since the first series aired in 2016, Sian Clifford, who plays Fleabag’s sister Claire, revealed “there will not be a third series”.
“I’ve described it online as this beautiful perfect ending, and I think it is but I think what it’s closer to is poetry,” Clifford said during an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
▲ Pret a Manger
Pret a Manger has announced its biggest-ever menu change, unveiling 20 new dishes including several vegan and vegetarian options.
The new menu, which is available in Pret stores from 9 April, will also include gluten-free bread for the very first time.
Vegan and vegetarian additions to the line-up include a roasted mushroom and smashed avocado pot, dairy-free almond butter and berry bircher muesli, and hummus and chipotle wrap.
Meanwhile, carnivorous customers will be glad to see the arrival of a ham, egg and beetroot salad, and a chicken and smashed beets pot.
There are some sweet treats too, such as a brand new lemon and blueberry cheesecake pot and the “Mocha Pot”, which combines coconut yoghurt, chocolate, hazelnut sauce and organic espresso.
▲ Game of Thrones
On Wednesday, the stars of Game of Thrones walked the red carpet at the premiere of the show’s final season.
Actors from every series of the hit HBO show gathered at New York’s Radio City Music Hall including Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington and Peter Dinklage.
Gwendoline Christie, who plays the formidable warrior Brienne of Tarth, delivered one of the most striking looks on the red carpet, wearing a flowing Iris Van Herpen gown.
You can see all the standout looks from the premiere here.
Game of Thrones season eight will contain six episodes and will finally bring an end to the saga of who will rule Westeros.
It will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK from 14 April.
For everything we know about the final season so far, from new cast members to episode counts, click here.
GOING DOWN ▼
▼ The ‘consent condom’
Twitter users have condemned a new condom that requires two people to open it simultaneously.
Tulipán, an Argentinian sex toy company, designed the new “consent condom” packet with the aim of ensuring both parties are equally involved in the decision to have sex.
However, the invention has received mixed reactions online with many confused as to how it will deter someone from committing sexual assault.
“I’m going to go ahead and bet that someone who doesn’t ask for consent is not going to let the lack of a condom stop them,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another added: “She can still change her mind after the condom has been opened by both of you if she feels a certain way. Seek consent till the end guys. The condom isn’t a contract.”
Tulipán said its “consent pack” was designed after AHF Argentina – an organisation campaigning for the rights of those living with HIV – revealed that only 14.5 per cent of Argentinian men regularly used a condom., while 65 per cent said they occasionally used condoms, and 20.5 per cent said they’d never used a condom.
▼ Ageism
This week, a study by University College London revealed there is a link between age discrimination and ill health.
The research found that a quarter of over-50s taking part in the survey claimed they had been unfairly treated because of their age. What’s more, members of this group were also more likely to rate their health as “fair or poor” than those who had not encountered ageism.
They were also more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms or debilitating long-term illnesses, and go on to develop serious conditions.
The findings follow the launch of a special edition supplement of British Vogue that seeks to dismiss age as a barrier holding women back.
Actor Jane Fonda, who was chosen as the cover star of the magazine at the age of 81, said it was time people recognised the value of older women.
“It’s important to understand that older women are the fastest-growing demographic in the whole world,” she said.
▼ Creme Egg Mayonnaise
Following in the footsteps of the Heinz Beanz Pizza and Marmite Peanut Butter comes another divisive food launch.
This week, food giants Heinz and Cadbury joined forces to bring two unlikely ingredients together – the Creme Egg and mayonnaise.
While many believed the announcement was an April Fool’s prank, the companies have since confirmed the product is real and that it will be available for people to try at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, London, from Thursday 11 April until Saturday 13 April.
The launch has received mixed reactions on social media, with many admitting they are intrigued to try it.
However, others who have managed to get their hands on the concoction have been less than impressed.
“Can confirm that Crème Egg Mayo is absolutely f***ing vile”, one person wrote on Twitter.
▼ April Fool’s pregnancy pranks
Justin Bieber issued a public apology this week after making an insensitive April Fool’s Day joke about pregnancy.
The 25-year-old singer posted two images on Instagram on Monday that suggested his wife Hailey was pregnant. The photos turned out to be a prank but many failed to see the funny side.
“PREGNANCY IS NOT A JOKE,” wrote one person on Twitter..
“Many do want kids and cannot have them. Shame on @justinbieber for thinking this is funny.”
In response to the backlash, Bieber shared a screenshot of an article about the prank on Instagram, writing: “There’s always gonna be people offended, there’s also people who don’t take jokes very well, I am a prankster and it was APRIL FOOLS.
“I didn’t at all mean to be insensitive to people who can’t have children. A lot of people I know, their first go-to prank on April Fool’s is telling their parents they are pregnant to get a big reaction.
“But I will apologise anyway and take responsibility and say sorry to people who were offended. I truly don’t want anyone to be hurt by a prank.”
▼ Gender pay gap
On Thursday, thousands of British companies published their latest gender pay gap figures, revealing the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings for men and women.
The data revealed that the gender pay gap has widened in favour of men at “nearly half” of the UK’s largest companies and public sector bodies over the past year.
What’s more, almost eight-in-10 companies were found to still pay men more than women, while more than a quarter paid female employees up to 20 per cent less.
Just days after the findings were published, BBC presenter Fiona Bruce revealed in an interview she was once refused a pay rise because a boss said she could rely on her boyfriend’s salary.
During an interview with British Vogue, the Question Time host recalled the moment she asked her employer for a “desultory” pay rise during her early years at the BBC.
“My boss said, ‘Do you really need it? What does your boyfriend do? You live with him, don’t you? Doesn’t he pay for most things?’” Ms Bruce told the publication.
The 54-year-old said she replied at the time by saying: “Well, I do the supermarket shopping, so I need to pay for that.”
She added: ”How ludicrous is that?”
For more information on the gender pay gap, including how it is calculated and what causes it, click here.
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