In Season Three, Bridgerton Makes Over the Makeover Trope

Fashion

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May 16, 2024

In Season Three, Bridgerton Makes Over the Makeover Trope

Who doesn’t love a good movie makeover? Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries? Maya Hawke in Do Revenge? The list is fairly endless. But what happens when the so-called “ugly duckling” (let’s be real, all these women started off gorgeous!) turns into a swan and her life doesn’t really change? In Bridgerton season three, Penelope Featherington finds out.

In case you missed it, this year, the new and very highly anticipated season of the Netflix hit series is about the love story between fan favourite Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). It’s your classic friends-turned-to-lovers romance; our leading lady, determined to find a husband and leave her crazy family behind (#relatable), struggles on the Regency dating scene (again, #relatable) and Colin, freshly back from a European tour and the gym, is eager to help. Before long, the two start falling for one-another (or rather, Colin wakes up to what’s been right in front of him), bodices are ripped, secrets are revealed and more drama quickly ensues.

[SPOILERS AHEAD!]

The real surprise though, is how quickly Bridgerton season three gets to Penelope’s modern makeover. As the trailers have been hinting for months, Penelope decides to take control of the narrative and rebrands herself as the non-tacky, non-yellow Featherington (did you notice all the Bridgerton blue, a staple amongst all the heroines of the seasons?).

Naturally, I expected this ugly duckling-turned-swan transition to happen around episode three — you know, ease us in a little. But no ma’am. Executive producer Shonda Rhimes said “I want it all and I want it now!” Twenty-eight minutes (!!) into the first episode, Penelope gets her Cinderella moment (although personally, I thought the dress was one of her weaker looks), and the Ton definitely takes notice.

The change is immediate. Our heroin, usually seen alone, or eavesdropping for gossip for her column, is the centre of attention. All eyes are on her as suitors start flocking and you can feel the hope radiating off Penelope; this is the moment where her whole life might change. Then she opens her mouth and…. Womp womp. Despite the physical transformation, she’s still the same shy, awkward, and quirky girl she was before. And instead of being disappointing, this is actually really refreshing.

You see, in the real world, we know a new dress can’t solve all your problems (as much as we would like it to be otherwise), but rarely is that reflected on screen. Think of all the movie and TV moments where the girl takes off her glasses and suddenly her entire personality changes. And in episode one, Penelope believes that very logic.

Fed up with being ignored by her friends, family and society, she gives herself a glow-up, thanks to the help of the local modiste and a few very talented maids. But after the initial shock value wears off, Penelope realizes that nothing in fact has changed at all. Sure Colin (who Penelope quickly forgives for treating her like dirt the past few seasons) initially tries to give her “lessons” of sorts on how to interact with men, but ultimately, what attracts her two love interests is when Penelope lets down her guard and is being 100 per cent herself.

Photography by Liam Daniel/Netflix

When she meets Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), our girl has just been humiliated by a nasty group of gentlemen at a ball. Hiding in the corner angry and hurt, Penelope doesn’t conceal her feelings with Lord Debling but rather embraces her sarcastic and witty side. He, in turn, is also having a miserable time and is relieved to find someone to commiserate with. He values her honesty, quick-witted mind and many interests.

Then with Colin, it’s in the quiet moments where he begins to realize how much he’s under-valued Penelope: when they’re talking in the market, when she wraps his injured hand, when she supports his writing. As he’s struggling with his identity being the third son in an important family, he (finally!) starts appreciating her kindness and loyalty. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that she no longer looks like a pineapple, but Penelope ultimately wins his heart by being herself. A lesson we could all learn from.

As for her other big secret? The whole Lady Whistledown of it all? It would take one hell of a dress to save her from the mess that reveal will be sure to create. But we’ll have to keep on watching Bridgerton season three to find out.

The post In Season Three, <em>Bridgerton</em> Makes Over the Makeover Trope appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Paris Hilton Is FASHION’s Summer Cover Star

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May 16, 2024

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Paris Hilton Is FASHION’s Summer Cover Star

GLOW GETTER

From fighting for children’s rights to collaborating with Sia on new music, Paris Hilton isn’t a dumb blond — she’s just gotten really good at pretending to be one.

WORDS BY ANNIKA LAUTENS

Paris Hilton is not hot — far from it. It’s an early evening in March and we’re in the courtyard of Pad90210, a beautiful midcentury house in Beverly Hills. Reliably warm L.A. turns chilly as the sun fades. Posing in a tiny Prada two-piece on the set of FASHION’s Summer 2024 cover shoot, Hilton bravely tries to hide her shivers.

Dress, $4,995, Michael Kors Collection. Rings (left and middle), $1,700 each, and ring (right), $700, Bluboho.

“Do you want a blanket, Paris?” I ask from the side of the camera. She animatedly nods her head, a desperate “Please” escaping from her lips. Grabbing the only warm material I can find, I wrap Hilton’s shoulders in wool, and she holds on to me for body heat. As we cozy up to each other in a hug that feels way more comfortable than it should be (we’ve only just met), I tell her I hope she has a nice bath waiting for her at home. Does she ever! “Every night, my husband [Carter Reum] and I take a bubble bath together — it’s our ritual,” she shares, blushing. “We talk about our day and what’s going on with our businesses; it’s sweet and fun. These past couple of years with him have been the best of my life.”

You see, Hilton has just come out on the other side of an identity crisis of sorts. Ten (maybe even just five) years ago, it would have been easy, nay expected, to write her off as a spoiled heiress, the teenage star of a sex tape, the dumb blond from The Simple Life and a party girl who said things like “That’s hot.” But thanks to the 2020 documentary This Is Paris and bestselling book Paris: The Memoir, the world has learned just how colossally we have underestimated her.

“I basically invented Y2K fashion. There’s the blueprint, and I’m the pink print!”

Hilton is a performance artist (more on that later), a businesswoman who sits atop an empire of 19 different product lines, a survivor of the abusive “reform” boarding-school system, a fierce children’s-rights advocate who is fighting to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in the U.S. Congress, a wife and mom of two kids under two and a DJ and singer coming out of an early retirement.

“I’m here to save pop music,” she tells me playfully over the phone the day after the shoot. Her second album is coming out this fall, 18 years after her first and hot on the heels of her collaboration with Sia on the song, “Fame Won’t Love You.” And with the singer as the executive producer, Hilton’s new slate of songs promises to be the perfect cocktail of catchy and contemplative, especially as the first single makes its debut this summer, around Pride. (For reference, her 2023 Pride concert sold out in just three minutes!) “It has everything,” she teases about the album. “It’s very popcentric, obviously, but it also has love songs, dance music and a few ballads.”

Fittingly, the playlist Hilton has chosen for the photo shoot is called “Y2K party,” and, yes, her 2006 bop “Stars Are Blind” does come on, which prompts a few giggles. But nothing can distract her from her mission: to serve looks. Hilton knows how to pose, where to look, what angles to cheat and how to make her body look its best. (To be fair, though, it would be hard to make her look bad.)

What I was not expecting, however, was the shyness that took over once the cameras turned off. She’s quiet, gentle and incredibly kind to everyone on-set, and I get the sense that she’s a natural introvert thrust into extrovert territory for her job. Nevertheless, she’s glowing — more than any fake tan. I don’t doubt that she’s been recently touched by a tanning machine, but, forgive the sentimentality, it really feels like it’s coming from within — from a woman who is finally, to her core, happy. And she is happy; it just took a while for her to get there.

Sweater, $3,900, top, $2,200, and bottoms, $950, Prada. Eyewear, Hilton’s own.

Top, $590, and shorts, $590, Casablanca. Collar, $830, Bootzy Couture. Ring, $25,700, Bulgari. Shoes, Hilton’s own.

Paris: The Memoir paints the portrait of a young woman who is drowning in trauma, desperately grasping onto any available life raft she can find. Her rebellious childhood started in New York City in the early 1980s but reached a tipping point in the ’90s. Suffocated by her strict parents and private schools that couldn’t accommodate her challenges (she was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult), Hilton was desperate for an escape and found refuge on dance floors across the city. Afraid for her safety, the Hiltons decided to send their 16-year-old to a boarding school for “troubled teens.” And this is where things got dark. Like, really dark.

It started with two men kidnapping Hilton in the middle of the night, literally dragging her out of her bedroom by her ankles as her parents watched. For the next year and a half, a teenage Hilton was beaten, degraded and starved at multiple U.S. institutions, the worst of which was Provo Canyon School in Utah. Despite numerous attempts to run away, Hilton was regularly drugged and sedated against her will, subjected to invasive “cervical exams” by male and female “teachers” and eventually stripped and put into solitary confinement for days on end. (It has since come out that her parents were unaware of the mistreatment happening at these facilities.)

It was in those cells where the “Paris Persona” was first born. “The darkness was so all-consuming, the only way I could stay alive was to find a source of light inside myself,” she writes in her memoir. “This wasn’t a nebulous daydream; it was a mechanically specific vision. I plotted logistics…. I focused on my inner empire. I would make so much money and be so successful, no one could ever have control over me again.”

When Hilton finally got out, she wasted no time in putting her plan into action. After months of not even being allowed to look in a mirror, she was determined to make up for lost time, lost shopping, lost partying, lost love and lost attention. (For many years, Hilton equated love and paparazzi attention as one and the same.)

She quickly became an L.A. socialite, and so did her friends — like longtime BFF Nicole Richie, whom she met when she was a child. Enter the producers of The Simple Life, who were looking to revamp reality TV and knew just the two young women to do it. “They basically told us, ‘Nicole, you’re the troublemaker, and Paris, you’re the dumb blond,’ and I went full force with that narrative,” Hilton explains. “When the show became such a huge phenomenon, people thought that was who I actually was, so I played into it.”

Jacket, $1,195, top, price upon request, and shorts, $570, Nina Ricci. Gloves, $300, Handsome Stockholm. Ring, Hilton’s own.

It’s well documented that Hilton has two distinct voices: her deeper, private speaking one and the part-baby, part-Valley girl fluctuation she uses for the character of “Paris Hilton.” During our time on-set and on the phone, I experienced both, sometimes within the same sentence. “I did it for so many years that the Paris voice will just happen and I don’t even realize it,” she reveals. “Sometimes I’ll do it when I’m shy or nervous or being cute or funny. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop.” And Hilton isn’t sure she wants to. She shares that in many ways “the voice” represents the fun part of her but that it also saved her.

“If I hadn’t had that character, I would’ve had to feel and process everything, and at that point in my life, I wasn’t ready to,” she says. So she used the Paris Persona as a mask — a way to dissociate from her past pain and navigate the new-found media scrutiny that came from being the diamond of the season. “I could be like, ‘Well, they’re not even talking about me; they’re talking about the character, so that doesn’t hurt as much.’”

I ask Hilton if she would describe herself and other celebrities as performance artists, and I’m met with an enthusiastic “Yes!” “We all play characters, but they’re all different and some are judged more harshly than others.” Not that she blames anyone. In a profound part of our conversation, Hilton acknowledges that her experience at Provo prepared her for Hollywood.

We’re both quiet, letting that sink in, before I break the silence. “That’s heartbreaking,” I say, feeling the full effect of her words. She agrees. “But I really do believe that’s true. I’ve been in this industry for decades now, and I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. You have to be so strong — this town is really difficult.”

How has that affected her relationship with fame? Well, the fact that she hid the birth of her two children, Phoenix (born in January 2023 via surrogate) and London (born in November 2023, also by surrogate), speaks volumes. “The media has controlled so much of my life that Carter and I decided we wanted this to be just for ourselves,” she explains. “I didn’t want anyone talking about my babies before they were here.” And that included her mom, who was captured in the Peacock reality-TV series Paris in Love meeting Phoenix for the first time.

Dress, $2,500, MAR by Maria Karimi. Top, $560, Dion Lee at Ssense.

So then, why the decision to have a show at all? Hilton can be charmingly contradictory, in a way that seems more innately human than calculating. In the past, she has admitted to both seeking out the paparazzi and running away from them, using the media to her advantage yet being relentlessly harassed by them and hiding her life but also broadcasting it on a streaming service. In this particular instance, she chalks it up to wanting her “Little Hiltons” (read “fans”) to see her happily ever after.

“I felt the 2020 documentary ended in a way that wasn’t really my ending,” she says, referencing her love story with her now husband. “I love sharing my life and this new phase with my fans. But I also now have the best family home videos that Carter, Phoenix, London and I will get to watch together someday.”

In case it isn’t obvious, Hilton absolutely adores being a mom. She loves everything from the small everyday-isms, like hearing her kids laugh, to the mundane moments of taking them to swimming lessons. But she’s particularly excited for when they get older as she has a whole storage unit full of her iconic Y2K fashions just waiting for when London comes of age. “I basically invented Y2K fashion,” she jokes. “I am the mood board. There’s the blueprint, and I’m the pink print!”

Besides feeling incredibly vindicated for her past outfit choices — “I’ve been telling you guys for 20 years this is the place to be!” — Hilton doesn’t think she’ll ever truly depart from her original Barbiecore aesthetic. She’s just combining it with a new, more “futuristic” vibe. (Think “Y2K mixed with the year 2080.”)

She describes fashion as a form of storytelling and a great way to express yourself, but her real memories come from her branded perfumes. “Every time I spray one of them, I immediately go back to the time I was working on it,” she says. “Each one represents a different time in my life, and they tell the story of me evolving into the woman I am today.”

Top, $160, and bottoms, $130, Beth Richards. Hat, $430, Clyde.

While she hates to pick a favourite, the first one — titled after its namesake and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — is the most nostalgic, and she has a particular soft spot for Love Rush, the perfume she created for her 2021 wedding. “I had dreamed of that day ever since I was a little girl, and imagining other people wearing it on their wedding day is really special.”

For her 30th (yes, 30th!) fragrance, Hilton can’t reveal the name but teases that it will be released during the holidays. And as if that weren’t enough, in addition to her bestselling monochromatic pink cookware line, Hilton’s company, 11:11 Media, has partnered with New York-based IHL Group to create a collection of women’s and girls’ apparel and accessories for fall and holiday 2024 and is developing her memoir into a TV series with Elle and Dakota Fanning’s production company, Lewellen Pictures, and indie studio A24. And we haven’t even gotten to her ongoing advocacy work!

“We can’t play politics with children’s lives,” she asserts, referring to her time at Provo Canyon School. “It’s horrible what’s happening there, and these kids haven’t had a voice until now.” So, for the past three years, Hilton has been working on the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act — legislation that will regulate the “troubled teen” facilities she attended in her youth. While the bill has yet to be approved in the U.S. Congress, she has gained 95 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House as of the time of writing and has passed eight state laws, impacting 13 million children.

However, it’s now time for Hilton to get back to her own children. She’s been on location for almost 10 hours, and in that time, we’ve shot a record-breaking 12 looks. Upon hearing that Hilton would be in swimsuit-like ensembles, Reum drove to the set to watch his wifey work before whisking her away to their bathtub. When she sees him come in, Hilton lights up like Fourth of July fireworks. Whatever was remaining of the Paris Persona instantly melts away and leaves in its wake a sweet soul who has finally found her happy place.

“Life is so short,” Hilton begins the next day on our phone call. “I don’t want to let any more bad or negative people into my life. I’ve already wasted so much energy on them. I want to surround myself with people who love me, who I can trust and who also love to spread love and happiness around the world.” Now that’s hot.

AVAILABLE ON APPLE NEWS+ MAY 23 AND NEWSSTANDS MAY 27

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG SWALES

CREATIVE DIRECTION BY GEORGE ANTONOPOULOS

STYLING BY LEILA BANI

HAIR Lisa-Marie Powell for Art Department/Living Proof. MAKEUP Melissa Hurkman. NAILS Britney Tokyo. FASHION ASSISTANTS Claire Wickser and Michael Vasquez. PHOTO ASSISTANTS Michael Camacho and Yolanda Leaney. DIGITAL TECHNICIAN Amanda Yanez. PRODUCER Alexey Galetskiy for AGPNYC. PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ivan Shentalinskiy for AGPNYC.

Shot on location at Pad90210.

The post Paris Hilton Is <em>FASHION</em>’s Summer Cover Star appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Victoria’s Secret Is Reviving Its Runway Show

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May 15, 2024

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It looks like the Angels are back in action — Victoria’s Secret Angels, that is. On May 15, after a five-year hiatus, lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret announced the return of their annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 this fall.

The retailer shared a video on Instagram of a model texting the news in a “VS Angels” group chat. “We’ve read the comments and heard you. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is ✨ BACK ✨ and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love — the glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment, and more!,” the post read. “Stay tuned…it only gets more iconic from here.”

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So far, the energy in the comment section has been fairly positive, with social media users sharing their excitement with replies like “This brings me so much joy you have no idea.” Others were slightly more cautious, with one user begging the brand to not “mess up again.”

Once the go-to underwear brand of teens-with-allowance and young women everywhere, VS fell from grace after multiple controversies, executive scandals and just a general feeling of public malaise with the whole “super skinny model” thing.

Now, after several years of semi-quiet reputation rehab, Victoria’s Secret seems to be ready to make a bigger comeback then ever. But what have they been up to in the past few years? And will this comeback *actually* be different? Everything you need to know, below.

First of all, what actually happened to Victoria’s Secret?

Initially launched in 1977 as the store “where men could feel comfortable shopping for lingerie,” per The New York Times, despite stocking garments for women, the brand built its legacy on catering to the male gaze. This typically meant that in its heyday, VS inundated shoppers in-store and on the runway with images of thin, mostly white models as the body “ideal” that all women should be striving towards.

The brand made a big splash every year with their annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that took place in cool locales, like Shanghai and NCY. The VS Fashion Show featured models (known as “Angels”) strutting down the runway wearing the brand’s signature angel wings and bopping to the live tunes of an It singer of the moment (past performers included The Weeknd, Rihanna, Harry Styles, Canadian boy Shawn Mendes, or Kelsea Ballerini). For many models, being selected as a VS Angel was a career-defining, and often career-making, moment.

While this formula worked for decades, in the late-2010s there was a shift. There was increasingly widespread recognition of the lack of body diversity and size inclusivity within VS as more inclusive brands launched, like Canadian brand Knix in 2013 and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty in 2018. This led to more customer dissatisfaction and a marked drop in Victoria’s Secret overall popularity, and in 2019, the annual fashion show was officially cancelled.

And it pretty much just went downhill from there. That same year, the brand’s longtime chief marketing officer Ed Razek left the company after receiving backlash for refusing to hire plus-size or transgender models. In 2020, an investigation by The New York Times found that the company fostered a misogynistic culture of sexism, sizeism and ageism, promoted by the brand’s former owner, Leslie Wexner (Wexner was also found to have had close ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, so…not a good look). In the same year, L Brands, the company that owned Victoria’s Secret, sold 55 per cent of the business to private-equity firm Sycamore Brands.

Does Victoria’s Secret still have IRL stores?

If you’re wondering whether or not VS has brick-and-mortar locations after all that controversy, you wouldn’t be alone. The brand quietly shuttered some of its Canadian stores in 2020. As of February 2020, VS had closed around 55 stores across North America. But as Rob Walker, senior vice president and partner with Colliers International, told Retail Insider that same year, that was only about five per cent of its stores. Currently there are still in-person retail stores across the country, you may just have to take a bit of a look to find one.

So, does this mean Victoria’s Secret’s controversy is behind them?

Yes, and no. Since the height of its scandal era, the company has done *a lot* to rebrand as female-focused and empowering, to varying degrees of success. In 2021, VS announced they were officially getting rid of their Victoria’s Secret Angels and instead swapping in the VS Collective, described as “advocates” for the brand. This included celebs like Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra, Paloma Elsesser and tennis star Naomi Osaka.

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In a November 2021 interview with WWD, Osaka shared her insight on the changes within the brand and her understanding of the vision for the so-called collective, telling the outlet: “I remember going into [Victoria’s Secret] stores when I was a kid and wondering why none of the women on the wall looked like me. Now, as a collective, we can inspire the next generation from all different backgrounds, cultures and sizes. That represents such progress to me.”

Is the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 going to be different than before?

The hope is that, yes, it will be. Because what was working for VS in the 1990s and early aughts definitely won’t work now. While the brand is tight-lipped so far on what exactly this new version of their runway show look like, there have been clues about the direction they might take. In 2023, the brand returned to a micro version of its OG runway show with the Victoria’s Secret World Tour. Airing on Prime and taking a cue from other brands like Savage x Fenty, the documentary focused on the VS20, a a group of global creatives who designed looks for VS’s runway models.

“This film is the ultimate expression of the Victoria’s Secret brand transformation,” Raúl Martinez, executive vice president and head creative director of Victoria’s Secret, told WWD at the time. “…We are so honoured to offer our platform and have it explored through the lens and artistry of global creatives who celebrate the individuality of women’s stories and perspectives.”

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We’re crossing our fingers that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 show follows suit by showcasing different sizes and perspectives. We’re optimistically dusting off our wings.

The post Victoria’s Secret Is Reviving Its Runway Show appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Sorry Bumble, But Your Celibacy Billboards Were a Fumble

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May 15, 2024

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Modern dating is horrendous enough as it is without dating apps shaming us for our romantic — and sexual — decisions. But that’s the reality Bumble users are facing since the popular dating app released a marketing campaign chastising people who choose to be celibate. Earlier this month, billboards popped up around the world, decked out in Bumble’s signature yellow hue and emblazoned with slogans like: “You Know Full Well A Vow of Celibacy Is Not The Answer” and — the worst of them all? — “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.”

(Excuse me Bumble, but have you *seen* The Sound of Music? It doesn’t look like a bad lifestyle compared to the current dating landscape.)

@laurensalaun Fun fact: Years ago, I dated a literal sociopath… guess how I met him? 🥴 #bumble #dating #datingtips #datingadvice #4b #4bmovement #celibacy #womensempowerment #feminineenergy #divinefeminine #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Lauren Salaun

The goal was, seemingly, to encourage people to press pause on the romcoms, fire up their iPhones and get back onto dating apps (ideally, Bumble, naturally). But the response from the public was swift, with people online calling out the dating juggernaut for shaming folks who choose to not have sex for a plethora of reasons.

On May 13, Bumble responded to the criticisms, releasing a statement on social media stating that they’re removing the ads and will be making donations to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, along with other organizations. In addition, Bumble said they’ll be offering their now-blank billboard spaces to partners doing work around supporting women, marginalized communities and those impacted by abuse, to display any ad they want for the duration of what would have been Bumble’s campaign.

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It’s a smart PR response from the company, but it also isn’t enough. If anything, Bumble’s blunder has proved what we’ve known all along: even companies that are purportedly for women, which Bumble says it is, don’t really care about them and what they want, even when they’re profiting off of them. And maybe we shouldn’t be all that shocked.

Bumble’s celibacy ads reinforce binary thinking

For sexual health and consent educator samantha bitty (editor’s note: bitty prefers that her name be displayed in all lower case text, so we’re respecting that wish throughout this article), the ads weren’t much of a surprise, considering Bumble’s history since launching in 2014. While lauded as a feminist app meant to “empower” female users by letting them make the first move, for bitty, Bumble has always been a little suspect. “My issue with Bumble has always been their very binary assumption about gender and gender roles, and framing that as being something that’s empowering to women,” bitty tells FASHION. “Their conception of what’s happening in the mainstream — reinforcing a heteronormative gender binary — has always been problematic.”

For bitty, the Bumble celibacy ads fall perfectly into this formula, making sweeping generalizations about the app’s users and what they want from dating — that is, primarily sex. “It assumes that people are on dating apps typically for sex or that sex is inextricably linked to dating or relationships,” bitty says. “A lot of people are there for sex, but that’s not necessarily always true.” In fact, a 2023 Pew Research Centre report found that more than four in 10 online daters in the U.S. are looking for more serious relationships.

Looking at the company’s public apology, which specifically acknowledged members of the asexual community who may choose to be celibate, bitty says. “And it’s not just people who are asexual or on the A-spectrum who participate in relationships for a variety of reasons other than only sex. [The ads] just don’t read the room at all.”

Dating apps are losing users at a rapid rate

To be fair, Bumble releasing a campaign aimed at coaxing users back onto the app is reflective of the state of dating apps right now, considering they’ve been hemorrhagging users in recent years. This is especially true when it comes to female users. As many online noted, the campaign seems to be a direct response to an increase in voluntary celibacy among young women, a topic increasingly talked about on TikTok.

And dating apps are feeling the brunt of this. A recent AP report found Bumble’s shares have dropped 45 per cent since July 2023. Tinder, arguably the app that started it all, has seen annual downloads down more than a third from their peak in 2014.

People are pursuing romantic and sexual relationships less — for many reasons

It’s the lack of nuance in the Bumble celibacy ads that is perhaps most upsetting, and the fact that Bumble doesn’t care to explore, or even seem to care at all about, the reasons why people might be choosing not to spend more time on dating apps. And there are several, from feeling emotionally and physically unsafe on the apps, to Gen Z wanting to devote more time to their friends and loved ones than mediocre dates, to a rise in non-monogamous relationships and app burnout.

But more broadly, it seems that people are tired of putting up with the transactional and disposable nature of modern dating. (There’s a reason why ghosting has become a thing.) While this isn’t entirely the fault of dating apps, it’s a reality that apps like Hinge, Tinder and Bumble have contributed to and perpetuate. “Everybody is tired of feeling consumed,” bitty says.

There has also been a general shift in how younger people view romantic relationships — and the amount of time they want to dedicate to them, according to bitty. “[Celibacy] has to do with shifting values around the ways that we hierarchize and prioritize relationships,” bitty says. “What I find with young people is that there are more queer-presenting folks living in relationships that are not the traditional, patriarchal kind of models of ‘our friendships are secondary to our romantic partnerships.’”

And with work, school, all-consuming social media, mental health needs and the general state of the world, when it comes to young people, “They’re also really busy,” bitty says. “People are getting their needs met elsewhere, for sure.”

A safer online dating space for women?

The decision to be obtuse about the reasons that people might be dating or pursuing sexual relationships less is made all the more frustrating considering that Bumble built its brand on the ethos of making women feel safe, respected, empowered and, most of all, heard.

Within the confines of a heteronormative relationship, these apps rely on women as a commodity to bring other users in and encourage them to spend more on roses and super-likes, so you’d think they would be more invested in making apps — and dating culture in general — more of a welcoming and overall less terrible place to be. But the reality is they aren’t, because unfortunately this is the state of modern dating.

Despite the fact that apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are seeing a decrease in numbers of users and downloads, the fact remains that if we want to connect romantically, apps are still the main way to do it. *Shudder* The good news? The online reaction to the celibacy campaign and Bumble’s response to the controversy has highlighted that young people are demanding — and expecting — change when it comes to dating apps. Whether we actually get there remains to be seen. Until then, there’s always matchmaking?

Bumble responded to FASHION’s request for comment. “Women’s experiences are at the center of what we do at Bumble. As part of our recent marketing campaign, we included an ad with language around celibacy as a response to the frustrations of dating,” a representative for the company said via email.

“We have heard the concerns shared about the ad’s language and understand that rather than highlighting a current sentiment towards dating, it may have had a negative impact on some of our community. This was not our intention and we are in the process of removing it from our marketing campaign, and will continue to listen to the feedback from our members.”

The post Sorry Bumble, But Your Celibacy Billboards Were a Fumble appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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The Cannes 2024 Film Festival Red Carpet Is Off to a Chic Start

Fashion

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May 14, 2024

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The Cannes 2024 Film Festival Red Carpet Is Off to a Chic Start

It happens every year: Your hangover from the first Monday in May, where Hollywood’s A-list wore everything from a dress made of sand to 3-D fairy-wing makeup at the Met Gala, has barely worn off when and bam! Chicness strikes again, this time at the annual Cannes Film Festival. The star-studded Cannes 2024 red carpet is underway in the South of France and so far, it’s a fashionable affair. Mais oui!

We’re only one day into the illustrious film event and buzzy stars like Meryl Streep, Greta Gerwig and Lily Gladstone have already been spotted. Anya Taylor-Joy has been swanning around the Cannes grounds, looking striking without actually gracing a red carpet. Cannes red carpet regulars like Heidi Klum and the legendary Jane Fonda are reliably in attendance, while stars du jour like Barry Keoghan are expected to appear later this week.

We’ll be watching the photos wires for fun Cannes fashion over the next ten days and updating our Cannes 2024 red carpet roundup regularly. Scroll through below for all the Cannes 2024 fashion.

1/10

Greta Gerwig

2/10

Meryl Streep

3/10

Heidi Klum in Saiid Kobeisy

4/10

Jane Fonda in Elie Saab

5/10

Taylor Hill

6/10

Anya Taylor-Joy in Atlein and Jacquemus

7/10

Lily Gladstone in Gucci

8/10

Greta Gerwig in Maison Margiela and Chopard

9/10

Meryl Streep in Michael Kors

10/10

Cindy Brun

The post The Cannes 2024 Film Festival Red Carpet Is Off to a Chic Start appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Uniqlo’s Summer Collaboration With Marimekko Is Here + More Fashion News

Fashion

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May 10, 2024

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Uniqlo’s Summer Collaboration With Marimekko Is Here + More Fashion News

The Uniqlo x Marimekko summer collection is a Palm Royale fantasy

Photography courtesy of Uniqlo

Anyone else obsessed with the fashion in Apple TV’s Palm Royale? Here to give you a bit of that retro resort taste is the Uniqlo x Marimekko summer collection.

The two brands have revived six archival prints by the Finnish designer from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s that embody the feeling of summer fun. Available in a wide array of dresses, T-shirts, skirts, bucket hats, the viral shoulder bag and more, this is a collab you’ll be sure to die for (spoiler alert!).

Myriad

Myriad

Myriad

Myriad

GLOW GETTER

From fighting for children’s rights to collaborating with Sia on new music, Paris Hilton isn’t a dumb blond — she’s just gotten really good at pretending to be one.

WORDS BY ANNIKA LAUTENS

Dress, $4,995, Michael Kors Collection. Rings (left and middle), $1,700 each, and ring (right), $700, Bluboho.

“I basically invented Y2K fashion. There’s the blueprint, and I’m the pink print!”

Sweater, $3,900, top, $2,200, and bottoms, $950, Prada. Eyewear, Hilton’s own.

Top, $590, and shorts, $590, Casablanca. Collar, $830, Bootzy Couture. Ring, $25,700, Bulgari. Shoes, Hilton’s own.

Jacket, $1,195, top, price upon request, and shorts, $570, Nina Ricci. Gloves, $300, Handsome Stockholm. Ring, Hilton’s own.

Dress, $2,500, MAR by Maria Karimi. Top, $560, Dion Lee at Ssense.

Top, $160, and bottoms, $130, Beth Richards. Hat, $430, Clyde.

AVAILABLE ON APPLE NEWS+ MAY 23 AND NEWSSTANDS MAY 27

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG SWALES

CREATIVE DIRECTION BY GEORGE ANTONOPOULOS

STYLING BY LEILA BANI

Shot on location at Pad90210.

First of all, what actually happened to Victoria’s Secret?

Does Victoria’s Secret still have IRL stores?

So, does this mean Victoria’s Secret’s controversy is behind them?

Is the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 going to be different than before?

Bumble’s celibacy ads reinforce binary thinking

Dating apps are losing users at a rapid rate

People are pursuing romantic and sexual relationships less — for many reasons

A safer online dating space for women?

Greta Gerwig

Meryl Streep

Heidi Klum in Saiid Kobeisy

Jane Fonda in Elie Saab

Taylor Hill

Anya Taylor-Joy in Atlein and Jacquemus

Lily Gladstone in Gucci

Greta Gerwig in Maison Margiela and Chopard

Meryl Streep in Michael Kors

Cindy Brun

The Uniqlo x Marimekko summer collection is a Palm Royale fantasy

Levi’s x ERL is quintessential Cali-cool

Kara Yoo re-imagines florals for spring

Issey Miyake takes on the New Balance MT10 sneakers

Burberry announces Son Suk-ku as its latest brand ambassador

First Aid Beauty launches a nourishing post-shower body oil

Maui Moisture drops a soothing scalp care collection

Chanel unveils a hydrating lip serum

Burt’s Bees’ Clear and Balanced acne line is here

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain

Saie Dew Blush

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush

Dior Rosy Glow Blush

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Beauty Blush Wand

Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush

Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo

Anne Sportun Gold Initial Charm

Nanit Pro Camera

Zwilling 1.5-l Glass Carafe Drip Coffee Maker

Alma Care

Clementine Organic Silk Day-to-Night Dress

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