More than a dozen Black models are boycotting Melbourne Fashion Week in response to what they claim is industry-wide racism. The group of 13 performers are refusing to walk for runway shows or participate in casting calls in order to shine a light on the discrimination they face in Australia, which they say wouldn’t be allowed in Europe or the US. They say the discrimination includes being paid significantly less than their white counterparts, the alleged use of racial slurs, as well as hairdressers talking derogatively about African hair. “Black models doing Australian fashion is a form of self-destruction”, said Sydney-based Awar Malek, 24, told The Sydney Morning Herald. “It is absolutely the most traumatising, and dehumanising, underpaying, and overall mentally draining week and I have no desire to continue to participate.” South Sudanese-born model Nylow Ajing added: “In London, New York and Paris, you could not get away with what the fashion industry is doing here and how it treats black models, but they don’t seem to care or want to change.” The idea for a boycott came after a group of 13 models formed a private group chat to exchange stories and support each other earlier this year. “We never wanted to resort to this but there is only so much we can take,” 30-year-old Jeffrey Kissubi told the newspaper. “Maybe the industry will care about our experiences when it comes from a group rather than one individual that they can quickly silence or just ignore.” They accused brands of “tokenism”, alleging they hire “plenty of Black models” during fashion weeks when they can pay them less. “It’s the only time they hire black models in numbers, and honestly, it’s because we are the cheapest at this time. It’s good PR for them. It looks like ‘wow, these campaigns are really inclusive’, but the next week and the next month, we have no work, and they go back to whitewashing fashion,” Malek added. The casting of models at fashion weeks is decided by exhibiting label, and not festival organisers. A spokesperson for the City of Melbourne said all models participating in the fashion week receive equal pay “with the exception of some higher profile models – including those from diverse backgrounds”. “We were not aware of any concerns relating to diversity or race involving Melbourne Fashion Week. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated,” a statement to the BBC read. Other grievances raised include a lack of diversity across hair and makeup artists, casting agencies, and photographers. Nyaluak Leth, who relocated to the UK where “Black models are celebrated and valued”, said: “In 2019 behind the scenes at Sydney Fashion Week, one of the black models approached me and asked me to braid her hair and I said ‘but darling, there are so many empty seats in the hair section’, but I could tell that she was really reluctant to even ask for help... because she didn’t trust that anyone knew how to do her hair and she was definitely right.” The models boycotting not just MFW, but the larger industry, have said they’re speaking out despite fears for their career in a bid to bring reform. “I don’t want to speak out, but I have to, or nothing will change,” Kissubi said. The chief executive of the Australian Fashion Council, Leila Naja Hibri told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The Australian fashion industry is uniquely placed to actively engage in equitable, diverse and inclusive responsible practice. The Australian Fashion Council is not involved in the running of fashion weeks or brand marketing events, but we do require all AFC Members to abide by our code of conduct. “This stipulates that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or inappropriate conduct towards others based on gender, race, or national or ethnic origin. ” The Independent has contacted representatives for the City of Melbourne for comment. Read More Hailey Bieber addresses her and husband Justin Bieber’s wildly different styles Britney Spears tells story behind matching double-denim moment with Justin Timberlake How to do Halloween make up and still take care of your skin Hailey Bieber addresses her and husband Justin Bieber’s wildly different styles Britney Spears tells story behind matching double-denim moment with Justin Timberlake How to do Halloween make up and still take care of your skin

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 23, 2023--

If you've been wondering when voice assistants would get the generative AI treatment, Amazon has

TV presenter Jasmine Harman became emotional as she opened up about her mother’s struggles with hoarding – and how it adversely impacted their relationship for years. The host of Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun, Harman, 47, said she “refused to bring people home” and was “really, really embarrassed and ashamed” about her mum Vasoulla’s condition, on Wednesday (25 October) during an appearance on This Morning. “In fact, when I started working in television, it was my biggest fear that someone would find out about the way I’d grown up and the way that we lived at the time,” she told Dermot O’Leary and Allison Hammond. Reflecting on how things had changed since then, Harman teared up as she affirmed her priority is “having a loving relationship” with Vasoulla – and not “focussing on the hoarding” anymore. Addressing her mother, Harman added: “She’s helped me to become a much more compassionate person. We used to fight, didn’t we? “But now we have a relationship that’s outside [of the hoarding].” Hoarding was recognised as a mental health disorder in 2013. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is characterised by “an accumulation of possessions due to excessive acquisition of, or difficulty discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value”. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) outlines detailed criteria that psychologists can use to diagnose hoarding, including cluttered living spaces where the room’s intended use [of cooking, sleeping, or sleeping] has become impossible. These behaviours usually appear during a person’s early life, with Vasoulla explaining it was triggered by “the trauma of loss” in her case. “We moved from Cyprus when I was about three so I left my baby things back home and started collecting trinkets in bombed-out houses that were still about in the early Sixties, after the war – trinkets that I treasured,” she explained. “Then we moved back to Cyprus for a couple of years and those things all got lost. Then we moved back to England and all my new ties got lost – so I just had lots of upheaval, lots of loss.” Vasoulla, whose father was killed in Cyprus, added: “It’s more the loss, like a bereavement. Losing your father is a big thing, moving country ...you lose everything and you get a new place to live. The trauma of loss [is] something that a lot of people have as the onset of their hoarding behaviour.” The mother-daughter duo previously opened up about how hoarding affected their lives in a 2011 BBC documentary, titled My Hoarder Mum & Me. Speaking about the “cathartic experience”, Harman on Wednesday confessed:“I genuinely had no idea how many people were affected by this.” Around three million people are reportedly impacted by the mental health condition, according to Hoarding Disorders UK. The organisation’s director Jo Cook, who joined Vasoulla and Harman on the This Morning couch, explained that hoarding is neither a lifestyle choice, nor “about poor housekeeping”. When asked about supporting loved ones who might struggle with hoarding, Cook recommended joining a support group and approaching the anxiety-based disorder with empathy. “It’s really important that that person that you’re helping, feels safe in their home with you. Because, essentially, you’re unpicking someone’s nest, so you need to make sure you’re doing it slowly and surely,” she added. If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk. Read More Pete Davidson is on the market for a hot date - but not for him Gym math: How to optimise 22 minutes exercise a day according to fitness experts Neglecting women’s health at work could cost UK economy £20.2bn a year – analysis Gym math: How to optimise 22 minutes exercise a day according to fitness experts Neglecting women’s health at work could cost UK economy £20.2bn a year – analysis Nearly three-quarters of mothers feel invisible, study suggests

My morning doesn’t start until I whip up a fresh cup of matcha (not the latte, nor the sweetened kind you get at Starbucks — just plain, straight-up matcha), before I move on to a strong cup of Irish Breakfast tea. After lunch, I’ll enjoy a minty green tea before eventually transitioning to herbal varieties; I rotate among chamomile, turmeric-ginger, and peppermint. The point is, I’m a round-the-clock warm beverage B. And I just leveled up in a major way, thanks to Ember — the brand behind a hero range of high-tech, temperature-regulating drinkware, and more recently, baby bottles for the discerning bébé. As someone who takes hot bevvies very seriously, I had to see if the cozy season favorite was truly worth the hype.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

Women in the US state with pregnancy complications will be exempted from the abortion ban, a judge rules.

Uber announced a whole host of updates and upgrades to its app and platform at

Wes Anderson's brand of straight-faced weirdness can be an acquired taste, but the writer-director finds a hospitable outlet for his sense of whimsy in "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," a 39-minute adaptation of the Roald Dahl story. He also finds the right outfit to bankroll that in awards-hungry Netflix, which surely has visions of Oscar nominations dancing in its head as it kicks off a week of Anderson-directed Dahl shorts.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse came out just shy of two weeks ago and it's already

The Blackening stars, Dewayne Perkins, X Mayo, Jay Pharoah, Jermaine Fowler, Antoinette Robertson, Melvin Gregg,

Vermont’s Republican governor has signed abortion and gender affirmed shield bills into law that include protecting access to a medication widely used in abortions even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdraws its approval of the pill, mifepristone