Who is looksmaxxing really for?

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. In 2024, I wrote an article about the direction male body image was heading. It was bleak, looking at how impressive male physiques of the 90s would now be considered average. At the time, there was…

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This new novel injects queerness into Ireland’s hyper-masculine ganglandsĀ 

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. With his debut novel, All Them Dogs, Djamel White draws us into a world of threats and retribution, where gangsters with Turkey teeth and remodelled hairlines compete for money, status and power. When Tony Ward returns…

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Win tickets to seeĀ Zara Larsson, Skepta and more at Sziget Festival

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. Festival season is almost back, and for those looking to escape the unpredictable nature of UK festivals, Budapest is calling. In August, Sziget Festival is returning to its usual island home. Since starting in the early…

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In pictures: Robbie McIntosh captures the next generation of Champion youth

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. This week, sportswear giant Champion has teamed up with the Naples-based photographer Robbie McIntosh for the first chapter of its new Youth campaign. While subsequent drops will be based in Berlin and Liverpool, this inaugural set…

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Big Tech trial: Why the verdict against Meta and Youtube is so important

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. A US jury has found that major technology companies are liable for deliberately designing addictive products, in a case centred on the impact of social media on a young individual’s mental health.Ā Jurors found that the tech…

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5 emerging photographers to watch from Circulation(s) in Paris

Editor’s pick — Culture quick take: the cultural angle (trend signal, audience insight, crossover with fashion/music/art) in 1–2 lines. The 16th edition of the Parisian photography festival Circulation(s) is now open. Running until May 17, exhibition spaces within the cavernous Centquatre-Paris, a multidisciplinary art and entertainment space in the city, are displaying an exciting ensemble…

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