Lifestyle Barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week from Couture fashion week to sexist parenting

From smear tests to detox teas and anti-Brexit death threats, Sarah Young shares what’s hot and what’s not

A model walks the runway during the Viktor & Rolf Spring Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on 23 January (Getty)

Going up:

Haute Couture Fashion Week

Naomi Campbell walked for Valentino in Paris (Getty) (Getty Images)

The world’s most esteemed fashion designers came together to showcase their most opulent creations in Paris this week.

For Spring 2019, Viktor & Rolf made headlines with a collection inspired by the internet’s best memes. The catwalk was packed with period-style gowns emblazoned with one-liners such as “Sorry I’m late I didn’t want to come”, “No photos please” and “Go f**k yourself”.

Naomi Campbell also made a rare appearance on the runway, closing the Valentino show in a voluminous black gown complete with a full ruffled skirt and sheer bodice.

Meanwhile, singer Celine Dion dominated the front row making appearances at Giorgio Armani Privé, Alexandre Vauthier and Valentino.

Vegan food

The McFalafel features falafels made with chickpeas, parsley, garlic and cumin (McDonald’s)

The number of vegans is skyrocketing all over the globe, with more and more brands introducing new products to cater for a new demographic of plant-based eating customers.

This week alone has seen the launch of a vegan Cornish pasty, vegan haggis and the McDonald’s McFalafel.

But while the meat-free alternatives have been welcomed by plant-based foodies, not everyone is convinced.

Douglas Scott, chief executive at the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders, said that Robert Burns, the person Burns Night was launched to celebrate, would not approve of a vegan haggis.

Similarly, Cornish residents took offence to the launch of a vegan Cornish pasty, saying that it shouldn’t be allowed to carry the name.

Prince William

The prince spoke about mental health at the World Economic Forum (Getty)

Prince William has opened up about his personal mental health struggles, recalling one traumatic incident he said he didn’t think he would “ever get over”.

Speaking on a panel about mental health at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the royal called on the public to “get over” the stigma associated with mental health and said if he didn’t have supportive colleagues to turn to when he was an ambulance pilot, he would likely have “gone down a slippery slope” mentally.

“I still find it very difficult to talk about it,” the father-of-three said.

“I get very emotional about it because it relates very closely to my children and so it is very hard to talk about it.

“I know that if I hadn’t taken the action that I did then, I would have definitely gone down a slippery slope and I would have been dealing with mental illness on a different level.”

Boiler suits

Belted Satin Boiler Suit, £79, & Other Stories; Fine Strappy Sandals, £29.99, Zara; Gina Ball Boxy Bag, £32, Topshop; Gold Medium Molten Hoops, £115, Missoma

If you’re looking to revamp your wardrobe for the new season then a boiler suit should be at the top of your shopping list.

A style that was originally made for wearing while working, the all-in-one has been adopted by the fashion crowd to become a modern sartorial staple.

Spotted on the likes of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, as well as the runways of Emporio Armani and Alexa Chung, boiler suits have been quickly elevated to trend status.

The good news is that there are plenty of affordable options available on the high street from stores including Topshop, Whistles, Arket and & Other Stories.

Smear tests

Charities are urging women not to miss screening (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the midst of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2019 – which runs until 27 January – UK charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is urging women not to miss their smear tests.

Something that almost every woman in the UK will experience, cervical screening can prevent 75 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

However, smear test attendance is plummeting, with figures showing an increasing number of women failing to attend due to embarrassment.

A new study by the charity found that of 915 women who delayed a test or had never gone for screening, 71 per cent felt scared, 75 per cent felt vulnerable and 81 per cent said they felt embarrassed.

Following the launch of a petition by Natasha Sale, a woman who had been diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer, MPs agreed to debate lowering the age for cervical screenings from 25 to 18.

Going down:

Anti-Brexit death threats

Restaurant owner Ibrahim Dogus took a photograph of the anti-Brexit message printed on a receipt at Westminster Kitchen (Ibrahim Dogus)

This week, a restaurant made headlines after it refused to remove an anti-Brexit message from its receipts despite receiving death threats from Leave voters.

The message printed at the bottom of receipts at Westminster Kitchen, reads: “Brexit is bad. Immigrants make Britain great. They also cooked and served your food today.”

Restaurant owner Ibrahim Dogus told The Independent that the outlet has been targeted by “far right groups” who have been encouraging each other to attack the business.

Despite the backlash, Dogus says he has no plans to remove the message.

“The message will stay on the bills until 1 February and then we will replace [it] with a different message,” he said.

“I believe love will win over hate and those who are trying to disguise their racism as political activism are once again caught out.”

Sexist parenting

Russell Brand recently admitted he has never spent 24 hours in sole charge of his children (Getty) (Getty Images)

The topic of sexist parenting has become a recent source of contention following an interview given by Russell Brand to The Sunday Times Magazine.

In the interview, Brand revealed he’s never spent 24 hours in sole charge of his children and that his wife Laura Gallacher takes on the majority of parenting responsibilities, including changing nappies.

Many people labelled Brand’s approach to parenting as “sexist”, however Jim Davidson defended the comedian saying he had a similar approach to raising children.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, he said: “I used to get an au pair girl and nannies and things like that, you pay people. Do you clean your own windows? Exactly, so that’s it,” the father-of-five said.

Airbrushing

Actor Kerry Washington praised CVS for its ‘Beauty Mark’ initiative (NBC News)

American pharmacy chain CVS has announced plans to stop airbrushing the majority of its promotional photos in an effort to become more transparent with customers.

CVS launched its “Beauty Mark” initiative in 2018 but it only came into effect this week, with 70 per cent of its beauty imagery used in stores either not being airbrushed or being labelled as digitally altered.

The chain says it aims for all beauty imagery in its stores to be compliant with the initiative by 2020.

“We’ve made a commitment to not materially alter the beauty imagery we create for our stores, marketing materials, websites, apps or social media,” the company states.

“We will not digitally alter or change a person’s shape, size, proportion, skin or eye colour or enhance or alter lines, wrinkles or other individuals’ characteristics.”

Detox teas

The drinks have been branded harmful (Getty/iStock)

Detox teas have surged in popularity in recent years due to a number of collaborations between companies and high-profile celebrities.

However, one reality star has spoken out about the dangers of the drinks, calling on people to approach such products with caution.

Speaking to Metro, former Towie star, Lucy Mecklenburgh, said most detox teas “just make you go to the toilet…a lot”.

“Some of these products could become very harmful to your health and mental health,” she added.

“What I always say is there is no miracle tea, tablet or powder. We need to be more active and be more aware what we are putting in our bodies. Move more and eat better, not necessarily less.”

Body shaming

Bebe Rexha has called out designers for saying she’s ‘too big’ to wear their clothes (Getty) (Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Singer Bebe Rexha has criticised fashion designers for refusing to dress her for the Grammys because they think she’s “too big” to wear their clothes.

The 29-year-old, who wears a UK size 12, explained in a video on Instagram that members of her team were struggling to find something for her to wear after numerous brands said they didn’t want to dress her because of her size.

She went on to explain how absurd it seemed that someone of her frame – a US size eight – would be deemed too large to wear a designer gown.

“If a size six or eight is too big, then I don’t know what to tell you,” she said.

“Then I don’t want to wear your f**king dresses. Cause that’s crazy. You’re saying that all the women in the world that are size eight and up are not beautiful and they cannot wear your dresses.”

Demi Lovato praised the artist, commenting on her post: “F***ing preach!!! Love this and you for speaking your mind and using your voice!!” followed by three hand-clapping emojis.