Voices

"And literally I turned to my friend and I was like, 'You have this job because I've done yoga before'." Gwyneth, it did come out wrong. Or, at least, it is heard in a way that is contrary to Gwyneth's intention - unless her intention is to sound laughably arrogant. The internet went wild with guffawing that Gwyneth thinks she invented yoga, and you have to question what she was thinking. Possibly, however, given how she prefaces her encounter with the young one at the yoga class, Gwyneth seems to recognise a degree of cockiness on her part. And if she does, then, clearly she doesn't care. The means, perhaps, justify the end for Gywneth. So she gets slated a little for imagining she created yoga, but as a side effect, her name is bound even more closely with the centuries-old practice. Which can only help the brand of Gwyneth, and that's good. The slings and arrows are part and parcel of being Gwyneth, a woman who treads a very fine line between boosting the confidence of the … [Read more...] about Sarah Caden: ‘Cut Gwyneth some slack

As they barely trouble the upper echelons of any ranking tables these days, a picture of a celeb receiving an award is often the best they can hope for. Two weeks ago, UCD honoured that great academic, Rob Kearney. Last week, it was the turn of UCC to hand out an award to a past student, Cork woman Samantha Barry. Samantha hit the headlines in January when she was announced as editor in chief of Glamour, one of the world’s best-known and biggestselling magazines. For a girl from Ballincollig, it was quite an achievement. With a “relaunch” in April, which saw Samantha appearing on CNN to promote it, it seemed that Glamour had a bright future ahead of it. In fairness to UCC, they probably planned the award some time ago, so they can’t really be blamed for what happened next, because last week owners Conde Nast announced the closure of Glamour magazine as a print title. This is probably a good time to alert readers about the modern-day love for spin.  You … [Read more...] about Michael O’Doherty: ‘Glamour’s print closure is a lesson in spin…with a bit of skill, you can make anything sound positive’

Not since Linda Martin vs Twink, have we seen such a captivating argument as the Meghan Markle vs Kate Middleton debacle engulfing the internet right now. The idea of Kate in floods of tears at Kensington Palace and Meghan throwing tantrums over an emerald tiara and a bridesmaid dress for a three-year-old is frankly too juicy to ignore and (usually) there’s no smoke without fire. Even if that smoke is coming from the fireplace at Nottingham Cottage. We love getting out the popcorn for a battle royale among stars, but the chance to witness some mud-slinging among royals is a rarity. So, what's the big deal? Royals are a modern anomaly - they enjoy an exceptionally luxurious lifestyle thanks to the British taxpayer, but at the same time are actual people and not sentient robots, so require some semblance of privacy to maintain their sanity. Modern royals like Meghan and Kate and their husbands Prince Harry and Prince William take their approach to confidentiality perhaps a little … [Read more...] about Why this ‘feud’ between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton is proof we really are in the golden age of the royals

She's arguably the Victoria Beckham of Girls Aloud (remember when VB took her under her bandage dress-wearing wing during the 2006 World Cup?), but unlike the fashion designer who has politely declined the offer to rejoin Spice World, it seems that Cheryl can't resist the lure of the charts. 'Love Made Me Do It' is 35-year-old Cheryl's first musical venture since 2014, and she revealed on a recent podcast that the lyrics of the song include: "Oh my god, I'm such a sucker, I fall in love with every f**ker." The teaser clip of the video for the track, meanwhile, shows her sticking up her fingers on both hands. So it's reasonable to assume the song is a 'revenge single' about former toyboy Liam Payne, with whom she split in July, right? Wrong. "It's something that anyone who's been in love will be able to relate to in some way or another," Cheryl (below) said, insisting that the song was not about anyone in particular. "It's catchy and it's fun. It's not about one specific person or … [Read more...] about Leslie Ann Horgan: ‘Cheryl

Since the first show in 1995, the production has grown exponentially and so has its roster of models. While Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Gisele stalked the runways in the ‘90s, setting the tone for a superhuman level of beauty that only so-called Angels seemed to possess, nowadays, ‘it girls’ like Bella and Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner are the big draws to now, often overshadowing veterans like Candice Swanepoel, Adriana Lima and Behati Prinsloo. On social media,Victoria’s Secret is a cult and followers worship at the altar of unattainable beauty, the result of an exceptionally effective marketing directive.  Both current and retired Angels repeatedly say that their lives were changed after being associated with them. “It almost turns you into a 'brand' — people know who you are and will associate your name with your face, which gives you a chance to have a voice," Sara Sampaio told Fashionista in 2015. On E!’s most recent … [Read more...] about Caitlin McBride: ‘Is the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show still relevant?’