In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
Not satisfied with the global-level, high-stakes bungling of billions of users’ data, Facebook now wants to meddle in your love life. The tech giant launched Facebook Dating, an in-app function available in 20 countries that will enable users to search for potential matches based on common likes. Can we trust it?
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The world’s abuzz for the imminent release of renowned author Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, a sequel to her book-turned-hit-Hulu-series, The Handmaid’s Tale. The new release will pick up in the dystopian, oppressive state of Gilead 15 years later.
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World No. 1 Naomi Osaka ruthlessly defeated Coco Gauff, 15, at the U.S. Open this week, before completely reversing her attitude, hugging her opponent and inviting Gauff to a joint post-match interview. It was “the hug heard around the world,” and tennis fans lauded the moment when empathy ruled.
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Even as beauty standards in Indian society are influenced by Western ideals, one wonders how the Western ideals came to be. Turns out, an ideally thin body image is a colonial idea, birthed by Europeans in response to their observations of small, elite groups in developing countries, who were well-off and well-fed. This made Europeans think entire continents, such as Asia and Africa, adored obesity as a ‘cultural ideal.’ Naturally, in order to set themselves apart, they moved in the opposite direction, and unfortunately, the world followed.
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In the New York strip club industry, the dancers would always be at a disadvantage — underpaid, and required to endure insult and harassment from clients. Until one veteran dancer decided to change things up — what’s it like to drug filthy rich men and finagle money out of them under the pretext of drugs and sexual attention? It’s an old piece, but worth a re-read as the movie-version of the real-life story nears release.
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Scarlett Johansson has had enough chances. She’s fighting off criticism for participating in Hollywood’s tendency to whitewash movies, apparent in Ghost in the Shell, in which Johansson plays a Japanese character. Now, Johansson has come out in defiant support of Woody Allen, an accused child molester who married his adopted child. Too far this time, ScarJo.
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Nicki Minaj is retiring from rap to start a family — with a man who is a registered sex offender. Only time will tell if the rapper is 100% done with her music career.
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The fast fashion industry is increasingly coming under fire for appropriating the likenesses and styles of celebrities to sell material — and the celebrities are lashing back. Most recently, Ariana Grande filed a lawsuit against Forever 21 — the fast-fashion brand already on the brink of bankruptcy — for $10 million.
