In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
Serena Williams opens up about her sleeplessness and frustration following her 2018 loss against Naomi Osaka in the U.S. Open final, and the sexism that greets women’s emotional expression — all whilst glowing in gold and posing unretouched for Harper’s Bazaar.
*
Male body dissatisfaction, as a result of rampant body shaming, is on the rise, and the issue is spotlit as fans recently criticized Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa for sporting a dad bod on vacation. Unrealistic beauty standards have a detrimental effect on everyone, no matter the gender.
*
National Geographic sat down with lion experts to break down the logic behind one of the most popular franchises in entertainment: The Lion King. In the latest live-action remake, as in the previous versions, there is Simba, his father Mufasa, and his uncle, Scar — but where is Simba’s mother? Lion prides majorly constitute female lions, who are also primary caregivers and protectors of cubs. Seems like The Lion King conveniently leaves that out.
*
Social media influencers are glorifying a beachside attraction in Siberia near a strikingly bright blue body of water, #nofilter. While the photos seem heavenly, the water body is actually a manmade waste site for a nearby power plant, which has had to issue a cautionary warning: don’t fall into the “ash dump” while hunting for selfies.
*
Gone are the days when children marveled at how technology works. Kids as young as 5 are now learning how to code in the metropolises of India, as part of a push to improve digital literacy in the country.
*
Extinction doesn’t mean what it used to. Plant and insect species buried in the quickly warming glaciers of the Arctic are baffling scientists with their ability to come back to life after having lain dormant, presumably dead, for centuries.
*
Sports journalist and author Sharda Ugra gets candid in an excerpt of her anthology, Single by Choice, which details her life as a “stubbornly” single woman, and the bizarrely awestruck ways in which society responds to her choice.
*
South Korea is being rocked by a continuation of the horrifying Burning Sun scandal, which hit the country’s K-Pop industry this year: Many elite South Korean men have been outed as sexual exploiters, indulging in a practice called molka — that is, the distribution of sex videos of women made without their consent — and rape parties.
*
TikTok, the beleaguered entertainment app popular amongst Indians and under fire from the country’s law enforcement, now hosts a new type of influencer: crying, weeping, wailing men, playing the role of a star-crossed lover. It’s problematic; here’s why.
