The Toxic singer was unable to attend the ruling, but has still been celebrating.
BRITNEY SPEARS
In more Britney news, this week, the 39-year-old-singer celebrated her father being removed as her conservator.
Yesterday marked a breakthrough in her case as a judge vowed to suspend her father, Jamie Spears, who’s been her conservator – despite her being fit to work – for thirteen years.
Posting to Instagram afterwards, she shared a video where she’s driving a propellor plane. She wasn’t acting solo – she’s seen being guided by a qualified pilot.
In the caption, she said: “On cloud 9 right now!!!! First time flying a plane and first time in a prop plane!!! Geez I was scared!!!”
“Pssss bringing the ship home, JL … Stay classy beautiful people !!!! New pics coming soon.”
The singer didn’t go to yesterday’s hearing in person. Sources believe that she was on holiday with fiancé Sam Asghari, hence why she couldn’t make it.
Speaking to People, an insider said: “Britney and Sam are currently out of town on vacation. She wanted to take the stress off ahead of today. Of course she’s happy with the result of the hearing.”
The star lived for near thirteen years under the control of her father in the conservatorship, which ultimately had control of her decisions, finances, work life and birth control choices. One court testimony from Britney shared that she had to wear an IUD, despite asking to have it removed.
During the hearing, which happened in Los Angeles at the Superior Court, the judge, Brenda Penny, said that Britney’s father maintaining control of the conservatorship and further staying in charge of her estate was ‘untenable.’
She agreed with Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who said the move was in the singer’s ‘best interests.’
This doesn’t mean the conservatorship is terminated – rather, a new temporary conservator will be tasked with managing the conservatorship before another hearing to determine once and for all whether the conservatorship can be ended permanently.
Britney has been appealing for her conservatorship to be ended for years, sparking the Free Britney movement of fans campaigning for her freedom. It’s one of the longest standing conservatorships in US history, and she’s shared with several courts that she feels the situation has led to her family to abuse their power.
Her Majesty the Queen may be one of the most recognisable figureheads in the world, but when it comes to politics, the monarch is tasked with staying completely neutral.
So while The Crown speculated about Her Majesty’s strained relationship with late Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and the internet speculated that she was subtly shading Donald Trump during a 2019 visit, we’ll never really know what The Queen’s opinions are when it comes to the ballot box.
But that doesn’t stop political figures from trying to get in her good books.
Case in point: that time Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner tried to wangle their way into a meeting with her, believing themselves to be the US’s answer to royalty.
Yep, according to a new book by a veteran of the Trump administration, Jared and Ivanka tried to win time with the Queen during a visit to the UK while Ivanka’s father was in office.
Former Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, whose Trump-era memoir I’ll Take Your Questions Now is soon to be published in the US, claims that “Jared and Ivanka thought they were the royal family of the United States”, and tried to muscle in on the president and first lady’s meeting with the Queen – a move that would have been a breach of protocol for a state visit.
In excerpts obtained by The Washington Post, Grisham recalls how the couple’s plan failed to come to fruition because they couldn’t fit in the presidential helicopter.
The author also alleges that FLOTUS Melania Trump and the White House staff referred to Ivanka as “the Princess”, and that Ivanka would often refer to the president as “my father” in work meetings, The Post reports. Eeek.
The former press secretary also reportedly called Jared “the Slim Reaper” because of his tendency to involve himself with others people’s projects, before swiftly removing himself when problems arose.
The Queen met with Trump twice during his presidency, with ‘The Donald’ later claiming that the monarch “had the most fun in 25 years” during his visit.
Now we know that she’s supposed to remain politically neutral, but something tells us that Her Majesty may have had a few choice words to say behind closed doors in response.
If you haven’t seen Sex Education Season 3 yet, quick question: where have you been?
Dropping on Netflix on 17th September, the hit show – which follows the lives of Otis, Maeve, Eric, Adam and other students at Moordale High – teaches several important messages about sex, consent, gender, sexuality and relationships.
Traditional TV narrative often sees sex portrayed in a porn-esque and frankly unrealistic manner: no-one looks like that while doing that. Sex Education, on the other hand, paints a refreshingly honest and realistic picture.
*Spoilers below*
Relationships are raw, gritty, often challenging and always complicated, in their own ways, and Sex Education shows just that – with core couples breaking up, despite you wanting them to stay together (we’re looking at you, Eric and Adam); main characters prioritising their career trajectory over love, (enjoy America, Maeve); and even the adult characters love lives highlighting that no relationship ever comes without hurdles (please for the love of god, let the baby be Jean and Jakob’s).
More frank and educational relationship and sex ed content like this isn’t just preferred, but essential: it’d do a nation of UK teens (and adults) the world of good, and continue to teach them that sex can be safe, fun and pregnancy-free, too. It’s 2021, after all, and archaic and outdated teaching when it comes to sex and relationships should be a thing of the past.
Keep reading for our favourite learnings from the show.
Sex Education season 3: 10 important learnings
1. Communication is key
An overarching theme of the season? That communication is key and, more often than not, harder to get right than you’d think.
“Each episode runs through a challenge or emotional hurdle and shows a difficult or awkward discussion point between sexual partners, which we can all relate to,” explains Ness Cooper, a sexologist and sex and relationship coach at The Sex Consultant. “The show offers not just problems, but solutions, too: some subtle but still relevant, covering sex, authentic sexuality and sexual expression, as well.”
Not only that, but Sex Education shows that sex stigma and shame can be overcome, and it’s not just something that teens navigate. Take Jean admitting that she’s had a string of sexual partners as an adult, and defending her right to do so – ‘even with more years and experience, it can be just as challenging to talk about,’ explains Cooper.
2. Confusion is common
It’s part of life, and Sex Education does an amazing job of highlighting that it’s totally, totally normal – especially if you’ve never had sex before or are trying something new. “Confusion around sex and relationships spans both teens and adults in the show, which teaches us that we need to continually keep learning throughout our lives,” Cooper shares.
Take Jean’s struggles again: even as a sex and relationships expert, she is still stigmatised in the show for being an older mother. “Even with her level of expertise, you see her having to navigate personal challenges around sex and relationships, highlighting that no one is immune to personal struggles – they’re actually quite normal, and overcoming them helps shape who we are and will become,” adds Cooper.
3. Pronouns and trans rights are important
The show’s depiction of trans rights generally should be applauded, with Cal’s storyline focusing on being discriminated upon for identifying as non-binary.
“Using the correct pronouns, standing up for trans rights and respecting those who identify as non-binary is important,” shares Cooper. “Some episodes towards the end of season 3 reminded me of section 28 (a series of British laws prohibiting ‘homosexuality promotion’ introduced by Margaret Thatcher) and even further into darker times beforehand,” the sexpert explains.
Point being, we’ve come a long way since then, and continually standing up for – and teaching – LGBTQIA+ rights shouldn’t be a question. “Many sex education programs will still try and avoid these key subject areas, and it can be hard to be open and honest with intersectionality when sex educated is regulated negatively depending on what teachers can and can’t teach,” adds Cooper.
4. Casual sex shouldn’t be stigmatised
As we’ve touched on, Jean admits she’s had a lot of causal sex in the series – but she doesn’t look back on her experiences with shame or regret, just openness and an attitude which once again frames sex as a natural human experience that shouldn’t be societally stigmatised.
“It can be very hard to accept our past sexual relationships – part of this due to learned shame and stigma,” shares Cooper. “Know this – it’s totally normal to have experiences to learn from and through. I love that Jean acknowledged her experiences were a part of her and, further, that she shouldn’t have to hide them.”
5. Those with disabilities aren’t asexual and have sexual wants, needs, and expressions, too
This one’s important. “Over time as a sex coach and sexologist, I’ve learnt that everyone has their own unique needs and wants when it comes to experiencing pleasure,” explains Cooper.
But we need to be educated about this more in schools, she stresses. “Not only this, we need to be taught that disability or illness can happen to anyone at any age and can result in a big shift from traditional sexual pleasure and enjoyment.”
Maeve and Isaac’s relationship is central to demonstrating this, with one key scene showing Maeve asking Isaac to explain where on his body he feels the most pleasure. “It’s one of the most realistic depictions of a disabled relationship I’ve seen in the media and reaffirms that yes, disabled individuals still experience pleasure,” Cooper goes on.
6. Not everyone’s sexual expectations are the same
On that topic, Sex Education does a great job of highlighting that everyone – and we mean everyone’s – sexual expectations, wants, needs, fantasies, fetishes and desires are different. Bondage for beginners or tantric sex, anyone?
Take Adam and Eric’s relationship, for example. “I loved the confusion they had over deciding sex positions – many of us have been in a similar situation, regardless of what type of sex we’re having,” she shares.
“It felt natural. More shows need to show the natural confusion, clumsiness and awkwardness that comes with sex.”
It’s only normal, and seeing it depicted on your TV screen will further affirm that you are not alone – actually, you’re in the majority, she reckons. “Another great lesson to come from this scene is the learning that sex isn’t always PIV (penis in vagina) – far from it,” she adds.
7. There’s strength in vulnerability
Hands up if you were upset (read: heartbroken) seeing Otis fail to reciprocate Ruby’s feelings mid-season? I certainly was, but doctor Katherine Hertlein, expert advisor at sex therapy app Blueheart, believes that this scene is super important in the learnings department.
“It presents a very powerful message: that it’s good to be vulnerable,” she explains. “Ruby is often portrayed as a feisty, nonchalant character, but seeing her open up and be honest with her feelings shows courage. It doesn’t matter that those feelings weren’t reciprocated by Otis – showing vulnerability means you are truly capable of having intimate relationships,” she explains.
8. There’s no such thing as perfect
Another overarching theme of the series? That life – and love – is complicated, and that’s all just about rolling with the punches.
“Whether it’s romantic relationships, family or friends, Sex Education shows us that there’s no such thing as perfect,” shares Hertlein. “We all have our unique characteristics and flaws, our bad moments and our good moments, we make good choices and bad choices.”
“The series shows that although we can try to be truly virtuous, everyone makes mistakes, and it’s okay, because we’re human. Acknowledging those mistakes and working on ourselves is really what’s important.”
Hear, hear.
9. People can – and do – change
We’re looking at you, Adam and Mr. Groff. “We saw immense character development from both Adam and his Dad in season three, despite criticism of both characters in season one,” shares Hertlein.
How so? Well, in this series, we saw Adam embrace his sexuality and we further watched as his Dad built up the courage to be completely candid and cut ties with a toxic family relationship. “After finally getting insight into Mr. Groff’s experience of humiliation, toxic masculinity and emotional neglect as a child, we’re finally able to understand his motivations and behaviour as an adult,” explains Hertlein. “When he acknowledges this, he welcomes change, and we see he is a much better person for it.”
Do know that while in reality, this won’t happen overnight – or even as quickly as we see in the show – it’s still a powerful lesson. “People can and do change for the better,” she confirms.
10. There is no such thing as normal
Finally, know this; there is no such thing as normal and whatever you’re going through, someone else will have, too.
“Despite what we might see on the outside, this series shows that there really is no such thing as normal,” concludes Hertlein. “Everyone is trying to navigate and deal with their own life struggles,” she adds.
Sex Education has confirmed it’ll be back for a fourth season – watch this space.
Not a big deal, you may think – but here’s the thing: unless your money is growing in line with the rate of inflation, which is the cost of goods and services, then the cash you have sitting in savings is actually losing value.
The current rate of inflation is 3.2% [correct September 2021], but finding a savings account that pays you that or anything above it is impossible in the current climate.
So, what can you do about it? The answer is investing.Investing can help your money grow, not only to beat inflation, but also to help you meet your life goals – whether that’s to get onto the property ladder, start a new business, or maybe even to retire early.
The good news is it’s easy to get started with investing and you don’t need to be a rich city trader to do it either. And better still, research shows that when women invest, they do it better than men.
Here’s a simple guide to investing for beginners:
Start investing small
Did you know you can actually start investing with just a pound? Yes, that’s right, about the same as the cost of a 50ml bottle of anti-bac. So, there’s no excuse for putting it off.
The sooner you start, the sooner your money will start to grow and you’ll benefit from what is known as compound interest.
Compound interest is interest on interest, which basically means when you earn interest, it is reinvested and you then earn interest on the original amount as well as the interest. When you’re investing, the growth with compound interest can be phenomenal.
The sooner you do it, the more your money will grow.
How do I start investing?
If you are saving into a pension, then guess what? You’re already investing, as your pension money is put to work in the stock market.
But if you want to grow your money with savings as well, then start by taking a look at what is known as ‘robo-advisers’.
The providers, also known as digital wealth managers, take you through a gamification process (by which we mean a whole load of fun questions) to assess your attitude to risk and assess your goals – it then uses this information to match you to a ready made investment portfolio. It really is as simple as that – all you have to do is start paying in a regular amount, or something as often as you like. The robo-advisor will take care of the money for you by putting it to work in the stock market.
MoneyBox– where you can start with your loose change. The app will round up your spending to the nearest pound and shift it into investments for you. So, if you spend £5.10 on a bottle of wine, then it will put 90p into investment savings for you.
Pick your own funds
A fund isbasically a basket of company shares put together by a fund manager. If you feel confident, you can choose your own funds to create your own portfolio. The benefit here is that you will have a lot more choiceabout where to invest.
A good place to start if with what is known as passive funds (also known as index or tracker funds). Sounds complicated, but they are just funds that follow a specific index, such as the FTSE 100 (the top 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange).
To get started, open an account with investment platforms such asVanguard,AJBell,FidelityorHargreaves Lansdownfor example.You can find information on the top tracker fund on the provider’s websites.
You can of course opt for other funds, such as green investing ones or a fund that invests in gold, for example. Just be sure to have a good mix, so that your money is spread across various investments and it reduces risk.
How quickly will my money grow if I invest it?
According to an investment calculator from Hargreaves Lansdown, if you put £20 a month into an investment account and saved for 10 years, the potential growth at 8% will leave you with £3,625. Your initial contribution is £2,400 – that’s a growth of £1,225.
Of course, if you don’t invest, then all you will have is what you put in (£2,400) with little or no growth.
Will I lose my money if I invest?
Investing does come with risk and you can lose all or some of your money.But generally, investment almost always delivers strong returns.
The key thing is to make sure you only invest money that you don’t need for at least five years. The longer you invest, the more time the money has to grow and outride any bumps in the stock market along the way.And of course, don’t forget inflation – money not invested is losing value unless it is keeping up with the cost of living.
“But there’s also ‘shortfall risk’, which is the potential that you won’t have enough saved to meet your needs or do the things you want, such as a deposit for a home for yourself or your children, travelling to a place you’ve always wanted to see, enough money saved for a comfortable retirement,” says Annabelle Williams, personal finance specialist at Nutmeg.
“There are people who wouldn’t go near stock markets and put all their money into property in the belief that it’s safer. What happens, though, when they need the money soon – but the investment property doesn’t attract any buyers for a year?By investing your money, you can address shortfall risk as your savings should hopefully increase in value,” she adds.
Use your ISA
When you open your investment account, tick the ISA box. An ISA (individual savings account) is basically a savings account but the money growing in there is tax free. You usually have to pay tax on any earnings from investments, but you can save up to £20,000 into an ISA and the tax man will keep his hands off your money and whatever it earns.
If you’re saving for your first home, then you can put £4,000 of this allowance into a Lifetime ISA, where for every £1,000 you put in, the government will pay you a generous 25% bonus. You must be aged between 18-40 and can save into one until you are 50. Find out more here.
Avoid investment scams
It’s important to remember that investing is not a get rich quick scheme, and any promises as such are likely to be a scam. Take a look at theTake Five to Stop Fraudsite for advice on staying safe from scammers, and the FCA’swarning listfor known scams.
Before you start investing
Finally, before you invest, make sure you have some money put away for a rainy day fund. This is cash you might need if there is an emergency – such as redundancy or getting too ill to work.
You should also look to pay off expensive debt, such as a credit or store card, first.
If the UN’s IPCC report taught us anything, it’s to be kind. Not just to ourselves or each other, but to our planet, too – the ‘code red’ report shows that it’s nearly too late. Sadly, shopping sustainably can feel like a minefield at the best of times. How do you avoid greenwashing? And identify brands endorsing fast fashion? And spot ethical clothing brands from the not-so-ethical?
By looking for B Corp brands, that’s how. While it’s not the be all and end all – there are many smaller, independent sustainable brands that don’t have a B Corp certification yet – it is a really easy way to identify if a brand is actually doing good sustainability-wise, and opting for businesses practices that don’t harm our planet.
Keen to read up on what it actually means and which B Corp brands are our favourite? Keep reading.
B Corp brands: so, what is a B Corp?
Fun fact: there are almost 4,000 Certified B Corporations across 77 countries in 153 industries. That’s a lot. But what does being B Corp actually mean?
As stated on the Certified B Corporation website, B Corp are brands are:
“Businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.”
Or, in simpler terms, a B Corp brand is a sustainable company that puts sustainable practice first.
W&B are the latest company to become a B Corp brand. Their website is a goldmine of ethically sourced clothes, shoes, homeware and beauty products – trust us, it’s a good’un.
We all love Proper snacks – hello, tasty, tasty popcorn and lentil crisps – but did you know they’ve been a B Corp brand since 2018? They were the first snack brand in the UK to be certified, and sell vegan snacks made from 100% natural ingredients.
Form have always had sustainability at the core of what they do – they were the first ever UK brand to be certified as B Corp.
Co-founder Damian Soong said: “Giving and social responsibility is woven into Form’s DNA – even at our pre-launch, we gave a meal for every sign-up.”
Co-founder Natalia Bojanic agrees, adding: “We don’t see the point of being a business if you aren’t doing good in the world. In our view, companies have a social, economic and environmental responsibility to bring positive impact to society.”
Graze – a subscription-based snack service that can be directly delivered to your door – became a B Corp earlier this year.
They said on the move: “We’ve joined thousands of businesses who, like us, believe in being a force for good in the world. It means we’re challenging ourselves to imagine even better ways of doing things right for people and the planet. And we think that’s an idea that really counts.”
As part of their eco-movement they’ve made a pledge to go carbon neutral by 2030. “We’ve measured our footprint, and are already working on reducing it as much as we can first and foremost. Case in point – all the electricity at our factory and our bakery is now 100% carbon neutral and comes from a windfarm in a particularly windy bit of Scotland. There’s lots more work to do, and we’re excited to share our progress as we go,” they share.
Certified B Corp since December 2011, Patagonia have long championed a simple and waste-free production approach.
They design clothes made to last for generations or that can be recycled, so the production doesn’t harm the planet in the process. Plus, they admit that they’re a work in process, always championing new and fun ways to make their business even more eco-friendly.
Allbirds have been making merino wool footwear – what they call ‘the world’s best natural materials’ – since xxx, and were certified B Corp in 2016.
Founder Tim Brown wanted to use the wool – a ‘remarkable, sustainable resource [that] was virtually absent in the footwear industry’ – to create a never-seen-before product. And that, he has.
Working with engineer and renewables expert Joey Zwillinger, they made Allbirds – shoes made from mother nature’s materials that don’t harm the planet. Win, win.
You might have guessed from the name that Vivobarefoot design shoes to help you reconnect with nature via barefoot design principles.
Invented by two cousins from a family of cobblers, Galahad and Asher Clark, the shoes have been found to help improve foot health, plus use a business model designed to help ‘regenerate and restore the environment’.
Fun fact: last year, the brand launched ReVivo, their first programme to allow customers to to return used footwear and have them reconditioned.
Krī Skincare’s ethos? Simple: to make more from less. Created using only vegan and biodegradable ingredients, they’ve been working towards being certified B Corp for ‘almost a year’, according to their website.
“Being certified to the highest verified standards of transparency and accountability provides further assurances to our customers that we do what we say we do, and that we’re committed to driving long-term positive changes as a responsible, ethical skincare business,” they share.
Did you know? BrewDog, according to their website, is the world’s first carbon negative brewery for beer and give 10% of profits each year to their workers.
As they say on their site, they believe ‘carbon is their problem, and so they remove all of their emissions at The BrewDog Forest, near their home in the Scottish Highlands.’
Bottom line: they reckon that together, we can change the world.
As per the Ocean Bottle website, 22 million kilograms of plastic enters the ocean every day. “That’s one truckload every minute,” they share. As a certified B Corp, they not only produce a sustainable and eco-friendly water bottles from plastic waste, but they set up recycling infrastructure in coastal communities with high levels of plastic pollution, too.
Fun fact: so far, they claim to have stopped 1.1 million kilograms of plastic entering the ocean. Not bad.
In a nutshell: a health supplement brand with a heart. They share that from the very beginning, their aim was to shake things up a little and carve a new path. “To create products with purpose, backed by science, and using natural ingredients of exceptional quality,” shares the B Corp website.
Sold in 52 countries globally, the brand is big on supporting the planet, offering eco-friendly packaging and a business model that, first and foremost, respects the environment and natural order of things.
Londoners, listen up: Blue Tit may only be London-based but they’re one of the most sustainable hair salons in the City.
They’ve been a B Corp since March 2020 and were the first certified chain of hair salons. Some facts for you: in 2019 alone, they offset 110% of their yearly carbon emissions, and only use non-toxic products sold in glass bottles, saving over 8000 plastic bottles from landfill every year. Haircut, anyone?
According to the B Corp website, the assessment ‘evaluates how your company’s operations and business model impact your workers, community, environment, and customers. From your supply chain and input materials to your charitable giving and employee benefits, B Corp Certification proves your business is meeting the highest standards of verified performance.’
So, essentially, it takes a deep dive into your business model and practices to make sure every step of the process is sustainable for both people and planet. B Corp brands treat employees well, and the planet well, too.
Only brands verified by their ‘B Lab’ actually make it to B Corp status – it’s notoriously thorough and difficult to get the badge of honour, making sure only businesses who are genuinely going the extra mile are accredited.
It’s not-for-profit and wants to inspire people globally to use business as a force of good.
Plus, B Corp brands don’t claim to be perfect – actually, far from it. The stamp means they’re doing the best they can – and a fair bit more than most brands without the stamp – and, as per the Propercorn website, a certified B Corp, are ‘alike in their motivation to do more and grow in the right way’.
Why should you buy from a B Corp?
So, why is buying from these businesses so important? Silly question, really: we’re facing a climate crisis and, if we don’t change our ways soon, risk destroying our planet.
Shopping with brands making a difference is not longer just a nice way to reduce your carbon footprint – it’s essential for everyone to survive.
How do you identify a B Corp brand?
It’s pretty simple: just look out for the below logo on the packaging or website of your favourite brands.
Most of the time, it’ll be displayed with pride the bottom of their homepage, on their social media, or on their packaging. Keep an eye out.
For more information on becoming a B Corp or to check out the extensive directory of brands, head to the Certified B Corporation website.
