Category: The Conversation – UK

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amy Burge, Associate Professor in Popular Fiction, University of Birmingham

Good sex on the screen seems to be having a moment. Steamy gay ice hockey romance Heated Rivalry made stars of its unknown leads Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The most recent season of Bridgerton – in which the titular family’s son and their lady’s maid fall passionately in love (and into bed) – garnered 39.7 million views in four days.

The final season of Outlander is currently airing, enduringly popular more than a decade after its episode The Wedding was heralded as a game-changer for representations of explicit, woman-centred sex on television.

These three shows have something in common: they are all adapted from romantic fiction written by women – Rachel Reid, Julia Quinn and Diana Gabaldon, respectively.

They have also all been credited as examples of shows that, like the romance novels they are inspired by, prioritise the female gaze in their depictions of sex. The Guardian has described this as “storytelling that highlights the meandering, textured, sublimely messy inner worlds and wants of women” (even when, as in the case of Heated Rivalry, women are not actually partaking in the on-screen sex).

The second season of Rivals, now streaming on Disney+, is also adapted from a romantic novel by a female author: the 1988 book of the same name by the late Dame Jilly Cooper. Season 1, first broadcast in 2024, was critically acclaimed, and became Disney’s most successful drama of 2024.

Sex and the bonkbuster

Cooper was particularly famous for writing “bonkbusters”: a form commonly associated with the 1980s, described pithily by comedy writer and author Sue Limb as “a big, thick book with lots of bonking in it”.

Sex is central to the bonkbuster, which glories in wild, over-the-top sex scenes. More than half of Rivals’ 52 chapters describe sex between characters – and many of these sex scenes have made it onto the screen.

These range from the tender – such as the first time between Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson), in which he declares her body “an area of outstanding natural beauty” – to the ridiculous. One of our earliest encounters with protagonist and Conservative MP Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is via him playing a naked tennis match with fellow MP’s wife Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack).

Notably, not all – not even most – of the sex scenes in Rivals occur in the service of a romantic plot, which sets it apart from shows like Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton. This reflects the difference in genre between the source texts: while bonkbusters have a lot in common with romance novels – including, but not limited to, their predominantly female readership – they are not quite the same thing.

However, for many readers, the depictions of sex in bonkbusters felt as groundbreaking in the 1980s as the sex depicted in these lauded screen adaptations of romantic novels.

Sex education and female pleasure

In 2022-24, we spoke to dozens of people who read books like Rivals in the 1980s, while conducting research for our recent book The Bonkbuster.

A key takeaway for many was bonkbusters’ role as supplementary sex education. For example, one of our participants appreciated the comparative sexual progressiveness of Rivals, which contrasted with her memory of a 1986 biology textbook “which showed the female reproductive organs but did not point out the clitoris”.

By representing sex on the page, books like Rivals filled a silence about sex in these readers’ lives. One of the most remarked-upon aspects of bonkbusters by those we spoke to was not just the explicit sex, but that the sex depicted was overwhelmingly positive for the women involved – and it was men who had to work at it.

For example, when Rupert and Cameron (Nafessa Williams) have sex for the first time, she “ordered him around like a sergeant-major”. This is reflected in the TV adaptation, where, when Cameron demands more clitoral stimulation, Rupert’s reply – taken directly from the book – is to say “I am, after all, a member of the Cli-Tory Party,” and obliges.

While Rupert is sleeping with Cameron under sinister pretences (corporate espionage), she still benefits in short-term sexual pleasure. Good sex in the bonkbuster tends to happen because men are willing to put in an effort to make it good for women.

Sex adaptation – nostalgia v discomfort

However, bonkbuster sex is not always pleasurable, and Cooper has an eye for the unsexy, darker side of the 1980s. Many such details have been included in the TV adaptation. For example, several female characters in Rivals are assaulted, but in the first season, none of the male perpetrators are held accountable – something which many of our readers also found disquieting in the book.

The TV adaptation, though, has taken the opportunity to redress some of the imbalances from the original text.

In the novel, Cameron requires stitches after being badly beaten by Tony (David Tennant). But in the TV adaptation finale of season one, it is Cameron who strikes Tony. The first season ends unclear as to whether Tony is alive or dead (although Tennant’s presence in the trailer for season two is a bit of a giveaway).

And while Cooper’s novel mentions HIV/AIDS in passing, the TV adaptation places more emphasis on the discrimination against gay men at the time, and introduces a new relationship between two gay characters – Charles (Gary Lamont) and Gerald (Hubert Burton).

The second season has taken this even further. Even Rupert – who got away with everything short of murder in Cooper’s books – has to face the consequences of his past bad behaviour.

These changes are indicative of the different climate of 2026. While some aspects of the 1980s bonkbuster are clearly still important and pleasurable for readers and viewers – the nostalgia, the sex positivity – some things are best left in the 1980s.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Rivals season 2: Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire drama shows good sex from a woman’s point of view – https://theconversation.com/rivals-season-2-jilly-coopers-rutshire-drama-shows-good-sex-from-a-womans-point-of-view-283032

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Nurse, Reader in Urban Planning, University of Liverpool

The mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham looks set to contest the Makerfield by-election. His announcement that he was putting himself forward forced others seeking to oust Keir Starmer as prime minister to slow their pace. And it now seems unlikely that anyone will fire the starting gun on a leadership contest until Burnham has at least had a chance to join the pack.

In UK politics right now, the only certainty is that nothing is certain. But what we do know is, as Labour politicians go, Burnham is unusually popular. His selection was well received among his colleagues, and he is regularly the only UK politician of any political stripe with a net-positive favourability rating.

Importantly, Burnham also enjoys strong popularity ratings across his own patch of Greater Manchester. In the borough of Wigan – where Makerfield sits – he won 66.1% of the vote in the last mayoral election in 2024.

But over the next few weeks, Burnham will face important questions on how well that popularity stands up in the face of devastating local election results for Labour, in which the party failed to win a single seat in Wigan.

Policy wins – and missteps

The single biggest policy win Burnham can point to is his work on the buses. As mayor, Burnham championed the foundation of the Bee Network. The centrepiece of this integrated transport scheme was the renationalisation of bus routes across Greater Manchester, as well as support to cap fares at £2 at a time when nationally they were rising.

The vibrant yellow buses have become ubiquitous in Manchester?, and a visible reminder of Burnham’s policy presence. It seems that this approach has worked, with people in the street citing Burnham’s support for the bus network as a clear plus point.

Another winning card in Burnham’s hand is his building of “Brand Manchester”. He has cultivated a profile as a politician who cares deeply about his patch, and has consistently and publicly reinforced it. Burnham stood up to the Conservative government over what he felt was a weak and confusing support package during the COVID pandemic. This was what cemented his title as “king of the north”.

In broad terms, Burnham’s building of the brand coincides with Greater Manchester being at a particular zenith under his watch. It is the fastest-growing place in the UK, for example. But this growth is very heavily centred on Manchester city centre. Given concerns about who is actually benefiting from high-rise, high-value developments, this might not be something Burnham will shout too loudly about on the streets of Makerfield.

Of course, his nine years as mayor have included missteps. The development of the Greater Manchester spatial plan – a long-term blueprint for housing, jobs and infrastructure – has been a fraught process, with local authorities withdrawing their support over disputed housing allocations. The struggles of his administration on the thorny issue of housing show that Burnham has no miraculous ability to reach consensus on the difficult issues.

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Read more:
Manchester, devolution and Brexit – Andy Burnham Q&A

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And in 2022, Burnham bowed to political pressure and retreated from plans to introduce a clean air zone in Manchester. This now appears to be a misstep – over a similar period as mayor of London, Sadiq Khan faced down similar pressures. But Khan can claim to have been vindicated, as London hit its air quality targets 184 years ahead of scientists’ predictions.

Ultimately, the English devolved mayors face a very different set of problems to national government. Equally, the powers afforded to them under devolution remain limited in scope, and reliant on whatever funding national government is prepared to release. Complex headaches like national debt and taxation, defence funding or managing geopolitics in an increasingly uncertain world are certainly way beyond the remit of a metro mayor.

Having been outside of Westminster politics for nine years, Burnham is unattached to any preconceived agendas. This blank canvas is both an asset and a risk – although he has said that he would have no plans to change the government’s fiscal rules.

Makerfield is by no means a safe seat, and Burnham’s path is fraught with peril. However, it’s clear that he has been able to use his mayoralty to build a strong local and national profile, while also being sheltered from the crosswinds of national politics as a prince across the water.

Now, Burnham must see if he can realise his own promise or if he will find that he waited too long to make his move. One thing is for sure: his decision to leave Westminster and position himself as the outsider, and his track record as mayor of Greater Manchester, make him a formidable opponent in the by-election.

Alex Nurse receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council

– ref. Andy Burnham: what has made the king of the north so popular? – https://theconversation.com/andy-burnham-what-has-made-the-king-of-the-north-so-popular-283231

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin Selwyn, Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex

Extreme heat and drought could damage harvests and worsen global food insecurity this summer.

Climate scientists, agricultural experts and policymakers warn that a super El Niño could tip vulnerable populations towards famine. El Niño is a climate phenomenon in the Pacific that affects weather patterns globally. Rare “super” El Niños generate exceptionally intense warming of water at the surface of the Pacific, with temperatures rising more than 2°C above historical averages. This sharply disrupts global weather, increasing the risk of extreme heat, droughts and flooding.

Yet El Niño is only one pressure bearing down on an already dysfunctional and fragile global food system. Hunger is fundamentally political and economic.

Wars disrupt trade. Inequality limits access to food. Both are intensified by a profit‑driven food system that prioritises feeding animals for slaughter over feeding people. Millions of people are vulnerable even in normal times – and catastrophically so when shocks arrive.

El Niño alters rainfall, shifts jet streams and raises global temperatures.

Human‑induced global heating intensifies these dangers. A study by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Meteorological Organization shows that rising heat could make farm work unsafe for much of the year across South Asia, sub‑Saharan Africa and parts of the Americas. Crop yields have dropped sharply above 30°C, while heat stress reduces livestock productivity and survival.

Modern agriculture depends heavily on fossil‑fuel‑based fertilisers transported over long distances. If fertiliser fails to arrive in time for key planting windows, yields decline months later. In wealthy countries this translates into higher prices; in poorer ones, it translates into hunger.

Sub‑Saharan Africa is particularly exposed, importing around 80% of its fertiliser.

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How the Iran war could create a ‘fertiliser shock’ – an often ignored global risk to food prices and farming

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Yet the current Middle East war has revealed already existing fault-lines. Over recent decades, food production has been reorganised into long, energy‑intensive supply chains. These chains rely on cheap fossil fuels, synthetic fertilisers and monocultures designed to maximise output rather than resilience.

My research shows that such systems can simultaneously raise total food production while worsening food insecurity.

Nowhere is this clearer than in heavily indebted countries across the developing world. In parts of sub‑Saharan Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, governments are struggling with high food import bills alongside heavy debt repayments. This leaves little financial buffer to cushion households when prices spike.

Unsurprisingly, hunger is rising most rapidly where debt and food dependence intersect. Because of this, the humanitarian charity Oxfam is calling for G7 countries (including the UK, France and Germany) to redirect less than 3% of their military spending to vulnerable countries to reduce chronic hunger while easing debt pressures.

Deeper structural problems

Emergency finance is essential – but it is only a stop‑gap. Preventing future food crises requires structural change to how food is produced.

Livestock production is among the most fertiliser‑ and fossil‑fuel‑intensive forms of agriculture. It is responsible for about 14.5% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

A lot of farmland grows maize and soy to feed livestock rather than people. These “feed crops” require increasing fertilizers to maintain the same output. Studies on maize production in China find that exposure to temperatures above 28°C leads to sharp increases in fertiliser use. The feed-livestock complex therefore results in rising fossil‑fuel use – a pressure intensified by climate breakdown.

Meanwhile, global meat production is predicted to double between the early 2000s and 2050. When grazing land and feed cropland are combined, livestock production accounts for roughly 80% of global agricultural land.

Expanding this system increases land use, fertiliser demand, energy inputs and greenhouse gas emissions – exactly the opposite of what a climate‑stressed world requires.

Rather than simply reflecting consumer demand, state support enables the expansion of feed-livestock production. Of the approximately US$540 billion (£400 billion) annual subsidies to agriculture, the largest recipients are beef and milk producers. Many subsidies provide support to buy pesticides and fertilisers.

Imagine if such funds were redirected to food production for human need and planetary health?

A shift away from feed‑intensive livestock systems towards more plant‑based, agroecological farming would reduce pressure on land, while cutting demand for fertilisers and fossil fuels. Agroecology is a form of farming that works with ecological processes, emphasising crop diversity, nutrient cycling, healthy soils and locally adapted practices instead of heavy chemical inputs.

It is often claimed by large agribusiness companies (such as fertiliser and pesticide producers) that chemical‑intensive farming is around 20% more productive than agroecology. But this doesn’t take into account the environmental costs of damage to soil health or water pollution, for example.

Even where agroecology delivers slightly lower yields, reducing the production of crops to feed livestock frees up land. This allows agroecological farms to scale up and increase their food output. Studies show how diverse agroecological systems, including mixed crop-livestock farming, produce stronger food security and more nutritional food crops than industrial monoculture agriculture.

In parts of southern Malawi, farmers relied on monocropped maize supported by expensive fertiliser. Good years brought modest yields; bad years brought hunger. When farmers shifted to maize–legume intercropping – combining maize with pigeon pea, cowpea or groundnut – yields increased. Maize yields increased by about 800kg per hectare with less fertiliser, providing protein‑rich legumes and greater stability in dry years.

With state support, such approaches could be scaled to strengthen national food security.

Climate and geopolitical shocks – from El Niño, global heating or wars – hit a food system which already magnifies environmental and social vulnerabilities. Feed‑based livestock production worsens climate breakdown, diverts land and resources from feeding people, and deepens risk. Shifting to agroecological, plant‑centred food systems is essential, but requires sustained political action and public pressure.

Benjamin Selwyn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. How a super El Niño could trigger global famine – https://theconversation.com/how-a-super-el-nino-could-trigger-global-famine-281486

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Håkan Brorson, Professor of Plastic Surgery, Lund University

For many women with lipodoema, the diagnosis comes after years of being told the same thing: eat less, more more. The problem is that the fat accumulating around their hips and legs isn’t responding to diet or exercise, because it was never caused by them in the first place.

Lipoedema is a long-term condition that affects the way fat is stored in the body. It mainly affects women and usually develops or worsens at times of hormonal change, such as puberty, pregnancy or menopause. The link with these life stages is one reason researchers think hormones may play a role, although the exact cause is still not fully understood.

Lipoedema may also run in families, which suggests that genetic factors could be involved.

It usually appears as a symmetrical build-up of fatty tissue around the hips, buttocks and legs. In some people, it also affects the arms. The upper body may remain much smaller, which can make the body look noticeably out of proportion. A common feature is that the hands and feet are usually unaffected, so there may be a clear difference between the affected limbs and the unaffected hands or feet.

Lipoedema is often mistaken for general weight gain, obesity or lymphoedema. Lymphoedema is swelling caused by a build-up of fluid when the lymphatic system is not draining properly.

Lipoedema primarily involves abnormal fat distribution. This is why the name can be confusing: although “oedema” usually refers to fluid swelling, lipoedema is not caused by fluid build-up. Some people may develop swelling or lymphatic problems alongside lipoedema, particularly in very advanced cases, but these are not the defining feature.

Misunderstanding lipoedema can delay diagnosis and leave people feeling blamed for symptoms that are not simply a result of lifestyle. Many people with lipoedema describe pain, tenderness, heaviness in the affected areas and a tendency to bruise easily. In more severe cases, the size and weight of the affected limbs can make walking, exercising and everyday movement more difficult.

Lipoedema can also overlap with obesity. Someone can have lipoedema and obesity at the same time, which can make diagnosis and treatment more complicated. Obesity may increase strain on the body, worsen mobility and overload the lymphatic system. Where lipoedema is advanced, especially if body weight is also very high, this can contribute to secondary lymphoedema.

Because lipoedema is not a fluid condition, treatments designed for lymphoedema may not have the same effect. Manual lymphatic drainage is a specialist massage technique intended to encourage fluid to move through the lymphatic system, but evidence for its usefulness in lipoedema itself remains limited.

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What are lymph nodes? And can a massage really improve lymphatic drainage?

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Lipoedema is usually diagnosed through a person’s medical history and a physical examination. There is no single blood test or scan that can confirm it. A healthcare professional will look for typical signs, such as symmetrical fat distribution, tenderness, easy bruising and the sparing of the hands and feet.

They may also use a simple clinical check called Stemmer’s sign. This involves trying to pinch and lift the skin at the base of a toe or finger. If the skin cannot be lifted easily, this can suggest lymphoedema. In lipoedema, Stemmer’s sign is negative, meaning the skin can still be pinched.

Myths and management

There are still myths around lipoedema, partly because research is developing and because the condition has historically been under-recognised.

One common claim is that lipoedema fat never responds to diet or exercise. The reality is more nuanced. Healthy eating, physical activity and weight management can still improve health, pain, mobility and quality of life, particularly for people who also have obesity. The aim should be to support strength, movement, comfort and long-term health, without encouraging crash dieting or blaming the patient.

Low-impact exercise can be particularly helpful. Walking, cycling and water-based exercise can support mobility without placing too much strain on painful joints or heavy limbs.

Compression garments also help some people by reducing heaviness, discomfort and swelling. These are close-fitting medical garments that apply controlled pressure to the affected area. Good skin care is important too. This includes keeping the skin clean and moisturised, drying carefully between skin folds and treating cuts promptly, especially if swelling or reduced mobility makes the skin more vulnerable to irritation or infection.

Lipoedema can affect a person’s emotional wellbeing and quality of life. This does not mean it directly causes mental health disorders. But living with chronic pain, changes in body shape, reduced mobility and repeated medical dismissal can take a toll.

People may feel self-conscious, frustrated or isolated, especially if they have spent years being told their symptoms are simply a matter of weight. Some research suggests that many patients diagnosed with lipoedema report significant psychological distress before lipoedema-related symptoms begin. Psychological and social support is therefore an important part of care.

There is no cure for lipoedema, but symptoms can be managed. The best approach is usually holistic, meaning it looks at the whole person rather than treating one symptom in isolation. This may include movement, compression, pain management, weight support where appropriate, skin care and emotional support.

In some cases, surgery may be considered. Special liposuction techniques, designed to be gentler on the lymphatic system, may reduce pain and improve mobility for some people, although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence notes that evidence is still developing.

For people with severe obesity, bariatric surgery, an umbrella term for procedures that modify the digestive system to help people lose weight, may also improve symptoms and daily functioning.

Because knowledge about lipoedema varies, it is important to seek advice from healthcare professionals who understand the condition. Organisations such as The International Lipoedema Association provide further information and support.

Good care should recognise both the physical symptoms and the emotional impact, without reducing lipoedema to either a cosmetic concern or a simple weight issue. Better recognition can help people get support earlier, manage symptoms more effectively and move away from years of confusion, blame and delayed care.

Håkan Brorson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Lipoedema: the painful condition too often dismissed as obesity – https://theconversation.com/lipoedema-the-painful-condition-too-often-dismissed-as-obesity-281778

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nitya Rao, Professor of Gender & Development, University of East Anglia

Many people are migrating within countries across south Asia to cope with extreme weather. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, people often move from rural homes to urban metropolises when their homes and livelihoods become damaged or threatened by cyclones and storms, floods and droughts.

Most previous research has focused on migration of men who move to seek employment and how that affects the women and families they leave behind. But many women also move as a result of climate-related extreme weather.

Migrant households take many forms. My team’s research involved collecting data both through surveys and interviews with close to 1,200 households across these countries. Our work reveals a complex picture.

In India, Nepal and Bangladesh, women tend to be more involved in farming and livestock care. Men migrate to cities to work in construction or factories, often returning home for annual visits, or more often if they are closer to home.

“My husband has been away for many years,” 35-year-old Bagyalata, who lives in Odisha, a state in eastern India, told us. “I am busy with cattle and other farm work throughout the day but am also responsible for the children. Whenever there is any problem, the teachers ask me to come.”

But in Bhutan, it’s more common for women to move away to find work, either on their own or with their families. As one 45-year-old man describes: “My wife lives and works in Thimphu. As the eldest son, I returned to the village to look after my parents and disabled brother. Our family relies on income from oranges, but this has been declining due to irregular rainfall and new [crop] pests.”

Bhutan and Nepal are both mountainous areas prone to floods and landslides. Water collection has traditionally been a woman’s task. But piped water systems provided by the state have made water supplies more reliable and accessible. That said, other domestic and care tasks such as cooking, childcare and care of older relatives continue to remain the responsibility of women. This leaves them with little time for other activities. One woman, Darji, in Nepal told us, “I could do tailoring, but with caring for the family and animals, I don’t have any time”.

Who controls the assets?

Despite contributing more to the workforce, women in Bangladesh, India and Nepal still don’t have much control over assets (land ownership and family finances). They don’t get much say in terms of political leadership either.

In Indrawati, a rural region in Nepal, one woman living with her two children told us: “Although my mother-in-law permits me to use the land to farm vegetables, I must give her half the harvest.” Access to land continues to be mediated through family and kinship structures.

In Bhutan, matrilineal inheritance or the inheritance of land through the female line (from mother to daughter) means that women own more land, especially in non-migrant and couple-migrant households.

It is only when women migrate that they start to have control over the income they earn and investments they make. This can strengthen the decision-making position of other women who remain, as households reorganise around women’s contributions, both in terms of money and social support.

One 40-year-old widow in Odisha, India, had multiple jobs in order to support her four children. She farmed millets and turmeric plus she collected firewood in the forest and foraged for seasonal foods such as mushrooms. Her oldest daughter moved to a coastal town to work in a fish factory.

The widow told us: “She wanted to go … there was no money at home. She said she will make extra to help us.” Payments from her oldest daughter provide financial support for the family. That extra money also enables her to make somewhat risky financial decisions including shifting to a cash crop, cashew in this case. Cashews are subject to both price fluctuations and climatic variability, but they can lead to more profit, so she hopes this risk will pay off in the long term.

Reconfiguring the norm

Climate pressures deepen some existing gendered and intergenerational inequalities. For example, extreme weather can increase women’s work burdens without necessarily improving their asset ownership, financial control or community leadership.

But our research shows how climate pressures have complex influences on migration and adaptation. Climate migration can lead to a renegotiation of household relationships – this depends on who moves and who stays. Other factors include the material conditions and resources available to the household, the social dynamics and support, as well as gender norms around roles, responsibilities and expectations.

In Nepal, we see overall a movement towards building more reciprocal relationships. This enables parents to contribute jointly to their future and help build a more stable future for their children. As Diya Gurung from Nepal confidently told us, “How can a husband decide without consulting his wife, or vice versa?”

Bhutan reflects a continuation of cultural advantages in terms of economic and social equity, though this is being disrupted somewhat by migration. There is currently an emphasis on building unity and community cohesion in rural areas, witnessing rapid depopulation. In India and Bangladesh, women are taking on greater responsibility to manage farms, handle finances and participate in agricultural cooperatives or savings groups, often without control or leadership.

Fair wages and working conditions are key. But beyond that, climate migration is changing the gendered responsibilities for care at home and at work within families. It also affects who owns and controls finances and land, and it influences how households make decisions. To support families as the dynamics change, it’s important to strengthen women’s land rights, improve access to financial services and support collective institutions that enable meaningful participation and leadership.

Nitya Rao received funding under the Successful intervention pathways for migration as adaptation (SUCCESS) project (Project no. 110007-003) by UK aid from the UK government and the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada, as part of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) research programme.

– ref. Who moves away when climate change hits? The hidden household politics of migration – https://theconversation.com/who-moves-away-when-climate-change-hits-the-hidden-household-politics-of-migration-281470

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catrin Cousins, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Marketing, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Indie sleaze is back, but not as you remember it. The 00s scene’s revival taps into a growing backlash against hyper-polished influencer culture, offering a messier, more authentic alternative that feels both nostalgic and deliberately staged.

The original indie sleaze look of the 2000s was an intentionally unrefined way of dressing, driven by a desire to stand apart from mainstream fashion, with a carefully constructed sense of effortless cool.

The look was built from a recognisable set of clothing and styling details.

Black or acid-wash skinny jeans were central, paired with vintage T-shirts featuring band logos or bold graphics. Leather biker jackets reflected indie and punk influences, while sheer tights, often with rips or ladders, were styled with body-con dresses and oversized knits worn over mini-skirts. Footwear reinforced the relaxed, undone feel with worn-in Dr Martens, Converse and ballet flats completing the look.

Culturally, the trend was rooted in the indie music scenes and nightlife cultures of cities like London and New York. Bands like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines and Yeah Yeah Yeahs influenced the style by popularising a deliberately dishevelled, off-duty look that blurred the line between stage wear and everyday dress.

The style was also worn by well known models such as Kate Moss and it girl Alexa Chung. These women brought the look to a wider audience, as they captured its mix of nonchalance and effortless styling in front of the camera and across early digital media.

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The origin of indie sleaze

Indie sleaze emerged just before social media became fully embedded in everyday life. While early platforms like Tumblr played a role in circulating party photography and candid, flash-heavy imagery, the moment still felt more spontaneous and less controlled. It was a time before style was divided into “aesthetics” and “cores”, when young people dressed a certain way because they were part of a scene, not because they had discovered a neatly packaged, shoppable trend online.

As such, the original indie sleaze sat at a transitional moment, where subculture, style and digital self-presentation began to merge, but had not yet become fully commodified.

The indie sleaze revival taps into a desire for something that feels raw, imperfect and less controlled, in contrast to today’s hyper-curated digital environment. What makes indie sleaze appealing to a new generation is perhaps not simply how it looked, but what it allowed – messiness, excess, emotional openness and a rejection of constant self-improvement.

But there’s a contradiction. The original indie sleaze was socially driven, shaped by nightlife and real-world scenes, whereas the 2026 version exists within a culture that is far more curated. In many ways, the “sleaze” is missing. What remains is a stylised version of messiness.

The current revival grows out of the Y2K trend (a revival of early 2000s fashion and aesthetics), but it’s best understood as a reaction or mutation of it rather than a continuation. The initial Y2K revival (late 2010s into early 2020s) was glossy and hyper-feminine, reintroducing early‑2000s silhouettes like low‑rise jeans, micro bags, butterflies, neon and logo culture.

Indie sleaze draws on a similar era, but strips away the polish. Where Y2K is shiny, indie sleaze is grimy. Where Y2K is cute and curated-for-pretty, indie sleaze is curated-for-attitude. This is where the looks overlap. Neon carries over but is used abrasively rather than playfully. Ballet flats reappear but styled with sheer tights and dark makeup rather than the sweet and girly aesthetic from before. The low-effort silhouettes remain but are framed as emotional and anti-glam rather than flirty.

Culturally, there remains a strong link to both a musical and digitally social narrative. Take for example the song Messy, by Lola Young. Not only does the artist herself confirm to the semiotic iconography of the look with her unprettified dark, smudged makeup, heavy boots, leather, denim and oversized silhouettes, but the song itself communicates a message of messiness. Not in a chaotic party sense, but in its emotional exposure.

Lyrically the song explores themes of rejecting polite femininity; she’s too loud, too emotional, too much and she’s not interested in fixing that. That attitude translates into what indie sleaze represents today. The refusal of optimisation, acceptance of visible flaws and leaning into excess rather than managing it away.

The resurgence also reflects how we now engage with the past through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where cultural moments are converted into digestible visual codes. Indie sleaze is no longer a subculture but an archive of recognisable signs: smudged makeup, flash photography, slip dresses, battered leather. These reference points are easy to remix and circulate, making the trend especially suited to algorithmic spaces and inseparable from digital culture, even as it romanticises pre-digital freedoms.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Indie sleaze: a brief fashion history, from messy rebellion to mainstream revival – https://theconversation.com/indie-sleaze-a-brief-fashion-history-from-messy-rebellion-to-mainstream-revival-282793

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Cork, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University

Weight-loss injections, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, have transformed how we treat obesity. Around 1.6 million adults in Great Britain have used weight-loss drugs in the past year, with the vast majority of patients buying these drugs privately.

The issue with these weight-loss drugs is that, despite their success in shedding weight while patients are taking them, studies report significant weight regain when people come off them. What’s more, the health benefits seen when taking these drugs, such as reductions in blood pressure, blood glucose and lipids, also disappear.

In the UK, a private prescription for Mounjaro costs about £300 a month. And therein lies the issue. The ongoing cost is unsustainable for most patients.

The reason these drugs are so expensive is mainly due to the way they are made. First, the active components of these drugs are peptides – small proteins that are rapidly degraded in the stomach and digestive tract, meaning they must be administered via an injection. Second, the injector pens are expensive to make and they must be stored in a fridge.

Orforglipron (brand name: Foundayo), a once-daily pill-based weight-loss drug that targets the same GLP-1 system as Wegovy, has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treating obesity. Rather than the active compound being a peptide, it is instead a “small molecule”, meaning it can withstand the harsh environment of the digestive system and is much cheaper to make and store. (Most drugs, including aspirin, ibuprofen and statins, are small-molecule drugs.)

This makes orforglipron a promising new arrival on the weight-loss market, with the potential to democratise access to these important medications. In the US, the cost of a month’s supply of orforglipron is between US$149 and US$299 (£112-£224), compared with over US$1,000 for a monthly supply of Mounjaro.

Clinical trials have shown that orforglipron results in just over 15% body weight loss in adults with obesity, placing it on par with that seen with Wegovy, but significantly lower than the 21% weight loss seen with Mounjaro.

What is much more interesting, however, is the prospect that patients could use orforglipron to tackle the big problem of weight loss drugs: the rapid weight regain seen following their cessation.

Keeping the weight off

Researchers recently published findings from a trial investigating whether weight loss achieved through either Wegovy or Mounjaro could be sustained by switching to orforglipron.

The study recruited patients who had successfully lost at least 5% of their body weight over 72 weeks while on one of the two existing weight-loss jabs. Patients were taken off their original medication and given either orforglipron or a placebo drug for 52 weeks.

Among patients who originally took Mounjaro, those on placebo regained just over 50% of the lost weight at week 52. In contrast, those who took orforglipron regained just 26%, with over two-fifths of participants maintaining over 80% of their body weight reduction.

Similar results were seen in patients who had originally taken Wegovy, with those taking a placebo pill regaining 62% of their lost body weight, compared to 21% weight regain in those taking orforglipron.

Across both groups, people who took orforglipron also saw lasting improvements in key health markers, including blood sugar, blood pressure, insulin and cholesterol levels.

The trial was small – just over 100 people in each group – but it suggests a promising path: that weight loss achieved through these medications can be maintained in the long term, along with their wider health benefits, in a way that may also be more affordable.

Orforglipron is not yet licensed in the UK for weight loss. Assuming it is approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, it is anticipated to be available late 2026 to early 2027.

Simon Cork does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. A pill helps you keep weight off after you come off weight-loss jabs – new study – https://theconversation.com/a-pill-helps-you-keep-weight-off-after-you-come-off-weight-loss-jabs-new-study-283034

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lynsay Matthews, Lecturer in Public Health, University of the West of Scotland

Every month, between 3% and 8% of women and people assigned female at birth will experience debilitating emotional, cognitive and sometimes physical symptoms in the week or two before menstruation.

This condition, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), is a severe mood disorder that has a significant impact on life. It is also associated with increased risk of suicide.

The majority of those with PMDD experience suicidal thoughts before their period, around one in three attempt suicide and more than half engage in self-harm.

Research also suggests that people with PMDD may be seven times more likely to attempt suicide, and twice as likely to die by suicide than women and people assigned female at birth who don’t have PMDD.

Despite the serious impacts PMDD has, it typically remains under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed and often inappropriately managed. Sadly, in my work researching PMDD, I often hear from people seeking help – either for themselves, their daughters, sisters, partners or friends. Their common fear is risk of suicide, and the “desperate” lack of tailored support available.

My colleagues and I have developed a new tool to help health professionals understand suicidal behaviour in those with PMDD. We hope this leads to people receiving timely and tailored support.

Suicide risk in PMDD

There are a few key factors that researchers suggest could explain why people with PMDD are at a heightened risk of suicide.

The overarching factor is the menstrual cycle.

In people with PMDD, the brain appears unusually sensitive to normal hormone fluctuations. This can disrupt brain systems involved in regulating mood, emotion and impulse control during the luteal phase of the cycle (between ovulation and the first day of menstruation), making this a high-risk phase for suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

Emotional dysregulation, another core element of PMDD, may also have an influence. This is characterised by frightening mood changes, including low mood, anger, anxiety and hopelessness.

Emotional dysregulation means that people with PMDD have increased sensitivity to perceived rejection and heightened responses to relationship conflict, all of which may influence suicide risk in the weeks before menstruation.

Hormonal triggers may also play a role. Starting, stopping or changing the dose of hormonal treatments (such as hormonal contraception), the postpartum phase after pregnancy and perimenopause are commonly associated with mental health crises in people with PMDD. These triggers are important to understand so that people can be supported in the right way by health professionals.

Life circumstances may play a role as well, with research suggesting that past trauma significantly increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with PMDD. This is a potential mechanism for heightened suicide risk – a relationship that is well-established in other mental health conditions.

Research suggests a link between neurodiversity and PMDD, too. This is an interesting finding, given that people with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) already have a higher risk of attempted and completed suicide than the general population. More studies are starting to explore this link to help us better understand suicide-related experiences of people with both neurodivergence and PMDD.

Experiences with health services can also be a source of distress for people with PMDD. Many experience repeated dismissal of their symptoms or misdiagnosis.

People report feeling “helpless” and like they’re trapped in a “vicious cycle.” For many people, these feelings can last from adolescence until menopause (around 40 years), leading to a build up of exhaustion.

When my colleagues and I speak with people with PMDD, they say they become so exhausted they “just want to disappear” – a sign of heightened suicide risk known as passive suicidality. Many of them describe how they don’t want to end their life, they “just need the cycle to stop for a while.” This is an important insight, given they will experience around 450 menstrual cycles in their lifetime.

Overall, people with PMDD describe feeling “out of control”. Many people tell us that their suicide attempts were “impulsive,” rather than planned – leaving them confused and frightened afterwards.

Preventing suicide

Despite suicide prevention being an important priority for different stakeholders, there are still limited PMDD-specific suicide prevention interventions.

And although treatments are available for PMDD, they may not work for everybody and may not address suicidality.

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Read more:
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: the frightening psychological condition suffered by Dixie D’Amelio

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Alongside colleagues from the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow and University of the West of Scotland, we have tried to address this by developing a new model that we hope will support health professionals in understanding of PMDD and suicide risk.

We did this by applying PMDD to an existing model for identifying suicidal behaviour in the general population. Our new model demonstrates how predisposing factors (such as hormonal triggers) can lead to the formation of suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

The model will help health workers to understand how the timing of the menstrual cycle may influence risk assessment. It will also inform discussions with patients – such as asking “how often do you feel this way?” rather than “how long have you felt this way?” – and embed menstrual cycle tracking as routine practice.

Although our research has yet to be put into formal practice, we hope the model will help patients and professionals identify monthly patterns in suicide risk and ultimately improve care for those living with this frightening and exhausting disorder.

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If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, the following services can provide you with support:

In the UK and Ireland – call Samaritans UK at 116 123.

In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.

In Australia – call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.

In other countries – visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.

Lynsay Matthews receives (or has received) funding from Medical Research Scotland, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Research England, University of the West of Scotland, ESRC Impact Accelerator Award and National Institute for Health Research. She is affiliated with the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders UK (IAPMD UK).

– ref. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is associated with higher risk of suicide – here’s how we hope our new tool will help – https://theconversation.com/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-is-associated-with-higher-risk-of-suicide-heres-how-we-hope-our-new-tool-will-help-281818

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Henry Obanya, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Environmental Toxicology,, University of Portsmouth

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas), often called “forever chemicals”, are now found almost everywhere scientists look. They have been detected in rivers, oceans, wildlife, food and even human blood.

These synthetic chemicals have been used since the 1950s in products ranging from waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware to firefighting foams and food packaging. Their strength comes from their resistance to heat, grease and water. But that same durability means they barely break down once released into the environment.

Our new study of the Solent, the stretch of sea between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England, builds on our previous research. It shows how deeply these chemicals have entered a protected coastal ecosystem. We found Pfas in surface waters, sediments, treated wastewater effluent and marine wildlife. This included seaweeds, invertebrates, fish and harbour porpoises.

But the most important finding was not that Pfas were present. It was that current regulation may be missing the bigger picture.

Most environmental rules still assess Pfas one chemical at a time. In the UK and Europe, monitoring and legal thresholds focus more on compounds such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Yet, in the real world, wildlife and people are exposed to mixtures of many Pfas simultaneously. When we assessed our Solent samples using individual chemical thresholds, most species appeared to fall within existing legal limits. Harbour porpoise liver was the major exception. It contained PFOS concentrations far above the ecological standard.

But when we applied a mixture-based approach, the picture changed substantially. We combined the toxicity of multiple Pfas into a single “PFOA equivalent” measure. Many more samples exceeded a European Food Safety Authority health benchmark.

In other words, an organism can appear compliant under single chemical regulation while still carrying a potentially concerning mixture burden.

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Read more:
The hidden sources of forever chemicals leaking into rivers – and what to do about them

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That matters because Pfas do not enter coastal ecosystems from a single source. The Solent is surrounded by wastewater treatment infrastructure, combined sewer overflows, urban runoff and hundreds of historic landfill sites. We identified around 194 combined sewer overflow outlets and more than 500 historic landfills close to the coastline.

We also found that treated wastewater from two major local treatment plants still contained a broad range of Pfas after processing. Conventional wastewater treatment systems are not designed to remove these chemicals effectively. This means they can continue entering rivers and coastal waters even after treatment. Some Pfas behave differently once released. Long-chain Pfas compounds (made up of six or more carbon atoms) such as PFOS tend to accumulate in sediments and animal tissues. Short-chain replacements (compounds which have fewer carbon atoms in their structure) are often more mobile in water. They can spread more widely and more easily through rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.

That difference was visible in our results. Sediments and marine mammals were dominated by PFOS and other long chain compounds. Wastewater, surface waters and some seaweeds contained a broader mixture that included newer short-chain Pfas.

The highest concentrations we recorded were in harbour porpoise liver tissue. Fish and invertebrates generally contained lower levels, but Pfas were still widespread across the food web. We also found evidence that some seaweeds and small invertebrates contained short-chain Pfas and precursor compounds. This likely facilitates the movement of contamination through coastal ecosystems.

The Solent is internationally important for wildlife. It contains protected habitats, saltmarshes, seagrass beds and feeding grounds for birds and marine mammals. Yet it also sits alongside one of the most densely populated and industrialised stretches of coastline in southern England.

Growing concerns

Our findings arrive as concern about Pfas is growing internationally. The Environment Agency has recently reviewed the challenges of destroying Pfas safely. It noted that conventional disposal routes such as landfilling and wastewater treatment do not eliminate them. Natural England has warned that many Pfas remain poorly monitored in protected marine areas. Meanwhile, the EU is moving towards broader restrictions on Pfas use across thousands of products.

The UK has started paying closer attention too. Evidence submitted to ongoing parliamentary inquiries has warned about the risks Pfas pose to marine ecosystems and human health. Drinking water guidance has recently been updated to expand monitoring requirements. But regulation still largely focuses on a relatively small number of compounds, despite there being thousands of Pfas in commercial use.

There are important limits to our study. Some datasets came from different monitoring programmes with different detection limits. Our surface water sampling was also limited in terms of the number of tests so it’s hard to make direct conclusions about the direct risks to people eating seafood.

But the broader message is difficult to ignore. Pfas contamination is not confined to one species, one pollution source or one part of the food web. It is now embedded across coastal ecosystems.

If regulation continues to assess forever chemicals one compound at a time, we may continue underestimating the true scale of exposure.

Alex Ford has received funding from UKRI research councils, EU, charities and industrial partners including the water industry.

Henry Obanya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Fish can pass Pfas safety limits one chemical at a time, but cocktail effects reveal a bigger unseen risk – new study – https://theconversation.com/fish-can-pass-pfas-safety-limits-one-chemical-at-a-time-but-cocktail-effects-reveal-a-bigger-unseen-risk-new-study-282797

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christina Philippou, Associate Professor in Accounting and Sport Finance, University of Portsmouth

Chelsea FC losing the 2026 FA Cup final 1-0 to Manchester City will have been disappointing for the club’s fans. But perhaps the result was not hugely surprising, as the London club hasn’t had a brilliant season on the pitch.

Off the pitch, you could argue it’s been even worse.

Moments of anguish have included the expensive sacking in April 2026 of manager Liam Rosenior after just 106 days in the job. He was the side’s fifth manager (or head coach) in three years.

A month before that, Chelsea was fined over £10 million by the Premier League for breaching financial regulations – the biggest fine the league has ever imposed.

Added to (or taken away from) this, Chelsea then also posted the largest ever pre-tax financial loss in Premier League history. This amounted to £262.2 million in the 2024-25 season.

Not all of these events can be blamed on the club’s current owners, the US consortium known as BlueCo. Previously owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, Chelsea was sold in 2022 as a “distressed asset”, meaning that it needed to be sold quickly (and probably not for its full worth). This was because Abramovich’s assets had been frozen over his links to Vladimir Putin following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

When the new owners bought the club, they started combing through the financial books and found evidence of breaches of Premier League regulations which the club itself reported.

Part of this related to just over £47 million worth of undisclosed payments to unregistered agents and others as part of their plans to buy in new players. According to league rules, all payments relating to transfers need to go through the club books for reasons of fairness.

Leaving tens of millions of pounds out of the records means that the club shows fewer expenses than it should. This in turn could potentially shield it from breaking the league’s “profitability and sustainability” (PSR) rules, which are designed to force clubs into being financially sound businesses.

Those rules mean that clubs are allowed to build up footballing losses of no more than £105 million over a three-year period. Given Chelsea have been making losses for years, correctly recording expenses would increase those losses and potentially put them in breach of the PSR rules.

A fine of £10.75m is no small matter. It brings Chelsea closer to the PSR limit for the coming year, leaving more belt-tightening around spending decisions.

At the time, the club said in a statement: “From the outset of this process, the club has treated these matters with the utmost seriousness, providing full cooperation to all relevant regulators.”

But it is not just Chelsea that is affected. Football is a highly interconnected industry.

While clubs compete against each other, they are also very dependent on each other for matches (otherwise there would be nothing to watch and no tickets to sell) and for players. They also often suffer losses, with cash flow issues and other financial problems common. So having a competitor spend more than they should can negatively affect other clubs.

Football blues

Chelsea have also led the way in doing clever things within accounting rules, which others have followed. In 2023, the club started offering new players very long-term contracts which allowed them to spread their declared costs over a longer period.

So for example, a player bought for £90 million might be given a nine-year contract, meaning the annual cost can be recorded as £10 million.

This can help a club to stay within within PSR boundaries. But it also comes with financial risk (with big spending and time commitments), so to avoid other clubs following suit, both Uefa and the Premier League have now limited (to five) the number of years that can be used in the spending calculation.

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Read more:
Why American investors are pouring money into European football

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Chelsea also effectively sold its women’s team to itself by switching ownership to Chelsea’s parent company for almost £200 million. This shows up as a decent profit for Chelsea, providing another benefit in terms of staying within PSR boundaries. The idea caught on, with Aston Villa and Everton doing the same thing before the Premier League closed this loophole too.

So from a financial perspective it will be interesting to see what tactics Chelsea comes up with next. The fans though will surely be more interested in the tactics chosen by the club’s latest signing, manager Xabi Alonso. And if he gets the club winning again, they’ll happily write off this season’s considerable losses.

Christina Philippou does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Chelsea football club must find its feet after a very expensive Premier League season – https://theconversation.com/chelsea-football-club-must-find-its-feet-after-a-very-expensive-premier-league-season-278690