Roxy Ad Criticised For Sexism
Australian surfer brand Roxy has hit a massive snag in their latest ad campaign aimed at female surfers.
The problem? It barely shows any surfing – and instead shows plenty of shots of buttocks.
The TV spot for an all-female tournament follows a scantily-clad blonde (whose face is never shown) as she rolls out of bed in underwear, goes to the beach in shorts and pulls on a Roxy rashie before finally diving into the waves.
It’s caused outrage among the female surfer community and many other watchers.
There are, one newspaper counted, twelve long shots of the woman’s behind and legs in the one ad, she’s mostly naked for the first fifteen seconds, and she’s not shown actually using the swimwear in any powerful way.
Despite the huge rise of female surfer culture from the era of Puberty Blues – everybody knows Layne Beachley’s name, and huge brands like Roxy and Billabong sponsor million-dollar women’s tournaments – surfing is still seen as a ‘male’ sport, and sexism is rife in the pro ranks.
The woman in the film is now identified as Stephanie Gilmore, an Aussie professional surfer and five-time world champion. She can definitely surf – but they chose not to highlight that, focussing instead on her blonde hair and sexy legs.
The ad has been branded ‘sexploitation’ and has made headlines around the world. Roxy has released a statement saying “it’s not wrong to be an athlete and be sexy”. Watch the ad below…
What do you think – acceptable or sexist?
Image: Roxy’s ad campaign.
Who Was Best Dressed At The Wimbledon Men’s Final?
The fashion on the court for Andy Murray’s Wimbledon win this year was plain and utilitarian – all white with small, subtle sponsor’s logos. The real drama was in the stands.
But who was best dressed on one of the hottest days of the English summer, a scorching 40 degrees?
Murray’s longtime girlfriend Kim Sears went for homeland support on the big day, picking a mint green long-sleeved Victoria Beckham dress. She looked crisp as a daisy – the only problem was that, as her constant tugging showed, it was evidently too tight in the neck. Or perhaps that was nerves?
The designer herself was only a few stands away, in a close crop and a Louis Vuitton black checked slip dress. Sleek, chic, picking up on the 90s vibe – and, most importantly, cool.
The other major fashion contender was the girlfriend of second-place winner Novak Djokovic, glamourous blonde Jelena Ristic. She’s a swimwear and lingerie model, and showed off her fashion cred in a very on-trend nautical striped shift dress.
And as for the male contingent, Bradley Cooper and Gerard Butler showed up in immensely natty suits and ties. Tailoring’s always in style.
However, Cooper’s girlfriend Suki Waterhouse, a British model, barely bothered to brush her hair, and covered up in a mint house coat and a rumpled trench. Out of the two mint-wearers, we think Kim Sears wins.
Who do you think was best dressed at courtside?
Image: Fashion at Wimbledon.
Pearl-Encrusted Dress Sets Guinness World Record
A wedding dress encrusted with over 13,000 pearls has won a Guiness World Record.
The dress, designed by Japanese couturier Yumi Katsura, is a fairly standard A-line bridal gown – until you notice the 13,262 pearls sewn onto the fabric in intricate floral patterns.
Katsura’s already famed in Japan for her extravagant bridal couture, but this is an entirely new level of decadence. And not only are the pearls real, they’re significantly valuable.
Rather than shying away from the most expensive specimens for cheaper pearls, Katsura splashed out on the best of Japanese jewellery: Mikimoto pearls, which fetch huge prices around the world.
And reports say that the dress actually features five pearls 10mm wide – that’s the biggest pearl size Japan can produce in its own waters.
There are no estimates about how much the dress could cost or how long it took to make, but the single longest pearl necklace in the world, also made in Japan, used over double the amount of pearls – 27,750 – and took more than three months.
And that’s just for stringing them. For individual sewing? We’re guessing at least six months – and some very tired fingers.
Image: The Guiness Record-winning dress.
Singin’ In The Rain: The Best Raincoats For Winter
Alex Perry’s already given you his best guide for coats for winter – but what about macs for keeping off the rain?
We’ve lined up our favourites – now to go jumping in some puddles.
Start with a classic: Ilse Jacobsen‘s rainwear. Her macs and raincoats are famous for their effortless Scandi cool, and they come at various lengths, in cute prints (we love the Waterprint) and even as ponchos. Serious weather headed your way? Buckle up a Jacobsen and you’re set.
Life With Bird‘s Pray For Rain trench is a raincoat with a difference: a sloppy, almost flowing material paired with classic lines and features. It’s got epaulettes, a draped back and buttons, but it’s also made of deep purple triacetate from Japan. Perfect for this season’s 90s lines.
We’re also loving the Sessun cotton gabardine mac over at ASOS. It’s in a deliberately 60s-style cut, so you can feel like a part of a beatnik set while really just wandering to the bus. It’s French, organic and has a throat latch – what more could you want?
British brand Yumi takes inspiration from street style in Japan, and we love their range of rain macs, from bright glossy green to big white polka dots (above). It’s definitely all about the cute and the peter pan collar dresses.
Desperate for some designer cred? Go for the Red Valentino polka-dot twill parka (above), or Michael Kors‘s stretch-cotton hooded raincoats in green and blue. They’re rain-protectors with bonus street style.
Of course, if you want to go polar, there’s always sportswear classic Moncler, whose French quilted jackets were first conceived to protect chilly miners. Now that’s some weather-proofing. Go for their tangerine Iside coat (above), which would look sunny in any storm and still come out dry as a bone.
And, of course, there’s always Topshop‘s fluoro plastics (above) – particularly great for festival wear or getting into the space-age feel of some of the winter fashions. Particularly good if worn over all-white.
Just make sure you have an umbrella for the sake of your hair…
Image: Raincoats, from left: Yumi, Topshop, Moncler, Red Valentino.
