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Elika Roohi

Are Millenials Really Having Fewer Kids?

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the patron saint of millennial representation, put a voice to modern-day fears back in March when she suggested that some young Americans are concerned about having children because of the threat that climate change could post to future generations.

“Our planet is going to hit disaster if we don’t turn this ship around … there’s scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram Live. “And even if you don’t have kids, there are still children here in the world, and we have a moral obligation to leave a better world for them.”

Those thoughts were echoed again this week, this time by Prince Harry in an interview with the renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall. In the conversation for British Vogue, the Duke of Sussex said that he and Meghan would have “two maximum!” when discussing how many children the royal couple planned on having. The question came about when Harry and Goodall were talking about the environmental deterioration of the planet.

A trend

A poll by Business Insider found that nearly 30 percent of Americans agree that a couple should consider the negative and potentially life-threatening effects of climate change when deciding whether or not to have children. The same poll found that roughly 40 percent disagreed with environmental considerations when it comes to family planning, and the remainder of respondents had no opinion.

The study wasn’t perfect, it was conducted over SurveyMonkey Audience by the publication, suggesting that everyone who participated opted in of their own accord. However, it reveals some interesting trends in the thinking about climate change and living a happy life.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it revealed a correlation between age and consideration of the environment. Young people are much more likely to take climate change into account when deciding whether to have children or how many, and older Americans were less likely to agree.

Notably, almost half of respondents older than 60 said the environment should not be a factor in the decision to have kids. Of course, the over-60 population aren’t having any more kids, but are likely pressuring their own children for grandchildren.

It remains to be seen how this current trend in thinking about the population will affect us. A CDC report showed that the birth rate in the US fell to its lowest level in the last 32 years in 2018.

After Harry told Goodall his offspring would be a maximum of two, he said that he always thought the planet was “borrowed,” and that as evolved as humans are supposed to be, “we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.”

See also: Gulf of Mexico Could Experience Record-Breaking “Dead Zone”
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Cocoon Central Dance Team is Pushing Frontiers of Dance and Comedy

As “I’m Every Woman” starts playing, three women dressed in head-to-toe blue spandex bodysuits tumble out from behind a curtain. They are the Cocoon Central Dance Team, they are performing their new show Garden Party and with it they are pushing the frontiers of both dance and comedy.

“Thank you, Ohio!” they yell with a bow after the end of their number to the audience in London that is watching the show during it’s two-week run at the Soho Theatre.

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Cocoon Central

It’s hard to describe Cocoon Central Dance Team, but we’re going to try.

They call themselves a choreographed dance-comedy act, which is accurate although doesn’t depict the full range of what their performances entail. Yes, it’s dancing and comedy—but it’s also a sketch show. It has the vibe of a funny movie you make in your bedroom with your high school best friends just for yourselves. It’s a performance about a too real and also very exaggerated friendship. It seems like it would be ironic, but it’s wholesomely earnest.

And it’s also really good dancing. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that the women behind it, Sunita Mani, Tallie Medel and Eleanore Pienta, are all professionals performers. They have backgrounds in dance and are comedians and actors who have been at it for a while. But when you hear “dance-comedy act” the first reaction is that the dancing must be a joke, so the professionalism of their choreography delights as much as their humor.

“Dancing well is a priority,” Pienta says, “What’s funny is not that it’s bad dancing but the juxtaposition of moves and our (facial) physicality. I think all three of us have really high standards when it comes to what we put in the world, so we will ruminate on an 8-count for a whole rehearsal.

“WHAT WORKS?!??!?!? WHAT’S FUNNIER!??!?!? It’s all been a very organic ride.”

Origin story

Mani, Medel and Pienta became friends during their freshman year at Emerson College in Boston—an institution of comedy that has produced the likes of Jay Leno, David Cross and Jennifer Coolidge.

“I loved dancing with Eleanore and Sunita at parties because they dance like me: big physicality,” Medel says. “We ran in concentric circles in the Emerson comedy scene and ended up forming a troupe with friends.”

Cocoon started a few years after that when they moved to New York and shared an apartment in Brooklyn.

“That was our way of keeping busy and optimistic in our Sunset Park apartment,” Medel says about their origin. “Our friends (one of whom is now my husband) asked us to bring pieces regularly to their Brooklyn variety show The Moon, and we just kept going.”

“We then became the house dancers and then booked gigs from there. The rest is history,” Pienta says.

“And herstory,” Mani adds.

“I loved dancing with Eleanore and Sunita at parties because they dance like me: big physicality.”

Garden Party

Garden Party, their show currently running in London, was created specifically for this tour, although it includes some of their favorite choreography, like their dance to Beyoncé’s “Love on Top.”

“We wanted to create a new narrative for the Soho Theatre,” Medel says. “We started moving toward a story where Cocoon ends up separated and working in office positions [and] we could reunite at the end of the show. We also needed to challenge ourselves as writers to see whether we could tell a story with a beginning, middle and end. Getting to this point was like pulling teeth but we had to see whether we could follow a classic structure.”

Pienta adds: “We basically had one month where we were going to be together in the same city, so we re-contextualized established dances of ours and built a narrative around it.”

Garden Party is funny and absurd, while managing to hit some resonant notes about friendship. At a moment when media is starting to pay attention to stories about female friendship, Cocoon’s show, invoking the energy of Oprah and Beyoncé, feels like a relevant contribution.

The future of Cocoon

After their London tour, Mani, Medel and Pienta want to bring the show back to New York for another run. They’d also love to tour their hometowns at some point—Eleanore is from Valatie, NY, Sunita is from Dickson, TN, and Medel is from Ketchikan, AK.

These days, it’s hard to find the time to sync schedules. Mani is a regular on the Netflix series GLOW, and Medel and Pienta have their own burgeoning careers in comedy and film that take them all in different directions.

“The one thing I know for certain, is that there is this film idea we’ve been kicking around for five, six years that I would love for us to make,” Pienta says. “Because of our schedules, a film actually feels the most feasible.”

Cocoon already has a film out, Snowy Bing Bongs: Across the North Star Combat Zone, which they made with Alex Fischer and Rachel Wolther. The film came out in 2017 and was a hit, particularly among the comedy world.

Whatever comes next (“I would love to do a 50th anniversary show in 2059,” says Medel), Cocoon—so named because of the protective nature a cocoon provides to what’s in it—will continue to be an outlet for the trio.

“Sunita and Eleanore are the wisest, funniest, most generous artists with whom you can work,” Medel says.

Mani adds: “Cocoon is a dream come true! We have lived an organic adventure as a dance comedy trio and our path reveals itself as we sashay away.”

See also: The Resistance Will Be Cross Stitched: Interview with Shannon Downey
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What Are the Booziest Holiday Destinations?

According to a recent study by Alcohol.org, seven out of the 10 booziest travel destinations in the world are in America.

The organization, which provides information about treatment for alcohol and substance addiction, studied 1,000 Instagram posts tagged with #vacationmode or #vacay from travelers in 143 cities around the world in an attempt to understand the influence of alcohol in people’s vacations.

The social media analysis found that the majority of the top destinations are in the U.S., with the top five—Portland, Denver, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Austin—exclusively American cities.

Infographic provided by Alcohol.org

Oregon’s largest city topped the list, with one in ten of the pictures taken featuring alcohol. Portland is known as a destination for beer and music, perhaps explaining its first place.

After Portland was Denver, Colorado, where over eight percent of the pictures featured alcohol. Denver, aside from being a boozy holiday destination, is also frequented for its marijuana tourism.

NOLA ranked third on the list, with over eight percent of photos featuring alcohol. New Orleans draws tourists every year for Mardi Gras—last year 1.2 million people attended the festivities in the Big Easy, which is also famous for its jazz scene, theater district and historically acclaimed bars and clubs.

Other interesting stats from the study? The most photographed drinks were cocktails, with over one-third of photos showing the colourful drinks. The research also revealed that posts featuring alcohol gained about half as many likes as pictures that showed something else.

Vacation is a time to escape from the pressures of a rigorous semester or an overwhelming job, so it can be tempting to let loose with drinking. However, it’s crucial to exercise caution. College students in particular are more likely to binge drink, which can give rise to risky situations including injury and assault.

“No one wants to be unwell on vacation so it’s important to monitor your alcohol intake, especially when you’re away from home or in unfamiliar surroundings,” said a spokesperson for Alcohol.org, which conducted the research.

See also: Is Your Drinking Dangerous?
Dr. Sherry Benton on Mental Health Support at College
Period Pain Linked to Nine Days of Lost Productivity for Women in a Year

Eight Shows to Watch While Hiding from the Heatwave

Wasn’t it just a few months ago that we were suffering with insanely record lows, causing frostbite and freezing pipes? Now large parts of the US and Canada have been plunged into a sweltering heatwave with temperatures soaring above 100F in many places.

The CDC has published some tips for handling the hot weather, including staying hydrated with water (avoid sugary, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages), staying cool in air conditioned areas and wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. They also advise keeping an eye on the inside temperature of your car—if it’s 80 degrees outside, the inside of your car can get as hot as 123F inside within an hour.

Although College News is not a public health organization, we have some suggestions of our own for beating the heat: stay inside and lie in front of a fan with the air conditioning on while eating popsicles. To pass the time, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite shows that will get you through this very warm weekend.

Killing Eve, Season 2 (BBC)

Sandra Oh’s British intelligence agent and Jodie Comer’s assassin-for-hire are back for another season of their incredible cat-and-mouse hunt. Season 2 picks up after Oh’s Eve has stabbed Comer’s Villanelle. The two jump straight back into their complex dynamic, making for excellent television.

Fleabag, Season 2 (Amazon)

Fleabag is a gem of a show that truly found its voice in the second season. Following the life of a messy woman who’s trying to get life right and anchored by script-writing-powerhouse Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag explores all the familiar themes—family, faith, love—but with a unique and beautiful lens.

Big Little Lies, Season 2 (HBO)

Back after the award-winning season 1, season 2 picks up with all of your favorite characters with the addition of Meryl Streep playing the role of evil mother-in-law. After last season’s shocking ending, season 2 follows the Monterey Five as they struggle with the burden of their secret.

Stranger Things, Season 3 (Netflix)

Stranger Things is back! The ’80s-nostalgia sci-fi horror hit picks up a year after we left our protagonists in season 2. Even though the gang all have part-time jobs now, they still have the Upside Down to worry about.

Chernobyl (HBO)

If you somehow missed this one in the first go-round, now is the time to spend five episodes deep diving into the story of one of the most devastating man-made catastrophes in history.

Veep, Season 7 (HBO)

For the final season, Veep is back with with its consistently smart and funny writing, satirizing a practically un-satirizable American political landscape. If you haven’t jumped into Veep before, now is a perfect opportunity.

Good Omens (Amazon)

Party buddy comedy, part time-to-question-religion, Good Omen is about the unlikely friendship between an angel and a demon, who find themselves trying to prevent Armageddon from coming to Earth and destroying everything as we know it.

Queer Eye, Season 4 (Netflix)

Back for its fourth season, Queer Eye is bringing back the Fab Five to bring more emotional, uplifting episodes to you. Perfect for when outside is a burning mess—literally and metaphorically.

See also: What HBO’s “Chernobyl” Got Right and Wrong
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Get Ready for Your Summer Vacation

University of Alaska Prepares for Budget Slash from Which It May “Never Recover”

The University of Alaska system is bracing for a 41 percent cut in funding from the state, after Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed a $130 million line item in the state’s budget on June 28.

“It is with grave concern for the future of our university and our state that I share with you devastating news of the budget Gov. Mike Dunleavy released this morning,” wrote University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen to members of the university.

Legislators in Alaska have until midnight on Friday to vote to override the vetoes, something which many Alaskans are imploring their representatives to do at the moment. To override, a vote of 75 percent (or 45 legislators) is needed, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that is going to happen as the deadline draws ever nearer. (The legislature can’t even agree on a location to meet, with 38 legislators meeting in Juneau, the state’s capital, and the other 22 meeting with the Governer at Wasilla Middle School, several hundred miles and a plane journey away.)

These vetoes “will strike an institutional and reputational blow from which we may likely never recover,” Johnsen wrote, ominously.

What does this even mean?

What does it mean for a state when its public universities are so dramatically defunded? Especially for a small (but large, but yes, we mean small) state like Alaska?

In Alaska, the University system is one of the biggest things around. It drives a lot of different aspects of the community and economy, and serves more than 26,600 students across three main campuses and multiple branch campuses in more remote locations.

“If we lay people off, they aren’t going to walk across the street and get another job at another company, because we’re it,” Johnsen said. Alaska has almost no private four-year institutions, and what it does have are minuscule and religiously-affiliated schools.

Economists are warning that cuts such as these—which, while most dramatically affect the university, have also been extended to numerous other social programs—could pull the state back into a recession. Lower gas prices over the last few years had caused a downturn in the economy, from which Alaska was only just starting to recover.

Impact on climate

The University of Alaska is also a leading institution for climate research, and such deep cuts will impact the future of environmental studies.

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is the primary academic center for Arctic research in the US, and “every climate change researcher, educator, scientist and student in the lower 48 whose work touches the American Arctic” relies on the center’s work, Victoria Herrmann, the president of the Arctic Institute, told Gizmodo. “If the UA is defunded at the current rate, Arctic research in every corner of America will suffer.”

Economic impact

To meet these cuts, all sort of options will be considered. Johnsen envisions having to close down one of the system’s three universities. Should they manage to stay open, the budget veto could put the University of Alaska at risk of losing accreditation, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities warned. For now, furlough notices have been sent to 2,500 employees and there has been a freeze on hiring and travel.

Economists estimate that there will be a loss of over 4,000 jobs, with about 2,000 tied to the cuts to the university specifically. Keep in mind, Alaska is a state with less than a million people. An impact to the livelihoods of 4,000 people is one that will shake communities, especially for those that have always had a hard time holding onto their bright, young people.

Many college-bound Alaskan students set their sights on studying out of state for a variety of reasons—to experience something new or to pursue a program not offered at home—but of the students that leave, only 20 percent return after graduation.

This isn’t a brain drain, “it’s a brain gusher,” said Johnsen to NBC.

Why is this happening?

 So why is Governor Dunleavy so intent on a course of action that could have far-reaching consequences for his state? The answer lies in the way the Alaskan economy works.

Alaska is an oil-rich state, and never seeing the need, never bothered to implement sales tax or income tax. The state in fact has so much money from its natural resources, that it cuts each of its citizens a check every October from a pot of money called the Permanent Fund. The check, called a Permanent Fund Dividend or PFD, generally ranges between $1,000-2,000, although in some prosperous years, it has been higher.

Following the downturn in oil prices a few years ago and without revenue from taxes, the state has been supplementing its budget with the PFD and cutting smaller checks. In 2018, for example, the dividend was estimated to be $2,700; however it was reduced to $1,600 by legislative action.

Governor Dunleavy doesn’t want government spending to draw upon the PFD funds, and supports a full PFD check for every citizen. His budget reflects that ideology, also revealing how challenging such a plan is for a state that depends on falling oil prices and collects a very small amount of taxes.

What makes Alaska special

I grew up in Alaska and got my journalism degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Budget cuts are always looming in the public sector and have been simmering for the UA schools for a few years. The programme I graduated from was cut the year after I left UAF, students in Fairbanks interested in journalism can now get a communications degree with a journalism concentration. Or they could, who knows what the future holds.

I went to UAF largely because of the scholarship money. Alaska offers a generous scholarship to students who graduate in the top ten percent of their class, called the Alaska Performance Scholarship. This too, has not been dispersed this year, although its unrelated to the budget cuts. Some 12,000 students received letters this week warning them they would no longer receive their scholarships or state-backed tuition because of a failed budget vote in the Legislature and a decision by the Governor.

And yet, while financial reasons drove me to study in Fairbanks, what kept me there was the vibrant and warm community that grew in a town known for being cold and dark. It flourishes because the young people, the artists and musicians, the outdoor enthusiasts, the geologists and biologists all have a place to mix. With a university looking at cutting programs, jobs and opportunities, its exactly the sort of thing that’s going to be lost.

See also: Here’s What’s Happening with Harvard and Kyle Kashuv
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Study Shows Correlation Between Phone Use and Number of Sexual Partners

Overuse of smartphones by university students may be linked to unproductive behaviour such as lower grades, drinking problems and more sexual partners, according to a new study.

In a survey of more than 3,400 people seeking university degrees in the U.S., those who said they had problems with the amount of time they spent on their phones also reported having more sexual partners. They were also more likely to report anxiety of depression.

One psychiatrist said the findings were “concerning.”

Researchers from the University of Chicago, University of Cambridge, and the University of Minnesota developed the Health and Addictive Behaviours Survey.

Its aim was to assess mental health and wellbeing among university students and to see what impact mobile phones had on them.

To establish whether mobile phone use was excessive, students were asked a variety of questions, including:

  • do friends or relatives complain about excessive use?
  • do you have problems concentrating in class or at work due to smartphone use?
  • do you feel fretful or impatient without your smartphone?
  • do you feel the amount of time you are on it has increased over time?
  • are you missing work due to smartphone use?
  • are you experiencing physical consequences of excessive use, such as light-headedness or blurred vision?

One in five students answered yes to enough questions to be deemed as overusing their phones, with more than 60 percent of these being female.

Neglecting normal relationships

The study found that the proportion of students reporting two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months was significantly higher among those also reporting overuse of mobile phones—37 percent compared with 27 percent who reported no problem use. The proportion with six or more sexual partners was more than double among those who said they overused their smartphones.

The reasons for this are difficult to pinpoint and are likely to be varied, said Dr. Sam Chamberlain, one of the authors of the study.

“It could be that people are using smartphones to date via apps, but they also might be neglecting more normal relationships because of overuse of their phones,” Chamberlain said. “The strongest finding was that people reporting problematic use of their phones were also more likely to have the trait of impulsiveness, and this could also play a part in the number of sexual partners they have.

“If this was a healthy thing we’d expect to see better self-esteem and less mental health issues but the opposite was the case,” Chamberlain added.

The researchers also found that excessive drinking was higher in those reporting problematic smartphone use, compared with those who felt their mobile use was normal. Notably, they found no significant link with any other form of substance abuse or addiction.

Smartphone studies

Previous studies have pointed to a link between excessive use of smartphones and lower academic achievement, and this report also found a connection.

“Although the effect of problematic smartphone use on grade point averages was relatively small, it’s worth noting that even a small negative impact could have a profound effect on an individual’s academic achievement and then on their employment opportunities in later life,” said University of Chicago’s Prof Jon Grant.

While there are an increasing number of studies into mobile phone use and its consequences, none have definitively proved that excessive use causes mental health issues—and there needs to be more funding for deeper research, thinks Chamberlain.

“We need studies that follow young people over a long period of time,” he said.

Dr. Abigael San, a member of the British Psychological Society, said of the study: “It is concerning and I’m glad the work is being done. All of these effects are very real and are problems discussed in therapy sessions. Often people don’t come with a smartphone issue—instead it is a mental health issue or a relationship break-up—but more than often smartphone usage plays a part.”

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Dogs Reduce Student Stress, Study Finds

Stress among students can be reduced by spending time with animals, according to a new studying from Washington State University.

It has become increasingly common for universities to bring “therapy dos” on to campus; however, claims about their benefits have up until this point been anecdotal. Now, scientists say they have objective evidence to support the use of dogs to reduce stress in students.

Patricia Pendry, from Washington State University, said her study showed “soothing” sessions with dogs could lessen the negative impact of stress.

The study of more than 300 undergraduates had found weekly hour-long sessions with dogs brought to the university by professional handlers had made stressed students at “high risk of academic failure” or dropping out “feel relaxed and accepted.” helping them to concentrate, learn and remember information, Pendry said.

“Students most at risk, such as those with mental health issues, showed the most benefit,” said Pendry.

In the U.S., about 1,000 campuses are using therapy pets. At some, programs to cheer up students with dogs have been in place for a long time, such as bringing dogs to a public place during finals week or other high-stress times of the semester.

“There does seem to be something specific about the reducing of anxiety from the petting of animals,” said Pendry.

See also: Two Hours in Nature Could Be All You Need for a Happier Life
Period Pain Linked to Nine Days of Lost Productivity for Women in a Year
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Period Pain Linked to Nine Days of Lost Productivity for Women in a Year

New research suggests that the impact of menstruation is underestimate, and period pain is responsible for nearly nine days of lost productivity a year in workplaces and schools.

The study surveyed over 30,000 Dutch women between the ages of 15 and 45 to evaluate lost productivity associated with periods. They measure both time taken off because of feeling ill, as well as working or studying while feeling unwell (otherwise known as “playing through the pain,” something women have been doing for generations).

It was found that one in seven—or just under 14 percent of women—had taken time off from work or school during their period and 3.5 percent said that this happened during ever, or nearly every, menstrual cycle.

Over eighty percent of the women surveyed said they had been less productive as a result of their menstrual symptoms (to which we say, well, duh).

On average, the researchers calculated that women were absent from work or school 1.3 days per year because of their period and productivity loss was equivalent to 8.9 days per year.

“Women said that they weren’t as productive as they could be while at work—they needed to go to the toilet every hour or they had a headache and couldn’t concentrate,” said Theodoor Nieboer, an author of the report and a gynecologist at the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

Still a taboo

Although there’s been a lot of menstruation media in the last few years, including a popular video game called Tampon Run where you shoot tampons at villains, there’s still a lot of destigmatizing work to do, especially globally.

This recently published study also found that when women did call in sick because of period pain, only 20 percent told their employer or school the real reason for their absence. And nearly 70 percent of respondents said they wished they had the option of more flexible hours during their period.

The study is the largest of its kind, shining yet more light on the reality that women’s health is an understudied area that needs more attention.

Around the world, 1.8 billion women menstruate.

“Despite being almost two decades into the 21st century, discussions about [symptoms] may still be rather taboo,” Nieboer said. “There’s a need for greater openness about the impact of menstrual symptoms on work, and companies need to be more open about this with their female workers.”

Period leave

Period leave has been presented as a possible solution for the occasions when a woman might need to stay home, due to experiencing pain and discomfort from her period. However, this sort of systemic change comes up against long-held attitudes that menstruation should never be talked about.

We’ve all grown up with the same surround-sound messaging about this biological reality for half the planet. It’s embedded in tampon commercials that stress the discretion of their products and depict blue liquid instead of period blood. Even the name given to period products—feminine hygiene—subconsciously raises the question: Excuse me, are we all dirty?

Legalized time off for menstruation actually exists already in a few countries. Women in Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan and China are allowed to request days off work. And although great on paper, it’s often an entitlement that women don’t take, particularly in male-dominated workplaces.

In other countries, period leave hasn’t even made it onto paper yet. Italy tried to pass legislation for menstrual leave in 2017, and it didn’t pass for all the usual objections. However, policies are emerging on a company-by-company basis in these other contexts. Coexist, for example, is a group based in the United Kingdom that hosts community space, and it allows employees who opt into its period policy to take time off, work from home, or consider other options such as altering their working hours during their periods. And in Australia, the Victorian Women’s Trust, an advocacy group, offers employees paid days off for painful periods.

Whether menstrual leave is the answer is unclear, but at least it puts periods and period pain on the political agenda.

See also: Your Seven Day Break on the Pill is Bogus—Here’s Why
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Oh No! Kim’s Kimono Shapewear Blasted for Name

Reality star Kim Kardashian West is being accused of cultural appropriation by people in Japan, after naming her new line of shapewear Kimono. Because Kim, get it?

Unfortunately, the name Kimono is not sitting well among users on social media, particularly those in Japan, who are accusing her of disrespecting the traditional outfit.

Kardashian announced the launch of the line in a tweet—and with it launched another wave of criticism that the Kardashian Empire is culturally out of touch, this time with the hashtag #KimOhNo.

It appears nobody in Kardashian’s orbit was too worried that the Japanese had claimed the name kimono first, several centuries ago, when they named those loose-sleeved robes that are traditionally worn as formal outwear (needless to say, a far cry from shapewear).

In Japanese, the word “kimono” means “something to wear,” while Kardashian’s use of it appears to be a way to make money off of her first name. The website for the clothing line offers no explanation for the choice of name, and Kardashian has yet to respond to her online detractors.

The list of moments of cultural appropriation and generally bad decision making by the Kardashian family is long, but some greatest hits bear revisiting:

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Spider-Man’s Tom Holland Rescues Fan

Tom Holland, known best for playing Spider-Man in the most recent iteration of the franchise, proved himself to be a real-life superhero when he helped a fan who was being crushed during the promotional tour for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

The Marvel actor greeted fans outside a television studio in New York City on Monday, but stopped signing autographs when a young woman told the star that she was being crushed.

In a clip shared by the young woman, Holland warned the adult autograph collectors and photographers: “I will throw your shit on the floor if you keep pushing that girl. Can you back up?”

https://twitter.com/NamelessCass/status/1143286500169330689

https://twitter.com/NamelessCass/status/1143299710792417283

When she told Holland she was “literally having a panic attack,” the 23-year-old star assured her, “it’s ok, I got you, I got you.”

Alongside videos of the exchange, the fan tweeted: “This was absolutely INSANE and should NEVER happen… my neck was literally against the barricade with 30 grown men behind me pushing…”

She claimed that most of the crowd pushing behind her were “6ft tall grown men”, although some fans at the front were not actually that tall. She added later that Holland calmed her down.

Other fans joined in with the thread, saying they were “trampled” by the celebrity hunters and “spent over an hour crying” because the pushing was so intense.

Since sharing the footage, the tweet has garnered a lot of attention. Fans praised the actor on social media, calling him a real life superhero and the best embodiment of his character.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theatres on July 2, 2019.

See also: Whoopi Goldberg’s Response to Bella Thorne’s Leaked Nudes Sparks New Debate
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