Serena Williams is considered among the greatest tennis players of all time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2023--

Asian investors started August in the same way they ended July, with gains across markets that followed Wall Street's lead, fuelled by a general sense...

Internet wonders if 'RHOBH' star Erika Jayne is 'sick' after seeing her dazzle in a new latex look

The harrowing revelations in Britney Spears’s new memoir are an uncomfortable reminder of how women were treated in the ‘90s and noughties. Objectification, ridicule and “slut”-shaming were a core part of the so-called lads culture that shaped so much of popular culture at the time. Now, anyone thinking, “It can’t have been that bad,” should take a look at a video montage that’s been doing the rounds on social media. The one-minute clip was shared by fitness influencer Hayley Madigan earlier this month, with the caption: “POV: You grew up in the 90’s and now realise why your relationship with your body was so bad…” The round-up begins with an excerpt from an interview between Dutch TV presenter Ivo Niehe and a 17-year-old Britney. Somewhat breathlessly, he tells her: “Everyone’s talking about it…” prompting the teenager to innocently ask: “What?” “Well, he replies, your breasts.” It then cuts to American radio star Howard Stern telling former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith: “The way you dress and stuff, I don’t think you’re aware that you’re a heavy-set woman.” “I know I’m a big woman, so what?” she replies. He then tells her he’s been “guessing her weight” and asks her to step on some scales to check how well he did. We then see Scott Disick telling Kourtney Kardashian: “If I would have fallen in love with you a couple pounds overweight (sic), this would be my ideal weight, but I fell in love with you when you were super skinny." Next, it’s the turn of Simon Cowell, who tells an X Factor contestant that she “sounds nice but looks like a shop girl.” Clarifying, she says: “I’m overweight, basically,” to which he responds: “You really are.” Speaking of weight (and people did, a lot), we’re then treated to a clip from the now-axed Channel 4 show TFI Friday. The segment, from 1999, was filmed just two months after Victoria Beckham gave birth to her first son Brooklyn. After asking her how she got back into shape after the birth, host Chris Evans then asks if her weight was now “back to normal”. She tells him that “it is”, but he’s not satisfied. “Can I check?” he then asks, jumping from his seat and leading her to a set of bathroom scales. The penultimate excerpt is taken from a Jay Leno monologue, in which he tells viewers of his Tonight Show: “Monica Lewinsky said that President Clinton would often compliment her on her figure. “He would say things like, ‘Oh, you look skinny today.’” Pausing, Leno then doled out his punchline, saying: “You know, if you didn’t think this guy was the biggest liar in the world before…” which was met with peals of laughter from his audience. Finally, another scene from Keeping Up With the Kardashians, in which Bruce (now Caitlin) Jenner, tells his step-daughter Khloé: “I’ll get shot for bringing this up but don’t you think you should lose a few pounds?” Shaking her head dejectedly, she simply replies: “What?” The compilation racked up more than 5.4 million views and 200,000 likes in just three weeks on Madigan’s Instagram alone. In a statement accompanying the reel, the self-styled “female empowerment” guru wrote: “Whether it was in magazines, on talk shows or on reality TV… we continuously watched women get criticised. “We watched men talk negatively about women’s appearances, about their weight, about their body autonomy… and this complete disregard for women’s dignity forced a societal pressure amongst many of us who were growing up watching it.” Reflecting on her own response, she went on: “I constantly compared myself even at the young age of 12 I remember wanting to be as skinny as possible like the models on the TV. I had no desire to be anything but exactly what they looked like and I deemed them to be perfect. “I constantly heard negative opinions about women who weren’t perfect, women who weren’t small and women who didn’t fit the ideal stereotype that men created.” Wrapping up her message, she continued: “Seeing these talk shows and reality TV clips hits hard, women weren’t treated equally, we were continuously degraded and this put pressure on all of us growing up.” Then, concluding on a note of optimism, she added: “We’ve still not got to where we want to be but I feel somewhat change is happening and we will make sure the generations to come don’t endure the same pressure and issues we faced back then.” Commentators were quick to share their horror at the montage, with many condemning what they termed “male audacity” at the time. Others agreed with Madigan that it highlighted how far we’ve come in addressing such behaviours. “People often say ‘you can’t even say xyz anymore these days’,“ one wrote. “I think this video is a great testament that that is actually a positive development.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Former President Donald Trump plans to use a college football rivalry weekend to bask among his supporters in South Carolina while potentially upstaging his Republican opponent Nikki Haley on her home turf

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games by the NBA on Friday after being caught waving a gun in a social media video...

Bryce Harper went after the entire Rockies' roster, setting off a brawl.

Dillon Danis reacted to Logan Paul’s deep fake video of his where he is seen apologizing for his previous social media antics

Responding to intensifying concerns among his supporters, top advisers to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met with key donors and fundraisers over the weekend in Utah, where they promised a new direction to jumpstart his fledgling White House bid.

George Russell has warned about the realities of F1 banning tyre blankets for the 2024 season, insisting “there will be crashes”. Tyre blankets allow teams to heat their tyres to 70C for two hours before a grand prix session, with the result of more grip for the drivers coming out of the pits or at the start of the race. But to improve sustainability, tyre supplier Pirelli have been developing tyres that do not need pre-warming. Drivers have been testing dry-tyre versions, while the Monaco Grand Prix last month ran with blanket-free wet tyres. Yet Russell, who took part in a tyre test in Barcelona a few weeks ago, believes there are concerns about the prospective rule change for next year. “If I’m being totally honest, I don’t think we as a sport are at a position yet to bring these tyres into a racing scenario,” Russell said. "I would be very concerned for all the mechanics in the pit lane during a pitstop, I’d be very concerned for the out lap from a race in cold conditions. There will be crashes, I have no doubt about it. "And I think there’s a lot of work, expense, development going into these tyres. I feel like that could be put elsewhere." However, Pirelli insist its blanket-free slick tyres are raceable and the focus should instead switch on drivers changing their driving style to navigate their way around the circuit. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also participated in the test, said his testing of the tyres went well but echoed Russell’s worries. “In lower temperatures, I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t tested these tyres in lower temperatures and that’s where the big question mark is. "So, very difficult to answer whether I will be happy to go. I would like to maybe test those tyres in different conditions and then see whether they are raceable in all conditions.” A decision on next year will be made after a final test, following the British Grand Prix in July, with Red Bull, Haas and Williams taking part. A vote amongst all 10 teams will then take place. Read More Audi name first driver to join F1 team ahead of 2026 season entry Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last? Sergio Perez ‘under threat’ at Red Bull with young star tipped to replace him

Self-conscious people may suck in their stomachs - but doing so can be unhealthy. Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, Lancaster University, has explained that the habit can create abdominal imbalance and all sorts of problems. In an article, he explained: "This can lead to a condition called 'hourglass syndrome; – a detrimental change in the structure of the abdominal wall, which may cause a visible crease to form in the mid-abdomen. Not only that, but this change can also have a knock-on effect on the internal organs and other parts of the body if left untreated." He added: "When we suck our stomach in it causes our rectus abdominis (commonly referred to as our "six-pack" muscles) to contract. But since we tend to store more fat tissue in our lower abdomen, the muscles at the top of the stomach tend to be more active. This creates a fold or crease in the abdomen over a long period, with the belly button being pulled upwards. "Sucking the stomach in places greater pressure on the lower back and neck. This is because they now have to compensate for changes in core stability." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He also said it may lead to changes in breathing capacity, though said more research needs to be done, and said sucking in the abdomen also puts strain on the pelvic floor which could cause incontinence. Fortunately, hourglass syndrome is reversible through exercises that strengthen core muscles like planks or bridges, he explained. And he also said the condition develops over weeks of consistently sucking in the stomach. "So occasionally sucking the stomach muscles in is not likely to cause problems," he said. Who knew it could have so many bad effects? Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.