
EU moves toward latest gene techniques in food production to counter climate change, shortages
The European Union has taken a step toward adapting its food production to the new ways of the world
1970-01-01 08:00

Who is Pearl Davis? The YouTuber dubbed the 'female Andrew Tate'
The thought of being likened to Andrew Tate would send shudders down the spines of many. But for YouTube personality Pearl Davis it’s all in a day’s work. The proudly “anti-feminist” influencer has become a darling of the far-right right for her outspoken views on everything from why divorce should be banned to why women shouldn’t vote. The 26-year-old’s inflammatory opinions have earned her 1.55 million followers on YouTube and almost 220,000 on Twitter. She racked up around 930,000 on TikTok before she was banned from the platform entirely. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Still, this hasn’t stopped her interviews and sound-bites from flooding the video-sharing site and, much like Tate before her, Davis’s expulsion from the platform seems to have fuelled interest in her content. So who exactly is the controversial commentator who’s now known as “the female Andrew Tate”? And how did she become toxic masculinity’s new star? Who is she? Davis, who’s full name is Hannah Pearl Davis, was born in the suburbs of Chicago as one of ten children, including three adopted siblings – one of whom was a “homeless kid” on her brother’s football team. In a lengthy interview for the ‘Anything Goes With James English’ podcast Davis, who is now based in London, said she’d had a happy upbringing and was very “family-oriented”. She began making content for TikTok and YouTube around two years ago, starting off with reaction videos in which she repeatedly refers to herself as the “Whitest girl in the world”. Whitest Girl in the World Reacts to Megan the Stallion "Big Ole Freak" youtu.be Speaking to Insider back in March, she explained that she was inspired to pursue a media career thanks to the likes of famous right-wingers Ben Shapiro and Thomas Sowell. Now, she hosts her own live YouTube show called ‘The Pregame’, covering topics such as what makes women “wifeable” and, inevitably, the so-called “Matrix”. Davis has touted herself as a proponent of what’s been dubbed the “red pill” movement, which is essentially a Reddit-based group that believes that society and nature favour women over men. How did she make a name for herself? She had already amassed something of a cult following thanks to her promotion of ultra-conservative, anti-”woke” beliefs. However, her popularity saw a sharp increase following Tate’s arrest on sex trafficking charges back in December. Tate had been a guest on her ‘Pregame’ show shortly before he was taken into custody in Romania. Since then her YouTube following has jumped from around 800,000 subscribers to 1.54 million, according to the analytics tool SocialBlade. For anyone wondering how she feels about being branded “the female Andrew Tate”, she answered the question directly when it was put to her by none other than Piers Morgan. In an interview for his Talk TV show on Monday, Morgan asked Davis how she felt about the moniker, to which she replied: “I take it as a compliment. I’m a fan of Andrew Tate.” Admitting that she wasn’t a fan of “everything” Tate had ever said, however, she then added: “Overall, his message is good. Overall. I think he's been absolutely phenomenal for young men.” What have been some of her most controversial comments? Besides declaring that Tate has been “absolutely phenomenal for young men”, Davis has churned out countless contentious assessments and opinions. According to Davis, her most viral clip centred on a discussion she had with a group of women in which she asked whether “most girls [...] think they’re hotter than they are”. She then pointed to one of her guests, and branded her a two or three out of 10 on looks, saying “she could easily be a six if she lost weight”. “I’m a 10” Modern Woman Humbled www.youtube.com This is just one example of Davis’s focus on women’s looks and how that informs their relationships with men. In one clip, she suggested that women don’t deserve to be with successful men if they’re obese, and in another, she said that it’s a woman’s fault if her male partner cheats. "A lot of you guys are s***ty wives," she said in a video last year, which has since been removed by TikTok. In an attempt to define what makes a “s***ty wife”, she went on: “You don’t cook for your man, you belittle him, you nag on him all the time, you don’t treat him like a man.” She then continued: “You don’t have sex with him, and when he goes looking outside of the relationship because, at the end of the day, he doesn’t want to get divorced, you put all the blame on him and don’t take any accountability for your part to play in it.” In another video, seen by Insider, she said that when unmarried women get pregnant it is "99.9999 per cent the woman's fault." Does Davis admit that she’s a misogynist? No, amazingly, she insists that she "doesn’t hate women”. And, instead, says she is simply fighting men’s corner because there’s “not a lot of empathy” for them online. "Men are discriminated against in society by the legal system and feminists at large," she told Insider. "The women that follow me watch it because they too see the larger issue, men watch it because finally there is a form of media that advocates for men." 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.
1970-01-01 08:00

Jenny Craig is being revived online
Weight loss brand Jenny Craig is getting a second lease on life.
1970-01-01 08:00

Dream vs. Sparks prediction and odds for Wednesday, July 5
The Dream and Sparks meet for a second straight game after a cross-country flight, can we expect different results?Atlanta blew out Los Angeles at home, 112-84, on Sunday and will look to make it two straight over the Sparks, but this time on the road. The Dream play at the fastest tempo in the ...
1970-01-01 08:00

Stalemate: UPS, Teamsters contract talks break down with each side blaming the other
Contract negotiations between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of the company’s workers broke down early Wednesday morning with each side blaming the other for walking away from talks
1970-01-01 08:00

Wings vs. Aces prediction and odds for WNBA Commissioner's Cup
The Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces meet in Commissioner's Cup action on Wednesday night.The best team in the league and defending champion Aces' are blowing through the competition this season at 15-1. The team will look to keep on rolling against a middling Wings team that is 8-8 on ...
1970-01-01 08:00

Jenin: Palestinians fear escalation after destructive West Bank assault
The atmosphere in the West Bank refugee camp feels like Gaza after wars with Israel, says Tom Bateman.
1970-01-01 08:00

Artist who used to collect Barbies boasts a room full of dolls worth £19,000
A Gothic artist has dedicated an entire room in her house into a "shrine" for her "creepy doll" collection, as she believes it “makes life so much more interesting and fun”. Victoria Grossman, 53, began collecting Barbie dolls in her 20s, and since watching the horror film Annabelle she “became fascinated with creepy dolls,” so began collecting and creating them – she has sold more than 400 of her handmade dolls. Victoria has spent a staggering £19,000 on her collection, which includes over 300 dolls made from “porcelain with Gothic painted features”, which she hopes people think are “haunted” – her favourite frightening figurine is a hand-painted Wednesday Addams. Victoria’s dolls typically have “mysterious eyes”, Victorian style clothes and “menacing expressions”, and despite their scary appearance her loved ones are “big fans” of her collection. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Victoria’s creations have been featured in a movie, Dementia 13, after a producer approached her at a doll convention and bought three dolls. Victoria said it was “amazing to see them on screen”. “Collecting just makes life so much more interesting and fun – I could not see a life without collecting,” Victoria told PA Real Life. “I love the hunt and love displaying them – I want to see my stuff, I want people to see them and get inspired, and maybe start a collection of whatever turns them on.” Victoria began collecting Barbie dolls in her 20s, building a collection of more than 200 figurines, but this eventually turned into a fascination with creepy dolls. She said: “One day, I saw this Gothic doll on the television, and I thought it was so different and, being an artist, I wanted to recreate the doll – so, I did, and it was great, but I didn’t think much of it. “It wasn’t until I saw Annabelle, the horror movie, in 2014, that I became fascinated with creepy dolls. “I decided to recreate her, and I put her up on eBay, and it sold for like 120 dollars to someone in Las Vegas, and then I started to collect creepy dolls.” Over time, Victoria has accumulated over 300 horrifying dolls worth approximately £19,000 ($25,000) and keeps the majority of them on display in her studio. She said: “I’m not into anything gory – I like them to look artistically creepy as if you have found them in an attic, and I want people to think they’re haunted dolls. “Most of them are porcelain with Gothic painted features like mysterious eyes, Victorian style clothes, menacing expressions.” Victoria’s loved ones are very supportive of her unusual collection, she said: “My son has grown up with it, so he doesn’t think much of it, but he loves them; he thinks they are really cool. “When people come to the house, they instantly want to see the doll room or doll shrine, and my family always want to bring their friends over to show them off. “They all love to take pictures of them, they’re big fans – it’s the same at conventions. As well as frightening dolls, Victoria also has a collection of celebrity memorabilia worth more than £78,000 ($100,000). She said: “I have Barbra Streisand’s vanity, which is gigantic and beautiful. “One of my prized possessions is Madonna’s jewellery which she wore on the Like A Virgin album cover – I have the pin that’s on her bustier and the bracelet from the inside cover. “I used to go to Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses in New York for celebrity items in my twenties and thirties.” Alongside collecting, Victoria continued making dolls, which she sells for £118 ($150) apiece online and at conventions. She explained the process: “So the base is a regular porcelain doll, and you put a base paint on them, maybe some crackling on their face to make it look old and weathered. “I often paint on top of their eyes, especially when I’m making it into a character, like Pennywise from the movie It. “I make the clothes by hand – for example, when I made Wednesday Addams, which is my favourite doll that I own, I handmade all of her clothes and stockings, braided her hair, and painted on make-up.” Victoria has sold more than 400 dolls to date and has customers all over the world. She said: “I had no idea it was such a popular thing – I started taking them to conventions, and they did really well, I made the equivalent of £500. “One of my clients has around 40 of my dolls – it’s addictive, you can’t just have one. “Most of my customers buy the dolls for their Halloween display and end up adding to their collection and become full-on collectors.” Victoria’s dolls have even been featured in a movie – she explained: “When I was at a convention, a producer came up to me and said, ‘I love your dolls, I would love to put them in a movie’, and I just thought he was kidding. “But, they later came to the house, and they bought three dolls – they starred in a movie called Dementia 13 in 2017, it was amazing to see them on screen.” Looking to the future, Victoria is hoping to extend her collection to reborn dolls – dolls which are hyperrealistic portrayals of babies. She said: “To buy reborn realistic dolls is usually over $1,000, but I’d love to sculpt one and make an entire doll out of clay – I wouldn’t treat it like a baby like some people do, though.” 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.
1970-01-01 08:00

German Cabinet approves a lower 2024 budget as it eyes a return to financial 'normality'
Germany’s Cabinet has approved a draft 2024 budget that foresees lower spending with defense among the exceptions
1970-01-01 08:00

Sean "Diddy" Combs' dispute with Diageo deepens as court unseals business details
Rapper and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs is asking the New York Supreme Court to enforce a 2021 agreement that requires Diageo to treat his DeLeon tequila brand “at least as favorably” as its other tequila brands
1970-01-01 08:00

A troubled new power plant leaves Jordan in debt to China, raising concerns over Beijing's influence
Jordan has built a giant power plant meant to fulfill great hopes for energy independence
1970-01-01 08:00

Fever vs. Lynx prediction and odds for Wednesday, July 5 (Bet Minnesota at home)
The Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx meet on Wednesday night in WNBA action.Both teams are under .500, but no team is more confounding than the Indiana Fever, who bolster a top five offense in the WNBA, but are 5-11 on the year. The team has outperformed expectations from a betting standpoint, b...
1970-01-01 08:00