3 h. ago Gen Z and gen Alpha brought a raw, messy aesthetic to social media. Why does it feel as inauthentic as ever? | Eugene Healey

The glossy perfection of millennial content gave way to something that felt more ‘real’. But that was a mirage – and brands quickly caught onEugene Healey is a brand strategy consultant, educator and creatorAuthenticity is the great mirage of the modern age. Its promise – to live unmediated, in full accordance with our values and beliefs – feels like the ideal we’re always reaching for before it vanishes beyond the horizon. And ironically, the more we try to prove we’re authentic online, the more we seem to accelerate its disappearance.As Generations Z and Alpha joined social media, they responded to the cultural demand for perfection with chaos – raw, unfiltered, deliberately messy content. The curated feed of flatlays gave way to the sloppy photo dump; the finstas; the bedrotting. Finally, our real lives represented on screen. Finally, something real.Eugene Healey is a brand strategy consultant, educator and creator Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago What was proposed as a basic taste by a chemist in 1908? The Saturday quiz

From Euphoria and Tattoo to Miniminter, KSI and Zeraa, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 What was proposed as a basic taste by chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908?2 At the centre of the Milky Way, what is Sagittarius A*?3 Which Booker prize-winning novel has no named characters?4 Miniminter, KSI and Zerkaa are members of which collective?5 The helots were people subjugated by which city-state?6 Which official censored British theatre until 1968?7 Which sculpture stands by the A1 in Gateshead?8 San Miguel beer and Tanduay, the world’s bestselling rum, come from where?What links:9 Laputa; Nublar; Saint Marie; Skull; Sodor; Utopia?10 Castellaneta; Kavner; Cartwright; Smith?11 Frederick of Utrecht, 838; Thomas Becket, 1170; Óscar Romero, 1980?12 Chairman of ways and means; first deputy; second deputy?13 Dubris; Londinium; Verulamium; Venonis; Viroconium?14 Euphoria and Tattoo; What’s Another Year and Hold Me Now?15 1858 medical textbook; Shonda Rhimes and Ellen Pompeo? Continue read...

Politics

5 h. ago All 32 teams at FIFA Club World Cup 2025 from UEFA giants to African minnows

Chelsea and Manchester City are gearing up for their opening games at the Club World Cup with Real Madrid and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain among the favourites

Politics

15 h. ago Pope Leo’s changes to the papal wardrobe considered a ‘return to form’

Pope Leo XIV has made waves with some of his fashion choices, returning to much of the traditional pomp of popes past

Events

22 h. ago Pope confirms when millennial saint Carlo Acutis will be canonised

Acutis died at the age of 15 in 2006 in northern Italy after a brief battle with leukemia

Politics

24 h. ago First millennial saint Carlo Acutis will be canonized Sept. 7, the pope says

The Catholic Church’s first millennial-era saint Carlo Acutis will be canonized Sept. 7

Politics

26 h. ago Extreme heat poses a danger to players and fans at Club World Cup

Already controversial because of extra fixtures and Fifa involvement, the new tournament in the US is likely to be played in temperatures above 30CAcross this weekend, the US National Weather Service is predicting “moderate” heat risk for Miami and Los Angeles. With temperatures likely to exceed 30C, the agency warns “most individuals sensitive to heat” will be affected, a group which contains those “exercising or doing strenuous activity outdoors during the heat of the day”. This weekend is also when the Club World Cup begins.When Lionel Messi and Inter Miami kick off the tournament on Saturday night against Al Ahly of Egypt it will be 8pm in Miami and although the humidity is predicted to be high, the day’s peak temperatures will have passed. Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, however, will play under the full height of the California sun on Sunday, with their Group B fixture a midday kick-off at the famously uncovered Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Continue reading...

Sport

27 h. ago Boots £112 Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium perfume reduced to £33

Shoppers have said the luxury perfume gives an 'effortlessly graceful' impression to others who smell it

Economics

27 h. ago Pope Leo XIV's fashion choices make waves, and many wonder what they mean

Pope Leo XIV has made waves with some of his fashion choices, returning to much of the traditional pomp of popes past

Culture

35 h. ago The Architects Behind the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakesh Designed This $6.7 Million London Flat

The Architects Behind the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakesh Designed This $6.7 Million London Flat  Robb Report

Economics

40 h. ago Jake Stewart sprints to Dauphiné win on stage five as Evenepoel holds lead despite fall

First victory in World Tour race for 25-year-old BritonRemco Evenepoel goes down but loses no timeThe British rider Jake Stewart won a sprint finish to triumph in the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Thursday as Remco Evenepoel held on to the race lead.Stewart claimed his first career victory in a World Tour race, edging the bunched finale ahead of Axel Laurance and Søren Waerenskjold after the hilly 183km run from Saint-Priest to Macon. Continue reading...

Events

45 h. ago Puppies, ghosts and euphoric snogging: the 25 best queer films of the century so far

From coming-out fables and dancefloor make-outs to unsimulated sex and a madcap maternal quest, here is a feast of movies about LBGTQ+ livesOne detractor called it “a Shawshank Redemption for progressive millennials”. But the force of Céline Sciamma’s lesbian love story about an artist and her unwitting sitter on a remote island in 18th-century Brittany is undeniable. As is the integrity of its central dynamic, stripped of power imbalances, hierarchies – and men. Continue reading...

Politics

50 h. ago Football transfer rumours: Liverpool to spend £100m on PSG’s Bradley Barcola?

Today’s rumours are ingratiating mothersIt is a wingers special for today’s tittle-tattle. Starting with Liverpool’s willingness to splash £100m on Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola. Arne Slot has already signed Jeremie Frimpong and is set to add creativity in the form of Florian Wirtz. Naturally, there is not a bottomless pit of cash at Anfield, so they would be open to selling Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez to fund the spending.After it was confirmed that Jadon Sancho will not be joining Chelsea permanently, his next move is a hot topic of conversation. Manchester United will be quite eager to earn some cash in exchange for the winger, so the prospect of Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham are considering a potential move for the 25-year-old. Continue reading...

Economics

52 h. ago My unexpected Pride icon: Fast & Furious is my favourite camp classic

Any film where cast members talk about chosen family and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson busts a cast off his broken arm by flexing his biceps has a place in the gay canonI am a 42-year-old lesbian who can’t drive. And, since I’m baring all, I will add that I loathe people who drive extremely fast in obnoxiously large cars. Which, unfortunately, seems to be every third person in the US. In short, I’d wager I’m probably not the target audience for the Fast & Furious films.I’m sure I don’t need to explain the blockbuster franchise to you: the first instalment came out in 2001 and the series has generated billions. But if you are somehow unfamiliar with them, the basic premise is that a ragtag team of misfits and street racers travel around the world, driving cars fast and furiously, beating up baddies. Continue reading...

Politics

65 h. ago Pope Leo plans to give a virtual address in his hometown of Chicago – at the same time as Trump’s military parade

Tickets for the event, which is to be held at the Rate Field stadium, home of the Chicago White Sox (the pontiff’s favorite team), are being sold online at $5 each

Events

66 h. ago Bloated and looking old beyond my years, I finally quit alcohol at 45. Only then did I realise what drinking a bottle of wine a night for two decades had done to me...

Kate Taylor's rock bottom was a blurry 50-second video she had filmed herself one December night in 2021, after drinking her usual bottle of her favourite red wine, Saint-Émilion.

Politics

2 d. ago Pope Leo XIV names first Chinese bishop, signalling he is continuing Vatican's controversial accord

Pope Leo XIV has made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop

Economics

3 d. ago What Matheus Cunha did for Brazil speaks volumes for Man United after Wolves transfer

Manchester United summer signing Matheus Cunha was in fine form as he inspired a first win for Carlo Ancelotti

Politics

3 d. ago Brazil clinch World Cup spot as Carlo Ancelotti enjoys home debut in charge

The win lifts Brazil to third in South American qualifying, joining Ecuador on 25 points.

Politics

3 d. ago Cathedral described as ‘the soul of all Ukraine’ damaged in Russian attack

This is the first time since the start of the war that the cathedral has been damaged

Events