British mummy-vlogger and social media sensation, Louise Pentland, has written a new book all about her experiences with motherhood, and it’s out now!
Louise started her blog, Sprinkle of Glitter, in 2009, and shortly afterwards created a YouTube channel of the same name. Nowadays Louise’s channels cover topics such as plus-size fashion, motherhood and family-life, garnering an audience of 2.3 million subscribers. You can also be sure to catch her on Instagram, regularly taking the cutest photos of her two adorable daughters, and all the adventures they get up to together.
Her latest book, MumLife, is a real deep dive into the ups and downs Louise has had to face over the years — and let’s just say there’s been a few! From a traumatic birth with her first daughter, to single motherhood, to finding love again and having a second child, Louise's parenting journey has been full of surprises.
Source: instagram.com/louisepentland
Discussing the realities most working mums face, plus the impact of maternal mental health, Louise is on a mission to make other mums feel less alone, and very much heard. She beautifully reveals her own imperfect but perfect route to motherhood, as well as the loss of her mum so early in her life, how it shaped her and the mother she became.
Reflective and uplifting, with her signature wit, MumLife will share Louise's ups and downs and the honest truth, from someone who's been there and experienced it all.
“Thought it’d be a cute little Mummy Memoir but it turned out to be so much deeper than I thought it would. I’m glad. There are happy, funny bits (the whole chapter on dating as a #singlemum lol) to balance it out but I’m glad the tough stuff is in there- that’s life isn’t it? Ups and down, happy and sad. That’s what makes us human,” Louise wrote on Instagram.
If you’re not a mum though, don’t worry — Louise has assured us that MumLife is for anyone who loves her online content, which she lovingly refers to as ‘MummyContent’. MumLife is published by Bonnier, and you can pick up a copy here.
YouTuber Zoe Sugg has decided to film her smear test for her five million subscribers and 9.7 million Instagram followers to educate them on cervical cancer screenings.
The 29-year-old warms at the start of the 43-minute-long video that it features "raw conversation around cervical screenings and cervical cancer" and "a teeny bit of blood (not up close!)"
Zoella rose to fame on the video-sharing platform years ago and has since decided to make her intimate health examination public to encourage more women to book in smear tests.
Zoe explains her reasons in her car prior to the appointment for bringing cameras with her, saying that she had asked professionals;
"Is there anything I can do to help encourage more women to book in their smear tests or make people feel a little bit more at ease when they get their letter through the post?".
She decided to dash the uncertainty by filming the whole process and passing on her fans' questions to a nurse; "After ten years of vlogging, this is a moment! I've never done this before!"
Zoe first sits down with a nurse to discuss any concerns and questions from her subscribers, and the nurse urges anyone with worries to contact their GP and get more information.
She also explains how important it is to get the test done as young as possible, as it can detect cells which could later become cancerous.
Zoe then sits in the medical chair after changing into a gown, while the nurse talks viewers through the equipment she will be using. Zoe adds a timer to the screen to show how short the process is.
The timer revealed that the test took only 48 seconds, and the vlogger didn't appear to be in any discomfort. There had been some blood due to the oestrogen in her contraceptive pill, the nurse mentions.
Zoella chats more to the nurse following the procedure and discovered that she had never found anyone to have cervical cancer in all her time of doing smear tests.
She did found evidence in the past of cells which needed removing as soon as possible before they became dangerous. The nurse also urges viewers to check their breasts for lumps.
Zoe was praised by fans for using her platform for a worthy cause, seeing as the procedure is incredibly important for women's health.
Smear tests check for any abnormalities in the cervix which could cause cervical cancer if left untreated, and are offered to women aged 25 and above by the state.
New data from the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust found that those aged 25 to 35 are put off by the idea of a stranger examining them, and the latest figures show that cervical screening rates among all ages are at their lowest in 20 years.
Kid Creole's August Darnell spoke to Christine Lampard on Lorraine today, saying that he was completely against the idea of Savanna taking part.
He said: "I should point out that I paid her money to not go in to do Love Island.
"I said, 'I will pay you this amount of money if you don't do this show'. She said, 'I want to do it.' And I said, 'You're old enough to make your own decisions' and she did it."
He couldn't list all of the reasons why he didn't want her on the show; "That's a long story. If we had a longer time I would tell you all the reasons I was against her doing it."
"But as you say, she's an adult, she makes her own decisions, I just gave her my opinion."
Savanna posted a YouTube video on her experience as a Casa Amor participant earlier this year, referring to her time on the show as "horrific".
Apparently, she had originally been told she would be one of the first girls on the series, but was sent back to the UK after 10 days of isolation in a Mallorca hotel.
"I remember them saying 'Keep your bags packed, we’re going to call you very soon, you’ll be back before you know it', she said. "So I couldn’t take any jobs in case they call me and say you’re going on."
"I spent three weeks at home, doing absolutely nothing. I didn’t want to leave my bed and my mum was really worried about me."
Savanna said she began to get "stress spots" after one month of this experience, and put on weight because she was binge-eating after having weeks of no carbs.
She was eventually flown out to Love Island as one of the Casa Amor bombshells but left after just five days after failing to couple up with anyone.
She was shocked that scenes between her and Wes had been cut and that she had minimal screen time. She also experienced trolling and bullying online about her appearance and personality.
"I remember reading some horrible comments about how I was the ugliest Islander ever, that I should get breast cancer and die," she said. "That was a horrible time it my life, it was just horrendous."
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation into Brooke Houts after a viral YouTube video captures the vlogger abusing her dog.
“Our Animal Cruelty Task Force has received numerous complaints about the video you’re speaking of and we are currently looking into the matter,” an LAPD media representative told The Verge.
Houts has over 330,000 subscribers, and recorded a video of herself seemingly smacking and spitting on her dog. The 'unedited' version was apparently uploaded as a mistake and taken down later.
YouTube didn't reply to The Verge aboutwhether further action is being taken against Houts’ channel, but the platform bans videos that include or incite abuse towards any animals.
Houts issued a statement on Twitter after the clip went viral, apologising to “anyone who has been affected negatively by the footage" and saying; “things in my outside life have been less than exceptional.”
The YouTuber later defended herself by saying her dog is 75 pounds and “when he is jumping up in my face with his mouth open, I, as a dog parent, have to show him that this behaviour is unacceptable.”
“But I want to make it known that regardless of what my dog does, I should not have acted that way towards him,” Houts said.
YouTubers including Logan Paul (of all people) have referred to the incident as deplorable and disturbing. She is also being compared to Twitch streamer Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon, who threw her cat over her shoulder.
Houts has insisted she’s ‘not a dog abuser’. The 20-year-old’s dog Sphinx jumps up at her while she’s filming a video with him, and she appears to smack the dog before shouting ‘No!’
When Sphinx tries to lick her face while she’s filming, she pushes the Doberman out of the way with both hands. Logan Paul called the clip ‘remarkably grotesque,’ before claiming that Brooke put on an act for fame.
"Discipline your animals should they misbehave. I get it, but despite the hitting, the spitting is a totally unwarranted, inappropriate, and vile display of energy that makes this woman completely unfit to own that dog."
"Anything I say isn’t going to make those who believe I’m a bad person stop believing that, and I’m aware of this," Brooke wrote.
"The bubbly, happy-go-lucky Brooke that you often see in my videos is typically an accurate representation of me, but it’s obvious that I’m playing up my mood in this video when I’m clearly actually frustrated. That being said, this does NOT justify me yelling at my dog in the way that I did, and I’m fully aware of that."
"Should I have gotten as angry as I did in the video? No. Should I have raised my voice and yelled at him? No."
The American YouTube star continued: "But I want to make it known, REGARDLESS of what my dog does, I should not have acted that way towards him.
"I am NOT a dog abuser or animal abuser in any way, shape, or form. Anyone who has witnessed or heard true animal abuse will be able to clearly see that."
She also claimed that Sphinx wasn’t hurt by her actions and that, if he was audibly in pain, "it would have been a different story". Her channel is currently still live.
Social media app Instagram will hide the total number of 'likes' which posts in Ireland receive in a trial to analyse whether users prefer a less competitive social media environment.
Users themselves will be able to see how many 'likes' their own posts get, but not those of other Instagram users' posts.
A spokesman for the app said; “We are testing this because we want followers to focus on the photos and videos shared, not how many likes they get."
They added; “We don’t want Instagram to feel like a competition. We hope to learn whether this change can help people focus less on likes and more on telling their story.”
The company began testing this new feature in Canada in May, emphasising that the focus should be on the photos and videos themselves rather then the numerical results.
The trial is now being extended to Irish users, with the move likely being welcomes by parents and childrens' welfare organisations due to the negative effects on self-esteem associated with Instagram.
Instagram undoubtedly encourages people to portray an idealised version of their lives among their peers, seeking popularity of friends and acquaintances.
A new Canadian study of 3,826 teenagers discovered that social media may be associated with adolescent depression, as young people compare themselves with filtered, unrealistic images of others.
Instagram users will still be shown the number of comments that other users' posts attracts, which could be used as a proxy for popularity.
Instagram has been seen as the least controversial major social media platform, seeing as Facebook's meddling with elections and 'fake news' has gotten them in trouble, as well as YouTube and Twitter's issues with hate speech.
We’re currently running a test that hides the total number of likes and video views for some people in the following countries:
Tara Hopkins, head of public policy, EMEA at Instagram said; “We want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves."
She added; “This includes helping people to focus on the photos and videos they share, not how many likes they get.
"We are now rolling the test out to more countries so we learn more from our global community and see how this can benefit people's experiences on Instagram.”
Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid has finally cast it's Ariel, and it's the perfect choice.
Halle Bailey, of Chloe x Halle fame, is set to become part of Disney's world, isn't it neat? The R&B singer is tapped to play Ariel in the next adaptation, directed by Rob Marshall.
The director has spent months meeting with talent, and insiders claim that Bailey has been a clear front runner from day one of auditions.
Disney have received praise online for casting more diverse actors and artists for their new cinematic offerings, with Bailey becoming the first black princess in a live-action film.
“After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” Marshall said in a statement.
The incredible cast already includes Jacob Tremblay and the hilarious Awkwafina, of Crazy Rich Asians and Oceans 8 fame. Melissa McCarthy is also rumoured to be playing the sea-witch Ursula.
The Little Mermaid will incorporate original songs from the 1989 animated hit film, as well as adding new song from original composer Alan Menken and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Miranda is producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca, so it's set to be absolutely amazing. David Magee has written the script, with Jane Goldman having written a previous draft.
Menken wrote the iconic original music from the film, including songs like Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World. Our childhoods are essentially being reignited and we couldn't be happier.
The movie followed mermaid Ariel's journey after falling in love with Prince Eric, a human. She trades in her voice for a pair of legs, and it gets fairly chaotic after that…
The role will be Bailey's debut for a feature film, following her success as one part of singing duo Chloe x Halle since 2015.
The pair rose to fame after posting YouTube covers of Beyoncé before the superstar discovered them and signed them to her record label. They've since opened for Queen Bey on her Lemonade tour.
Halle also stars in the Freeform series Grown-ish, so she's got some acting skills in the bag already.
Well, well, well; those snakes have officially been BANISHED. That's right…Taylor Swift is back with a phantasmagorial bang.
Her new pastel-themed tune is called ME! and it's a beauty, as well as featuring the great Brendan Urie from Panic! At The Disco.
Rumours are flying that ME! was supposed to actually precede Reputation, but when sh*t went down with the media regarding the Kardashians and Kanye West, she decided to show her dark side first.
Our pal Taylor has been dropping hints for weeks about her latest musical endeavour, and the pastel colours hint at a return to her 1989 roots.
Fresh from her Time100 success, Swift's return show's yet another streak for mastering her personal marketing brand.
The video is adorable, and features a Parisian aesthetic with the pop star even speaking French at one point. Très bien henny. There's also a nod to Mary Poppins in there too, randomly.
The gal loves Easter eggs, and there's plenty of hidden meanings in the Dave Meyers-directed video.
4. This detective discovered a possible feature from the album;
OK, I’m pretty sure this is the Dixie Chicks on the wall. First single is a duet. New theory: the whole album is collabs, next single will feature Dixie Chicks. Maybe album is titled ME! and YOU!, you bring the duet partners. #TaylorSwiftTONIGHTpic.twitter.com/RqODTfos1o
At the moment, Taylor is currently on track to break the record for fastest music video to reach 100 million views on YouTube, after Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next and BTS' Boy With Luv.
It's surpassed 13 million views in just three hours, which is phenomenal.
Without further ado, here's Taylor's new video. Indulge in it, if you haven't already seen it. If you've already seen it, watch it again. It's worth it.
The two teased their new project via their Instagram stories yesterday, saying, "How to deal with a break-up? Or how to help a friend dealing with a break-up? Go!!!"
Niamh and Aideen suggested that their followers ask them questions, but their fans had no idea that a podcast was coming.
We're assuming that Influencer is a Dirty Word is about life as Instagram royalty, brand ambassadors and garnering a following of thousands, while looking and feeling great.
This is major news for the influencer industry, which is growing more and more competitive.
We can't wait to hear all their gossip about their work-life, wellness tips and discussions about young women going through problems in their daily lives.
The gals are unreal on their own, but we're delighted they've decided to come together for the magic of podcasts. It's sure to be a great one to listen to with your mates and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
Body-shaming is still massively prevalent in our society, without question.
Despite the cold, hard fact that it's 2019, people still feel the incessant need to pull others down for their appearance, and their weight.
Loey Lane is a well-known, GORGEOUS, experienced YouTuber who just so happens to be plus-sized. She speaks about it regularly, preaching the value of health above self-hatred and dieting.
The vlogger has now released a shocking video of a diet pill company using footage of her as part of their horrendously shameful advertising campaign.
After returning from a sportswear photoshoot with iconic make-up guru James Charles, the model discovered a video selling diet pills which utilised images of her as their 'before' template, and she's understandably fuming.
CarbonFire 213Complex makes it ridiculously difficult to find reviews of it online, but the video proclaims the product to be a certified miracle for anyone who wants to lose weight.
Diet pills have entered the media for an assortment of reasons over the last few years, with activists and public figures such as Jameela Jamil slamming weight-loss products which do more harm than good.
The Kardashians are renowned for selling appetite suppressants and weight-loss consumer goods, much to the dismay of many body positivity figures and health experts alike.
There are an array of dangers associated with items such as these, which are essentially glorified laxatives.
The advertising campaigns in the media are arguably as harmful, telling women their weight creates everyday problems such as finding a husband, having failing health and being embarrassed to look in the mirror.
No. Fuck off. No. You terrible and toxic influence on young girls. I admire their mother’s branding capabilities, she is an exploitative but innovative genius, however this family makes me feel actual despair over what women are reduced to. pic.twitter.com/zDPN1T8sBM
Loey Lane shows the video advert to her following, and it's one of the worst examples of body-shaming we've seen yet. It opens with a beautiful, pale-skinned blonde woman gazing at silk wedding gowns, after her friend asks her to be her maid-of-honour for a wedding.
"How I Fit Into My Wedding Dress" is the video's apparent title, despite the fact that it's NOT HER WEDDING. The problems aren't hard to spot throughout the disgraceful imagery.
The blonde woman looks into the camera lens, and the words; "Believe me, I wasn't always this way. This was me before losing all that weight," flash across the screen.
Lo-and-behold, the woman is now Loey Lane, allegedly the same person as the blonde woman.
Alright then, at this stage we've lost count of the issues within the video, and it's only about ten seconds in.
As if the ad itself isn't traumatising enough to watch, actual graphics for OTHER diet pill companies and body-shaming articles pop up on the side of the screen. An assault is what that is.
"I'm going to share my secret so that it can be easy for you!" the advert claims. Thank God for that.
"A few months ago, one of my best friends from high school texted me. She was getting married and she wanted me to be her bridesmaid. I was SO excited, but there was just one thing… I was SO overweight," the video continues. Wow.
"I couldn't go to the wedding like this, I was so pretty in high school and I would be so embarrassed looking like this. I wanted to go to the wedding and look like I did when I was 18. You know- slim, pretty, looking great in some heels." *Sharpens pitchfork*
"I cut out all junk food. I worked out every single day. After four months, I was still embarrassed to look in the mirror…my personal trainer friend said if I wanted to lose weight fast, I had to supercharge my metabolism."
Classic *insert scientific words here to fumble the consumer's brain* tactics.
"At this point I was desperate…time was running out." This isn't dismantling a bomb, you won't die if you attend your best friend's wedding at ANY weight.
"How could I show my face at the wedding looking like this?" Looking like.. a human woman? *Gasp* "I was even considering not showing up." Priorities aren't in order there, love.
"CarbonFire Complex claimed to boost metabolism using only the healthiest ingredients, they looked very professional." Yes, and Donald Trump looks very diplomatic.
"After only a few days, I dropped a dress size. Ten days later, I lost two dress sizes. I felt lighter on my feet." Because your digestive system has just wasted away, perhaps?
"After another week, I was down three sizes. By the time the wedding came around, I lost seven dress sizes. I was getting a LOT more attention from guys, I almost felt bad for the bride, because I was getting so many compliments."
Male attention should be the motivational factor for every woman, after all.
I hate how the fitness industry tricks people into believing there is a magic pill to give people the results they desire. Fit tea and diet pills are dangerous and the people selling them are only interested in your money. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK AND GOOD NUTRITION.
This all comes at the reasonable price of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, by the way. You can buy happiness, male sexual attention and confidence all at this lovely sale.
The blonde woman in the video revealed herself as Amanda John, and she also did not consent to be used for the branding.
So they effectively stole imagery from two women without their permission and used it to scam vulnerable, hard-working people online with low self-esteem because of ads exactly like this, shaming their weight. As if a weighing scales can tell you your worth.
We hope Loey Lane and Amanda John take legal action against CarbonFire Complex, Lord knows they deserve it.
A reminder, there is no such thing as a magic pill. Your worth encompasses your hopes, fears, intelligence, beliefs, morals, family values, friends, career and everything in between, not just your appearance alone.
You can't lose weight and discover joy at the end of the scales.
Take a look at Loey Lane's original video below for some fresh morning rage;
Netflix' Bird Box has consistently found itself in the headlines, mainly because of how absolutely ridiculous the whole debacle is.
The movie sparked a change this week in YouTube's guidelines after people began posting videos of themselves carrying out potentially dangerous acts while blindfolded, such as driving.
The streaming giant even had to come out and tell viewers not to try the so-called 'Bird Box Challenge', but now the company is under fire for using REAL footage from a 2013 rail disaster.
In 2013, a 74-car freight train transporting crude oil derailed beside the small Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic, and resulted in the tragic deaths of 47 people.
At first, Netflix refused to edit its post-apocalyptic horror flick after it was criticised for using footage of the disaster. A spokesman told AP it had no plans to remove the footage; “We will keep the clip in the movie.”
Now, it has been reported that the streaming service will be exploring ways to prevent this from happening in the future. BBC reports that Netflix has used footage of the tragedy before, in the Canadian-American science fiction show Travellers.
Julie Morin, mayor of Lac-Mégantic, criticised Netflix for using the upsetting footage, telling The Globe and Mail: “You can be sure we are going to follow up on this, and our citizens are on our side.”
Peacock Alley Entertainment, who produced Travellers, released an apology and said they unintentionally dishonoured the Lac-Mégantic incident and would replace the footage.
Pond 5 also stated their regret that the footage had been ”taken out of context and used in entertainment programming”. They apologise “to anyone who was offended, especially the victims and their families”.
Now first of all, we ain't here to promote keyboard warriors or viciously cruel groups online who tear people down for the craic. No, that's not our style.
However, the art of trolling must be respected at all costs, especially from a nation as sarcastic and exceptional at 'slagging' such as Ireland.
From Waterford Whisperers embodying the Ultimate Irish Trolling Association, to the current troll of the day; the egg that stole Kylie Jenner's record for most likes on an Instagram photos, here's a round-up of our favourite savage moments in pop culture.
Ready yourself for wigs being hilariously snatched and thrown into the wind, it's a bumpy ride of burns and teasing gone too far.
1. Waterford Whisperers trolling Westlife's new song, Hello My Love:
The vast majority of people were ECSTATIC when Westlife announced their comeback; their Twenty Tour sold 400,000 tickets in under 48 hours for God's sake.
Not everyone was over the moon about Ireland's premier boyband reuniting however, with Waterford Whisperers delivering a vicious burn that has us in stitches.
"Helplines are now fielding calls from thousands of stricken people after the release of the first new Westlife single in over eight years," the article states.
"Penned by Ed Sheeran for maximum disruption, the track caused nausea, hysterics and uncontrollable weeping for one in every seven listeners, and emergency call centres have stated that they are receiving one call every nine seconds which consists solely of someone screaming “fuuuuuuuuuck”."
As savage as it is towards the national heroes we call Westlife, we were laughing for a solid twenty minutes at this one.
2.Lovinkiara's artistic flare
If you haven't seen last year's Twitter thread that featured @lovinkiara taking drawing requests, and delivering some…interest…results, you've missed out.
She became somewhat of a hero among trolls after uploaded a tweet that supposedly depicted her talanted artistic capabilities:
Iconic trolling Kiara, carry on dear daughter of the troll.
3. Justin Bieber heads to…North Korea?!
A website asked its users to choose the next country which Justin Bieber would visit on his My World tour, and the answer wasn't exactly conventional. Let's just say he wasn't rushing to grab his passport anytime soon…
Yup, the Biebs himself (babyface Biebs at that stage in his career… and arguably in his current stage too…) was instructed to visit NORTH KOREA.
What's even more amusing/horrifying, North Korea received an insane 659,448 votes. Dear God, that's the size of a country. It's more than the population of Iceland, let that sink in…
4. M Night School Hoax
M. Night Shyamalan is a relatively renowned film director, known for creating iconic scary movies such as The Sixth Sense, The Happening, Split, The Last Airbender, Signs and The Village.
While many claim that his films are hit-and-miss, with some achieving critical acclaim and box office success, others have royally bombed. Someone eventually took it upon themselves to crowdfund to send him back to film school.
Named The M. Night School, the creator worked out that if 150,000 people donated one dollar each, they could donate enough cash for the director to be put through film school once again at NYU.
The ruthless trolling of the director rages on today… who knows if he's become immune to it at this stage or if he cries himself to sleep every M. Night?
5. Ed Sheeran's head of security
@SecurityKev became a smash hit star as Ed Sheeran's GAS head of security, and who even got the catchphrase; "Always. Watching" for his consistent background lurking.
It's iconic, he even calls Ed 'bae', throwing in a 'Who's the Daddy' at the most random of moments. His internet fame has earned him a huge 963,000 Instagram followers who watch his every move, ironically;
Celebrity cameos are also constantly featured on the account, including from Calvin Harris, Shawn Mendes and James Blunt. We're cackling.
He even went and trolled Ed's Perfect video, and we can't top it. We desperately tried to lower ourselves to this level of troll, but it's just not possible:
7. Trisha Paytas being the Queen of Trolls day-in and day-out
The woman is relentless. It never ends.
The YouTube star has been around since 2010, and has acquired over 4.5 MILLION subscribers, specifically to witness her troll the hell out of everyone.
Her shallow personality has us hooked, we're full-blown addicts at this stage. God knows how or why. We don't question it.
There you have it, the greatest trolling moments on the 'net we can find.
They're petty, they're absurd, they're glorious. Art just doesn't get much better than this.
Keep them coming, we LIVE for this sprinkling of bitter, bitter salt.
