At first glance, it’s just a standard not particularly appetising menu image, right?
But if you take a closer look at the peas, it starts to get weird – because they are defying gravity.
The pie and chips are completely normal but the peas appear to be upside down.
The image was posted on Twitter by Spotty Len who said: ‘Why are the peas upside down. It’s f**king me up.’
People responding to the tweet were pretty confused. Peas are round – how can they possibly be upside down?
The picture looks a bit like it’s been photoshopped, with the picture of the peas being inserted upside down so the perspective is completely wrong – and it really messes with your mind.
One person rotated the plate so the peas were the right way, but of course, then the pie and chips were upside down.
Another person joked: ‘Clearly they’re Australian peas.’
Some people even said they could see it both ways, bringing us back to that dress, those shoes and the Laurel/Yanny debate – all things that really divided the internet.
If the pea picture is still making your head hurt, it was also posted on Reddit, where one user explained why it looks slightly odd.
Darwin2500 said: ‘The issue is that the occlusion is wrong. The peas that are further away from you on the plate are in front of(occluding) the peas that are closer to you.
‘The only way for your brain to resolve this is to assume that the ‘far’ side of the plate is actually closer to you, and the only way that could happen spacially is if it were flipped over and above you.’
We guess that makes sense but it’s still making us a little queasy.
Add these to your summer packing list (Picture: Firebox)
A floating wine glass that you can also wedge in the ground to prevent any spills? Sign us up.
Long have we suffered the pain of wanting to chillax in a pool, while also wanting to lounge with a drink in hand.
It’s a tricky task. We can stay by the edge, reaching for our lukewarm can of beer, but then our flamingo floatie drifts alone, going to waste.
Could Firebox’s new floating glasses be the solution to this life-ruining conundrum?
The Floating Wine Glass is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a wine glass that floats in water, keeping your wine upright and free of water as the stem bobs about below.
That means you can have your cocktail, wine, or even a soft beverage by your side as you float, without worrying about dropping a glass in the pool or drinking a concoction of rosé and chlorine.
They stay upright in water (Picture: Firebox)
We do have concerns that you could still knock the glass to the side with enough force, and would like to warn you all that if your mate cannonballs into the water, your drink is getting splashed. But it’s a nice concept.
Firebox’s glasses also have the benefit of working well on land.
Rather than your usual wine glass stem, these glasses are attached to little spears you can wedge into sand or soil.
And work on land (Picture: Firebox)
So let’s say you’re at a fancy picnic and also happen to be very clumsy. Usually this scenario would end with booze spilled all over your jorts, but with these glasses an enthusiastic hand gesture won’t send your drink flying. Genius.
Firebox says the glasses will stay put ‘through even the most energetic rough and tumble’, as long as you spear them into the ground with sufficient force.
They also suggest using the glasses as little wine coolers by filling them with ice. Very posh.
If you use Cif to keep your house clean, we have some good news.
The brand has launched concentrated refills that use way less plastic.
The ecorefill will remove 1.5 million plastic bottles from UK supermarkets.
Available in a kitchen or bathroom version, the idea is you add the concentrated refill to an old spray bottle and mix it with water.
You just twist the top, click it into a bottle and shake it and add the spray top before starting to clean.
When that runs out, you can buy another refill and top it up.
It’s available in a bathroom or kitchen version (Picture: Cif)
The refill bottles are currently 75% recyclable (everything but the plastic sleeve is recyclable) and Cif hopes to make them 100% recycled plastic by the end of next year.
They also hope to role out more products in the same format in the future.
The bottles promise the same 583 cleans as the original spray bottles.
The brand already sells refill bottles, where you can reuse the spray head on each bottle but this is taking it a step further.
The ecorefill bottles cost £2.50, which is around the same price as the normal bottles, depending on where you shop.
You can pick up the refill bottles now from Sainsbury’s and from Amazon, Ocado and Morrisons from next month.
It’s great news that brands are starting to recognise the need to use less plastic.
KFC’s hacker burger is encouraging everyone to start messing around with the menu.
If you’ve ever ordered a burger from KFC and thought ‘yes, nice, but I’d like more chicken’, you’ll likely be on board with this.
KFC has officially launched their guide to what they call the Hacker Burger – a monster mashup of their Original Recipe fillet, a Zinger fillet, a hash brown, cheese, gravy, and lashings of garlic mayo.
To some, that sounds like a speedy path to indigestion and heartburn, but others may find such a tower of items appealing.
For those in the latter group, on we go.
Sadly, the Hacker Burger isn’t an official menu item, so if you charge in your nearest branch asking for one, you may be greeted with confused stares.
The good news is that KFC has shared their guide to ordering their masterpiece.
Yes, that is a hash brown (Picture: KFC)
How to hack the KFC menu and order a Hacker Burger
Order a Zinger tower burger without the mayo and salsa, a Mini Fillet burger without the mayo, a pot of gravy and the garlic mayo dip
Remove the top bap of the Zinger Tower burger and immediately remove all contents, including the hashbrown and cheese to ensure it doesn’t melt onto the Zinger Fillet
Now, grab the bottom bap and start building
First, add a layer of Garlic Mayo onto the bottom bap and place the lettuce from the Zinger burger on top of it
Next, add your Zinger Fillet and put another layer of Garlic Mayo on top, followed by the hash brown and cheese
Now, add your Mini Original Recipe Fillet and a layer of gravy. If you have extra cheese, now’s the time to add it in. Finish with some more crispy lettuce from the Mini Fillet burger
Finally, place your burger bun on top and tuck in
Sounds a little complicated to us, but if you’re incredibly dedicated to your pursuit of an off-menu item, you go right ahead. We’d recommend asking for some extra napkins to wipe your hands down after all that fiddling.
If you fancy a Hacker Burger, the order will cost £7.67 in the UK.
Parents seem to be running out of ways to reveal the gender of their unborn baby but at least most don’t end up breaking the law.
One man from Queensland, Australia, decided to share the news by using a car burnout – when a vehicle is stationary and you spin its wheels, causing the tires to heat up and smoke due to friction.
Samual Montesalvo, 30-year-old from the Gold Coast, also added blue smoke powder to put on a gender reveal show for bystanders.
But it all went spectacularly wrong when his Holden caught fire and erupted in ominous orange and black smoke.
Perhaps it was a well-planned metaphor expressing contempt for how arbitrary and archaic gender reveals are.
Poor cars behind (Picture: Nine West)
After being caught on police drone footage, the driver got slapped with a $1000 (£555) fine and had his license revoked for six months.
Luckily for the driver, no one was hurt.
Although the incident happened in April last year, the drone footage was released recently and made its way to local Australian news.
In the video, the back two wheels quickly catch fire after a few short stints driving down the road with blue smoke encasing the area.
Bystanders, who were blurred out, could be seen moving away from the car.
Perhaps the driver was making social commentary about gender reveals? (Picture: Nine Wes)
We’re not sure who the parents of the unborn child are or whether they were nearby but we can imagine it was a pretty big surprise to see the flames go up.
While it may certainly have been a bit of a dangerous stunt, it’s not the riskiest reveal.
Lest we forget the family that used a crocodile to tell the world they were having a boy.
What would you rather your daughter was called – princess and babe, or friend and hero?
Card and gift store Clintons has been criticised for selling a mug with the words ‘daughter’ ‘princess’ and ‘babe’ for girls, but the boys version says ‘son’ ‘friend’ and ‘hero’.
She said: ‘What a delightful message to spread to our children. Please do better.’
Paula also added #everydaysexism and tagged the store.
People weren’t impressed with the different messages on the mug, calling them ‘vile’ and ‘revolting’.
After seeing the response, Paula said: ‘Its mind boggling and extremely frustrating rather than offensive. It’s not wrong for a girl to want to be a princess in the same way that it’s not wrong for a boy to want to be a prince but the problem comes when you a tell a girl/woman that’s all she can be.
My daughter is my little hero because she’s fearless, brave, determined and funny. She’s also very sure of herself and doesn’t let her tiny size hold her back.
— YourFavBlackAuntie (@greendoondoon) July 8, 2019
My daughter is smart and strong and fierce. She's a good friend and a natural leader and absolutely my hero. Those mugs are #sexistbullshit
‘The fact that we’re still stuck with and limited by these outdated attitudes is the issue, particularly when those attitudes are being spread by a national company and are being sold to our families and given to our young people.’
Clintons replied to Paula and apologised for causing offence. They added that they are going to review the range.
Gabrielle Peters, Head of gifts at Clintons, told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’re very sorry that offense has been caused. This is one from a wide range of drinkware that we sell, all of which is selected by our all-women gift buying team.
‘Many of our products feature affirmative, strong statements relating to women. There are many princesses and heroes – fictional and real – that are very positive role models.
‘We are sensitive to feedback and will review our range. All of our messages come from a good place and our intention is to cater to as wide an audience as possible.’
Nick after contracting the infection (Picture: PA Real Life/Collect)
Nick Humphreys started wearing contact lenses to improve his sight while playing football – but they ended up leaving him blind in one eye.
He wore them in the shower, causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) – a rare parasitical infection in his right cornea.
Nick, 29, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has had two operations on his eye and is now waiting for a corneal transplant.
The local newspaper journalist, said: ‘If I’d have known how dangerous it was to wear contacts in the shower, I would never have got them in the first place.
‘After getting the infection, I went from hitting the gym every other day and playing football three times a week, to being housebound for six months and losing the will to live.
‘I got contacts as I didn’t like how I looked in glasses and it nearly cost me my right eye.’
Short sighted Nick started wearing glasses aged four and by 2013, he wanted to improve his sight doing sport, so he opted for monthly lenses, costing roughly £25 a time.
Alternating his eye wear to give himself a break from lenses, he would use his contacts up to five days a week, wearing glasses on the other days.
‘On a standard morning I’d wake up, pop my lenses in and head to the gym before work, then I’d jump in the shower before heading to the office,’ he said.
‘I thought nothing of it at the time. I was never told not to wear contact lenses in the shower, there’s no warning on the packaging and my opticians never mentioned a risk.’
Nick only realised something was wrong in January 2018, when he noticed a scratch on his right eye.
Waking up one morning unable to see through it properly, he assumed he had scratched his eye putting his lenses in, but as the week progressed it became clear something much more serious had happened.
When it didn’t improve, he went to see the optician, who said he had an ulcer on his eye and advised to go to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital immediately.
Nick before contracting the infection (Picture: PA Real Life/Collect)
Nick was tested for Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) – an infection of the cornea – the clear window at the front of the eye – caused by a microscopic organism called Acanthamoeba, which is found in water.
A week later, doctors told Nick he had tested positive for AK, leaving him fearing his footballing days were over.
‘I told the doctor that I’d read a few horror stories about it and asked if I would need to have my eye removed,’ he continued.
‘He just looked at me and said, “That could well be a possibility.”
‘That’s when I realised it was serious.’
He was given disinfectant eye drops for three weeks, which initially improved his eyesight, but by March 2018 he suddenly found himself completely blind in his right eye.
‘I was driving to work and my vision completely went in my right eye,’ he recalled. ‘I don’t know how I managed not to crash, but it didn’t take me long to realise I needed to get back to the hospital.’
Referred to the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, doctors prescribed higher strength eye drops that needed to be applied hourly – even at night.
After weeks of sleepless nights and unable to work, Nick was left housebound and depressed, while doctors tried to decide the best course of action.
‘I love my job but I physically couldn’t be outside the house,’ he said.
‘The pain in my eye was too much and the only time I would leave was to visit the hospital.
Nick after contracting the infection (Picture: PA Real Life/Collect)
‘I felt at my absolute lowest and the one thing that would cheer me up – playing football – was no longer an option.’
Six months after his initial diagnosis, doctors decided the only option left was to perform a corneal cross linking.
Usually used to treat keratoconus – an eye disorder causing thinning of the cornea – it involves using ultraviolet light and vitamin B2 drops to stiffen the cornea. Employed together, the treatments bond fibres in the cornea more tightly.
While the procedure – performed in July last year – cleared the infection, Nick remained blind in his right eye.
He said: ‘Obviously, I didn’t want to be blind in my right eye, but at least, knowing the infection had gone, I could start to get my life back on track. I could finally return to work and start to hit the gym.’
Nick still needed further treatment and in September 2018, he had an amniotic membrane transplant to his right cornea at the Birmingham and West Midland Eye Centre.
The procedure involves grafting tissue from the amniotic membrane – the innermost layer of the placenta – on to the eye to protect the cornea. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring effects, as well as containing growth factors that promote wound healing on the surface of the eye.
While the treatment was a success, by Christmas 2018, following the second operation, Nick’s mood plummeted.
After being referred to a counsellor by the GP, Nick has slowly come to terms with his condition.
Working with the charity Fight for Sight to raise awareness about the danger of using contact lenses while showering or swimming has also helped.
A YouGov poll for Fight for Sight revealed that a large proportion of UK contact lens wearers are putting their eyesight at risk through unsafe habits, unaware that they could develop infections like Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).
What is Acanthamoeba keratitis?
Acanthamoeba is the name of a tiny form of life with only one cell.
Keratitis is the name for inflammation in the cornea.
Acanthamoeba are usually found in soil and in water, for example in hot and cold tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs and sea water.
In the UK, most people who get Acanthamoeba keratitis wear contact lenses. About 1 in 30,000 contact lens wearers become infected. It’s also possible to become infected after an injury to the cornea.
Using tap water to clean or store contact lenses or having poor contact lens hygiene increases the risk of infection.
Examples of poor lens hygiene are not using disinfection solutions properly, reusing the solution in the contact lens case, failing to empty and dry the contact lens case after use and storing lenses in water overnight.
Wearing contact lenses when swimming or taking a shower also increases risk. So does putting lenses in with wet hands from tap water.
A worrying 56 per cent of people polled said they wore them for longer than the recommended 12 hours a day, 54 per cent said they had swum or showered in them and 47 per cent had slept in them. Meanwhile, 15 per cent of respondents had put them in their mouth to clean or lubricate them and two per cent had even shared used lenses with other wearers.
He said: ‘I can honestly say if I’d had the slightest idea that this was even a remote possibility I would never have worn contacts in the first place.
‘It’s crucial that people out there know this is a reality and it can happen because of something as simple as getting in the shower.’
Now just six weeks away from a corneal transplant – an operation that replaces a damaged cornea with healthy donor tissue from someone who has died – Nick is counting down the days until the procedure, booked for August 15 at Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre.
He said: ‘I’ve lost 18 months of my life because of something as simple as showering with contacts in.
‘If I get my sight back I’ll never wear contacts again. Instead, like Edgar Davids – the former Dutch professional footballer – I’ll wear some prescription goggles to do sport instead.’
Keeping your kids amused on a flight can be hard work.
EasyJet has a great idea – an on-board lending library with over 60,000 books across 300 flights.
The idea behind the Flybraries is to choose a book, read it to your kids and then leave it for the next passengers.
The books will be in the seat pockets of 300 flights will feature books from published HarperCollins, including Dinosaur Juniors by Rob Biddulph, Mog and Bunny by Judith Kerr, Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond, The Boy Who Could Do What He Liked by David Baddiel, and Geek Girl by Holly Smale.
Tina Milton, Director of Cabin Crew at easyJet said: ‘At easyJet, we are passionate about creating family friendly initiatives that make flying with us both fun and also easier for parents. And as the summer holidays provide the perfect opportunity for some well-earned family time, we hope that the millions of passengers who fly with us this summer enjoy sharing a story or two from our unique in-flight lending library.’
The scheme also involves some entertainment in the terminal before you take off if you fly from London Luton Airport.
Crew member Danielle Cooper, and passengers Gabriella Day, Marcel Stec and Ella Woroszyl (Picture: PA)
The airport is hosting a series of in terminal events over the course of the school holidays at a specially designed Flybrary reading area with story time and activities from HarperCollins Children’s Books’ most loved characters, giving passengers the chance to dive into a good book while they wait to board their flight.
London Luton Airport’s Head of Passenger Services, Clare Armstrong said: ‘We’re right behind this brilliant summer initiative by easyJet and were honoured to welcome Katie Piper to London Luton Airport (LLA) to launch this year’s Flybraries campaign and share a story with some of our younger passengers.
‘There’s nothing like curling up with a good book, and we hope that parents and kids heading off to the many holiday destinations served by easyJet from LLA this summer will enjoy creating some special moments together as they share a story or enjoy some quiet time in one of the airport’s specially designed reading nooks.’
That’s especially true if you have a manager you don’t trust.
Researchers looked at 400,000 US workers and found that those who work in jobs where they don’t trust their bosses were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure, diabetes, a poor diet, obesity, and high cholesterol.
Working in an environment with poor trust was defined as having a job in which you couldn’t depend on ‘understanding, fairness, and mutual respect between the supervisor and subordinate’.
Essentially, this means that if you have a boss who doesn’t respect or treat you fairly, you’re more likely to experience risk factors for cardiovascular disease – the number one cause of death in the world.
This is partly due to unhealthy methods of stress relief, such as poor diet and smoking.
Stress also has a major impact, leading to increased blood pressure – another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
If left untreated, cardiovascular disease can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and death.
So if you have a terrible boss, there’s a reason to either speak up or get out of that toxic environment. Sticking around might kill you.
Isha was celebrating completing her GCSEs (Picture: Goldwing Studio / SWNS)
Yes, proms are getting far too fancy these days.
While the high point of our school dances was a bottle of blue Panda Pops, these days teens are expected to dedicate money and effort to their end-of-year celebrations, with posh gowns, hair, and makeup required.
Setting expectations even higher is Blackburn Central High School student Isha Sanah Akhtar, who decided to show up to her school’s prom in a Rolls Royce covered in a load of Swarovski crystals – four million crystals, to be exact.
Isha, 16, arrived at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Clatron-le-Moors wearing a blue and grey gown that cost £260 and riding in a Rolls Royce Phantom, which had been given a bunch of sparkle by the pupil’s uncle, Amar Akbar.
The car costs £500 to rent for 15 minutes (Picture: Goldwing Studio / SWNS)
It’s covered in four million Swarovski crystals (Picture: Goldwing Studio / SWNS)
The teenager also had a camera crew (costing £300) to capture her journey to the event. Probably worth it, considering the crystal covered Rolls Royce costs £500 to hire for 15 minutes – you’d want to document every second at that price.
Isha’s hair and makeup for the prom was done by her aunt, Rozana Ghafoor, while the choreography (yep, there was expert dancing involved) and photography was sorted by Wahid Ahmed from Gold Wings Studio.
She also had her own camera crew to capture the occasion (Picture: Goldwing Studio / SWNS)
Isha said: ‘Ever since I’ve been small my uncle has been like a father figure to me.
‘He wanted to do something special for my prom and give me a great send-off from school.
‘My uncle and family wanted to do something different for me so I didn’t have the same entrance as anyone else.
Isha’s sparkling gown cost a further £260 (Picture: Goldwing Studio / SWNS)
‘I even had my own red carpet from the car to the hall.
‘The prom was just amazing. The car and what has been done for me brought tears to my eyes.
‘I would like to give a big thank you to my uncle and auntie and the photographer and everyone who helped me have such a great prom night.’
Now she’s nailed her prom, Isha is awaiting her GCSE results. She plans to do her A-levels at St Mary’s College in Blackburn, where she will study science in the hope of becoming a radiographer in the future.
It’s a strange phenomenon (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
According to some expectant mums online, feeling the urge to eat pickles and cry at adverts with puppies in them aren’t the only weird things that happen during pregnancy.
On various parenting forums over the years, mums have been posting pictures of their toilet seats, which are decidedly blue in colour.
Some jokingly referred to themselves as having ‘Smurf butt’ due to the fact their seats were becoming more and more tinted as time went on.
Last year, one mum asked on the Pregnancy Podcast website: ‘My husband and I noticed our porcelain toilet seat turning blue on either side a couple of weeks ago and after a Google search learned that this happens to some pregnant women… This just started happening a couple of weeks ago and wondered if you had any more insight.’
Many more have been posting their questions about why their porcelain thrones are blue, with posts on Reddit and What To Expect forums over the years having people scratching their heads.
It’s not just an internet myth either. Check out this guy’s video that shows the proof is on the potty:
Some of the theories posited on the threads above included the fact that they may have worn new jeans that dyed their skin. Others suggested that a particular pre-natal vitamin with blue colouring might be to blame. People who it’d happened to, however, said they hadn’t come into contact with either of those things.
After some research on the topic, we think we might have cracked how someone could turn their throne a different colour, and it’s all to do with a condition called chromhidrosis.
‘Chromhidrosis is a disorder of the sweat glands that usually manifests with colored sweat on the face, in the underarms, or on the areola of the breasts (the darker circle of skin around the nipples). Sweat may be yellow, green, blue, brown, or black. The colors are due to a pigment produced in the sweat glands called lipofuscin.
‘Lipofuscin is common in human cells, but for some reason people with chromhidrosis have higher concentrations of lipofuscin or lipofuscin that is in a higher-than-normal state of oxidation,’ says Angela Ballard, Registered Nurse with the International Hyperhidrosis Society.
One Redditor shared their tinged seat (Picture: Reddit/Imgur )
Although there’s no link between pregnancy and chromhidrosis, it’s possible that it comes about as a result of people’s bodies reacting differently.
According to Angela, it could also be a more common disorder called pseudochrimhidrosis. She tells Metro.co.uk, ‘With pseudochromhidrosis, sweat takes on an unusual color after secretion from the sweat gland as it comes in contact with dyes, chemicals, or chromogenic bacteria on the skin (bacteria that produce pigments)’.
If this is the case, it may be that all those who are experiencing this have the same type of toilet seat. On the discussions of this online (of which there are many, and everyone is saying WTF) it was suggested that it might be pregnancy hormones mixing with antimicrobial silver – something that some toilet seats are coated with.
If this is the case, and you have chromhidrosis or pseudochromhidrosis, there isn’t much to worry about, and any treatment you opt to have is more to help with your own embarrassment at having to hover at mates’ houses.
You should go see a doctor if you’re worried, however, as it’s important to rule out any other causes for your rainbow excretions.
Mixed Up is a weekly series that explores mixed-race identity.
Each week we focus on a different person and hear their unique, lived experience of being mixed in the current climate.
Mixed-race is the fastest growing ethnic group in the UK – a trend which shows no signs of slowing down.
This series aims to go beyond the stereotypes and stigma to examine the joys, conflicts and contradictions that come with straddling two or more ethnicities.
Laura Adebisi is an actress and playwright. Both her parents are mixed-race and she spent the majority of her childhood in Nigeria before moving to the UK as a teenager.
(Picture: Jerry Syder for Metro.co.uk)
‘I am Nigerian, English and Portuguese,’ Laura tells Metro.co.uk.
‘My dad is half Nigerian, half Portuguese and my mum is half Nigerian, half English, but they are both so much more than half of anything.
‘I grew up in Nigeria until I was 13, my parents have always been back and forth between England and Nigeria.
‘I feel a stronger connection to my English and Nigerian roots. My parents have always mixed both cultures very freely, especially because my dad grew up in England and my mum in Nigeria, so it has always been a nice blend.
‘I do feel my Latin blood come out once in a while, but my Portuguese side is definitely the side I am least connected with.
‘I visited Portugal for the first time when I was 18, and that feeling of belonging came when I was in Lisbon, it was undeniable.
‘My dad used to be fluent in Portuguese and now can’t speak a word. That loss of a language is really sad and interesting.’
‘I have two mixed-race parents, and all of us in our family look alike’ (Picture: Laura Adebisi)
As an actress, Laura feels certain pressures as a mixed-race woman. The way she looks directly correlates with the type of work she can get – and that can be hard at times.
‘I feel like there is an expectation of me as an actress because of my appearance,’ explains Laura.
‘I am a mixed-race, short girl with a big, curly fro, who “shocks” everyone when she speaks by being well-spoken – due to my years in boarding school and my mum’s impeccable British accent.
‘When I had straight hair, this was fine because I ticked the needed diversity box, spoke well, while still being ethnically ambiguous enough.
‘I used to get a lot of corporate roles with my straight hair – these are like internal training videos, or university adverts. Now that I’ve transitioned, and I’m curly again, I actually haven’t booked a single corporate job.
‘I now only really get “urban” advert roles and theatre jobs.
‘Mixed-race people – men and women – are also hyper-sexualised in the media and acting industry.
‘There were so many jobs when I first started out that were looking for a “mixed-race woman” to play a “girlfriend”, “stripper” or who “must be comfortable appearing in underwear”.
‘I can’t count how many video-vixen calls I saw looking for mixed girls. This isn’t progress. This sexualisation is not a privilege.’
‘Being mixed-race is a culture in itself that I love and embrace’ (Picture: Laura Adebisi)
Laura is in the rare position of having two parents who completely understand what it means to be mixed-race. There is no generational divide. As a result, being mixed-race is integral to Laura’s entire family, and that has shaped her opinion.
‘My mixed-race identity is important to me because it’s all I’ve ever known,’ she tells us.
‘Growing up in Nigeria, I am called half-caste out there. When I came to England for boarding school at 13 and I said, “I am half-caste” – the look on my friends’ faces was the funniest thing, they were so appalled for me.
‘I found out for the first time that half-caste was a bad word. Out there, my parents always characterised our family by our “half-caste madness” – something that is feared in Nigeria.
‘In Nigeria, I was bullied a lot for being different, for being “Oyinbo” – white.
‘Then I came to this country and I became black in my boarding school, which had a very small black community.
‘It wasn’t until university that I really felt mixed – not white enough for white people or black enough for black people. That was tough.
‘It is important to me because it’s a part of who I am. Being mixed-race is a culture in itself that I love and embrace. However, it is not solely who I am.’
Colourism is an internal kind of racism within black and mixed communities where lighter skinned black and mixed-race people are treated preferentially in certain circumstances – based purely on the fact that their skin has a closer resemblance to whiteness.
But Laura takes issue with the concept of ‘privilege’.
‘My dad used to say we get the best of both worlds,’ she explains.
‘But now, when people call me privileged because of the colour of my skin, it makes me cringe.
‘Yes, there are advantages to being mixed, just like there are advantages to being black, but I don’t see it as a privilege in the same sense.
‘I am privileged to have the best of both worlds, to have parents who can teach me how to make Nigerian stews, teach me the respect and discipline embedded in our Yoruba culture, but can still talk and laugh with me about relationships and guys I am seeing, which I guess is more European.
‘I’m constantly having to explain how my face came to be’ (Picture: Laura Adebisi)
‘I think the major struggle of being mixed-race right now is the racism experienced from both sides.
‘In the space of a week at university, I was called a “black bitch” by a random white man and was then silenced and verbally attacked by some of my black peers at university when I tried to share my views about the antagonism colourism causes between mixed and lighter-skinned women and dark-skinned black women.
‘This is the thing, I know that racial discourse explains that black people can’t be racist, and institutionally I understand, their discrimination can’t oppress, but I tell you what – both of those experiences felt exactly the same.
‘One was definitely racism, so if it felt the same, wasn’t the other one too?’
Growing up in Nigeria, Laura felt that she and her siblings were ostracised and constantly made to feel ‘other’ because of their mixed-heritage – something that she has felt on a similar scale from white communities in the UK.
‘It felt the same as growing up in Nigeria and being cornered by a group of black woman who, at the age of 11, told me I was chewing gum like a prostitute.
‘That’s how they saw me, because of the colour of my skin, because I hung out with guys, because of so many reasons possibly, but one thing that stands out – I was the only mixed girl in the room.
‘Another major struggle is also having to prove my blackness. When people ask me where I’m from, I tell them Nigeria, I’ve had someone outright say to me repeatedly, “no you’re not”, or immediately ask, “and where else?”
‘I’m constantly having to explain how my face came to be.
‘Having to take it back to black and white, to a place they can understand because for some reason certain people can’t get their head around a mixed person having a standalone identity.
‘The mixture is fetishised so heavily, it’s incredibly frustrating.’
‘When I say Nigeria, I’ve had someone outright say to me repeatedly, “No you’re not”‘ (Picture: Laura Adebisi)
Laura believes that the focus on colourism and the privileges it affords to some could actually perpetuate divisions in black and mixed-race communities.
‘I recently watched a BBC video in which dark-skinned black and Asian women were discussing colourism,’ she says.
‘One of the women said that colourism is; “when a guy says ‘I only want to date a peng lightie’” – it is the same idea I have heard before, that there is more of a “market” for light-skinned and mixed-race women.
‘This reality of colourism is, of course, harmful and hurtful to dark-skinned women, but there is no real consideration of how harmful the perpetuation of these sexualised stereotypes about light-skinned and mixed-race women can be.
‘Walker’s definition of colourism is commonly used in racial discourse, but there is rarely any mention of what Walker discusses only a few lines later: “the hostility many black black women feel toward light-skinned black women” (Walker, 290).
‘This idea is not permitted into the mainstream colourism discourse as it nuances the idea of light-skinned or mixed-race “privilege”.
‘We instead focus on the light-skinned/mixed antagonism towards dark-skinned women. We don’t talk about the bullying, the exclusion that many mixed women feel from black communities.
‘Walker coined the term colourism in 1983, but it has taken about 30 years for this word to come into the mainstream, partly also because the media has chosen to talk about it too.
‘I feel like the people at the top, who are usually – because of how our society is – white, have allowed this term to enter the mainstream media and consciousness because it divides black communities, which is what has been done throughout history.
‘When divided, we can’t thrive, and yes, mixed people have been a part of that “we” too.
‘Differences have always been there, but by allowing the idea of colourism to enter mainstream consciousness it conditions the next generation to be hyper-aware of these differences and it has divided us more.
‘This is incredibly controversial of course, but it’s just my take on it after seeing the different effects.
‘I will not deny colourism exists, I can’t, but the word “privilege” for me is questionable.
‘I am lucky, yes, because of my parents that they’ve been able to give me, because of the life I’m able to live in this country – but I wouldn’t say the colour of my skin and the experiences I’ve had as a direct result of the colour of my skin correlates with “privilege”.’
‘There is no real consideration of how harmful the perpetuation of sexualised stereotypes about light-skinned and mixed-race women can be’ (Picture: Laura Adebisi)
Laura thinks it’s vital that we unpack the stereotypes surrounding mixed-race identity. As an actress, she has first-hand experience of the boom of popularity of faces like hers – but she thinks progress needs to be much deeper than this.
‘Being mixed-race is not a trend, it’s not what’s “in” – we have to live this,’ says Laura.
‘I feel so fortunate to have mixed parents, but it has still been difficult.
‘It’s not amazing, we don’t think we’re more “nice” or more “gorgeous” or more “peng” that the next person, we have out insecurities, we have our pain.
‘I have to stand and affirm these things to myself in the mirror, it’s not something I just know because of the colour of my skin.
‘Life is so much more than race. My life is so much more than the colour of my skin, even though sometimes it has affected every aspect of my life, I know ultimately life is so much bigger than that.’
Inevitably, Laura’s creative work focuses on these issues. In her plays she delves into what it means to be a mixed-race woman, playing with conventions and deconstructing societal expectations.
‘We need to hear stories from mixed people, because we need to move past the stereotypes in this country,’ she explains.
‘Mixed women are real people with real everyday problems, maybe if society knew that and saw us like this, they would stop representing us in such hard and fast stereotypical boxes.
‘I can’t count how many plays or films I’ve seen presenting a mixed girl going through an identity problem with a white mum and absentee black dad.
‘When are we going to diversify our representation of mixed women beyond video vixens and identity crises?
‘I am a playwright, writing plays, some of which are in pre-production, and I am always writing mixed characters from different places with different stories.
‘Mixed-race people need to tell their stories, so they can forge their own identities.’
Vanessa Hall hugging her son Lachlan at his wedding to fellow dancer Paul (Picture: Vanessa Hall)
When author and public speaker Vanessa Hall lost her husband Mathew, she became very close with her son, Lachlan, who was eight at the time.
The mum from Melbourne, Australia, loved watching Lachlan flourish in creative fields, watching him grow up to be a professional choreographer at a dance academy.
Unknown to Vanessa, Lachlan was gay.
He tried dating a girl for three years while wrestling with his true feelings, but eventually, he came out to his Christian mum, who had been religious her whole life and was part of a similar community.
After Australia permitted same-sex marriages, Lachlan and his partner, also a dancer, got engaged.
And while it was a lot for his mum to deal with, Vanessa not only walked Lachlan down the aisle, she also wore a rainbow sash – the universal LGBTQ+ symbol.
We would probably be crying too (Picture: Vanessa Hall)
‘I knew that I loved my son, and nothing would ever stop me from loving my son. But I had some thinking and some praying to do. Lots,’ Vanessa wrote in a self-penned blog.
Seeking counsel from God, who she says almost told her ‘I gave up my son, so you don’t have to’, Vanessa decided to shun what anyone else says.
The doting mum said that her son’s sexuality had never been an issue for her but it hurt her to see him being bullied at school and to hear the comments of her Christian friends.
So to stick it to all of them and vow her unconditional support, Vanessa happily married the couple.
And at the end of the speech, she tied the rainbow sash around her and raised a toast.
‘Because in the end, love wins,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
Vanessa says Lachlan, a dancer, has always been creative and it hurt her to see him be bullied for it (Picture: Vanessa Hall)
‘I had bought the sash specifically for the wedding and wasn’t sure if I’d use it.
‘Lachlan had always joked that he hoped I’d be waving the gay pride flag one day. It’s such a sensitive issue and I’m very intentional in what I do, so I needed to be sure my message was consistent and well thought through.
‘When I put on the sash, it was both a sign of the promises of God and the acknowledgement of gay people being loved and accepted.
‘I raised a toast to love because it seems to be the thing that the church has forgotten is what we are called to be in the world – not judgmental, but loving.’
Her choice to accept her son came with some resistance from her circle but Vanessa paid no mind.
‘It was interesting because I’ve been accused by some Christians for being an emotional mother and not true to my faith, but I was the only one in the whole place that wasn’t sobbing,’ said Vanessa.
‘Everyone was in tears. I wanted my son, and his husband, and every other gay that was there at that wedding, to know that I love them, and the God I believe in loves them. ‘
Vanessa doesn’t care what other Christians have to say because she’ll always love her son no matter what (Picture: Vanessa Hall)
Motivational speaker Vanessa has also proved her professional talents, moving both communities – religious and LGBTQ, who can often be cast as opposing sides – and helping some of them reconcile.
‘Since that day, I’ve had gay folks thank me for helping them heal and understand their Christian friends and family better,’ Vanessa tells us.
Same (Picture: Vanessa Hall)
‘I’ve had Christians thank me for helping them understand and embrace gay people in a way they never have before.
‘And sadly I’ve had some Christians tell me I’m wrong, I’ve betrayed Jesus, and that I should repent.
Standing in the smoking area of the pub, I chatted to Katy about nothing in particular.
Making friends as an adult is hard, and I felt pretty excited to be getting on with a new person that I had a lot in common with.
The night went on and we had a laugh, then as we headed off for different night buses Katy added me on Facebook, insisting that we stay in touch.
We sent the odd message here and there, with her always being super enthusiastic about meeting up some time soon. It’s not like I thought we’d be each other’s maids of honour, but I did see a potential pal.
That was until a message came through about her ‘amazing business opportunity’ and how I was such a ‘boss babe’, she just had to ask if I wanted to get involved.
I had been ‘hunzoned’; lulled into a false sense of security with someone who purported to be interested in me as a person, but was actually just trying to recruit me into their multi-level marketing scheme.
MLMs – as they’re known – can also be called pyramid selling, network marketing, or referral marketing. There are hundreds of companies that run in this way, with the main characteristic being that recruitment is the heart of the business.
Those who work for MLMs aren’t on a salary, and instead rely on selling products and getting their recruits to do so too. These recruits are then known as an MLM worker’s downline, and they get a percentage of what the recruits make, as well as the profit from what they make.
The term hun has been used widely on anti-MLM online communities, poking fun at the over-friendly terms that tend to be used to create familiarity with potential recruits. They’ll call you ‘babe’, ‘hun’, ‘love’, and all manner of Fiat 500 pet names to make you think they’re your mate. A large sprinkling of compliments may also be used to curry favour, too.
They literally have a script to what you should say to people
This corporate love-bombing can serve a hun well, bagging them new downlines and potentially more money (MLMs are renowned for extremely low pay). However, if the desire to join their business isn’t there, it can easily sever a new friendship there and then, leaving the hunzoned person feeling used.
It’s not just new friends. A girl I’d worked with years ago – and really got on with – now sends me regular messages and voice notes that start off saying we’re overdue a catch-up and end in ‘anyway, DM me for more info, it seems like it’s right up your street, and it’s genuinely changed my life’.
This is partly down to the way MLMs tell their members to recruit people. One user, posting on the MLMRecovery subReddit, stated that she was given a FRANK sheet when she first joined up.
She wrote: ‘I was given a FRANK list and that’s when it all went downhill but I didn’t even see it. A frank list is this… F is friends , R is relatives, A is acquaintances, N is neighbours, K is kid connections….. So basically I wrote down a list of every person I knew. Everyone.’
The offshoot of this, she says, was this: ‘My relationships were distancing because of my association with an MLM company. If I called or talked to anyone my intention was to sell. I deceived myself and others when I called to say hi or text and transitioned every convo into a sly sharing sales thing.’
This is much the same as the experience of Rachel*. She was recruiter into a fitness and nutrition MLM back in October 2017.
‘When you sign up as a coach, you’ll be provided with a login to what’s called your “Coach Online Office (COO)” where you see your sales, your upline/downline, promotions, events, training documents, client details, price lists, etc,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
‘In the COO, there are several scripts you can download that tell you how to recruit, or post about the “business” in general. What to say in your opening message, how to respond to objections to get the person to change their mind. You’ll also receive training on “inviting techniques” from your upline, which basically means befriend as many strangers as you can, compliment them a few times a week, comment on their posts so your name shows up on their feed and then slowly sneak invites or references about what you’re doing/offering into the conversation about fitness challenge groups.
‘You are also encouraged to invite friends, colleagues, neighbours, mutual Facebook friends… Because “they would totally support you if they are a real friend”,’ says Rachel.
It’s thought that in some UK MLMs, members make very low wages (or net losses). Amway, for example, publish their statistics, and have shown that their average retail consultant makes £40 monthly. Those that are active in the anti-MLM community (such as former cosmetics rep Elle Beau) state that they’d often buy their own products to make their sales seem higher, meaning this total could be lower in some businesses.
It’s easy to see then, why some people may be willing to alienate those close to them just to be able to turn a profit. With messaging coming from above to push harder to make things work, and having extolled the virtues of your new business to those around you, it can seem preferable to be somewhat embarrassing over failing in the venture.
Another self-titled escapee, Dawn*, told us about her experiences with a well-known MLM: ‘Their “tactic” is to give you very little information at first. They literally have a script to what you should say to people.
‘This is the script: They want you to casually drop in conversation how you were lucky enough to have met a couple who were able to retire at the age of 25 from their corporate jobs. How you were amazed by that, and HAD to know more. So they agreed to mentor you and now you know you are going to retire in the next three years.
‘Now here’s the tactic that works, when someone asks how they did it/more in depth questions you’re instructed to tell them how you’re not qualified to explain it, but if they were serious about learning more they would have to sit down with you and your “mentors” for a meeting at a later date and they could tell you more.’
This level of mystery is designed to hook in only those who are vulnerable to being poached by the company. If they’re immune to the smoke and mirrors, then they simply won’t go any further.
Dawn found that most people were immune, and that instead of finding recruits, she was met with incredulity.
‘Anyone I talked to about my new “lifestyle” acted strange,’ she tells us. ‘No one actually believed I was going to retire in a year, and if they asked more questions, they acted annoyed I wasn’t “allowed” to tell them anything about it.’
Rather than the ‘diamond’ status she’d been promised – along with access to a private island and a million dollar yearly paycheck – she was left with meagre reward for her work, and friends who thought her tactics were suspect.
If you have a friend (new or old) trying to hunzone you, the first thing you may want to do is call them out on the whole thing. This can be counterproductive, though, as the messaging from their upline will likely be along the lines that those who try to show the negatives of the business are ‘haters’.
Instead, focus on your relationship with your friend. Let them know that you don’t wish to get involved, and although you’ll be there for them whenever they need you, you want to keep business out of the friendship.
If you genuinely feel worried about them, it may be time to show them some of the cold hard numbers of what members of their MLMs make, but make sure to do so in a non-judgmental way.
Some have accused MLMs of acting in similar ways to cults, with isolation techniques sometimes used to cement members’ commitment.
Although you may be angry that a friendship you had with someone was reduced to recruitment, try to remember that they might have been brainwashed too.
Isla has been a rocker before she was even born (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
Rock ‘n’ rollers, bow down to your new ruler: A toddler called Isla Langham.
You see, no matter how long you’ve been listening to the oldies, no matter how many vinyls you have, you can’t claim you were a rocker before you were even born. Isla can.
Now 18 months old, Isla brought joy to her parents by making the devil horns gesture (you know, the rock and roll signal) while she was still in the womb.
See? She’s far more hardcore than we’ll ever be.
Jodie Lee and her partner Davie Langham were staring at their daughter at the 24 week scan when they saw her give the iconic hand gesture from inside the bump.
At the 24 week scan Isla made the devil horns signal (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
The couple had been playing their child music by resting headphones on Jodie’s bump, so her first hand gesture felt pretty fitting.
Jodie, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, said: ‘As soon as we saw her hand we thought it was the best thing ever. We loved it.
‘Isla showed her love of music before she even arrived and now she’s our little rock chick.
‘It was a video scan, so the midwife went through and showed us the whole body.
‘For the last bit Isla was hiding her face, so I poked my belly and said “can you just show Mummy and Daddy that you’re okay?” As soon as I said that she put her hand up.
Now 18 months old, Isla loves music (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
‘It’s fantastic when you get to see your baby anyway, but Davie was overwhelmed.
‘She’s our little miracle and we’d wanted her for so long. He went from having tears in his eyes to getting the giggles.
‘You get excited [at the scans] anyway because you realise it’s actually a person in there, but we were even more excited to meet her after that.
‘It still makes us smile and laugh now.
‘When I put it online all my friends thought it was fake. They couldn’t believe it.
‘My partner is a photographer and videographer, so they thought we’d photoshopped it.
‘We blew it up and framed it straight away to put up in the house, and my sister asked for a copy too, so she’s got it up in her house.’
Now 18 months old, Isla has a love of music and is always dancing to her parents’ remixes. That’s great news for her parents, who are both massive music fans.
‘She is obsessed,’ says Jodie. ‘As soon as she hears music, even from a passing car, she’ll stop, put both her hands in the air and bounce up and down or shake her bum. She never stops.
‘When we were on holiday she’d climb on the stage and dance in front of 200 people. She’s not shy.’
Billy and Barbara before she died, and Billy eating at the memorial chair (Picture: Sahrah Elswick)
Sahrah Elswick was devastated when her grandma passed away on her graduation day.
It was a day that Sahrah knew she wanted to be there for.
So Sahrah wanted to make her a part of other milestones in her life, even though she was no longer with them.
It was also important to her granddad Billy Gray that his wife of 45 years, Barbara, was remembered.
On her wedding day on 6 July, Sahrah wanted to pay tribute to Barbara, who she affectionately called Mawmaw, as well as other people who had passed away.
So at the reception in her husband Zach’s grandparents’ back yard in Greenbrier county, West Virginia, US, Sahrah set up a rocking chair with pictures of both her grandmothers as well as her husband’s stepfather and grandmother.
She added some fairy lights and a note that read ‘We know you would be here today if heave wasn’t so far away.’
The tribute chair (Picture: Sahrah Elswick/@sahrahMichelle)
And when it came to the meal, Billy took a moment to eat with Barbara.
Sahrah snapped the moment and posted it on Twitter, saying: ‘Pawpaw sat and ate with mawmaw today at my wedding.’
Sahrah told Metro.co.uk: ‘My grandma was the most amazing, kind-hearted woman I’ve known and I’m sure anyone who knew her would tell you the same. She was a beautiful soul. Although she definitely had the infamous red hair temper!
Sahrah with Zach and her grandparents before Barbara died (Picture: Sahrah Elswick)
‘She actually passed on my graduation day, which was something she was so excited for because I was her first grandchild.
‘This was part of the reason why it was very important I had her there on my wedding day as her and I were very close.
‘The people in the photos were important people in our lives and it wouldn’t be the same without them “there.”
‘When I made the memorial I never thought of how big of an impact it would have but it meant everything to the both of us that she had a space on my big day.’
The box is meant for two to four people… could you eat it alone? (Picture: SWNS)
Could you finish this 4,671 calorie munchie box in one sitting?
We’re fans of fried food, but even we’re not brave enough.
The box – called the Govanhill Munchie Box Part Two – is the creation of a British chef living in Australia, called Chris Orr.
Chris has made it his mission to give Australians a taste of Scottish fast food, creating munchie boxes for his restaurant, the Wee Man’s Kitchen in Melbourne, Victoria.
His latest work is a massive munch box that he describes as ‘heart attack material’.
Coming in at 4,671 calories, the box is a feast of deep fried treats, containing deep-fried pizza, veggie pakora, chips and curry sauce, chicken tikka, two chip shop style sausages, two seekh kebabs, eight hot wings, cheddar coleslaw, plus pink sauce and brown sauce.
The box in its entirety costs $50 (£28). It’s designed to feed ‘two if starving, four if yir caring’, so we can’t recommend tackling it all on your own.
The box has been a hit.
What's in the box?
Deep fried pizza crunch – 700kcal
Veggie pakora – 212kcal
Chips and curry sauce – 1,080kcal
Chicken tikka – 290kcal
Two chip shop style sausages – 620kcal
Two seekh kebabs 650kcal
Eight hot wings – 824kcal
Cheddar coleslaw – 181 calories
Homemade pink sauce and brown sauce – 114 calories
Chris said: ‘I opened up a restaurant called Wee Man’s Kitchen in 2017 in a pub that makes its own beer.
‘I was thinking about an avenue of what food goes with beer.
‘There’s quite a lot of fast food here but it’s more Chinese, Indian and Thai – not so much deep fried.
Look at all that deep-fried goodness (Picture: SWNS)
‘Chip shop food and kebabs all work well and the munchie box seemed to appeal to groups of people drinking.
‘At the same time I was making all the deep fried foods like haggis and pakora.
‘I was quite scared at first because Melbourne’s quite a healthy place but it’s been very popular with families and some people come in once a week for one.
‘It’s a fair bit of food and is definitely over 4,000 calories.
Anyone else hungry? (Picture: SWNS)
‘It’s total heart attack material but I’m there to pleasure people.
‘A lot of Scots come in and say it tastes like home, especially for people who’ve been away for a long time.
‘At the end of the night you can always take it away and crawl home with it.’
Also on the menu at Wee Man’s Kitchen are the Mel Gibson beef burger, the Glasgae Kiss (a deep fried Mars bar), and the Great Glasgow Fry Up.
Chris wants to make a veggie box next, as well as ‘something with Buckfast’. Sounds dreamy.
The KFC Supercharger spicy mayo sauce is only around for four weeks, people (Picture: KFC)
Many a fast food meal is in need of some hot sauce. And if you’re a fan of the KFC spicy mayo in particular, then good news: you can now buy bottles of the stuff.
KFC is selling its famous Supercharger sauce, the condiment that is currently only available in burgers and wraps.
If you love squeezing the stuff all over your food then you’ll need to hurry because it’s only around for four weeks.
It’s bound to go down a treat as fans have been incessantly tweeting KFC asking for the sauce to be available in bottle form.
So spicy mayo lovers, rejoice.
You could be slathering the sauce on the hacker burger (Picture: KFC)
From next week, starting 15 July, mammoth one-litre bottles of the mayonnaise with a kick will be on sale in all KFC stores nationwide.
But it’ll set you back a bit as it’s on sale for £4, a few more quid than the average condiment, with Hellman’s mayo with chilli costing £1.50 at Sainsbury’s, and £1.98 at Asda.
In comparison’s Nando’s signature PERi PERi sauce comes in at £1.50 at Asda.
Of course, there are always non-branded versions of the stuff but it won’t have the KFC feels.
The news comes after the fast food chain released vegan chicken which we tried and found a bit dry. The Supercharger should be perfect to slather all over.
If you’re not ready to commit to the large bottles but still love the sauce, KFC is also offering dipping pots for 30p which will be around forever.
Or you could just invest in the bottle and squirt it whenever you fancy without paying 30p a pop.
Krista Dunzy was sent a lewd message after trying a dating app following breast cancer (Kennedy News and Media/Krista Dunzy)
Krista Dunzy was appalled by a man’s shocking comment about her chest on a dating app.
The 32-year-old charity worker from Oklahoma, U.S, who had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer, was asked by a man on Tinder if she had ‘big t*ts’.
Naturally, Krista was raging. After being diagnosed with stage two invasive ductal cancer affecting the milk ducts, she had both breasts removed.
The unexpected message came from the sender, Jared, out of the blue and while Krista was personally offended, she was also angered that he may approach other women in the same rude way.
When she confronted him, explaining her battle with the illness, he called her a ‘dumb b*tch’ and told her to stop acting like a feminist.
Krista hit back at the brazen sender (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
Furious with his ‘lack of human decency’, Krista hit back with a detailed account of her breast cancer battle and how it had resulted in a double mastectomy.
The brazen sender told her to stop acting like a feminist as that ‘gets you nowhere in life’.
Even when Krista asked how he could send such a thoughtless message he proclaimed he ‘makes his own rules’.
‘When I read the message my first reaction was anger,’ she said.
‘The issue is the lack of respect and human decency’ (Kennedy News and Media/Krista Dunzy)
‘I don’t need a reminder of what has happened to my breasts. I see the scars across my chest every single day.
‘The issue isn’t with my lack of breasts due to breast cancer though, it’s the lack of respect and human decency from him.
‘I was hurt because he was so insistent, even when I told him my story.’
She added that their conversation didn’t go any further and it was offputting, seeing as dating has been hard for her due to her health troubles.
But she’s not surprised by the behaviour.
‘I don’t want Jared to treat another woman or girl like that ever again,’ said Krista.
‘When it comes down to it, I want people to see that this is something women deal with on a daily basis. I don’t want the blatant disrespect Jared showed to be normalised.
‘Ultimately, I want women to feel empowered enough to stand up for themselves when someone makes them uncomfortable or is outright disrespectful.
‘We owe it to ourselves to speak our truths and stand up for ourselves.’
Krista was hurt by the creepy message but knows that it’s a common thing for women to receive (Kennedy News and Media/Krista Dunzy)
The comments were triggering for Krista, who says she’s more than her breasts or her hair which she lost during chemotherapy.
After supporting her mum and aunt through cancer, Krista underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 13 rounds of radiotherapy and had a double mastectomy nine days after her 26th birthday.
The health issues have made her reluctant to date.
‘It’s hard to put yourself out there and be vulnerable,’ she said. ‘You never know how people are going to react when you tell them things on that level.
‘To be diagnosed with breast cancer was really hard. Really difficult.
‘But I’m not my hair or my breasts. I’m me. Those things don’t define me at all, whatsoever. I wish people could realise that too. They’re so insignificant in the bigger picture.
‘I didn’t say what I said to him for him to apologise or feel bad about himself, I did it for him to learn. I’ve already found peace with my diagnosis and I’m okay now.
‘But if by changing men’s minds about how they treat women, I would do it all over again.”
Since her messages went viral online, people have vowed support, even offering to take her for a beer if she’s in the neighbourhood.
As for dating, Krista is still hopeful: ‘Dating after the surgery does make me nervous but I know eventually I’ll find someone who treats me well and he’ll be worth the wait.’
Breastfeeding can be painful and for some mums, their milk flow isn’t strong enough but these breast pads can be heated up or cooled down to ease discomfort and encourage milk to come through.
According to the product description, you need to microwave the pads for just 13 seconds to use them to help relieve engorgement, plugged cuts and mastitis.
You can also freeze them for two hours to ease pain and swelling.
They can also be used at the same time as a breast pump.
The pads are designed to remain flexible no matter what the temperature so you can fit them over your breasts.
They also come with soft washable covers to keep them protected when not in use.
The product has four out of five stars and lots of positive reviews.
One mum said: ‘As a newbie mum, and prior to giving birth I did the typical thing most newbies do, look up what junk needs to be bought for when baby is born. These were one of those purchases which I’m over the moon I bought.’
Another added: ‘I bought this after reading that it might help with let-down for expressing. It does! Has helped me to increase the volume I express at a sitting. I am so pleased and think it was money well spent.’
