I’m a 27-year-old Black woman and I have never been in a relationship, or even dated, a man who is the same race as I am.

Most people are surprised, and when you think about it, it sounds kind of strange to not want to be with someone who possesses the same cultural values as yourself, but it hasn’t been on purpose.

Growing up in a predominantly white area, my options were limited. As I was navigating my teens, love was shoved down my throat on TV; I watched my friends pair off at house parties, and I started to become even more aware of the need to find my perfect match. 

I carefully curated him in my mind. He was tall, authoritative, kind, and loving, but I never thought about what colour he would be. I suppose it didn’t matter to me, as long as he existed.

Aged 16, I entered my first interracial relationship. The topic of race never came up. When you’re a shallow teenager, the conversation rarely stretches past your favourite contestant on Big Brother – or perhaps he saved those conversations for his ‘main’ girlfriend. I was number two, possibly even three, but definitely a secret.

It became glaringly obvious that there might be a reason he had the picture-perfect blonde girl on the outside, and me tucked away behind the scenes.

I know now that if someone loves you they are proud of you, and I deserve to be loved loudly. But I went into my 20s without many Black friends and more interracial relationships followed.

I watched a few of my white friends date Black men. Others shuddered at the thought of it, insisting their parents would ‘kill them’ if they brought someone of another race home – despite the fact I had been in their homes several times.

I often wondered if that was what my boyfriend’s parents thought when they saw me too but batted the thought away. 

With each relationship, I accepted the fetishisation of the curly-haired, mixed-race babies I could provide. One boyfriend’s mother squealed with excitement upon meeting me and said I would give her adorable ‘caramel’ grandchildren.

I didn’t mention the denial of white privilege during a very heated debate about the treatment of Meghan Markle or call out jokes about offensive racial stereotypes. I remember brushing off an ex’s dad when he was surprised that I didn’t ‘look or sound like Kim Fox from EastEnders’. 

It wasn’t because I was OK with any of it – I remember feeling grossed out by it all. But I didn’t want to be seen as angry or confrontational so I tried to let it go and put it down to a few isolated incidents and ignorance. 

I thought that’s how relationships were, because who doesn’t tease their other half about something, even if it does make you feel deflated?

It’s easy to call someone out on Twitter for their questionable behaviour, but when it’s someone you love, kicking up a fuss could end the relationship, it doesn’t always feel worth it.

In a way, just being with someone was more important to me than challenging the microaggressions. 

Often race never got discussed at all. Paul* would actively go out of his way to avoid it, or anything that pointed at us being different. Asking him to describe the Black person nearby would bring him out in a cold sweat, tripping over his words to find every other word but ‘Black’.  

At the time, I took it as a compliment, thinking it must mean that he didn’t see colour. Surely something like race wouldn’t matter when you’re truly in love? To be honest, it’s not something that I had thought about that deeply. 

But then George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s tragic deaths, and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, put the spotlight on racial issues worldwide – and I couldn’t help but reflect on my dating life, too.

The race discourse is currently more open now than it’s ever been in my lifetime. On social media and beyond, conversations about colonialism, institutional racism and the systemic barriers that keep Black people one step behind have become our new normal.

It’s taken me back to all the racist incidents I have experienced, even in my relationships. Frankly, it’s been traumatic.

And it’s not just me; it seems like white people are examining themselves like never before.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian – married to tennis legend Serena Williams and the father of a Black daughter – stepped down from the company’s board of directors and asked to be replaced by a Black candidate.

Meanwhile, rapper Eve and Strictly star Oti Mabuse admitted to having ‘difficult’ conversations with their white partners.

These admissions sparked an online debate about the discussions you should have if you’re in an interracial relationship, which I joined with enthusiasm. But had I even practiced what I preached?

Seeing Black people protest just to have equality, and to not die at the hands of the police, triggered something inside of me. If I was in love with someone, someone I thought I knew inside and out, why couldn’t I speak up about racism?

Whether it was comments they had made or the topic as a whole, I could never bring myself to broach it out of fear of causing unnecessary friction. 

So here I am, a Black woman that has only dated white men. I have been guilty of letting things slide for the sake of ignorant bliss but racism will not just vanish by ignoring it, or being silent, because that can be seen as complicity. Acceptance, even. 

I believed that being in an interracial relationship was no different to being with someone of the same race. Like any other couple, you go on dates, meet each other’s friends and family and argue about what box set to watch.

But what I thought was a shared experience is simply a delusion. Even if you and your partner grew up in the same town, on the same street, being a different race comes with a completely different set of challenges and experiences. 

I wouldn’t say no to entering an interracial relationship again – but there will be some rules. 

Race will have to be discussed at the very start. Would a man be prepared, for instance, to raise a Black child who will come with a set of problems they’ve never had to face? What steps will they take to be proactively be anti-racist?

I will not accept someone who refuses to acknowledge their privilege, thinks racist jokes are just ‘banter’ and who doesn’t read up on systemic racism. I won’t give them a copy of Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race and hope for the best.

True love isn’t colour blind, in fact, it’s the opposite. True love is about the ability to be open and honest with someone without fear of repercussions. 

True love is being vocal and making sure your voice is heard. True love is recognising your differences, not ignoring them.

*Names have been changed

Last week in Love, Or Something Like It: My ex is my best friend

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When Jodie Foulger, 34, and her partner Andy, 32, were quoted £12,000 for their own home gym in the back garden, they decided to just go ahead and build their own.

They ended up saving thousands, doing a major DIY job to craft their own gym for just £900.

After looking up pre-made designs that cost upwards of £10,000, Jodie and Andy got to work on purchasing wood and screws from their local woodyard, Maplin, then drew out a plan.

Jodie told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘We decided to build the gym because my partner Andy is a huge gym fanatic.

‘When lockdown hit and the gyms were closed he was not pleased. So I said “let’s build one!”

‘We also wanted to use the gym for our pre-wedding build-up. We were meant to be getting married in Greece on the 2nd July 2020 but unfortunately, our wedding is postponed until next year now due to Covid-19.

‘We initially looked online at pre-built ones and they were ridiculous prices ranging from £5k up to £10k for the same sort of height and size.

‘We designed the gym around the height of the gym equipment that Andy had purchased.

‘There wasn’t really a huge drawn-out plan. We discussed it and came up with a shape and style. We measured as we worked.

‘It took us approximately two to three weeks in total to complete as my partner works shifts. So we’d fit it in around both our jobs, me working from home and home-schooling our six-year-old daughter.’

Doing it all themselves took time and hard work, but it paid off – the total cost was around £900.

‘We purchased all of the wood and screws from our local wood yard called Maplin. The UPVC windows and doors were only £80 from our local scrapyard,’ said Jodie, who shares her interior creations on Instagram at @the.white.house.sparkles.

‘They were originally brown and white but I painted them grey with Rustoleum universal slate grey paint.

‘The external paint used was Cuprinol Dusky Gem and was from B&Q. The gym mats were £10 a pack from B&Q also. The huge mirrors were from IKEA for £100.

‘I then added all of the added finishing touches outside too.

‘The 4×2 wood cost around £300, the shiplap wood cost about £350 and the paint cost £60.

‘The roof felt was £60 and the facias were free from a roofer friend.

‘We already had the gym equipment – it was just in the garden with a rubbish tarpaulin over it. It certainly needed a home!’

The couple are pretty pleased with the end result of their hard work.

Plus, the DIY project was a great way to spend the hours in lockdown.

Jodie said: ‘Building this in lockdown gave us a welcome distraction from all that was going on outside our home, especially for Andy being a very busy key worker.

‘It was also a great distraction from the worry of our beautiful Greek wedding having to be postponed.

‘Our daughter Ariana also helped me paint – she’s actually really good! Teach them young, I say – I’m certain it counted towards her homeschooling.

‘I absolutely love home interior and garden design – my Instagram account is my hobby really.

‘After receiving extortionate quotes, we thought “why not do it ourselves – what have we got to lose!?”

‘To be able to do it for only £900 was crazy. The end result was beautiful and it was a great learning curve for us both!’

Have you completed a DIY project that you fancy showing off?

Get in touch to tell us all about it by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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Our coffee obsession has led to a number of weird and wonderful caffeine creations in recent years.

We’ve had the diabetes-in-a-cup Dalgona coffee. The Ruby Cocpa hot chocolate. The Pumpkin Birthday Cake latte.

But nothing sounds quite as bonkers as Costa’s new Coca-Cola-flavoured offering.

The coffee chain launched a range of cola-themed hot beverages last month in China, as part of a new summer menu. Cold brews, lattes and cappuccinos all feature… Coca-Cola.

A Costa spokesperson told Tyla that the crisp taste of Coke ‘complements the smooth mellow coffee flavours’ and that, when served over ice, their tangy cold brew is a ‘truly refreshing summer drink’.

Hmmm. Does that mean the coffee has a slight fizz to it? Does anyone really want to drink milk-based beverages with a fizzy, tangy aftertaste or is that just going to remind them of rotten milk? So many questions.

Maybe the collab shouldn’t come as a massive surprise, given that the Coca-Cola company bought Costa back in 2018 for £3.9 billion. It was probably only a matter of time before the powers that be decided to merge two great titans of the drinks industry to create something… different.

At the moment, the Coca-cola range is still only available in China and there’s been no confirmation as to whether it’ll be crossing continents any time soon but don’t be surprised if you’re confronted by a Coke cappuccino in the near future.

We’re battling associating Coca-Cola cold brew with milk Coke, but would you try this beverage innovation?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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We can’t resist a cleaning or interiors trend, but it turns out not all of them are the right thing to do.

Recently on various DIY and cleaning pages we’ve seen a number of people turning to DYLON dye to transform their carpets.

The dyes are normally used in the washing machine to change the colour of clothes, but these industrious individuals were brushing it onto their carpet fibres instead.

It seemed like a great idea, and an easy way to revamp a tired area of your home.

However, DYLON has stated that they absolutely do not approve.

Rachel Ferreira, Brand Manager at DYLON released a statement saying: ‘DYLON Machine Dyes are only to be used in front-loading automatic washing machines, and cannot be used by hand or painted onto fabric.

‘The all-in-one formula has a ratio of dye too elevated for the hand dye process.

‘DYLON Machine Dyes are not suitable for wool and nylon, from which carpets are most commonly produced, as such materials cannot be recoloured with the use of domestic dyes.

‘It’s important to note that carpets are often treated with a special finish to increase lifespan and prevent staining, which also means it cannot be dyed.’

Rachel also highlights that the nature of carpets means they can’t be properly rinsed as you’d normally do with the washing machine method.

This is for product safety as well as to ensure that loose dye doesn’t transfer afterwards, so really isn’t idea.

Instead, the company recommend changing the colour of pillow cases, curtains, cloth napkins or even couches where the covers can be put into the machine.

Unfortunately, though, not our faded carpets.

Many people who tried the technique online stated that they’d already tried everything in terms of cleaning their carpets professionally to restore the colour, and only opted for the dye as a last result.

Some claim that two coats and alum powder (placed on once dry and vacuumed up after leaving overnight) should create an even dye job that sets well.

For this man, though, that certainly wasn’t the case.

If you are planning on dyeing your carpets, make sure you only do it when you’re 100% comfortable with the fact it might be totally ruined in the process.

There’s a reason there’s instructions on the packaging, and you go against them at your own risk.

Do you have a great hack or tip you’d like to share?

Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Today, 27 June 2020, is the first-ever Black Pound Day in the UK. You may have seen mention of it on your Twitter or Instagram feed without really clocking exactly what it is or how the day is contributing to greater equality or you might not have heard of it yet.

So, here’s your guide to what it is and how you can get involved.

Black Pound Day is the brainchild of Swiss – a member of So Solid Crew. His idea has been to celebrate Black-owned businesses and give the Black community both an emotional and financial boost. His campaign is set to be a monthly event designed to encourage people to buy products or services from those companies in the UK.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of George Floyd, Swiss decided to empower the Black community to build an economy and cut short the cycle of historical and current trauma.

He said: ‘With the recent unfortunate events I could foresee my community plunging into another cycle of historical trauma. I wanted to somehow repurpose that energy into a positive outcome. Black Pound Day was the result of that motivation.’

The day is a way, he explained, of repurposing frustration and actively setting out a framework from which the community can rebuild and be rewarded for its hard work.

‘Black Pound Day is a real solution-based community-empowering campaign and motivating endeavour that will leave a better infrastructure for the next generation to walk into. The day will provide the community with self-pride and a routined spending structure to move forward and close the product to consumer loop. 

‘The community will gain greater knowledge to be able to access and invest in black business. The vision of Black Pound Day is to empower the community to create a new economy which will in turn underpin our long-term financial growth and infrastructure.’

According to government statistics, 90% of small businesses in the UK are majority-led by a white person. In a 2018 report, Sandra Kerr, race equality director of Business in the Community said that ‘BAME employees often find they are not able to progress in traditional work environments so may choose to start their own business’.

There are tonnes of Black entrepreneurs out there, but how much do we hear about them? On any given beauty magazine page, how many of the products featured come from Black-owned companies? How about food stalls at markets and festivals? Or Black-published or authored books on literary lists?

Black businesses aren’t things to support just once a month (or just in the wake of the BLM stuff); Black Pound Day seeks to make some noise about the brilliant stuff that the Black community is and always has been doing. You might see more information about cool new businesses in your area, which you can then make a point of checking out any time. In the UK, not everyone seems to get a fair dose of PR and there are awesome products and services out there that you just don’t get to hear about for whatever reason.

Black Pound Day, as Swiss says, is a movement – not a moment.

How to support Black-owned businesses

Yesterday, Swiss posted five simple things we can all do today to support the cause:

1. Buy from Black-owned businesses
2. Take a photo of the purchase or business
3. Post on social media using the hashtag #BlackPoundDay
4. Big up your experience on your stories
5. Recommend the business to a friend

Do you have a story you’d like to share?

Get in touch with us at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Particularly if you live in a hard water area, you’ll be well acquainted with having to scrub your shower screen vigorously to remove water marks and limescale.

Hero products like Cif Cream and Elbow Grease are favoured by cleanfluencers due to their abrasive qualities that help slough off the stubborn marks.

However, this tip can make the cleaning products even more effective, and reduce the need to scrub.

Not only does it apparently make our chore list a whole lot easier, but it’s also totally free.

A woman on the Australian cleaning group Mums Who Clean shared how she uses Cif Cream cleaner (known as Jif down under) and puts a plastic bag on her hand to apply it to the glass.

She wrote on the post: ‘So I was told about this hack to clean shower screens and decided to try myself, OMG!”

‘Sprinkle some [Cif] onto your screens and get a plastic bag – yes you heard that right – wear it like a glove and wash your screens. It works!

‘It keeps it clean for so long! And it is so easy – no scrubbing needed and nothing else to clean it with. Try it and thank me later!’

Comments poured in saying they’d tried the technique and had great results, with added instructions to make sure the screen is thoroughly wet before cleaning and rinsed off completely at the end.

The tip checks out logic-wise. Cif Cream is so great at stubborn marks because of tiny scrubbing particles that buff them away.

While it works brilliantly when you use a sponge or cloth, using a plastic bag means that none of those abrasive particles get lost in the fibres, all getting to work on your glass instead.

It’s a similar idea to using a silicone beauty blender to apply foundation – why give the sponge all the product?!

If, like us, you’re sick of scouring your screens, you’ll give this handy tip a go.

Do you have a brilliant hack you’d like to share?

Get in touch with us at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Could you help two sweet cats find the loving homes they’ve been desperately waiting for?

Adana and Lucy have been at RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre for more than 300 days.

For nearly a year, they’ve been waiting for someone to take an interest and adopt them – so staff have issued an appeal to find the cats forever homes.

The cats came into the shelter together back in July 2019 following a welfare concern.

Although they came in together, they’re not especially pally so can be rehomed separately.

Adana is a nine-year-old tortoiseshell while Lucy is a four-year-old black and white moggy.

Lucy is quite the independent kitty, but loves being fussed over and having a cuddle, while Adana can be a touch shy at first – but soon comes out of her shell.

It’s worth noting that Adana needs regular eye treatment, so any adopters will need to chat with the RSPCA to ensure she gets the care she needs.

Both cats could live with children of any age, another friendly cat or dog. Adana is most likely to spend most of her time indoors as the staff believe it’s unlikely she’s been outside before, while Lucy might benefit from outdoor space away from any busy roads.

Catherine Neasham, cattery supervisor, said: ‘Sadly, the girls came into our care in July 2019 following a welfare concern.

‘They have been here almost a full year and despite being here for so long they are extremely lovely girls and excellent cattery residents! They will make lovely pets.’

If you think you could give Adana or Lucy a loving home, contact RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre by emailing felledge@rspca.org.uk.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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It is hard to mourn alone, and harder still to suffer the confusion and agony of grief while in isolation.

Death is an unmovable fact of life, while grief is a variable. A myriad of factors influence how we grieve – character, faith, social circumstance, age and now, enforced social isolation.

As a volunteer at Cruse Bereavement Care, it’s my job to support anyone who has gone through the death of a friend or family member and reaches out to us.

Before the lockdown came into effect, I was meeting up with and helping three wonderful widowers process their grief. All had lost wives they had been married to for 30 to 60 years.

Once a week, we would sit down together to share their painful and exquisite memories, and occasionally their regrets. Sometimes we just talked about the absence of that someone special to sit and squabble on the sofa with, or to contentedly not talk to at all.

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All three of my clients were lucky enough – and I choose that word for a reason – to witness the last breath of their spouse. To convey their love right to the very end, and to be able to stay with that familiar, dearly loved body for as long as they felt necessary.

People dealing with grief during this global pandemic aren’t so lucky. They’re forced to attend socially distanced funerals (sometimes via an online stream) and often cannot even visit their loved ones while in hospital.

There is a compelling need by the bereaved to have been there at the end, and our clients often talk to us about the moment of death in great detail. Or, if they weren’t there, they need to work through the guilt of being absent. Being present as someone dies is an intensely personal, even special, moment.

Why that need exists is impossible to say. In any event, everyone’s reason will be different. If you are losing a child, you will naturally want to care and protect them until they take their last breath.

If it is a partner maybe you want a precious last conversation to express your love. With a parent perhaps it is words of gratitude, regret, apology, or even anger that need to be said.

Our clients are often unwilling to share such a moment with others for fear of upsetting them. Cruse is the stranger whom it is possible to talk to.

Bereavement is happening without the warmth of human arms to comfort, no-one to sit with you to make you eat, or just to pass a tissue

So how has lockdown changed things for the already bereaved?

Pre-pandemic, one of my clients had managed a whole meeting without tissues. He’d bravely taken the proactive step of attending our support group, and had just been to his first session. Another had just started dating again and a dinner date was looming. Another, who had often told me that his job was his saviour, has since been furloughed.

In short, their recovery progress has, at best, been halted or at worst, been put back.

It is painfully hard to mourn alone. When my husband died in 1998, I was surrounded by friends and family. I regularly downed a whole bottle of red wine and had to be put to bed by my friends.

My benevolent employers tolerated my erratic attendance at work at strange times, and my mother and best friend quietly took over parental duties.

I distracted myself by making elaborate preparations for the funeral. I wanted a grand celebration of his life and collective mourning, and I got it. Those friends and family stuck rigidly by my side as I lost my sanity and then slowly regained it. Their reward was, eventually, an invitation to my second wedding.

This could not happen now, nor for some time. Will the ping of well intentioned WhatsApp messages, however frequent or beautifully phrased, or short videos of support, have worked in the same way? Will someone cry with you on Zoom? Will it feel the same?

We are currently finding this out the hard way. Bereavement is happening without the warmth of human arms to comfort, no-one to sit with you to make you eat, or just to pass a tissue. Collective celebrations of lives will be replaced by gatherings as small as five, or less. Desires to be buried in a particular place may be impossible.

There is no electronic substitute for the friend who comes round at 3am because you wept incessantly on the phone, or maybe you frightened them with your silence. Some human being prepared to rock you to sleep in your agony of loss.

So what can we do to support the bereaved in these difficult times? Not just the friends and families of the thousands who have died from coronavirus, but also those who were already in the process of mourning? We can reach out in other ways.

Perhaps we could revive the art of the letter. We can pick up the telephone – many of us actually have more time to do so now. We all need to be more imaginative in our support – a DVD or book through the door, a cake on the doorstep.

Here at Cruse we, like so many others, are doing what we can to adapt to the new normal. We cannot presently offer face-to-face support but we are fully trained to provide support over the telephone or on Zoom instead.

While there is no ‘typical’ pattern to bereavement it is often some months after a death when we are contacted. The support of even the most well-intentioned friends and relatives gets patchier after a couple of months. Life calls people back to their own frontlines.

Given the current restrictions on contact it is likely that the help of Cruse may be sought earlier. It is too soon to know.

We are here to support all those struggling with grief at the moment. And we will still be here when all this has passed.

Like the NHS, we will do our utmost to meet any challenge that is presented to us. We understand,  I understand. We must all understand.

Even at two metres apart, there is ample scope for finding ways of expressing empathy and love. 

Do you have a story that you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing james.besanvalle@metro.co.uk

Share your views in the comments below.

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Under-boob is in in a big way when it comes to fashion. Every bikini or crop top of the moment appears to be designed to show lower part of our lactation stations.

But for those of us with larger breasts, this under-boob area can be a nightmare when the temperature rises, with sweat in the area causing patches and making our bras uncomfortable.

Apart from dousing ourselves in antiperspirant before venturing outside there hasn’t been much by way of a solution to under-boob sweat. Until now.

Larger breasted women are hailing this new bra liner as a hero product to solve the problem, and the best part is that it only costs £11 for a pack of six.

Easylife’s cotton bra liners can be purchased from Amazon for £11.08 (including free delivery for Prime members) and have brilliant reviews.

The moisture-wicking fabric is tucked under your bra band and kept in place by the tightness (remember to get measured, folks, it makes all the difference). There are no hooks and eyes, but it stays in place and absorbs any perspiration.

It should help soak up sweat during the day so your bra band doesn’t rub and become sore, as well as stopping those dreaded sweat stains on your t-shirt.

The bands are washable and reusable. Simply give them a hand wash with warm water and a small amount of detergent. Then rinse and leave to dry naturally.

One review on Amazon said: ‘These under bust liners are the best thing ever. If you suffer from sweating under the bust and soreness these are perfect. I was suffering quite badly and these work so well, dry all the time no soreness. Well worth the money.’

Another said: ‘I wish I had known about these before. My underboobs can get as hot as a thousand suns so these are a life saver. It takes seconds to tuck under my bra and they stay put and keep me cool all day.’

Although it appears that the most recent iteration of the heatwave is over, ithere’s the potential of a long, hot summer. So if you’re already pre-empting the sweats, these might be an idea.

Do you have a story you’d like to share?

Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Welcome to Black Owned, a series that celebrates the brilliant Black entrepreneurs doing bits in the UK.

Despite challenges, the community continues to create important and brilliant work – and we’re here to make sure that you know about it.

As luck would have it, we’re kicking off on the inaugural Black Pound Day – a monthly celebration of Black business and financial empowerment.

We kick off the series with a true renaissance woman. Personal trainer Kelechi Okafor is the founder of dance school Kelechnekoff, the star of the Say Your Mind podcast (available on iTunes and Soundcloud), and creator of everyone’s favourite Karen, #SallyfromHR.

With so many strings to her bow, who better to kick off our celebration of Black business brilliance?

Hey Kelechi! Where did the idea for Kelechnekoff come from?

I set up Kelechnekoff in response to the fact that I wasn’t seeing women like myself represented within fitness. There was a story about my interaction with a pole studio in Manchester that went viral because it highlighted how Black women are regularly shunned within dance and fitness.

[Despite the fact that twerk is a dance form that can trace its origins back centuries to traditional dances in West Africa, the studio claimed that Kelechi’s style was ‘basic’ and that twerk was something that Miley Cyrus made popular.]

I knew that a studio of my own would help me to amplify the marginalised voices that are intentionally left out of mainstream representations of fitness and wellness. 

What were you doing before you set up your business?

I have always danced and attended a performing arts school to study musical theatre.  Because dance came naturally to me, I hadn’t considered it as a career – I was solely focused on acting. In Britain, however, the roles for Black women in the acting industry aren’t plentiful so I had to consider what other skills I could utilise.

I decided to become a personal trainer (I’ve always been athletic, competing in the 200m sprint since high school) and was surprised by how easily things flowed from there.  I was able to use social media to draw attention to the disparities I noticed within the wellness industry, which led to all the things I’m doing now. 

Is the fitness industry diverse enough now?

No! It seems to me that the very nature of the ‘ideal body’ is very white-focused. Even within body positivity movements, we find fewer Black activists being celebrated.  

From yoga to weight lifting, the narrative that prevails is that Black people are an anomaly in those spaces. Because of that, they’re celebrated as being a niche rather than the norm on social media, etc.

Your studio is based in Peckham – a traditionally diverse area that is increasingly succumbing to gentrification. How is that having an impact on your business?

Gentrification is a funny one because the dynamic tries to swallow up marginalised communities while claiming to be in awe of the diversity in the areas that get taken over.

The studio has a mix of people attending classes and it is always important for me to assert that oppressive ways of interacting with those deemed as ‘other’ – which is normalised in other fitness spaces – will not be tolerated in mine.  

I regularly write to the government to let them know of oversights that I identify as a Black small business owner. It is important that my voice is heard too because I have a closer proximity to those in the community that gentrification drowns out. 

Has your identity made it harder to get your business off the ground?

Being a Black woman has definitely meant that I’ve faced challenges in setting up and making a success of my business. It also ties in with how vocal I am online about injustice; brands who would normally want to be affiliated with a pole dance fitness studio are cautious of me.

I guess some brands don’t want to address their anti-blackness if it’s not profitable.  

Recognition has been one of the main challenges I’ve faced. Anyone who has been to the studio knows that what I am doing is rare and something worth celebrating. I know that my Blackness makes it difficult for mainstream brands to platform what I do because they’re generally not accustomed to promoting an alternative to the white aesthetic. 

What about your interactions with clients?

Some people are genuinely shocked to find that as a Black pole dance studio owner, I refuse to acquiesce to the random whims of clients. I don’t believe in the customer always being right and I make that clear. To me, it’s an oppressive dynamic that is rooted in anti-Blackness to think that patrons of an establishment (who would historically be white) should always get their way with those serving them (usually Black).  

The studio rules are made clear even before clients arrive and to me, it is an opportunity to teach people how I expect to be treated as a Black woman. Boundaries are important.

What advice do you have for other Black women who are thinking about setting up their own businesses?

I think that Black women should start businesses and truly make themselves seen everywhere. No matter how outlandish your business idea seems, it always seems wild until it’s not. There is a power in calling the shots and defining your own rules, and I want more Black women to have access to that. 

Be clear on who your ideal client is and focus your ethos around them. Be open to tweaking things along the way and most importantly make time for joy and rest. 

What do you wish you’d known about being an entrepreneur before you started on this journey?

I wish I had known how thin the line is between work and play! I have to actively avoid checking emails on the days I say I’m off otherwise that quick email will turn into five emails.  

It is so important to not be entirely consumed by your work. 

You can follow Kelechi’s many ventures on her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

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London’s Pride Parade would’ve taken place today, Saturday 27 June, had it not been for coronavirus.

Still, Pride is much more than one parade – so as the event organisers and attendees look forward to the return of the parade next year, other plans have been put in place to help celebrate Pride within the LGBTQ+ community amid the pandemic.

Here’s what you need to know about when London Pride 2021 will be happening and what you can do to celebrate Pride this year from afar.

When will Pride London 2021 take place?

Pride in London’s official website simply says that the Parade will return in the summer of 2021.

The statement online reads: ‘After careful consideration, the organisers of Pride of London have announced the annual Parade and associated events will be postponed until next year, with the intention it takes place in the summer of 2021.

‘This decision has been taken given the continued uncertainty around COVID-19 in the UK, and after engagement with agencies involved in the planning of the event, including the Greater London Authority and Westminster City Council.’

An official date hasn’t been set yet, but it’s always a Saturday in June – which is Pride month in the UK – followed by UK Black Pride on a Sunday.

Online Pride celebrations for 2020

After postponing the event for 2020, co-chairs of the Pride Parade released a statement saying: ‘While we may not physically see each other in Trafalgar Square, Soho or Piccadilly Circus until 2021, we will continue to bring our communities together digitally via our all-year-round online guide for the capital’s LGBT+ events: Coming Out.

‘We have some fantastic things in the diary already for the next few months, and we’ll be sharing more detail on these in due course so everyone can get involved.’

A line-up of online events has been added to Pride’s Staying In (opposed to coming out, geddit) page.

These include dance workshops, fitness classes, talks, plays and more.

Another online celebration – brought to us by a coalition of UK Black Pride, Amnesty International, ParaPride and Gendered Intelligence with support from Stonewall – is Pride Inside.

Netflix is also getting involved on the action, hosting a star-studded online event on their YouTube channel.

The event will feature LGBTQ+ stars and creatives that appear in the streaming company’s original programming and beyond.

Kicking off on June 30, the broadcast will also tout a charitable component, raising funds for: The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which works to protect and defend the human rights of Black transgender people; OutRight Action International, which fights for LGBTQ+ human rights; and the Trans Justice Funding Project, which supports justice groups run by and for trans people.

The line-up includes Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Queer Eye‘s fab five, Titus Burgess, Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn, Normani, and Drag Race star Trixie Mattel.

During the stream, celebs will reflect on what Pride means to them, and in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Singer and icon Chaka Khan will close out the event with a live performance.

MORE: Pride Week Quiz: How well do you remember these groundbreaking soap LGBTQ+ storylines?

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Assuming you don’t need sunscreen when you’re staying indoors is a trap that’s easy to fall into.

If you’re not sitting outside and bathing in the sun’s damaging rays, you’re all good to skip the sun cream, right?

Well, no. Sorry.

You really do need to wear sunblock every single day – even if you’re not planning to go outside or are spending most of your waking hours working from home in front of a laptop.

This is because the sun can damage your skin even through windows.

‘Standard glass windows block UVB but not UVA rays, which can penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB [rays], [and] are the main contributing factor to photo-aging — which are changes seen as dark spots, wrinkles, and leathery textured skin,’ Joyce Park, a California-based, board-certified dermatologist, tells Allure.

UVA rays can not only lead to signs of ageing, such as sagging skin, wrinkles, and discolouration, but can cause cancer.

That means that even if you’re sitting indoors all day, the natural sunlight streaming in through your windows could be causing all sorts of harm.

The good news is that there’s a (very) easy solution to this alarming issue: wear sunblock.

You can also deck out your windows in special photoprotective films, but that feels like far more effort – and might not be an option for those of us who are renting.

Emma Coleman, a dermatology RGN and the founder of a skincare range, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Sun damage through windows is otherwise known as ambient solar UV radiation and most of us are actually exposed to this radiation throughout our daily routine.

‘Many studies have provided evidence that cumulative and excessive exposure to UV radiation can be one of the causes of skin cancers, skin damage, premature skin ageing and sun-related eye disorders.

‘As a result of this data, there have been some major advances in photoprotection of glass by the development of specially designed photoprotective windows and films.

‘If you are working from home close to a window regularly, and particularly if you have Fitzpatrick skin type I to IV; investing in photo protection and wearing sunscreen on exposed areas including your face, neck, chest, arms and back of your hands is essential to protect your skin from ageing and more serious skin cancer risks.’

It’s worth noting that you must wear sunscreen even if you’re someone who doesn’t burn easily, who doesn’t have any prior skin damage, or someone with darker skin – while lighter skin tones are more at risk, you still need sunblock.

There’s another reason it’s vital to wear sunscreen and keep an eye on your skincare routine when you’re spending your days in front of your laptop screen, and that’s the potential for damage from blue light (HEV) exposure.

There’s no evidence that HEV light – which is also found in natural light, FYI – that we get exposed to through screens can cause skin cancer, but there’s a huge amount of discussion in the world of dermatology about whether blue light from our screens could cause skin damage in the form of premature ageing and discolouration.

Many sunblocks will now include protection from HEV light along with UVA and UVB light, so while there’s far more evidence that the latter two types of light are the ones to worry about, if fears that staring at a screen may be wrecking your skin make you slather on sun protection, that’s a great thing.

Along with the sunblock, you’ll want to keep an eye on how your skin is responding to time spent working from home and treat it accordingly.

But, we repeat, the most important – and easiest – thing you can do to look after your skin is applying sunscreen every single day, even when you’re going to be indoors.

‘Time spent staring at your screen can also affect your facial skin in many ways if it is not appropriately nourished around Zoom calls, virtual team meetings, and internet browsing,’ says Emma. ‘Excessive time spent in front of the screen poses elevated risk of pigmentation; dry, rough skin formation and possibly eczema and psoriasis flare ups.

‘This is partly due to blue light exposure, but actually the feedback I’m getting from clients is that video meetings and calls can be intense and stressful for many people which can also affect the skin.

‘Include some antioxidant moisturiser in your skincare preparation whilst you’re getting ready in the morning.

‘I recommend applying a product with sun protection factor 30 or above for those working from home.’

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It was late in the night on 13 January 2016 and everyone in the house was asleep, except me.

My mind was buzzing, thoughts swirling in my head about everything the next day was due to bring. In just a couple of hours, I would turn 18. No longer a child, I could drink legally, vote and – most importantly to me – have complete autonomy over my life.

In the dark, hiding under the bed covers, I typed out a Facebook status and came out as transgender and non-binary to all of my friends.

I wish I had taken a deep breath, decided what’s done was done and went to sleep. Instead, I panicked.

I had only confided in one friend about my transness, I hadn’t even mentioned it to my parents, who would see the status while scrolling their news feed in the morning, and I was all too aware of the anti-trans rhetoric in the UK, and throughout the world.

So despite being on the brink of adulthood, I ran to my mum and woke her up, my breath short and eyes flooding with tears. Through sobs, I explained what I had done.

‘Well, that was a bit silly, wasn’t it?’ she replied.

Those words, her words still etched into my mind more than four years later, made me doubt everything. Was I trans? What if it was all ‘just a phase’? Was I even queer at all?

I know now that all of these identities are intrinsic to who I am and what I’ve always been but in that moment of panic, I wasn’t sure.

Looking back, I wish I could reassure myself. I knew the moment I pressed send that I had made the correct decision to be true to myself, but such a life changing event made me doubt everything I knew.

I wish those thoughts hadn’t crept into my mind. Perhaps, if they hadn’t I wouldn’t have run to my mum crying because I would have been more sure of myself. I have always been trans, I’m simply being open about it.

I never had the language to understand myself until I was 16, and it was another two years before I felt comfortable to come out, announce different pronouns and change my name.

I’m now a vocal and political queer person. I’m proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community and I’m comfortable and happy as a non-binary person.

I discovered myself thanks to social media, so it seems almost serendipitous to have come out as trans on Facebook

But, like it or not, that Facebook status has become a defining part of my transness. 

It was a spur of the moment decision I made, knowing that I would be an adult the following day, and I massively regret not speaking to my parents about my identity beforehand; I believe it is one of the major reasons they still don’t accept me as trans.

My parents and brother are the only people who still use female pronouns for me and who still use my birth name. 

Every time I see the news; Liz Truss’ regressive bill propositions, JK Rowling’s anti-trans views, the murder of black trans women; or every time someone misgenders me, every time my brother insists transness isn’t real, I’m 17, sat on my mum’s bed, her telling me that coming out was ‘silly’. 

On the other hand, the reactions from my friends – both those who saw the status, the ones that heard through others – was almost exclusively positive. This is something I put down to the fact that people my age were the first to have constant access to the internet as a teenager.

I discovered myself thanks to social media, so it seems almost serendipitous to have come out as trans on Facebook.

By 2016, I had been using social media constantly for around half a decade. I learnt about sexual health on YouTube, learnt about LGBTQ+ identities on Tumblr, and saw openly queer people on Twitter.

Now, I see teenagers come out to parents through the latest queer trends on TikTok, and post selfies on Instagram proudly announcing their sexuality and gender.

I am so jealous of them, that they feel they can come out so openly and freely to all of their followers, not just a select group of Facebook friends.

But coming out on social media is not the end. I came out once on social media, but I come out constantly to people in real life. 

I say I came out in a Facebook status, but being queer is a constant – as is coming out.

I wish I had known that. And I wish my parents accepted my transness. And, after all that, I wish I had just spoken to my family.

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It’s been a while since we last had a trendy pose to master.

Last year we saw the rise of the strandid, the year before was all about Barbie feet, but now the pose you’ll need to add to your Instagram roster is jazz legs.

Jazz legs have nothing to do with leaning over like Barry B Benson and asking your followers if they enjoy jazz (sadly).

Instead this pose, coined by Who What Wear, describes leaning on your back leg and bending at a slight angle, while your front leg remains forward, straight, and with toes pointed.

It looks deeply awkward in real life, and if you were to stand like this in meetings or when hanging out with friends you’d receive some baffled looks, but in photos the pose serves to make your legs look super long.

Once you’re aware of the jazz legs pose, you’ll spot it all over Instagram.

Loads of influencers, models, and fashion types have been using it, with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley an early (and frequent) adopter.

Outfit-wise, you can do this pose wearing whatever you like, but if you’re keen to put the focus on your legs it’s a great way to do so.

Your shoes need to be great, though, as your front leg will be showing them off.

Make sure to practice in the mirror for a while before attempting the jazz legs pose for your next photo.

Yes, it will feel absolutely absurd, and that’s why it’s worth rehearsing alone rather than experiencing the embarrassment of your Instagram husband asking what on earth you’re doing with your body and why you’re taking such a long time.

This is also not the pose to do in public spaces – unless you’re very confident and immune to laughter from passersby.

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Eyes down, dabbers up – today, 27 June, is National Bingo Day.

Despite its reputation as something of a senior citizen pastime, the game has always had a special place in British culture and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon, with fans including the likes of Matthew McConaughey.

And when you can become a millionaire from playing the game, who wouldn’t fancy a chance?

Even though technically National Bingo Day is only being marked in the US, today is still a great excuse to learn who came up with bingo and how it became so popular in the UK.

How did bingo start?

It’s difficult to trace a definite origin of bingo, but most stories suggest that the game first began in Italy, originating from their traditional lottery game ‘Il Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia’ in the 1500s.

From there, the game was picked up by wealthy Frenchmen in the 1700s, who played a version known as ‘Le Lotto.’

This version featured 27 squares, laid out in three rows and nine columns. With numbers from 1-90 randomly arranged in the boxes, it’s this iteration that has grown into the game played in bingo halls and online today.

Like today’s version, ‘Le Lotto’ saw a caller pick a wooden number token and read the number out loud.

If players had this number on their card, they’d cover it and the first to cover an entire horizontal line would be crowned the winner.

The term bingo – and the act of yelling out bingo when you had a full line – was thought to come from North America.

A traveller and toymaker, Edwin Lowe, saw people playing the game as it had grown from Le Lotto, in which they’d try to cover a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally with beans once the number had been called out.

When the lines were full, they shouted ‘beano!’

He decided to make his own version of the game, introducing it to friends in New York using a rubber numbering stamp, a card board and dried beans.

As the game grew in popularity, it’s said that someone excitedly yelled Bingo instead of beano – and the bingo we know today was born.

Can bingo halls open on 4 July?

For anyone missing the game, Mecca – one of the biggest Bingo companies in the UK – confirmed 36 of their halls will reopen on 4 July.

The rest will have a staggered reopening throughout July and August.

Jonathon Swaine, managing director of retail at Mecca Bingo, said: ‘We want to reassure the Mecca Bingo community that we are working together to take every precaution necessary to create a safe environment in which to play the nation’s favourite game.

‘We’re also investing in new entertainment formats in our clubs, to give everyone even better experiences. We are excited to reopen our doors, welcome back our communities and hear “House” called once again.’

The list of Mecca halls reopening can be found here.

Where did the bingo calls come from and what are some common bingo calls?

As the game was quickly picked up and became a popular pastime in the UK, we put our own spin on it.

The numbers got nicknames, given to them through a combination of rhyming slang, historical references (for example – number 9 is Doctor’s Orders, because that was the slang given to laxatives by the troops) and tongue-in-cheek references.

To this day, bingo callers will call the numbers out in their own way – and it’s become something of a twee tradition.  

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One in five matches made on Tinder are queer, according to a report from the app.

To celebrate Pride, and to mark one year of their Orientation feature, which allows users to list how they identify their sexuality, Tinder has analysed a load of behavioural data to form a study into how younger people are dating.

The team at the dating app wanted to look specifically at how Gen Z – that’s 18 to 25 year olds – are interacting in the world of love and sex.

Alongside looking at how people use the app, Tinder also commissioned a survey of 3,453 18-25 year olds.

They found that Gen Z – the age group that makes up the majority of Tinder’s members – were the most likely to use the Orientations feature, are more likely to include a sexual orientation on their profile, and are more likely to include more than one orientation – such as ticking ‘demisexual’ as well as ‘gay’.

The Orientation feature allows people to select up to three of nine orientations: straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, demisexual, pansexual, queer and questioning.

A rising orientation selection among this age range was found to be the combination of questioning and straight, suggesting that people are using the app as a way to test out the boundaries of how they identify.

Gen Z were also found to be more open to dating different genders than Tinder users were just three years ago, with one in three saying they would be open to expanding their gender preferences for matches.

One fifth also said they would be open to trying polyamory.

In terms of personality, the key characteristics for this age group are authenticity, humour, and politeness. Interesting.

As part of their announcement of the report’s findings, Tinder also stated the app will expand its More Genders features globally in the coming months, allowing users to identify from more than 30+ genders – which, again, is more likely to be used by Gen Z than millennials.

Elie Seidman, the CEO of Tinder, said: ‘At Tinder, we believe everyone deserves to feel seen, which starts with the ability to authentically be yourself. That’s why we introduced both the Orientation and More Genders features.

‘Our younger members, Gen Z, are leading the way to a more inclusive world and we know that with our scale, we can help make a difference with our product. We can’t wait to release these features to more people around the world.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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The best part of a carvery roast dinner is the self-service element; being able to pile your plate high with potatoes and Yorkshire puddings without judgement.

However, that shame-free life might become a thing of the past, as the country’s biggest chain offering these roast dinners has made a big change.

Toby Carvery will be reopening their doors on 4 July in line with government guidelines, also introducing a number of safety and hygiene measures.

As well as deep cleaning and a change of opening hours and menus, there will no longer be self-service in Toby locations, with the company’s website saying: ‘We will reopen our Carvery Deck with our chefs serving the roast meats, vegetables and accompaniments to you at the deck.’

It’s obviously not the end of the world. Instead, we’ll just have to ask the chef for an unholy amount of food rather than placing it on our own plate.

But, like the death of the hotel breakfast buffet, it is a small, silly, and yet still sad loss.

‘There will be some changes to our normal style of service ensuring everyone is safe but you can rest assured that everyone will still get a special Toby Carvery welcome,’ the restaurant chain continued.

Some people don’t seem to agree, though, with tweets about the decision suggesting that the unique selling point of a carvery is the self-service itself.

‘That’s not a carvery then is it,’ one person commented, while another said: ‘Nah f*** off you just know they’re gonna just drop the 2 roasties on your plate.’

It appears to have gotten political too, with Labour & Co-op MP for Nottingham North and Shadow Public Health Minister Alex Norris tweeting a crying emoji reacting to the change.

While we know it’s for our safety, and we’d rather have fewer roasties on our plate, we’re still sad to lose the unbridled joy that comes with being a Sunday glutton.

Hopefully the measure will also reduce waste – not that that’s ever an issue for many of us. But we have to find silver linings where we can.

Let’s just hope that the serving staff aren’t too overcritical of our eating habits when dishing up.

Do you have a story you’d like to share?

Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Systemic racism fuels just about every institution and sector of Western society. Our cities were built with slavery money, schools are rife with discrimination and social media is a hotbed of whitewashing and blatant racism.

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise to learn that the environmental field is just as problematic as any other industry. Think of an environmentalist and someone like Chris Packham or David Attenborough might come to mind. Blonde vegans head up the online environmental charge. Where are the Black voices?

To tackle the lack of diversity and representation, 25 Black environmental leaders have written a letter to demand an end to the ‘systemic and pervasive racism within the environmental field’.

Published by the Sierra Club, the letter claims that people of African descent in Africa, the US and Europe are being undermined by white supremacy. Systemic racism exists in the attitudes of environmental organisations and their staff, in the negative narratives around Black people and their relationship with nature, and in access and rights to land.

Nature-related health disparities, lack of funding and exploitative partnerships ‘which serve to tick boxes and manage a continued dominance’ are also responsible for marginalising Black voices.

It goes on to call for an ‘acknowledgment of the historical and current injustices within the environmental field which are rooted in a history of eugenics and white supremacy’. These have excluded Black people from nature – resulting in a loss of knowledge and a disintegration in the relationship they have with the earth.

The letter proposes a number of strategies for eradicating racism within the environmental field including:

• Education on the role of racism within the history of the environmental movement
• Having honest conversations about the beliefs and attitudes of environmental organisations and staff towards Black people and communities
• Value the knowledge systems and the experience of Black communities and practitioners
• Support processes ensuring communities have a right to access wildlife spaces
• Re-evaluate funding priorities to help democratise the environmental space, and enable support for black perspectives and Black led projects
• Address inequity within decision making processes with regard to funding, policy and field approaches
• Prevent disparities in the contamination of the environment in Black residential areas
• Temper competitiveness when projects would be best led by local/Black communities – with better resourcing
• Develop new ways of doing business and forming partnerships that are respectful
• Support and strengthen Black institutions

The letter continues by addressing specific issues on funding, environmental justice, negative narratives and the dire lack of partnerships between environmental organisations and Black-led initiatives. A lack of Black people high enough up the food chain in mainstream organisations has created a ‘green insiders club’, the letter says – gatekeeping through which Black people have to apply to participate in decision making.

A lack of funding and racist laws and attitudes have further been designed to keep Black people away from wildlife and better quality natural areas. The letter says that ‘the same are used to justify areas in which a high proportion of Black people live being targeted for the placing of toxic waste and industrial processing plants.

‘In countries where people of African descent are the minority, they experience nature-related health disparities, suffering higher levels of pollution and degraded environments. In African countries where there are large white settler populations, as a result of colonialism, Africans experience exclusions from land, water and other natural resources and greater exposure to pollution.’

The letter has been signed by the great and good of the Black environmental sphere, including Beth Collier, director of Wild in the City, Jacqueline Patterson, senior direct of NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice, and Dr Modecai Ogada, director of Conservation Solutions Afrika.

You can read the letter here.

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To anyone who identifies within the LGBTQ+ community, happy Pride month!

Today, Saturday 27 June, would’ve been the official Pride parade in London and while that can’t go ahead because of coronavirus, there are still ways you can join in the celebrations online.

If you want to theme your next lockdown Zoom quiz to honour the community, here are some questions to use.

Q: What year were the Stonewall Riots?
A: 1969

Q: Which country was the first to lawfully establish same sex marriage?
A: The Netherlands

Q: When was the first Pride in the UK?
A: 1 July 1972

Q: When was homosexuality legalised in the UK?
A: 1967

Q: What was the name of the radical queer organization founded by New York City transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in 1970?
A: S.T.A.R – the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries group

Q: Which US politician, who was openly gay, was fundamental in defeating Proposition 6, which would’ve made it illegal for members of the queer community to teach in schools?
A: Harvey Milk

Q: Now a famous talk show host, which TV personality played the first starring character on a TV sitcom to come out as a lesbian?
A: Ellen DeGeneres

Q: Contrary to what Sam Smith previously said, who was the first out gay person to win an Oscar?
A: Sir John Gielgud

Q: Billy Porter made history, becoming the first gay black man to win an Emmy. What show did he win his Emmy for?
A: Pose

Q: America’s first transgender statue celebrates and honours which activists from the Stonewall Riots?
A: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

Q: When was the first same-sex marriage performed in the UK?
A: 29 March 2014

Q: ‘A friend of — who?’  is an affectionate euphemism for a homosexual man?
A: Dorothy

Q: Which dance craze made mainstream by gay icon Madonna originated in the LGBTQ+ underground ball culture?
A: Voguing

Q: The first pre-watershed lesbian kiss in the UK took place on which soap in 1994?
A: Brookside

Q: A 2016 BBC Radio 5 Live survey found that __ % of football supporters would have no issue with their club signing a gay player?
A: 82%

Q: In which year was the age of consent equalized for LGBTQ+ people in the UK?
A: 2001

Q: When was the red ribbon (the solidarity symbol for people living with HIV/AIDS) introduced?
A: 1991

Q: Which popular US sitcom aired the first lesbian wedding on TV?
A: Friends

Q: Chaz Bono is a successful actor and media personality. When he appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2011, it was the first time a trans man had appeared on a major network reality show. Who is his famous mother?
A: Cher

Q: Whose funeral took place on 27 June, the night before the Stonewall Riots, which some have long reported heightened the emotions and spurred many to join the fight?
A: Judy Garland

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MORE: Pride makes me proud to be Welsh and gay

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Villanelle is one of the undisputed style icons of the 21st century, somehow pulling off everything from children’s pyjamas to clown outfits with aplomb.

They styling of costume designers Phoebe de Gaye, Sam Perry, and Charlotte Mitchell along with Jodie Comer’s unflappably cool acting are a winning combination, and it’s no surprise that Vogue dubbed Killing Eve ‘the most fashionable show on TV’.

To recreate the sartorial assassin’s looks you’d normally need to part with a lot of cash, with designers like Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, and Burberry staples for Villanelle.

But there’s a pretty great dupe on the UK high street that you can get your hands on right now, reimagining one of Villanelle’s most iconic looks.

One of the outfits that cemented the character’s position as a fashion afficionado was a Molly Goddard tulle pink dress, with pictures of Jodie Comer standing in Paris’s Place Vendôme in season one episode eight sweeping the internet.

The original dress was ordered directly from the designer herself, and Molly Goddard does have a similar version – in all it’s pouffy, frothy glory – available – if you can afford the £408 sale price.

For the rest of us, though, this H&M number will have to suffice, and for £19.99, we can play dress up without being on a hired killer’s salary.

H&M’s puff-sleeved cotton dress (as the name would suggest) is made of cotton rather than tulle but uses the stiffness of the fabric to create the volume of the original.

The dropped hem midi is a pleasing candy pink and long enough so you can wear it for picnics and work without flashing your knickers.

Unlike some mesh Killing Eve copycats you also don’t need to worry about suitable undergarments for the see-through fabric.

If you want to make your silhouette more feminine you could always accessorise with a waist belt, but Villanelle would wear it as is – just with some clompy boots and an unfussy top knot to pull it all together.

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