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Justin Bieber Pays Tribute To Drake & Khalid’s New Tune With $425,000 Lamborghini Flex
Justin Bieber Pays Tribute To Drake & Khalid’s New Tune With $425,000 Lamborghini Flex

Justin Bieber may be many things. An iconic singer, a budding fashion designer, a happy-clapper… One thing he is not, however, is a fashion stylist, as his latest Instagram video underscores.

Currently enjoying a road trip across the United States with his wife Hailey, the Canadian singer seems to be living the life of Riley. They’ve been taking some time off to refocus on their marriage, as well as escaping the hellscape that is COVID-19, no doubt.

Bieber recently released his fifth studio album, Changes, which has been going gangbusters on the charts. Perhaps it’s that musical success that’s inspired him to get yet another Lamborghini… And maybe he’s still in holiday mode, which would explain his low-key fashion choices.

Earlier this afternoon, Justin shared a clip, filmed by Hailey, of the two enjoying a joyride behind the wheel of a bright yellow A$425,000 Lamborghini Huracán Spyder. Blasting Drake and DJ Khaled’s latest single POPSTAR, Hailey can be seen in smart casual garb with a Rolex Datejust while Justin’s wearing a baseball cap, hoodie and trackies.

Drake featured on fellow Canadian Justin’s track Right Here from his third album Believe (Drake was also in the music video for Bieber’s infamous 2010 single Baby), and Bieber has also collaborated with DJ Khaled on songs I’m The One and No Brainer.

 

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The juxtaposition of Hailey’s bling and Justin’s fancy whip with his somewhat slovenly appearance is remarkable, and more than a little infuriating. The man can dress well, but maybe he left his stylist back home.

Of course, the alternative is, Bieber simply does not give a f*ck what the paparazzi might think (which is fair enough too).

Biebs’ fans don’t seem to mind his overly relaxed style. Dig through the literally thousands of aspiring rappers and models asking for follows in the comments of that Instagram post, and you’ll find a comment from fellow musician Jaden Smith gushing “this video is a movie.”

It’s not 100% clear whether the car’s actually Bieber’s, or if he’s just renting it. He actually got arrested in 2014 after allegedly drag racing a similar-looking yellow Lamborghini Gallardo in Miami Beach.

But the roadster’s not the real story here. A flashy sports car might seem impressive, but it’s got nothing on what’s definitely part of his fleet: a luxurious custom Prevost Marathon RV, which start at AU $2 million. It’s not quite as glamorous as a Lambo, but a hell of a lot more extravagant (and comfortable). Bieber shared a photo of the motor home earlier today, too, which lends more credibility to the renting angle.

 

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Wearing a hoodie and trackies might be okay when you’re relaxing in your million-dollar RV, but it’s not the most appropriate thing to wear out on the town (unless you’re a multi-million dollar celebrity with a VIP pass). The hoodie’s one of Justin’s own creations – a signature piece from his Drew House clothing label, worth A$280. Mr and Ms Bieber often share photos of themselves decked out in Drew House apparel.

Promoting your own clothes makes sense, we just wish Justin released a button-up shirt alongside the swathes of baggy hoodies and t-shirts he’s putting out. Or maybe he’s just trying to appeal to the ‘slacker’ market (although with triple-figure pricetag hoodies, we’re not sure how successful he’ll be).

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The post Justin Bieber Pays Tribute To Drake & DJ Khaled's New Tune With $425,000 Lamborghini Flex appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Travellers Reveal The Wildest Things They’ve Done While Globetrotting Solo
Travellers Reveal The Wildest Things They’ve Done While Globetrotting Solo

From wild Columbian parties to wayward grandparents on wheelchairs there are a lot of incidents which have left an impression on the solo travellers of the world. And though a recent study smashed the Twain-ian trope that travel “is fatal to prejudice” (it suggested travel doesn’t neccessarily open minds as much as we like to think), a trending Reddit thread (posted yesterday) in the r/solotravel community comes to Twain’s support.

How? A group of solo travellers are currently opening up about the moments that have stuck with them most, and it suggests at least a little warping of minds.

From the absurd to the thought-provoking, here’s a smattering of the best answers to the question, “What is the most interesting thing you have observed while traveling solo?”.

In true Reddit style, the answers go beyond responding to the question and branch out into anecdotal territory (i.e. travellers not just talking about what they’ve observed but what they’ve done). But hey: that just makes it even more interesting.

Here are the wildest things solo travellers have seen or done on their trips.

 

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Seeing an old man bombing it through Amsterdam in a wheelchair

To start us off is a doozy: one solo traveller recounts an experience so absurd it would make Camus clap. “In Amsterdam,” the Reddit user recalls, “I was sitting at an outside cafe having a beer midday next to a street for pedestrians.”

“This older gentleman in an automated wheelchair, going at least 20 mph yelling and swerving through pedestrians, ended up on two wheels for a few feet. Thought he was going over but he righted himself and kept going. The Russians at the table next to me where hootin n hollerin the whole time!”

“One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.”

Meeting people who judge you

“I am a married woman with a couple of kids and the most interesting part of traveling solo is how many people are visibly appalled that I would leave my children for a week or so” one user relates. “’Who is watching the kids’ is a question I’ve answered more times than I can count.”

“My husband, their dad, is ‘watching’ them, also known as ‘parenting.’”

Meeting people who assume your age should prohibit you from travelling

“I always explain that for me to be the best father I can possibly be, I need some selfish time. It works for our family but I know I still get heavily judged for this,” one user says.

Another parent had a similar problem, writing, “I say something similar – my kids and husband get the best version of me when I am able to take some time to myself to do things that I truly love.”

“A week of being selfish now and then seems reasonable considering how much of ourselves we give to our families.”

Seeing landscapes eerily similar to ones you’ve seen before

“The Ethiopian highlands look exactly like the Scottish highlands. It’s uncanny. Heather and clover everywhere,” is one of this thread’s top voted comments.

It’s also not the only one which picks up on this trend: “Bro i truly think there’s only so many unique formations on earth, especially to the average person’s short attention span/eye,” writes another.

“Cliffs in Ireland look like cliffs in Portugal look like cliffs in Iceland. I had more examples of these sorts of things when I was travelling more, but defo something I noticed.”

“When most people say x y or z is truly unique and unlike anything else it’s oftentimes because they’ve just not traveled much.”

“Doesn’t make it any less beautiful or awe inspiring, but not necessarily one of a kind/the only place you can experience/see something like it.”

Being solicited for ‘services’ in Colombia

“I was drunk, walking in Medellin looking for my friends at like 2am, in the club area (Parque Lleras),” one user’s tale begins.

“I asked some girls if they had seen a group of gringos walk by, and one said something in spanish like ‘why? We are all the company you need’. I sat on the bench next to them and they tried to talk to me for a bit but my spanish was shit at the time.”

“Eventually one handed me her phone with the notepad out with a ‘menu’ on it with prices etc.”

“I [enjoyed the company of] 3 girls for about an hour then they started asking for more money so I gave them however many pesos I had left in cash (not much like $50 CAD) and we continued for a bit, then I was done and exhausted and scared of getting robbed so I went back to my Airbnb as the sun was coming up and went to sleep.”

“It’s legal there,” the user claims, “so I’m not worried about posting this here, but of course your results may vary and proceed at your own risk.”

Being asked for weird favours

“An Egyptian customs official asked me to give him a pack of gum he found in my luggage.”

Being asked for pictures

“Literally dozens of Indians, sometimes in groups of 10 or more, asked to take their picture with me.”

Being robbed by monkeys

“Monkeys in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, jumped onto my head, trying to steal my glasses. Twice.”

Being logistically screwed (but pleasantly surprised) by local customs or events

“[I went to] Sevilla and Granada during Semana Santa,” our final user writes. “Unreal, but also made arrival in Sevilla and the walk to the hostel a nightmare.”

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The post Crazy Travel Stories: Solo Travellers Reveal The Wildest Experiences They’ve Had On The Road appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Ultra-Rare 80s BMW Wagon Listing Could Be Your Only Chance To Own One In Australia
Ultra-Rare 80s BMW Wagon Listing Could Be Your Only Chance To Own One In Australia

The E30 is one of the most highly regarded and desirable motoring enthusiast’s cars of all time. And this rare example might be the most desirable incarnation of the E30 available in Australia.

Blessed with impeccable 80s styling, superb handling, amazing engines and oodles of charm, the E30 is widely considered the ultimate ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’.

The second generation of BMW’s popular 3 Series, the E30 was produced for 12 years from 1982 to 1994. You could get it in a few different flavours: as a 2-door coupé or convertible, a 4-door sedan (the ‘most E30 E30‘) or the rarest option, a 5-door wagon. The E30 was also the generation of the 3 Series that introduced the M3 (a car we reckon might be the straight-up GOAT).

The wagon option, the E30 Touring, wasn’t even available in Australia, meaning the only ones kicking about are rare imports. Like this one on sale in Rosebery, near Sydney’s CBD.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And to many, this is prettier than a Porsche 911. Image: Carsales

You may ask, ‘why are you going so mad for a station wagon?’ Don’t get it twisted: this E30 might look like a boxy Volvo estate from the same era but it’s anything but. In many ways, this is the perfect E30: E30s are supposed to be the perfect car to own if you can only have one car. The practicality of the wagon body style combined with the performance credentials of the E30 family… It’s a match made in heaven.

This particular Bavarian beauty spent the first 10 years of its life in the UK until its owner brought it with him to Sydney on a job transfer. It was then sold to a well-known Sydney E30 enthusiast/BMW specialist, who extensively refurbished & upgraded to its present impeccable standard, the owner relates.

With 201,000 miles on the clock (yes, miles – it has the original British-spec odometer), this car’s definitely been well-loved. Until recently, E30s were a relatively cheap entry point into the world of performance car ownership, so most examples (particularly the 2-door variants) tend to be a bit thrashed. Prices have soared in recent years, however.

This wagon’s condition speaks for itself, with everything in A1 condition. It’s mostly original with only a few tasteful modifications, including the houndstooth seat inserts (very 80s), an aftermarket head unit, Mtech2 leather steering wheel, and an A/C upgrade to better suit Australian conditions.

Under the hood, it’s packing the biggest version of the high-revving BMW M40 SOHC inline-four good for 84kW (113hp). The M40 engine is one of the best things about the car – despite being an entry-level motor, its a linear power band and aggressive engine note make it one of the most fun engines BMW ever made.

And that’s the whole point of the E30. It’s an honest, cool, fun car to drive. Part of its appeal comes from the reversal of expectations it engenders in anyone who drives one: it looks like a normal 80s car but when you put your foot down it surprises you.

And the wagon might be the purest expression of that. The extra boot space makes it even more practical, and enhances that counter-intuitive enjoyment factor.

Even more room for activities! Image: Carsales

To be honest, we could spend all day writing about this car. It’s that good. What we can’t do is go out and buy it, because that would be unfair, right? To wax lyrical about how great the bloody thing is and then not give you the chance to buy it?

It’s listed on Carsales right now for $39,900. Go on, buy it before we do. We can only resist temptation for so long.

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The post BMW e30 Estate Wagon For Sale In Australia appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Expert’s ‘Damning’ 2024 Prediction A Huge Blow For Australian Travellers
Expert’s ‘Damning’ 2024 Prediction A Huge Blow For Australian Travellers

Global air travel is bouncing back more like a slug than a basketball. It’s now so splat that – despite the Australian government’s recent hint that international flights could return to Australia as early as January 2021 – the trade association for the airline industry has predicted we won’t return to pre-pandemic air travel levels until 2024.

The International Air Transport Association announced this yesterday, pushing back their original prediction (2023) by one year, amid the slow containment of the outbreak in the U.S. and in developing countries.

The industry is seeing a bounce back when compared to the hard shutdown in April, but IATA chief economist Brian Pearce told media the increase was, in the scheme of things, “barely visible.”

Pearce said that air travel is not rebounding in step with the rising levels of business confidence in Europe, the US and China.

As AP reports, “Traffic was down 86.5% in June from the same month a year ago, compared with a drop of 94.1% in April, measured as revenue passenger kilometers, or the distance traveled by all revenue-generating passengers.”

That improvement is “nowhere near the increase in business confidence,” according to Pearce.

With the travel industry both in Australia and abroad also being fettered by weak consumer confidence (and sliced and diced travel budgets), this IATA prediction has caused Australians with itchy feet to express their dismay on Twitter.

Some bemoaned their wasted wanderlust years, while others (Pedestrian TV) took the chance to get their pun on.

Others pointed out we might be trying to run before we can walk, as we haven’t yet figured out how to reopen our borders yet, let alone return to normal levels of visitors.

An Australian man also commented on the irony of the situation…

… while an American man proved it’s not just Aussies who are upset by this news.

A statement the IATA has released in relation to their 2024 prediction helps sum the situation up: “There is little sign of virus containment in many important emerging economies, which in combination with the U.S., represent around 40% of global air travel markets. Their continued closure, particularly to international travel, is a significant drag on recovery.”

As AP reports, “Despite parking many of their planes, airlines are struggling to fill seats with enough people to make money. Planes were only 62.9% full on domestic flights around the world, well below levels at which airlines make money, and an abysmal 38.9% for international travel.”

In other words: unless you can make it to Bermuda and take the Caribbean island up on its new remote work offer, you’re likely to be scratching your itchy feet at home for the immediate future.

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The post Travel Predicitions: Expert’s 2024 Prediction Sends Australian Travellers Into A Spin appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Omega Charts A New Course With ‘Racy’ Speedmaster Collaboration
Omega Charts A New Course With ‘Racy’ Speedmaster Collaboration

From the stars to the sea: OMEGA’s latest edition of their popular Speedmaster adds another chapter to the model’s sporting history through a collaboration with one of the world’s leading yacht racing syndicates.

Watches and yacht racing go together like champagne and Formula One. Yacht racing is a luxurious and cosmopolitan yet intense sport: while yacht crews themselves are true athletes, the yacht clubs and syndicates that back them are million-dollar businesses. The stakes are high, and racers demand the precision and durability that only the best watchmakers in the world can produce.

Alinghi is one of these high-powered yacht syndicates. Set up by Italian-Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, Alinghi is a decorated venture that includes in its list of accolades winning the 2003 and 2007 America’s Cups; 8 times D35 Trophy, 7 times Bol d’Or and 4 times Extreme Sailing Series winner; plus is the 2019 GC32 World Champion and GC32 Racing Tour winner.

A decorated Swiss yacht team and a decorated Swiss watchmaker seem like natural partners, then. Enter the OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Alinghi: a very sporty, highly technical incarnation of the famous ‘moonwatch’ that any skipper would die to get their hands on.

Red makes watches go faster. That’s just science. Image: OMEGA

It’s intriguing that Alinghi decided to collaborate on a Speedmaster as opposed to one of OMEGA’s more nautical models like the Seamaster. But it actually makes a lot of sense: the Dark Side of the Moon version of the Speedmaster, made from black ceramic as opposed to steel, is lighter and not prone to rust. The manual-winding Calibre 1865 movement is ideal for sailing crews due to its lighter and thinner design, and makes its first appearance in this watch.

The strap on the Alinghi Speedmaster is worth noting: similar to straps found on other racing editions of the Speedmaster, it features supple perforated leather with a coloured rubber interior. It’s an innovative design that combine the comfort and class of a leather strap but with additional durability, pliability and breathability, that also gives the perforations subtle flashes of colour from the rubber midsection – perfect for sailing.

Design-wise, the watch also features black carbon and honeycomb designs that evoke Alinghi’s boats as a key motif. Pride of place at 6 o’clock is the red Alinghi logo, which is meant to represent two boats churning the seas before the start of a match race. The logo rotates on the watch when the chronograph function is used. A unique feature of the watch is that it has no dial architecture – the main plate of the movement is visible.

It’s an awesome, ‘murdered-out’ version of one of the most iconic watches of all time. Need we say more?
A veritable trophy in of itself. Image: OMEGA

Technical Specifications

  • ref: 311.92.44.30.01.002
  • 44.25mm black zirconium oxide ceramic case
  • Black ceramic bezel, engraved with tachymeter in Super-LumiNova and varnish
  • Domed sapphire crystal and sapphire caseback
  • Movement: OMEGA Calibre 1865
  • Power reserve: ~48 hours
  • 50m water resistant
  • 16,500 AUD (~11,800 USD)

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The post OMEGA Speedmaster Alinghi: Watchmaker Charts A New Course With Sublime Collaboration appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Experts Reveal The Changes Business Class Passengers Need To Be Ready For In 2021
Experts Reveal The Changes Business Class Passengers Need To Be Ready For In 2021

Did lie-flat travel peak in 2021? We saw Qantas offer Australians the chance to fly to Bali in luxury, leaps and bounds in the premium economy, business and first class spaces, and several spine-tingling predictions for the future.

Then The Bat Kiss sucked the life out of ~travel~.

Now frequent flyers are staying put for all but the most essential reasons, and even those that have flown up the pointy end in recent months have reported a “confusing” experience. To put it mildly, the future is uncertain.

We’ve already seen some indicators of how business class might change coming out of these times (Qantas has pulled the self serve buffet from its lounge, Qatar Airways has given cabin crew Hazmat suits and Emirates have launched a COVID testing service, to name just three).

To understand more, DMARGE spoke to two prolific business class flyers (who are more immersed in the industry than almost anyone), to get a fuller take on what changes business class travellers should be ready for when borders open up again.

Immanuel Debeer, founder of Flight Hacks, told DMARGE “full service food and drinks” may be on the chopping block: “Enjoying full service (food & drinks) was definitely something I took for granted. Many airlines are now cost-cutting with the excuse of ‘safety’, however, I fail to see how limiting food and drinks in business and first-class will help with safety concerns.”

“I feel it will be some time before we see normality return to the skies and until then, even the most expensive tickets will feature barebone amenities.”

Adele Eliseo, points hacker and publisher of The Champagne Mile also pointed this out: “The crippling effects of Covid-19 have also seen many airlines look to cut costs – at the pointy end of the plane, this might include cheaper wine, less illustrious ingredients and restricted meal service.”

That said, Immanuel said there will also, “surely” be some upsides, as “overall cleaning standards” are set to improve and people are now realising that social distancing is nice in more way than one.

“There’s really nothing more annoying than space invaders when you’re flying so maybe people will become more aware of their fellow travelers.”

On top of that, Immanuel told DMARGE the laissez faire business class culture may come under increased attack in the following years: “There’s definitely a lot of ‘flight shaming’ going on these days.”

“Right now international travel (at least for Australians) is purely out of necessity, I haven’t seen anyone who managed to escape for a holiday. On a domestic level, it depends on the state where you live. Here in Western Australia we’re stuck in our big bubble and life continues semi-normal, local tourism is booming and flights to warmer destinations north of the state are super busy,” Immanuel told us.

“In Europe tourism has picked up again too, I see many of my friends enjoying European summer without the mass tourism; probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the most famous landmarks without having to share it with the rest of the world! However, I don’t see the overall luxury travel culture change. There are a lot of people patiently waiting until we can travel again and no doubt they will want to catch up on everything they missed out on.”

Breezing through airport security might become trickier in the coming years, too, even for pointy end passengers. As points hacker Adele told DMARGE, “For elite travellers, the streamlined experience of arriving at the airport, fast tracking through security into an exclusive lounge and then seamlessly boarding the plane is likely a thing of the past.”

“The need to maintain social distancing will see the check-in and boarding process carried out much more slowly. As we move towards international travel, we might see a range of safeguards put in place – think temperature checks and additional screening.”

“Once on the plane,” Adele predicts, “personalised interaction will likely be limited, with cabin crew aiming to minimise exposure to passengers. Onboard lounges and spaces such as the iconic business and first class bar onboard the Emirates A380 will likely be shuttered as airlines look to implement minimise interaction between passengers and crew.”

Let’s just pray there’s still hope for the business class slammer.

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The post Experts Reveal The Changes Business Class Passengers Need To Be Ready For In 2021 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Jessica Chastain One Ups Stanley Tucci In ‘Controversial’ At-Home Celebrity Cocktail Game
Jessica Chastain One Ups Stanley Tucci In ‘Controversial’ At-Home Celebrity Cocktail Game

2020 has been bleak for most of us, but for bon vivants it’s been an unexpected blessing, as Hollywood actress Jessica Chastain has shown this week.

The Pandemic has turned us all into homebodies – pubs and clubs are closed; social distancing means you can’t have big parties or gather in large groups; and working from home means we don’t have much time to relax anyway. But enjoying a drink or two in the comfort of your own home? That’s another story.

A recent report by the Australian National University has come to a conclusion no doubt you’ve arrived at yourself: Australians are drinking more during lockdown. Maybe it’s because alcohol is a disinfectant (but don’t go drinking hand sanitiser, you mongrel). Perhaps it’s because the stress of lockdown has got us reaching for the bottle.

Regardless, many around Australia and the world (cue: this video of New Yorkers sipping cocktails as protests rage in the background) have taken advantage of The Bat Kiss to scrub up on their home cocktail-making skills – celebrities included.

Enter: American actress and producer Jessica Chastain, who shared a hilarious video of her making ‘cocktails’ at home, serving up Teremana tequila and lime to her house guests on a glorious Californian summer’s day last Friday 24th – highly appropriate, seeing as the 24th of July was National Tequila Day.

With Australia in the grips of winter and facing a second round of lockdowns, we’re pretty envious of Chastain’s party. Rounds of fine tequila while relaxing in the pool? It’s not exactly traditional (we’d argue drinking tequila anywhere other than a dodgy dive bar defies convention) but damn – sounds fun.

Teremana is a brand of small-batch tequila founded by action star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson that’s fast become a favourite of tequila aficionados. The Rock was clearly pleased to see Chastain share an unofficial endorsement for his new business venture, reposting her video with a friendly caption.

Big Teremana toast 🥃 and big bear hug to my buddy and spirit animal Jessica Chastain. Next Chastain summer groove, I’m crashing this party and bringing my pick up truck, french toast and wildly inappropriate jokes 🤣Cheers, y’all 🤙🥃

We’re not sure how much mixology is required to make Chastain’s ‘quarantinis’, but we wouldn’t turn down a sip. As we mentioned, she’s also giving fellow actor Stanley Tucci a run for his money, who courted controversy earlier this year sharing his ‘sacrilegious’ Negroni recipe on social media.

Salud, Jess.

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The post Jessica Chastain One Ups Stanley Tucci In ‘Controversial’ At-Home Celebrity Cocktail Game appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Kanye West’s Latest Breakdown Proves America’s Attitude To Men’s Mental Health Needs To Change
Kanye West’s Latest Breakdown Proves America’s Attitude To Men’s Mental Health Needs To Change

Musician, fashion designer and would-be presidential candidate Kanye West’s public mental health breakdown – and the ongoing media furore surrounding it – shows how we still have a long way to go when it comes to discussing men’s mental health.

Men these days are more open about their struggles with mental health than ever before, and the dialogue in society about men’s mental health seems to be shifting. Yet there’s still a widespread reluctance among men to discuss mental health, and those who are open are still targets for ridicule.

West has never been afraid to speak his mind. In 2018, West made a very public admission of his bipolar disorder by releasing his eighth studio album ye, which album cover reads “I hate being bipolar / it’s awesome”, and has many tracks discussing his mental health.

In 2020, West’s latest moves have whipped the American media machine into a frenzy. First, West announced he was running in the US presidential election. He held a campaign rally where he broke down in tears and went on an incoherent rant. Days later, he made headlines for posting a quick succession of scatterbrained tweets, talking about abortion, accusing his wife Kim Kardashian of infidelity and speaking about his fears of being locked up among other things, before deleting most of his wildest thoughts and apologising to his wife.

While West is infamous for having a huge ego as well as his many ill-considered public statements, his formal admission of being bipolar as well as his reluctance to take medication to support his mental health has got many considering whether his most recent antics are an example of a manic episode.

It’s pointless to speculate on West’s presidential ambitions, politics or personal life – the tabloids have done enough of that. What’s more important to discuss is how the American media allows Kanye West to have these unrestrained manic episodes, and then opens him up to be trivialised and denigrated. This highly questionable, click driven tactic also speaks to a broader issue in society today where men’s mental health issues tend to be dismissed, further dissuading men from speaking out about their issues.

DMARGE spoke exclusively to Mary Hoang, psychologist and founder of The Indigo Project, Australia’s largest and most progressive psychology practice, to further understand what’s at play.

“Although I think we’re getting much better and certainly moving in the right direction, there is still [an] overwhelming stigma in regards to mental health and it being perceived as a kind of weakness,” Hoang explains.

“As many of the firmly entrenched associations we have with masculinity (which are now being identified as toxic) are built on the idea of ‘strength’, or of being ‘tough’ and ‘dominant’, anything that challenges these traditional notions can be interpreted as negative.”

Americans, Australians – the world – is still largely uncomfortable with seeing men be vulnerable, she relates.

“Again, I think this links back to the toxic masculinity concept, and how rarely we give space (particularly through popular media, but also just generally in our own lives) to genuine displays of male vulnerability, without it being met with shame or humiliation. It’s something we don’t see often, so we don’t know how to respond to it and that ‘not-knowing’ causes us some discomfort.”

The way Kanye’s been ‘clowned’ on social media about his outbursts shows this discomfort. People make fun of it because it’s confronting (and because he’s saying some seriously questionable things). Seeing a grown man cry makes people uncomfortable.

West is hard to discuss in particular because he’s got such a reputation for saying outlandish things and having such a big ego. How much of his recent statements and actions are the behaviours of someone struggling with their mental health, and how much of it is him simply exploring unconventional ideas?

Who knows. But it’s certainly easier for those that love West’s music but hate the random right wing religious statements he’s been making lately to dismiss his outbursts as the result of madness than legitimate topics to be discussed. But if Americans wants to make more progress in both the political and mental health arenas, maybe they need to better differentiate (and respectfully contend with) these kind of ideas, and treat Kanye, his struggles, and his lived experience (even if it sometimes comes across as whacky) with more respect?

Of course, we don’t want to give bad ideas undue airtime. But given the insane state of affairs in America, we’d say, if there’s a fine line to be found here, we’re quite a way off finding it (maybe – both on the left and right – people need to give the other side’s “bad ideas” airtime so they can be hung out to dry).

Even putting politics aside: it would be patronising to write off everything Kanye says or does as ‘craziness’ – even mentally ill people have agency. There’s undoubtedly also a racial aspect to the way West is treated, too, which is whole other kettle of fish. It feels like despite the progress made around mental health in recent years, the American media is all too ready to treat men’s mental health breakdowns like this as just a sideshow to get more eyeballs and make more money.

Rather than being cynical or treating West’s situation as a source of entertainment, we should treat it as an opportunity for learning. Few men share the same sort of circumstances Kanye West finds himself (or has put himself) in but many share his clear desire to be heard and to be helped. What can we learn from Kanye’s recent struggles, and what needs to change about the way we deal with men’s mental health?

“[We need] radical acceptance of the vulnerability and genuine struggles of men,” Hoang recommends.

“We must allow the men in our lives to feel like they have safe spaces to share their feelings, ask for help and not feel pressured to rigidly adhere to the antiquated stereotypes of “being a man”. This means that, in the face of male vulnerability and struggle, we must meet them from a place of empathy and compassion, not one of judgement, shame and ridicule.”

Regardless of what you think of Kanye or the American cult of celebrity, there’s undeniably things we can learn from this whole episode, and maybe it can help us be a bit more empathetic to men’s mental health in our society.

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The post Kanye West Mental Health: Rapper’s Latest Meltdown Proves America’s Attitude Needs To Change appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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France Just Banned Smokers’ Favourite Cafe Feature & Parisians Are Furious
France Just Banned Smokers’ Favourite Cafe Feature & Parisians Are Furious

France has announced a ban on heated terraces for cafes and bars, infuriating some Parisans in the process.

The ban comes amid a broad range of measures designed to protect the environment, with France’s Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili calling outdoor heating an “ecological aberration.”

The ban is set to come into force after winter, to give France’s hospitality sector time to adapt.

From then onwards, “All heated or air-conditioned buildings open to the public will also have to keep their doors closed to avoid wasting energy,” the BBC reports.

Some French cities had already banned outdoor heaters. In Paris, however, where more than 75% of restaurants and cafes have a heated terrace, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had previously refused to make the change, saying it would hurt business.

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While the English speakers of Twitter have broadly applauded the ban, numerous Parisians have criticised it. One “Parisienne Urbaine Raconteuse” said the ban shows a government disconnected from the reality of the French people.

Another wrote, “another gadget of the ecologists who want to kill the Parisian economy.”

Others pointed out the impracticalities of the other methods of keeping warm, particularly in a time of crisis (“you’d share a blanket in a time of coronavirus?”)…

… and asked if it’s necessary to destroy “everything the French economy rests upon.”

Another protested the simple curtailing of freedom: “The upcoming ban on outdoor heating of terraces is both a serious and grotesque mistake… It is forbidden to forbid.”

On the other side of the coin, many backed the ban, urging smokers and cafe patrons to “put on a jumper.”

It’s not the first norm change of 2020, and as many other capital cities around the world reconsider how they want their city centers to look post-COVID, it probably won’t be the last.

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