Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest this past weekend with her dance-party hit “Bangaranga.” This is the first-time the Southeast European country has won the competition.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
In the global capital of fashion, the arrival of the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein has sparked a storm. The brand plans to open its first-ever permanent store on Wednesday inside BHV, one of the best-known department stores in Paris. But instead of applause, Shein’s debut has been met with outrage, not only for its reputation for cheap, disposable clothing, but also for a shocking scandal involving the sale of “childlike” sex dolls.
The backlash has been going on for weeks. On Tuesday, Paris Deputy Mayor Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj stated that “The city of Paris reaffirms that Shein is contrary to its values.”
“We ask the Minister of the Economy to go further than just making threats and to ban the Shein platform in France.”
The controversy has divided France’s retail scene. Both Galeries Lafayette and BHV belong to the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) group, but Lafayette issued a rare public rebuke in late October, condemning the decision to host Shein, calling the brand “in contradiction with their offer and their values.”
In response, SGM reportedly ordered five Galeries Lafayette locations to rebrand as BHV, a move seen as a major blow to Lafayette’s legacy.
“Our capital cannot become the showcase for disposable goods and exploitation,” said Ian Brossat, a Paris senator from the French Communist Party, in a statement on X.
Facing intense scrutiny, SGM President Frédéric Merlin defended his decision on RTL radio on Tuesday, citing Shein’s immense popularity.
“We’re speaking of a brand that is regularly bought by 25 million French customers, who are today considered bad people because they buy from this platform?”
But for many in France, Shein’s image sits uneasily alongside Paris’ heritage of haute couture, where craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sustainability are prized. Critics say Shein embodies everything Paris has fought to move beyond—waste, mass production, and environmental neglect.
The irony isn’t lost on observers: Shein landing in the same city that hosted the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement feels almost symbolic of fashion’s ongoing contradictions.
Shein, often described as the face of fast fashion’s excesses, has been accused of ignoring sustainable manufacturing and contributing to massive global shipping emissions. The company insists its “on-demand” production model limits overproduction and waste, a claim skeptics call greenwashing.
Paris, meanwhile, has been working to position itself as a sustainability leader by investing in cycling infrastructure, promoting low-carbon businesses, and making environmental responsibility a central focus of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The fallout has been swift. At least a dozen French brands, including Armor Lux and Figaret, have announced plans to pull their products from BHV in protest. Even Disneyland Paris reportedly scrapped its plans to design BHV’s iconic Christmas window displays this year.
BHV’s director, Karl-Stéphane Cottendin, appeared unfazed while speaking to BFMTV, and brushed off the departures as insignificant among the “more than 2,000 brands” sold at BHV. “Everyone is free to make their own decisions. We have no problem at all with that,” he said.
If Shein’s debut wasn’t controversial enough, a giant poster of Merlin standing beside Shein executive Donald Tang appeared on the BHV façade last week, captioned, “The poster that we shouldn’t have made?”
The banner’s placement directly across from Paris City Hall, one of Shein’s loudest critics, made the provocation even clearer.
Shein’s Paris launch was nearly derailed days earlier by revelations that the company’s site sold “childlike” sex dolls. France’s finance minister threatened to ban Shein altogether, while the Children’s Commissioner, Sarah El-Haïry, condemned the products, calling buyers “potential predators.”
“No one has the right to buy pedo-criminal dolls. These are deliberate miniature copies of children that hold teddy bears, that wear children’s clothing.”
Prosecutors have opened investigations into Shein, Temu, AliExpress, and Wish for allegedly distributing “violent, pornographic, or degrading content accessible to minors,” and further probes into Shein and AliExpress for spreading “images or depictions of minors of a pornographic nature.”
Shein told CNN that it had banned all sex doll listings and strengthened internal controls, emphasizing that “every seller is responsible for their own listings.” Speaking to the BBC, Shein stated it “has also strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers.” Tang further emphasized that the allegations were being taken seriously.
“The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein. These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers, but I take this personally. We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible.”
SGM’s Merlin said he had been prepared to cancel the Shein partnership after hearing about the dolls, but the swift ban convinced him to proceed. BHV’s Cottendin defended the store’s decision, arguing that scandals like this highlight “the necessity of a physical store, because in a physical store these types of situations would never have taken place.”
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
The Appraisal Institute, a powerful trade group that plays a key role in determining real estate values across the United States, is under mounting scrutiny amid allegations of sexual harassment by a top executive and claims that it failed to disclose serious flaws in its certification exam scoring system.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
Thousands of artists have signed a letter calling for the auction house Christie’s to cancel an auction in which many of the works have been created using artificial intelligence, calling the artwork and the selling of it “mass theft.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are currently facing formal complaints regarding accusations that the airlines are misleading the public over their sustainability claims and environmental credentials of aviation.
This past week, a Virgin Atlantic flight took off and was hailed as the first transatlantic flight to be fully powered by “sustainable jet fuel” from a commercial airliner. The jetfuel in question is made up of mainly cooking oil, and was partially funded by the UK government.
This flight was emphasized as a “potentially guilt-free way to fly” according to reports, however, scientists and professional environmental groups have some issues with the airline’s claims.
Leigh Day, a law firm, and Possible, a climate charity, have both filed formal complaints against Virgin Atlantic and British Airways over their claims about sustainability and reducing emissions during flights.
“The reality is that technologies for cleaner flight either don’t work, or don’t even exist yet. We think that airlines’ misleading claims about their emissions are unfair on people who want to do the right thing when they travel. It’s time for airlines to start being honest about their sky-high emissions,” senior campaigner at Possible, Alethea Warrington, said.
The complaints were filed under the National Contact point mechanism which is run by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. They disclosed that the airlines are misleading their customers over their claims of reducing carbon emissions.
Recent research from the Royal Society found that the UK would have to devote half of its farmland or double the total amount of renewable electricity supply in order to meet its goal of net zero flying emissions.
BA’s emissions from jet fuel have consistently increased from 2016 to 2019, despite the airlines claims to be “driving urgent action towards net-zero emissions [with a] clear roadmap to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
“For fuels derived from biomass, land is not available to produce crops for biofuels in sufficient quantities to power aviation without causing hugely damaging deforestation, which increase emissions and makes biofuels just as bad for the climate as kerosene, if not worse,” Possible said.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “In 2019, we committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and, while there is no single solution to this challenge, as part of our BA Better World program, we have a clear roadmap of initiatives to get there.
“We were the first airline to report our carbon footprint more than two decades ago and were the first airline to voluntarily participate in the UK emissions trading scheme.”
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “At Virgin Atlantic, we are committed to achieving net zero 2050 and have set interim targets on our pathway to get there, including 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
“There are two levers for delivering in-sector carbon reductions in the short to medium term: the fleet we operate and fuel we burn. We already fly one of the youngest and most efficient fleets across the Atlantic. Beyond fleet renewals, SAF presents an immediate opportunity to deliver lifecycle carbon reductions of up to 70% and is something we have been pioneering for over 15 years.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
Kim Kardashian put pressure on fashion brand Balenciaga to take action over their latest controversial ad campaign, which featured children holding teddy bear handbags dressed in what appeared to be bondage gear.
Another campaign for a black and white purse that retails at $3,000 sparked controversy when it was revealed that the photographs purporting to be of a “business environment” included genuine legal documents from a court case about child pornography scattered on a desk.
After receiving tremendous backlash, the high-end fashion label swiftly deleted the offending marketing photos and issued an apology on Instagram. Many people felt it fell short of taking proper accountability. As a well-known face of the brand, Kardashian received criticism for not responding to the controversy as soon as it broke. The brand continued to trend on Twitter for days amid calls for celebrities such as Kardashian, Bella Hadid, and Nicole Kidman to sever ties with the company. On Sunday, Kardashian issued a statement on Twitter addressing the campaigns.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.”
She said she was “shaken by the disturbing images,” as a mother of four. Kardashian also added that “any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society—period.”
Kardashian acknowledged that the brand removed the campaigns and apologized and believes “they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
Talking about her future with the company, she said that she was currently re-evaluating her relationship with Balenciaga and will take into account “their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children.”
After Kardashian’s tweets, Balenciaga reiterated its apology in an Instagram post but partially blamed external vendors for controversial elements of the campaign.
“The second, separate campaign for Spring 2023, which was meant to replicate a business office environment, included a photo with a page in the background from a Supreme Court ruling ‘United States v. Williams’ 2008 which confirms as illegal and not protected by freedom of speech the promotion of child pornography. All the items included in this shooting were provided by third parties that confirmed in writing that these props were fake office documents. They turned out to be real legal papers most likely coming from the filming of a television drama. The inclusion of these unapproved documents was the result of reckless negligence for which Balenciaga has filed a complaint. We take full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background and we could have done things differently.”
A few days prior, Balenciaga filed a lawsuit against North Six and Nicholas des Jardins, the production company and set designer of the Spring 2023 campaign. Balenciaga’s suit stated that the production company’s “inexplicable acts and omissions [were] malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless.” They were also done without the brand’s knowledge. Balenciaga says it will seek $25 million in damages or more for the “false association” between Balenciaga and the “repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision.”
As for the first campaign, the brand said Balenciaga “made the wrong choice” in featuring children.
“The first campaign, the Gift Collection campaign, featured children with plush bear bags dressed in what some have labeled BDSM-inspired outfits. Our Plush Bear bags and the Gift Collection should not have been featured with children. This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images. The responsibility for this lies with Balenciaga alone.”
The fashion house also listed actions it would take due to what it called “a series of grievous errors.”
“While internal and external investigations are ongoing, we are taking the following actions:
– We are closely revising our organization and collective ways of working
– We are reinforcing the structures around our creative processes and validation steps. We want to ensure that new controls mark a pivot and will prevent this from happening again.
– We are laying the groundwork with organizations who specialize in child protection and aims at ending child abuse and exploitation.”
The agent for North Six and Nicholas des Jardins, Gabriela Moussaieff, told the Washington Post that his client was “being used as a scapegoat,” and that “everyone from Balenciaga was on the shoot and was present on every shot and worked on the edit of every image in post production.”
Gabriele Galimberti, the photographer who shot the brand’s campaign, took to Instagram to address the “hundreds of hate mails and messages” he received as a result of the photos he took.
“I am not in a position to comment Balenciaga’s choices, but I must stress that I was not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither chose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same. As a photographer, I was only and solely requested to lit the given scene, and take the shots according to my signature style. As usual for a commercial shooting, the direction of the campaign and the choice of the objects displayed are not in the hands of the photographer.”
Galimberti went on to say that he suspects that “any person prone to pedophilia searches on the web and has unfortunately a too easy access to images completely different than mine, absolutely explicit in their awful content.”
“Accusations like these are addressed against wrong targets, and distract from the real problem, and criminals.”
In response to the photo containing the Supreme Court case papers, Galimberti said it was taken on another set by other people and “was falsely associated” with his photos.
The brand has been at the center of several controversies, with the latest surrounding rapper Ye, who was formerly known as Kanye West. Last month Ye, who has collaborated with the brand throughout the years, made antisemitic remarks, causing the brand to cut ties with the musician.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
Based on the audience figures from this year’s Golden Globes and Baftas ceremonies the Academy is gearing up to potentially present one of the least watched Oscar ceremonies in history. The Oscars are currently expected to air on April 25th.
Steven Gaydos is the executive vice president of content for Variety, a film industry magazine, who recently spoke to the press about this year’s ceremony. “Before Covid hit the audience numbers were declining rapidly, year on year, for all awards shows. The Academy is essentially funded by the TV show, and they are about to open a big expensive museum. They have taken on a half-billion-dollar enterprise at a time when their primary source of income is declining. There could be an iceberg ahead for the Academy.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences typically receives around $75 million every year from ABC thanks to a contract that the two groups signed that will last until 2028. ABC makes a majority of their revenue from advertising, last year they brought in around $120 million, but last year’s figures were the lowest in history, which stunts how much profit is made.
“Further, the telecast itself has struggled to retain audience approval, with frustrations over its lengthy running time, choice of hosts (if any) and the quality of the spectacle on offer. The problems have been compounded by long-running complaints over the lack of diversity in nominees and winners, triggered in 2015 by the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag campaign,” according to film editor Andrew Pulver.
“I personally don’t think a host makes much impact. It’s more about whether the show as a whole entertains and feels fresh. The Oscars remain meaningful to the film industry, but to succeed as a mainstream TV special you’ve got to entertain,” said Jeremy Kay, Americas editor of Screen International magazine.
“The Covid delays have enabled smaller movies to go farther than they might have done had there been the usual barrage of studio heavyweights. It’s not been a banner year, but the quality across the board has been high. These movies, the film-makers behind them and the stories they tell have had more visibility than they might have expected in any other year, and we’re all the better for it,” Kay explained.
Gaydos, on the other hand, thinks that there’s a systemic issue between the way the Academy connects audiences with certain contemporary Hollywood films: “For some time the movies nominated for best picture represent only a tiny fraction of the tickets sold – there is chasm between the Oscars and the moviegoing public. The Marvel and DC films are hardly ever up for best picture, or Star Wars, while the Pixar movies are relegated to the animated category, so the pictures that constitute 90% of moviegoing just aren’t there.”
“At the point that the Oscars become all spinach and no dessert, they put themselves up quite a tree.”
Gaydos went on to explain how “the decline of ‘movie-star culture’ also plays a part, as most franchise films are not really star-driven. Part of the awards show fun is seeing these stars being themselves – nervous, emotional, passionate about their work – and you are effectively spending an evening with some very beautiful people at an important night in their lives. The more that is diminished the less of an event the Oscars is. If the franchise is the star, it doesn’t make you want to tune into an awards show. I love the Academy, I love movies, I love the Oscars, so this current concern gives me a lot of heartache.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is the group that organizes and votes on all Golden Globe awards every year. After an investigation performed by the Los Angeles Times, the HFPA has been accused of “ethical lapses and of failing to maintain a sufficiently diverse membership.”
The LA Times claims that the nonprofit body of individuals paid certain members large sums of money for serving on committees and watching films meanwhile these members for the most part have only had careers in journalism, not television. The investigation showed these individuals were paid up to $2 million for their services.
The HFPA recently responded to the LA Times accusations, claiming that their “compensation decisions are based on an evaluation of compensation practices by similar nonprofit organizations and market rates for such services.”
“The suggestion that many of our members are not serious journalists is outdated and unfair, the organisation has a robust admissions and reaccreditation process and our members write for some of the most reputable publications in the world,” said a representative for the HFPA.
The HFPA has been under fire in the past for similar reasons as well. Their award making process has often been criticised as erratic with constant insider claims that voters on the awards are rewarded with “hospitality in the form of gifts and in-person events with industry stars.”
This year’s Golden Globe awards have been riddled with controversy after Michaela Coel’s critically acclaimed series ‘I May Destroy You’ received no nominations but the famously terrible Netflix original ‘Emily In Paris’ did. Additionally, Sia’s controversial feature film ‘Music’ was nominated despite the fact that it’s received a slew of criticism regarding its misrepresentation and “caricature-like” adaptation of individuals with autism.
According to the LA Times, “while the 87-strong HFPA’s ranks include a number of people of color, there are no black members. A representative of the group said the HFPA is aware of the issue and is ‘committed to addressing’ it. The representative also said that the perception that many members are not serious journalists is ‘outdated and unfair, the organisation has a robust admissions and reaccreditation process and that its members write for some of the most reputable publications in the world.’”
The lack of Black members in the HFPA may be an issue that’s “being addressed” internally, however, for many it’s a “too little too late” situation. The fact that it’s 2021 and some of the nation’s largest corporations, agencies, organizations, etc. still don’t have a substantial amount of Black members, and people of color in general, is seen as unacceptable for most, especially considering a majority of these large bodies are only now hiring people of color and Black people after receiving backlash from the general public and Black Lives Matter movement, not because they’re actually committed to promoting diversity.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
JK Rowling’s under fire this week after it was revealed that the main character in her new novel, Troubled Blood, is a male serial killer named Dennis Creed who dresses up in a woman’s coat and wig to get away with entering “female spaces” so he can murder them. The characterization has faced accusations of transphobia due to the fact that Rowling herself has made questionable comments in the past regarding transgender people’s right to enter certain gendered spaces based on how they personally identify.
Rowling defended her novel’s plot by claiming that the story line is based on two real-life murders. The novel was released this week and after a review from Telegraph, the internet exploded with accusations of transphobia, ignorance, and general disregard for the community Rowling has been adamantly debating with for months.
In the book, Creed lures his victims into his van by wearing women’s clothing, however, the novel never describes him as trans or as a cross-dresser, so the lines have been blurred for some reviewers. As previously mentioned Rowling also revealed this week that Creed was “loosely based on real-life killers Jerry Brudos and Russell Williams.”
Brudos killed four women in Oregon in the 1960’s and was known for stealing female underwear from his neighbours as a child; a characteristic Rowling also gave to Creed. According to past reports from Brudos’ killings, there was evidence of a “large man dressed in women’s clothing in a garage” where Brudos would later kidnap one of his victims. Williams murdered two women and was sentenced to life in prison ten years ago. He also was known for stealing female undergarments.
According to Rowling, trans issues aren’t even part of the books plotline, and instead the main themes regard personal journeys and struggles with feminist ideals.
“Change, loss and absence are the biggest themes of the book, but it also explores the changing face of feminism and ideals and stereotypes of femininity … through the cast of characters.”
The novel follows private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott as they investigate the case of Margot Bamborough, who vanished 10 years prior. Bamborough is described as a feminist who was approaching her 30s, in the midst of a divorce and navigating motherhood.
“It’s my favorite of the series by far and I think the length is necessary to do the story justice.”
This is the fifth installment in the Strike series and runs just over 900 pages long. According to Rowling, she always knew the book would be lengthy and because the investigation is meant to take place over the course of one year, she wanted to make sure the story was developed enough to read as such.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
The Whitney Museum announced this week that they would be cancelling an exhibition that was meant to center around the Black Lives Matter movement as well as Covid-19. They made this decision after the public learned that the museum had taken a lot of the artwork that was done predominately by Black artists without their permission and at an extremely discounted price.
The many different art pieces were intended to be in a collection titled Collective Actions: Artist Interventions in a Time of Change, and was acquired by the museum at a See In Black print sale. See In Black was a photography fundraiser meant to aid many Black organizations and charities. However, the artists who had their work bought by the museum claim that none of them were properly consulted or paid for the transaction.
This came to light after the Whitney director of research resources, Farris Wahbeh, emailed all the artists informing them that the museum acquired their work for its special collection. The collection was going to be scheduled for September 17th to January 3rd, 2021, and in the email Wahbeh also informed the artists that they would receive a lifetime museum pass in exchange for their personal information.
The See In Black fundraising began on Juneteenth this year with its first print sale. Each piece for that fundraiser was priced at $100, and helped get the world out on what the organization was doing. The Whitney museum then acquired works from 79 different artists for its collection. Antwaun Sargent is an art critic who helped expose the Whitney for their lack of communication and compensation with the artists.
She noted that museums normally take months to go through the process of acquiring new artwork as it has to go through several committees before receiving approval. However, the Whitney can technically skip all those steps when curating pieces to be in a limited collection. See In Black responded to these actions by the Whitney with extreme disappointment and claimed they completely went against their mission of “investing materially in Black communities.”
“The Whitney’s use of the works acquired through See in Black constitutes unauthorized use of the works to which the artists do not consent and for which the artists were not compensated. Furthermore, See in Black is not affiliated with the Whitney’s exhibition.”
Many of the artists also took to Twitter to express their extreme frustration in the Whitney’s use of an acquisition loophole to get out of properly paying Black artists for their work, while also using it to profit off potential ticket sales. Shortly after See In Black made their public statement the Whitney responded by announcing the preemptive closing of the exhibition.
The statement claimed that the museum would be careful in the future when it came to giving artists their proper dues for their work, however, many of the artists and museum-goers in general aren’t so convinced, as this is not the first time the Whitney has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Last year, the Whitney was under fire for its association with Warren B. Kanders, who was a former board member for the museum. Kanders ran a company that also manufactures tear gas to be used by federal police and border control. The museum also is one of many culture institutions that received a PPP loan between $5-$10 million, despite laying off 76 staff members the same month.
As of right now the Whitney is expected to reopen on September 3rd.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.