The harrowing revelations in Britney Spears’s new memoir are an uncomfortable reminder of how women were treated in the ‘90s and noughties. Objectification, ridicule and “slut”-shaming were a core part of the so-called lads culture that shaped so much of popular culture at the time. Now, anyone thinking, “It can’t have been that bad,” should take a look at a video montage that’s been doing the rounds on social media. The one-minute clip was shared by fitness influencer Hayley Madigan earlier this month, with the caption: “POV: You grew up in the 90’s and now realise why your relationship with your body was so bad…” The round-up begins with an excerpt from an interview between Dutch TV presenter Ivo Niehe and a 17-year-old Britney. Somewhat breathlessly, he tells her: “Everyone’s talking about it…” prompting the teenager to innocently ask: “What?” “Well, he replies, your breasts.” It then cuts to American radio star Howard Stern telling former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith: “The way you dress and stuff, I don’t think you’re aware that you’re a heavy-set woman.” “I know I’m a big woman, so what?” she replies. He then tells her he’s been “guessing her weight” and asks her to step on some scales to check how well he did. We then see Scott Disick telling Kourtney Kardashian: “If I would have fallen in love with you a couple pounds overweight (sic), this would be my ideal weight, but I fell in love with you when you were super skinny." Next, it’s the turn of Simon Cowell, who tells an X Factor contestant that she “sounds nice but looks like a shop girl.” Clarifying, she says: “I’m overweight, basically,” to which he responds: “You really are.” Speaking of weight (and people did, a lot), we’re then treated to a clip from the now-axed Channel 4 show TFI Friday. The segment, from 1999, was filmed just two months after Victoria Beckham gave birth to her first son Brooklyn. After asking her how she got back into shape after the birth, host Chris Evans then asks if her weight was now “back to normal”. She tells him that “it is”, but he’s not satisfied. “Can I check?” he then asks, jumping from his seat and leading her to a set of bathroom scales. The penultimate excerpt is taken from a Jay Leno monologue, in which he tells viewers of his Tonight Show: “Monica Lewinsky said that President Clinton would often compliment her on her figure. “He would say things like, ‘Oh, you look skinny today.’” Pausing, Leno then doled out his punchline, saying: “You know, if you didn’t think this guy was the biggest liar in the world before…” which was met with peals of laughter from his audience. Finally, another scene from Keeping Up With the Kardashians, in which Bruce (now Caitlin) Jenner, tells his step-daughter Khloé: “I’ll get shot for bringing this up but don’t you think you should lose a few pounds?” Shaking her head dejectedly, she simply replies: “What?” The compilation racked up more than 5.4 million views and 200,000 likes in just three weeks on Madigan’s Instagram alone. In a statement accompanying the reel, the self-styled “female empowerment” guru wrote: “Whether it was in magazines, on talk shows or on reality TV… we continuously watched women get criticised. “We watched men talk negatively about women’s appearances, about their weight, about their body autonomy… and this complete disregard for women’s dignity forced a societal pressure amongst many of us who were growing up watching it.” Reflecting on her own response, she went on: “I constantly compared myself even at the young age of 12 I remember wanting to be as skinny as possible like the models on the TV. I had no desire to be anything but exactly what they looked like and I deemed them to be perfect. “I constantly heard negative opinions about women who weren’t perfect, women who weren’t small and women who didn’t fit the ideal stereotype that men created.” Wrapping up her message, she continued: “Seeing these talk shows and reality TV clips hits hard, women weren’t treated equally, we were continuously degraded and this put pressure on all of us growing up.” Then, concluding on a note of optimism, she added: “We’ve still not got to where we want to be but I feel somewhat change is happening and we will make sure the generations to come don’t endure the same pressure and issues we faced back then.” Commentators were quick to share their horror at the montage, with many condemning what they termed “male audacity” at the time. Others agreed with Madigan that it highlighted how far we’ve come in addressing such behaviours. “People often say ‘you can’t even say xyz anymore these days’,“ one wrote. “I think this video is a great testament that that is actually a positive development.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Jake Paul has responded to allegations that he was taking cocaine at his brother's recent boxing match against Tommy Fury. In a 16-minute YouTube video dedicated to the claims, the influencer played up to the storyline, planting Coca Cola in the frame and throwing white powder around. However, he maintains that drugs didn't play any part in his behaviour at the fight. "Everyone knows I'm the most sweatiest person in the world", he joked, adding that getting in the ring with his sweaty brother didn't help the situation. Instead, he says he's more of a 'mushrooms and wine' aficionado. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Kurt Cobain's daughter and Tony Hawk's son have reportedly tied the knot, bringing together two iconic families of the 90s. Frances Bean Cobain, 31, and Riley Hawk, 30, got a marriage license back in September in San Diego County, Los Angeles, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The big day took place on October 7, and the couple had former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, a friend of Kurt Cobain, perform at the ceremony. The relationship between the couple began in 2022 and was confirmed by Cobain after she posted a series of photos on Instagram after taking a year-long break from social media. One snap was of herself cuddled with the professional skateboarder, alongside Tony and his wife, Catherine Goodman. In another image, Riley smiled at the camera while holding a dog dressed in a Christmas-themed costume. "I took a year-long break from posting on Instagram which was exceptionally good for my mental, emotional & spiritual health," Frances wrote in the post. "2021 brought me more into the present moment than I've ever been, which I'm deeply grateful for." Frances was previously married to musician Isaiah Silva in 2014 but the couple divorced in 2016. News of the relationship and now marriage between Frances - the daughter of the Nirvana frontman - and Hawk - the son of the most famous skateboarder of all time - has delighted fans. Congrats to the happy couple! How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel https://www.indy100.com/news/indy100-news-updates-... Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Britney Spears' memoir The Woman in Me, has a lot to say about ex Justin Timberlake. The audiobook is narrated by actress Michelle Williams, and one section of the book had readers laughing. Spears recounts how when she and Timberlake were dating, they ran into the rapper Genuine whilst the pair were walking down the street in New York City. Timberlake said "Oh yeah, fo' shiz fo' shiz. Ginuwine, what's up, homie?" Timberlake apparently felt no shame then, but hearing Williams' impression made readers almost grateful for the recounting. Many listeners joked that Williams should receive an "Oscar" for her narration: Another called it "art": Whilst another listener said "nothing can you prepare you for these 15 seconds": Spears recalls that NSYNC, which Timberlake was a part of, would sometimes try "too hard to fit in" with hip-hop artists. In the book, Spears also revealed that she had an abortion after Timberlake "wasn't ready" to be a father. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. reported earnings that beat analyst estimates as strong demand for international trips made up

A mystery surrounds the identity of Elly Conway, the first-time author behind the spy thriller Argylle and many are convinced the novel was written by none other than pop icon Taylor Swift. The book itself has not yet been released but it has already been adapted into a film starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill and Dua Lipa in a reported $200 million deal with Apple TV and will be released on February 2 2024. Meanwhile, the author Elly Conway (Dallas Howard) is also a character in the story who breaks the fourth wall as an introverted spy novelist who gets too close to the world of espionage she bases her books on, only further adding to the real-life enigma and intrigue of it all. In terms of information about Conway, there isn't a lot to go by. Although she does have an official Instagram account but has not posted a photo of herself on there, while her name is also spelt in different ways on promotional material as both "Elly” and “Ellie." "Elly Conway is the author of the heavily anticipated debut thriller, Argylle. She lives in the United States and is currently working on the next instalment in the series," an author bio reads. As a result, it's left people such as TikTokers Jessica Lynn Slocum and Chloe (@chloeandpercy) to fill in the gaps and jump to the conclusion that Taylor Swift is the mystery author. Here are some of the reasons why people are backing this conspiracy theory: The Conway Jumper Back on March 16, Swift posted a photo of herself (fourth image below) wearing a Conway Recording Studios jumper as she prepared for her record-breaking Eras Tour. She wrote in the caption: "In my Eras era." While Swift is known to frequent Conway Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, perhaps this is a cheeky reference to her pseudonym. Swift has used a pseudonym before When it comes to hiding her identity with a pseudonym, this wouldn't be Swift's first time as she infamously worked on music under the name Nils Sjoberg. Some of the songs include co-writing the Calvin Harris hit “This Is What You Came For,” featuring Rihanna, along with producing the band Jack Leopards & The Dolphin Club's cover of "Look What You Made Me Do" which featured on the TV series Killing Eve. In an interview with Rolling Stone back in 2020, Swift confirmed she had used the fake name and explained her reason behind it. “I think when a pseudonym comes in is when you still have a love for making the work, and you don’t want the work to become overshadowed by this thing that’s been built around you, based on what people know about you,” she said. “And that’s when it’s really fun to create fake names and write under them.” So, it wouldn't be totally out of the question that Elly Conway is a pseudonym for Swift's possible literary career (if it's actually her that is). The red-haired novelist In Argylle the film, Conway is portrayed by Dallas Howard as a red-haired novelist which seemingly matches the physical description for the role Swift played as an author who wrote about her heartbreak in her All Too Well: The Short Film. Perhaps a coincidence or maybe an Easter egg? The cats It's no secret that Swift is a proud cat lady, and it has been mentioned in her songs and music videos. She has three Scottish Fold cats - Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button. They bear an uncanny resemblance to the Scottish Fold cat that stars in the Argylle film and also features on the promotional poster for the film where the feline can be seen inside a cat backpack carrier - similar to one Swift can be seen wearing and carrying one of her cats around in her Netflix documentary Miss Americana. The cat called Chip actually belongs to the film's director Matthew Vaughn and his wife, Claudia Schiffer. And Chip the cat's Instagram account references Swift As he's starring in a movie, Chip the cat of course has his very own Instagram account, where there have been a number of Swift references made. For example the most recent post of Schiffer in a cheerleading outfit where the captain references Swift's hit You Belong With Me - "She’s cheer captain, and (we’re) on the bleachers." While another post photoshopped cat heads onto an image of Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner on a recent dinner together in New York. The Argylle film Twitter account posting Swift lyrics Well, if the publicity team for the film have seen the Taylor Swift theory, they're definitely playing along with it as on the Argylle Twitter account they have been posting content Taylor Swift lyrics from “Wonderland”, “Blank Space” and “Style” as the caption. The 112-day release theory Argylle novel's publication date was originally September 29, 2022 and this was then delayed to March 29, 2023 but the book still has been released (despite already being adapted into a film). There new release date for the novel is now November 9, 2023. While the international spy story is to be released that day, it also happens to be the same day (Nov 9) Swift kicks off the international leg of her Eras tour. On top of this, there is a popular conspiracy theory amongst Swifties that Swift will release rerecorded albums 112 days apart as they think it represents the 112 songs from her masters that she couldn't purchase. Meanwhile, it's widely known that 13 is Swift's lucky number and if often references in her albums as fans noted you can make 13 equal 112 (1+12=13). So with 112 being the magic number, fans have also noted how Argyle's release date (February 2) just so happens to be 112 days after the release of the Eras tour concert movie. Are you keeping up? Swift's argyle fashion looks and merch @taylorswift Tonight’s episode of MMwM! 🌌 #TSmidnighTS #SwiftTok #MidnightsMayhemWithMe A simple Google search will show you that argyle is a popular pattern in Swift's wardrobe, and recently sported the print last year during her Midnights Mayhem TikTok series. Swift was even selling an argyle sweater as merch from her Red (Taylor's Version) era too. Maybe she's just a fan of the style, or is her clothing hinting at something more? If the mystery author does turn out to be Swift, then you have to applaud her work ethic and finding the time to write a novel while also writing new music, releasing her re-recorded albums, going on a sold-out world tour and releasing a concert film that's a box office hit. Guess we'll have to wait for Argylle - the book and film - to be released to see if Conway's identity will be revealed... How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'Brassic' actress Michelle Keegan likes to keep things "simple" with her wardrobe choices and reveals the kind of fashion she prefers to stau away from.

Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell admits she is incredibly "lazy" when it comes to beauty care but isn't worried about trying to look younger.

The viral internet debate turned meme over whether you would take dinner with Jay-Z or $500k in cash has finally been settled by the man himself. The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is one of the most successful in history and, in 2019, became the first billionaire in hip-hop. He is so successful, in fact, that he and his wife Beyonce were able to pay for a £160.5 million mansion in cash. Given his entrepreneurial experience, the debate has raged on the internet over whether you should take dinner with the mogul Jay-Z, and the opportunity to pick his brain, over half a million dollars. In a recent interview with Gayle King on CBS, Jay-Z settled the debate by urging people to take the money. “You gotta take the money,” said Jay-Z. “You got all that in the music for $10.99 – that’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal. Take the $500,000, go buy some albums and listen to the albums. It’s all there.” JAY-Z weighs in on "$500,000 in cash or lunch with JAY-Z" debate: "You've gotta take the money" www.youtube.com Jay-Z went on to explain that everything people need to know about his journey to the top is already laid out in his music. He added: “If you piece it together and really listen to the music for the words, for what it is, it’s all there. Everything I said was going to happen happened, everything I said I wanted to do I’ve done. There’s the blueprint – literally, the blueprint to me and my life and my journey is there already.” According to Forbes, New York rapper Jay-Z has a net worth of around $2.5 billion, with his business ventures outside music including a clothing line, the music streaming service Tidal, and an alcohol business. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

JetBlue Airways Corp. asked US authorities to bar Dutch carrier KLM from New York’s John F. Kennedy International

General Electric Co. raised its forecast for profit and free cash flow for the year as rebounding demand

Britney Spears' hotly anticipated memoir The Woman in Me has caught the attention of the internet following its official release on 24 October. In the run-up to its publication, snippets from the explosive autobiography revealed a new harrowing meaning behind her hit 'Everytime', as well as lifting the lid on how her relationship ended with Justin Timblerlake. Reports have claimed the star gave the final sign-off to publishers weeks before Asghari filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage, meaning she has "no right to demand any further changes". Spears ‘dropped jaws’ with her audition for The Notebook October 24, 11:19 Spears revealed she was "glad" to have lost the lead role in The Notebook to Rachel McAdams, prompting casting director Matthew Barry to share her audition tape with The Daily Mail. In the two-minute-long video, an emotional Spears says: "I prayed for you to die in the war, really. Well, not die. I would have felt completely horrible if you would've died. But I kinda didn't want you to be alive anymore because I couldn't bear the thought of you being with somebody else, or of us never seeing each other again. So I gotta go, okay?" Barry told the publication the pop star "wasn't just good, she was phenomenal." Read more Emma Roberts ecstatic to receive copy of Spears' autobiography October 24, 11:11 Britney Spears finally confirms how things ended with Justin Timberlake October 24, 11:07 The star has detailed how the former NSYNC star dumped her via a text message. "I was comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood," she wrote in an excerpt. Spears said the break-up affected her so much that she considered quitting the music industry at the time. Read more Spears sends a copy of 'The Woman in Me' to Paris Hilton October 24, 10:58 Britney Spears' Everytime acquires 'new meaning' after Justin Timberlake abortion bombshell October 24, 10:57 Britney Spears shot to fame as the quintessential sugar-pop princess but, in 2003, she showed her serious side with the moving hit ‘Everytime’. In the autobiography, Spears, 41, claims that she fell pregnant during her three-year relationship with fellow superstar Justin Timberlake. And while she’d been convinced that she and the NSYNC heartthrob would have children together “one day”, she said he "definitely wasn’t happy" about the news. The singer wrote in an excerpt published by People on Tuesday: "I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated. "But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young." Read more How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.