Writer, editor & brand consultant. Former Editor-in-Chief, Refinery29 UK. Written for Vogue, ELLE, The Times, ES Mag, Violet, LOVE etc. Check out my Substack!
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Articles by Gillian Orr
The (Relatively) Cheap Cure to Hypochondria
I recently found out that I have 979 mole or skin markings on my body, my blood pressure is “excellent” and my grip strength is in the top 10 percent of women aged 40-45 (it’s true that I have never met a jar I couldn’t open). The hottest ticket in London at the moment is not Cate Blanchett in The Seagull but a body scan that can safeguard your future health—and I went to check it out for myself.
Everything 'Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy' Gets Right About Grief
“It was a shocking moment”: Leo Woodall reflects on gay sex scene in The White Lotus Leo Woodall has reflected on his breakout performance as Jack in The White Lotus, as well as his character’s “shocking” uncle-f**k.In an interview …
You're so confident!
What are people really thinking when they tell you “you’re so confident!”? You’re dressed like a slag You’re dressed like a clown Seriously, please stop talking You seem to like yourself an awful lot more than you should when you look like that Ugh, go away, only people thinner than you deserve to be seen in public You’re deluded about EVERYTHING You probably just had a really expensive education Are you drunk? Have you taken cocaine? Wait, are you a TORY?
This emotionality is unseemly
It’s been exactly twelve days since the first Grand Slam tournament of the year ended. Twelve long days. But who’s counting? I had just nestled into my seat, mentally and emotionally prepared for a ten-hour flight, the airplane had just begun its nerve-wrecking droning sound when a familiar feeling hit me. One I thought I had left behind with my retirement from professional tennis. It was a whiff of sadness, just a tinge, a light shade at the periphery of my vision.
Books I'd talk your ear off about at dinner
Hello, I’m trying something new and sharing my monthly reading recommendations via Substack instead of Instagram where I’ve always felt a little limited (I run out of space in the caption and have to carry over into the comments, there are no links, no formatting). So with that, here’s everything I read and am recommending from Jan. FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Who is this for? Anyone who’s ever bragged about having a to-do list system (guilty!).
How to cheat at Christmas lunch
(iStock) It’s probably the most important meal of the year. And while a Christmas lunch with loved ones should be something to look forward to, if you’re the one in charge of preparing it, the mere thought of the big day can be enough to bring you out in a sweat. Of course this year will be slightly different - but even if you’re only cooking for one person, the pressure of a Christmas meal can sometimes make it feel totally unenjoyable.
How to cheat at Christmas lunch
(iStock) It’s probably the most important meal of the year. And while a Christmas lunch with loved ones should be something to look forward to, if you’re the one in charge of preparing it, the mere thought of the big day can be enough to bring you out in a sweat. Of course this year will be slightly different - but even if you’re only cooking for one person, the pressure of a Christmas meal can sometimes make it feel totally unenjoyable.
29 Of The Most Awesome Girls In London
For this year’s International Women’s Day, we decided to do something a little different and get inside the heads of the next generation. We scoped the streets of London, photographing and chatting to girls about what the word ‘feminist’ means to them, which women they look up to, and what they want to change about the world. We asked them about their clothes too, because what they had chosen to wear was so intrinsically linked with their identity.
We Matched Outfits From Alexa Chung's New Collection To Virginia Woolf Quotes
“This season’s inspiration came from writers, painters and sculptors whose lives are filled with created works of beauty," Chung explains.. "Our muse works in her worn jeans, old T-shirts, borrowed shorts; painting, creating, traveling, loving. Pay close attention to the piping, frills, embroidery, and all of the Charleston-inspired prints that make up this collection.”
Suffragettes Problem Working Class, Race, Hunger Strike
“What they said that they saw in the fascist movement was the same spirit, militancy and revolutionary spirit that they had experienced in the suffragette movement under the leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst, who was a charismatic authoritarian leader,” Julie explains, emphasising that “people assume being a radical feminist means you’re on the left but we need to look at women on the right too because they were not completely absent.” While Sylvia went on to become more left-wing after 1918,...
New Winter Outfit Ideas OOTD Instagram Fashion Trends
2017 saw many-a fashion trends come and go, with some we skipped out on, some we invested in, and some we wish we hadn't. But before you toss the pieces you swear you'll never wear again, we're giving them one more chance. Because if there's anything the New Year truly brings, it's a fresh perspective — and it turns out that ubiquitous checked blazer or puffer jacket might still have some life in it.
Women In Film TV Best Moments, Box Office Awards
If there was one film or TV show that defined the year, surely it was The Handmaid’s Tale. It might have gone into production before Donald Trump won the White House (and was based on a book written more than three decades earlier) but Margaret Atwood’s feminist tale of a dystopian future in which democracy is eroded and women become a subservient class was, for many, too close for comfort.
Work Uniform Style Guide
The thing with work outfits is, you have to spend all day in that shit – putting yourself out there and being the best human version of yourself, so it's very important that you get it right. It says something about you. Depending on where you work of course, you must be professional in your context, and yet expressive of who you are; interesting but not polarising. As much as I loathe myself for saying this, a work uniform is basically an exercise in personal branding.
The Restaurants That Jingle All The Way
The run up to Christmas can seem like a treadmill. The parties, the shopping, the endless procession of relatives popping in to pick up presents and generally make a nuisance of themselves. It can all too often seem, well, a little endless, as though you are an actor in someone else’s play. By the middle of the month, Christmas cheer can seem to be in short supply.
Tattoos Breasts Amy Black - Mastectomy Scars Art
JC: "We were incredibly lucky to be able to meet such an open group of people, each with very different reasons and aims for their tattoo. I don't think they knew quite what to expect when we arrived at their door but each of them were very welcoming and I like to think we made them feel comfortable very quickly. To be willing to take your clothes off in front of two complete strangers is also very brave.
Beyonce FaceTime Fan Cancer Patient
The call came after Banks' friends started a social media campaign, #EBOBMEETSBEYONCE, to grant her wish of meeting her music idol. According to a local news station, Banks has spent much of her senior year as a patient at Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center. The teen, who performed in the color guard at Alief Hastings High School, received her diploma earlier this month in an early graduation ceremony held at her hospital.
Brad Pitt Divorce Sad Breakup Songs Sculpting Playlist
According to DailyMail.com, Pitt definitely listens to an array of Bon Iver (folksy and moody, nice) and the 1961 outlaw country classic "Just To Satisfy You," by Waylon Jennings. Beyond that, it's unclear what tracks inspire Pitt creatively and emotionally. Except I happened to stumble upon Pitt's private Spotify account, boasting this carefully curated pensive pottery playlist.
Leighton Meester: Tough Outer Shell, Totally “Gooey” On The Inside
“I think the perception is: You’re an ingenue, or you’re an icon, or you’re a mom. There’s no in between,” she adds. What she doesn’t say but fast becomes obvious: Meester clearly isn’t interested in being bucketed into any category at this point in her career, particularly after six seasons of playing a teen queen on Gossip Girl.
US Abortion Clinic Worker Interview
One of the things that’s important to remember is that for years now, politicians across the country have been working to curtail access to abortion. And so while we face a really troubling future, we’re also really used to fighting this battle. In a lot of ways – in Ohio specifically and all across the country – this isn’t a new fight. It’s just a fight that continues.We are the largest abortion clinic in Ohio and one of the largest abortion clinics in the country.
Pregnant Women Migrants Healthcare UK
Soon after arriving in the UK, Sarah became suicidal. She was referred to a specialist psychiatric hospital, but because of her immigration status as an " overstayer " she was told she could not be helped and was discharged without medication or any psychological treatment. She had no permanent housing and was also struggling to come to terms with her sexuality.When she was finally referred to DOTW, she said it was the first time she had been treated like a human being.
Male Earrings Gender Fluidity
We’ve been told we're entering an age of gender fluidity , and with the success of trans models like Hari Nef, the mainstream coverage of participants in RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the faces of fashion brands ranging from & Other Stories and Marc Jacobs to Adam Selman, it seems like we're actually well on our way.
Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval On American Honey, The '90s & Her New Album
Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images There's a scene in everyone's new favourite film, American Honey, in which Shia LaBeouf's character, Jake, picks up our heroine, Star, in a stolen convertible. As they drive into the desert, Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" plays out, providing one of the stand-out movie soundtrack moments of the year.
Pixie Geldof Talks Us Through Each Track On Her New Album
There's every chance you know a fair bit about Pixie Geldof. Her life has been somewhat reported on. What you might not know, however, is that she's an incredibly talented musician. That she has the most beautiful voice. That she writes lyrics that can shatter you. Having previously performed with her band Violet, the 26-year-old is now releasing her debut solo album, I'm Yours. It is, at different points, heartbreaking and ecstatic, melancholy and hopeful.
Spots And Acne Difference
Acne spots are practically a rite of passage for teenagers, but they don't always go away. Now 29, beauty blogger Julie Luu started getting acne around the age of 14. She didn’t think much of it, at first. “You go through a stage where it's quite normal to get spots,” she says. “It was only really at university, when it started getting worse, that I thought: This is not going quite right.
Waxing Slow Motion Video - Mesmerizing Beauty Videos
If you think about it, waxing — although super-common — is pretty gross. You're getting hot wax poured on your body and your hair is being ripped out with the follicles. Yet watching the entire process in slow motion can be quite captivating. To wit: Gavin Free and Dan Gruchy, who host the web series The Slow Mo Guys , captured a waxing session at 28,000 fps (frames per second), Yahoo Beauty reported. The video documents a single strip ripping out the hair.
I Wore 'Natural' Deodorant For One Week
When it comes to my beauty routine, you could say I was pretty far off being au naturel. I highlight my hair, use that toxic whitening toothpaste that your dentist tells you off about, and spritz myself with Byredo every morning. I’m not exactly a warm-water-and-soap type of woman. And, up until now, I have had little to no interest in ‘natural’ deodorants.
What British Women Living In America Think About The Election
It might be taking place over 4000 miles away, but the whole of the UK is gripped by the American presidential election. Of course we are. It's a bona-fide spectacle with potentially horrifying consequences.And the stakes have never been higher: there are sex scandals, the prospect of the first female president, Donald fucking Trump being the leader of the free world.
In-N-Out Burger Arrives In London
No trip to California is complete without a trip to the cult fast food joint In-N-Out burger. And it is absolutely mandatory to record your visit on Instagram. Or, with all those dripping patties that appear on my feed, it might at least sometimes appear that way. I'm not sure you can even call yourself a food blogger if you haven't posted snaps of these cheeseburgers.
Huda Beauty - Brow Shaping Tool
World-famous beauty blogger Huda Kattan (a.k.a. Huda Beauty) has more beauty tools in her massive makeup closet than we could ever dream of — including whole sections devoted to scissors, tweezers, and brow products. And yet, not a single one is used in Kattan’s new Instagram post that reveals exactly how she gets flawless brows.
Jared Leto Gucci Guilty Campaign
This fragrance ad is so unlike any others we've seen before. Was it important to both you and [Gucci creative director] Alessandro Michele that this felt different than the typical perfume ad? "Yeah, I think it was. Alessandro had a vision from the very beginning. I think in the same way that he applied that vision to the world of fashion or apparel, he followed that vision with this, as well.
The Smoking Diaries 4: Do E-Cigs Work?
I have a friend who has successfully quit cigarettes. She used to smoke a few a day, nothing too crazy; she was hardly giving Patty and Selma a run for their money. She eventually managed to sack off her Marlboro Lights habit with the help of an e-cigarette. While the risks of using these new contraptions are fully yet to be realised, generally health experts agree that they are preferable to smoking tobacco. So, good for her, right?
Poetry Penguin Modern Poets Anne Carson
Back in the '60s, Penguin released a hugely successful series of poetry books simply called Penguin Modern Poets, featuring work from the UK, America and beyond. Now it's back, allowing readers once again to encounter exciting contemporary voices.The first volume, If I'm Scared We Can't Win, presents the work of Anne Carson alongside two British poets, Emily Berry and Sophie Collins. All three write about the female experience from present-day Britain to Ancient Greece.
The Smoking Diaries App
I recall a couple of years ago reading about a big study into the effects that smoking had on your appearance. I forget where I saw it, but I’m pretty sure it was the Daily Mail which loves nothing more than to encourage women to feel bad about their life choices. It ran photographs of twins, side by side. One twin had smoked for most of her life while the other hadn’t touched cigarettes. ‘Look at the lines around the smoker’s mouth!', it pointed. ‘Beware the sagging eye area!’, it warned.
Female Olympians Breakfast
How do you like to start your day? Many of us simply grab a coffee and a muffin on the way to work or plonk ourselves down in front of our computers with some oatmeal. While breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, it’s rarely treated that way. Except for weekend brunch. On the weekends, you can find us facedown in a pile of pancakes. But what about female athletes?
The Smoking Diaries Refinery29
Things have been going well. Since I last checked in, my idle fingers have not so much as touched a bag of tobacco. In fact, I’ve probably forgotten how to roll altogether. When people offer me a cigarette in the pub, I bat them away, saying, “Haven’t you heard? I’ve quit,” before I emit the virtuous cough of the ex-smoker, so sensitive am I now to the very same odour that used to be my signature scent.I am, of course, kidding.
Alexa Chung Festival Fashion Glastonbury Style
Say what you will about festival fashion, but the grassy walkways of Coachella, Electric Daisy, Panorama et al are now bona fide fashion stomping grounds. But somewhere along the line it all got a little reductive, and the idea of festival dressing slowly became commodified, with just about every fast fashion brand offering up its own ready-made selection of what you should be wearing to watch Kanye West in a field. The result?
The Girls Book Emma Cline Author Interview
Author Emma Cline. Photo: Neil Krug If you have ever spotted another girl and found yourself transfixed, just needing to know her, then you might relate to the narrator of The Girls. This girl-on-girl, non-sexual captivation forms the basis for Emma Cline's new novel. You might well have heard about the book. All set to be the biggest literary debut of the summer, you’ll soon be seeing its retro cover everywhere: two mysterious-looking girls blinking in the midday sun.
Ariana Grande - Byrdie Interview
Sure, Ariana Grande may have just made it Snapchat-official with Mac Miller. But after reading a new interview the singer gave Byrdie , it’s clear that Miller will always come in second. Why? Her real love, her true love, her foreva-eva love is someone, er, something, else entirely: her ponytail.Turns out, that ponytail lights up Grande’s life in ways that even the best boyfriend could never do. We’ll let her tell it: “It brings me so much joy, honestly,� she gushes.
Robin Wright Demands Equal Pay House Of Cards
Robin Wright is the latest actress to demand equal pay for doing the same job as a man. Speaking at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, the House of Cards star told the audience that she had to push for the same salary as co-star Kevin Spacey on the hit Netflix show — and threatened the studio bosses with going public if her demands were not met.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Appoints Women For Team
London's new mayor Sadiq Khan has appointed women to the majority of major roles in his team, according to the BBC. It is something the Labour politician pledged to do throughout his campaigning.The most significant appointment is Valerie Shawcross, who will become deputy mayor for transport. Sophie Linden will become deputy mayor for policing and crime. As a former adviser to David Blunkett at the home office and the deputy mayor of Hackney council, she is well qualified for the post.
Donald Trump Exception For London Mayor Sadiq Khan
This story was originally published on Refinery29's UK site. Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee in the US election later this year, has said that he would make an "exception" for new Mayor of London Sadiq Khan regarding his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the US, according to the BBC. The Muslim Labour MP – now thought to be the most powerful Muslim politician in Europe - has, in the past, expressed concern over Trump's intentions.
Sadiq Khan London Mayor First Muslim
Sadiq Khan won London's mayoral race Friday, becoming the first Mulsim to lead the city. The 45-year-old son of Pakistani immigrants hailed the results as an "amazing victory for hope over fear and for unity over division" in a tweet Friday. "Fear does not make us safer, it only makes us weaker," the Labour politician reportedly said in a victory speech.
Hair Style Tips Inspiration
From the moment Jessa Johansson rolled into town in the back of a cab in the first episode of Girls, she’s been a joyous source of real talk (“You know what the weirdest part about having a job is?
Romeo And Juliet By Baz Luhrmann
There is only one film that I’ve ever gone to see twice at the cinema. I suspected I’d like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet because I was always interested in what Claire Danes was up to as I basically thought I was Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, and I was enough of a Just Seventeen reader to know that this new guy, Leonardo DiCaprio, was pretty cute.
Addressing Periods And Cultural Taboos
When I first got my period at the age of 12, I sheepishly relayed the news to my mum and made her promise she would never, ever, under any circumstances tell my father or brothers. She would know when it was my 'time of the month' because I would write “pads” on the shopping list she left on our kitchen counter. It was rarely discussed and I generally found the whole thing rather embarrassing.
Savile Row London First Female Tailor Kathryn Sargent
London's Savile Row has been a destination for fine men's tailoring for 213 years. Yet there's still room for firsts: Last week, Kathryn Sargent became the first female tailor to open her own store on the historic street.Sargent began her career at royal tailor Gieves & Hawkes. In the 15 years she spent there, she became the first woman to be made head cutter at a Savile Row tailor, NBC reports.
Women Under The Influence
Have you heard of a woman called Frances Marion? Unless you spent three years at film school, the chances are you haven’t. Born in 1888, the American began her career at 24 and went on to pen over 200 films for Hollywood and was the first screenwriter ever to win two Academy Awards. Sadly, her name hardly rings any bells these days. But make no mistake, she was a pioneer. It is women such as Frances that the new collective Women Under The Influence wants to celebrate.
George Osborne Wanted Posters London
As London awoke and made its way to work this morning, many bleary-eyed commuters might have felt they had stumbled into the Wild West as they were greeted with “WANTED” posters plastered on bus stops, Tube platforms, street signs, and walkways all over the capital. The outlaw? Chancellor George Osborne. His crime?
Stylish Rentals Match Catwalk Fashion
When you're on vacation, a chic apartment is always a nice, more intimate alternative to a busy hotel.
Brit's favourite, Jack Garratt's Influential Women
In an ongoing series, Refinery29 UK asks some of our favourite men in the public eye about the women they grew up with, the women who shaped them, and the women who continue to inspire them.Jack Garratt is a singer-songwriter whose debut album Phase is on track to be the UK number one this week. He will be awarded the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards tonight. What is your mother’s greatest quality?She’s been this incredible, supportive, maternal presence throughout my upbringing.
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