Caroline Flack death: hair salons boycott 'toxic' gossip magazines

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/feb/21/hair-salons-across-uk-boycott-toxic-celebrity-gossip-magazines-caroline-flack

Hair salons around the country are boycotting celebrity gossip magazines in order to "stop fuelling toxic publications" in the wake of Caroline Flack's suicide.

Dozens of salons from London to Edinburgh and Chorley to Colchester are joining a growing movement to stop providing showbiz mags to customers and are replacing them with more positive material instead.

Nicky Thompson, owner of Nix Hair and Beauty in south London, is one of the businesses to get on board. She said: "I think the whole Caroline Flack thing has been a shock for all of us really. Then when I came in and had a look at the magazines we were stocking here, you look at the gossip ones and the messages on the front are just so negative.

"I feel very passionately about the mental health and wellbeing of my staff and clients and we don't want that kind of message in here, so we decided to get on board with this and support it.

"I just hope it might make those publications think a little bit more about what they're writing and the messages people are getting from them."

She said they'll offer lifestyle, home, travel, hair and beauty magazines instead, and she's going to have a look around for more positive publications to introduce.

Tabloid newspapers and showbiz publications have come under criticism over their coverage of Caroline Flack on the run up to her death, with the Sun newspaper deleting an article which mocked the TV presenter over her assault charge.

Danielle Simm, manager of Kolo Hair and Beauty Boutique in Chorley, has subscribed to Happy News, set up a book swapping scheme and provided adult therapy colouring books instead.

"I think Caroline's death has shocked everyone," she said. "There's just so much negativity in the world and so many people judging others, and I think a lot of it is to do with social media. But with the gossip magazines, I don't agree with them, so I've decided to get rid of them all.

"There are always two sides to a story but what people read they just take as gospel and it's unfair."

The salon has received hundreds of positive comments from customers, with one Facebook response to the announcement reading: "This is brilliant. It's about time we all take a stand. We are all beautiful in our own ways. And we need to stop media telling us that we are not beautiful if we don't conform with their idea of perfection! This is the way forward. A revolution in the making."

Thompson also said she had been inundated with supportive feedback after making the announcement: "The response has been amazing – we do a fair bit on social media and I don't think I've ever had such a reaction.

"The customers absolutely love it, they're really positive about it. I think this has really hit home to a lot of people that what we're reading isn't good for our mental health."

...

Can any of our Brits speak to why the death of Caroline Flack is prompting such soul searching? I agree it is sad when someone takes their own life, but it feels like the media/twitter response had been nothing short of bizarre.

Is this just a feel bad then feel good distraction from powerlessness around Brexit?

[Richard Hakluyt]

Can't help you garbon; I'd never heard of her before her suicide and know very little about celebrity culture.

[Hamilcar]

This outrage, like all the others, will last 72 hours, tops, before 98% of people move on.

[garbon]

She died a week ago.

[crazy canuck]

She died a week ago.

He must have been referring to his personal experience

[Eddie Teach]

She died a week ago.

And he's already moved on.

[Josquius]

I can't think of another death before this that was so directly down to media hounding. Except for Diana of course. And we have just had the big story with Harry quitting over said media hounding.
I wonder whether the timing for this one has just been perfect to highlight the already heightened feelings due to Harry?

[Sheilbh]

Yeah agreed. The press were exceptionally intrusive here - I seem to remember one of the papers were running photos from inside her house at one point.

I think there's been a backlash before when the British public has maybe sligthly over-emotional reactions to events: Diana, Jade Goody (multiple time), now this.

Part of it I think in each case is at least a partial feeling of guild/complicity. We bought the papers, clicked on the sidebar of shame and wanted the gossip.