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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Actor Alexander Ludwig released his debut country music album, "Highway 99," in August.</li><li>The "Vikings" and "Heels" star tells Insider that he's been writing music since he was a child.</li></ul><p>You may recognize Alexander Ludwig from his role as babyfaced killer Cato opposite Jennifer Lawrence <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-hunger-games-cast-then-and-now-photos-2019-3">in the first "Hunger Games" movie</a>, or as the boy-heir turned king, Björn Ironside, in the hit show "Vikings." But, now, the actor is ready to share a new side of himself: Alexander Ludwig, the country singer.</p><p>Ludwig, 30, released his <a href="https://alexanderludwig.lnk.to/highway99">debut album, "Highway 99,"</a> in August after signing a record deal with BBR Music Group/BMG last year. The Canadian actor-turned-singer is in great company at BBR, which is also home to Jason Aldean and Lainey Wilson.</p><p>"Highway 99," <a href="https://www.alexanderludwigmusic.com/alexander-ludwigs-debut-album-highway-99-out-now-via-bbr-music-group-bmg/">described</a> as a record about "small towns, wild nights, broken hearts, and big dreams, brought together by a mixture of amplified guitars, climactic choruses, and heartfelt hooks," shows a softer side to the actor, best known for playing <a href="https://www.insider.com/viking-ax-fighting-expert-rates-fight-scenes-on-historical-accuracy-2020">Viking king Björn Ironside in History's often bloody and brutal "Vikings"</a> between 2014 and 2020.</p><p>Ludwig tells Insider that he began to plan for a career in music while shooting the final season of "Vikings," but despite his acting fame, it wasn't a guarantee that he'd land a record deal.</p><p>"By the time I was done with the show, I started taking trips to Nashville — with little to no contacts whatsoever," he says. "I tried to meet as many people as I could, write with as many people as I could."</p><p>When I speak to Ludwig over Zoom in October, he is in London to perform his first-ever UK showcase in front of select media and fans.</p><p>Here, Ludwig tells Insider about his foray into country, his "Vikings" legacy, <a href="https://www.insider.com/most-underrated-tv-shows-of-this-year-2021-12">the pro-wrestling drama "Heels,"</a> and just how he ended up having Nicki Minaj's panties stuffed in his mouth in her "Super Freaky Girl" music video.</p><div type="image" title="alexander ludwig the hunger games" height="900" width="1200" msid="96054096" hostid="261" sizebytes="63750"></div><p><strong>How did you get into country music?</strong></p><p>A lot of people don't realize there's a massive country fanbase in Canada. That's what I grew up on. It's always been a part of my life. I was always trying to figure out how to break into the business. When I was shooting "Vikings," on the weekends, I had time on my hands, so I was recording a 10-song demo. </p><p>"Vikings" had finished when I actually started working on music in Nashville independently.  About eight months into my trips to Nashville, I was boarding a plane, and these guys said they were big fans of "Lone Survivor." I sat right behind them on the plane. Turns out they produce and play with Jason Aldean, one of my favorite artists. I sent them my demo and within three days they called me and said, "We gotta work together." We started recording, writing, and releasing stuff independently. And BMG took notice.</p><p><strong>Did you write music at all when you were younger?</strong></p><p>Oh, yeah. I have a binder of bad songs that I've been writing ever since I was a kid. My mom went to this music store and convinced this guy that worked there to teach me how to play guitar. For 10 years we ended up playing together. He ended up moving to Nashville and playing for Brett Eldredge, and a bunch of big country music acts. I always told him, "One day when I got my record deal, we're going to play together." And now he's sitting right beside me right now.</p><p><strong>How did you end up in Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl" music video?</strong></p><p>I love doing things people wouldn't expect. I love not taking yourself too seriously. My friend was the producer on that, and he was my college roommate. They wanted someone with some notoriety, that was more of an actor. Their team liked me, and that's how this all happened.</p><p>Nicki's great. She is a super-talented artist. We had a blast. We got along fabulously, and I was shocked at just how big that was — that song, that video.</p><p><strong>The video is quite risqué. Nicki shoves panties into your mouth at one point. Did you ever worry about what your wife might think?</strong></p><p>No, my wife is the coolest chick ever, and she's very secure in our relationship. I consider myself a professional. When I do this stuff, I take it seriously. It's not like when you're doing a sex scene it's fun and games. It's like, no, how is this serving the story? Is everybody comfortable in this situation?</p><p>Nicki had this vision, and I'm never one to shy away from those kinds of things. I don't think there's any need to. At this point, after "Vikings," and after "Heels," half the country's seen my ass. What's panties shoved in your mouth at this point, you know?</p><div type="image" title="Alexander Ludwig as Björn in &quot;Vikings&quot;" height="4000" width="5333" msid="96054099" hostid="261" sizebytes="1205814"></div><p><strong>It's been two years since "Vikings" ended. Björn died midway through the final season. What did you think of the ending now that some time has passed? Should Björn have lived till the end?</strong></p><p>That was actually my decision with Michael [Hirst, creator]. We were talking about the ending of the show and the demise of that character, and how he should go out. I had spent six years in Ireland, 11 months out of the year, away from my home. I felt we had gotten to a place where Björn had done everything I had hoped he was going to do. We always had this dream for him when we started, and we were able to see that come to fruition.</p><p>So, I thought that a more interesting approach would be to let the other characters have their moments as well. Björn had his moment. He went out in such a fantastic way. It was nice, because then you see Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith), Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen)… everybody gets their own moment to shine. That's how it should be. You want to see the resolve of the whole show.</p><div type="image" title="heels" height="1130" width="1507" msid="96054100" hostid="261" sizebytes="356884"></div><p><strong>You're now starring in Starz's pro-wrestling drama "Heels" with "Arrow" star Stephen Amell. What enticed you about that project?</strong></p><p>I signed on to the show because the characters were truly already on the page, we didn't have to do anything. Where we really had to collaborate was for the actual wrestling. That was on our shoulders and you can't fake that with a camera. You can't have a stunt guy come in and do that. They can do the big things, like when you fall off a 20-foot cage, but they can't do the backflips and all that. You need to see the actors do this. That's where Stephen and I came in — he's a huge wrestling fan, and he was really helpful actually.</p><p>I was also calling [WWE wrestler] Adam Copeland, Edge… we did "Vikings" together. I'd call Adam and be like, "Hey, is this legit?" "Does this work?" I'd literally call him about everything. I even called him and asked him if I have to shave my chest. </p><p><strong>Stephen has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jigRNsCV6Xs">actually wrestled some matches, including for WWE</a>. Would you ever do a real match?</strong></p><p>100%. If anything, it'd be a great promo thing. It'd have to be with the right company that supports the show.</p><p>I do these moves for five minutes and I'm exhausted. 40 minutes… I can't even imagine how devastated these guys' bodies must be after that.</p><p><em>"Highway 99" is to stream, download, and purchase on CD.</em></p><p><em>This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.</em></p>

Alexander Ludwig on his country music debut, 'Vikings,' 'Heels,' and playing Nicki Minaj's 'Super Freaky' boy: 'Half the country's seen my ass'

<ul><li><keyword id="1788525" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiara-Advani">Kiara Advani</keyword> was spotted wearing ₹70,000 Prada 'sneaker heels' while promoting <em>Good Newwz </em>in New Delhi.</li><li>These are the same 'sneaker heals' worn last year by Nicki Minaj during the European Music Awards (EMAs).</li><li>The only difference is, Minaj wore them better.</li></ul>Most Indian's don't make more than ₹70,000 a month — but that's how much a single pair of Prada 'sneaker heels' can cost, just ask <em>Bollywood </em>actress Kiara Advani. The <em>Kabir Singh </em>actress was spotted wearing high-heeled sneakers, much like the ones Nicki Minaj popularised when she wore them to the European Music Awards (EMAs) 2018.<br /><br />
  
  
  <div type="image" title="minaj" msid="72897777" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Nicki Minaj performing at the EMA 2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>







<br />Minaj wore these boots in a series of different colours for her various stage performances on the day. Her quirky personality and suave match the chunky footwear — but in Kiara's case, <a href="https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/tacky-kiara-advanis-high-heel-sneakers-that-cost-rs-70k-are-making-the-fashion-police-cringe">not so much</a>. And her choices put her on top of 2019's worst fashion blunders. <br /><br />Kiara paired the boots with a Givenchy jumper, tights and sunglasses which only made the shoes stand out — and their ugliness even more apparent.<br /><br /><strong>The exorbitant price tag<br /></strong><br />While spending ₹70,000 on Prada shoes might <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/an-italian-designer-debuted-a-pair-of-heels-reportedly-worth-20-million-made-of-solid-gold-30-carats-of-diamonds-and-meteorite-and-he-claims-theyre-the-most-expensive-shoes-in-the-world/amp_articleshow/71729970.cms">seem like an exorbitant amount</a> — it's nothing compared to what <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/from-converse-to-air-jordans-sneakers-have-been-a-status-symbol-for-decades-but-millennials-are-redefining-what-that-means-in-3-major-ways/articleshow/68513367.cms">other celebs are ready to shell out</a>. Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra are reportedly avid shoe collectors. While Padukone prefers Gucci, the prices of which start at around ₹50,000 - Chopra has a collection of nearly 80 designer shoes.<br /><br />It's not just women who have an eye for shoes, but some of Bollywood's leading actors as well — and they've been seen flaunting their goods around the town.<br /><br />Arjun Kapoor was spotted wearing Green Bounce Camouflage Sneakers from Valentino Garavani which costs ₹77,000. Ayushmann Khurrana was seen wearing an even more expensive pair of Gucci BY Yankees Rhyton Sneakers while making the rounds for <em>Dream Girl </em>— and they cost a whopping ₹84,000.<br /><br />Even the humble Rajkummar Rao was caught wearing ₹93,000 Natural Kicko Flat Suede Jodhpurs by Christian Louboutin while promoting <em>Made in China.</em><br /><br />The only difference is, they pulled off their choices — making it well worth the money. <br /><br />Starring opposite Diljith Dosanjh, Akshay Kumar, and Kareena Kapoor in the upcoming movie <em>Good Newwz, </em>this isn't the first time that Kiara Advani has been caught in the crosshairs of a fashion <em>faux pas</em>. <br /><br />Barely a week ago, Advani was spotted wearing a weird set of shades with beaded retainers — and subsequently trolled by the <a href="https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/bollywood/kiara-advani-ka-weird-chasma-kiara-spotted-after-a-salon-session-at-krokmakay">fashion police</a>.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/an-italian-designer-debuted-a-pair-of-heels-reportedly-worth-20-million-made-of-solid-gold-30-carats-of-diamonds-and-meteorite-and-he-claims-theyre-the-most-expensive-shoes-in-the-world/amp_articleshow/71729970.cms">An Italian designer debuted a pair of heels reportedly worth $20 million, made of solid gold, 30 carats of diamonds, and meteorite - and he claims they're 'the most expensive shoes in the world'</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/from-converse-to-air-jordans-sneakers-have-been-a-status-symbol-for-decades-but-millennials-are-redefining-what-that-means-in-3-major-ways/articleshow/68513367.cms">From Converse to Air Jordans, sneakers have been a status symbol for decades - but millennials are redefining what that means in 3 major ways</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/shoes-have-replaced-handbags-as-the-status-symbol-shoppers-are-willing-to-splurge-on/articleshow/67876502.cms">Shoes have replaced handbags as the status symbol shoppers are willing to splurge on</a><br /><br /><br />

Kiara Advani wears Prada's famous 'sneaker heels' and it becomes the fashion blunder of the year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Katy Perry's released "Woman's World" on Thursday as the lead single for her new album, "143."</li><li>The song is a vapid attempt at female empowerment that was cowritten and coproduced by Dr. Luke.</li></ul><p>This week, Katy Perry teased the announcement of her new album, "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/katy-perry-143-new-album-tracklist-release-date-2024-7">143</a>," with an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/katyperry/status/1810822095498268709">ominous promise</a>: "Sleep tight, for tomorrow, the portal opens."</p><p>Listening to the album's lead single, "Woman's World," I have to assume it's a portal to the past.</p><p>"Woman's World," released on Thursday, can only be read as a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of Perry's pop domination in the 2010s — those bygone days when <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-girl-boss-analysis-2020-7">girlboss mentality reigned</a>, and it was considered radical to say women could do everything men could do, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/04/488213995/can-we-finally-stop-doing-things-backwards-and-in-heels">and we do it in heels</a>!</p><p>In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://youtu.be/EVIJUH29pjU?si=kfJvPdmb7Av6fNkM">the music video for "Woman's World,"</a> Perry's visuals are clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek. She casts herself as a hyper-sexualized version of Rosie the Riveter, traipsing around in a star-spangled bikini before an anvil crushes her.</p><p>Later, she's revived as a sexy half-cyborg, brandishing an influencer's ring light as a Venus symbol and driving a monster truck with a bedazzled uterus hanging from its bumper.</p><p>Perry's indiscreet attempts at satire clash with the song's actual lyrics. Satire only works when it has something to say, and there isn't a shred of complexity, self-awareness, or cultural analysis in lyrics like, "She's a flower, she's a thorn / Superhuman, No. 1 / She's a sister, she's a mother."</p><p>The Venus symbol and the bedazzled uterus don't read as subversive in this context; they align perfectly with Perry's gender-essentialist imagery. The entire song exists in this way: platitudinal and pandering with no material goal, even more vapid than <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/katy-perry-womans-world-song-reactions-criticism-2024-6">the initial teasers foreshadowed</a>.</p><p>It's been four years since Perry closed her previous album, "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/katy-perry-smile-review-tracklist-breakdown-2020-8">Smile</a>," with a near-identical sentiment: "Is it the way we keep / The whole world turning / In a pair of heels? / Yeah, that's what makes a woman."</p><p>So much has evolved since then, but apparently, not for Perry. Somehow, she still thinks that reciting a list of random adjectives and haphazardly conflating stilettos with strength is the epitome of feminism.</p><h3 id="cb555b7e-f9ff-4ab7-ac8a-99dddaa726e2">Perry chose Dr. Luke and his team to craft this supposed feminist anthem</h3><p>Actually, one thing is different. Five people are credited as songwriters for "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://youtu.be/bsGp4A7u_LM?si=Ug42InECSf91zzYL">What Makes a Woman</a>," but none overlap with the six writers credited for "Woman's World." It took six people to come up with rhyming "feminine divine" with "born to shine" — and as you may have heard, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/katy-perry-dr-luke-new-album-kesha-backlash-explained-2024-6">one of them is Dr. Luke</a>.</p><p>Perry has worked with Dr. Luke many times before. He was instrumental in the chart-topping success of Perry's "Teenage Dream" and "Prism" eras. However, until now, Perry hadn't worked with Dr. Luke since 2014, when he was sued by Kesha for emotional and sexual abuse.</p><p>Kesha's <a target="_blank" href="https://archive.ph/o/FwRGB/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/the-saddest-thing-about-the-keshadr-luke-lawsuit/381463/">civil complaint</a> details a decade of life-threatening eating disorders and psychological torture at the hands of Dr. Luke, the man who discovered her as a teenager. It includes the allegation that he drugged and raped her. Dr. Luke has denied everything.</p><div type="image" title="a crowd of people holding signs to demonstrate their support of kesha in her legal battle against dr. luke" height="1982" width="3000" msid="111698661" hostid="261" sizebytes="998682"></div><p>Dr. Luke was never convicted in a court of law. His lawyers fought Kesha's civil suit on technical grounds, and it was dismissed in 2018 because the statute of limitations had expired, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/04/kesha-dismissal-statute-of-limitations-dr-luke/477261/">not because her claims were deemed meritless</a>.</p><p>Similarly, when Dr. Luke countersued Kesha for defamation, the case never reached a jury. Instead, the parties reached an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kesha-dr-luke-settle-lawsuits-over-rape-and-defamation-claims-2023-6">undisclosed settlement</a> last year.</p><p>Just one year after Dr. Luke's legal battle ended, he's already been welcomed back into Perry's orbit.</p><p>To be sure, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/07/dr-luke-doja-cat-pop-music-ethics/619366/">Perry is not the only artist who's worked with the disgraced pop producer</a> since Kesha's allegations shook the industry. His name (and his various pseudonyms, including Tyson Trax and Loctor Duke) can be found scattered across the credits on Doja Cat's Grammy-nominated album "Planet Her," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2-album-reviews-critics-2023-12">Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday 2,"</a> and Kim Petras' entire catalog.</p><p>Indeed, Dr. Luke has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/dr-luke-comeback-kesha-settlement-1234806919/">quietly mounted a comeback in recent years</a>, earning <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fiona-apple-grammys-dr-luke-nomination-say-so-2020-12">Grammy nominations</a> for his work on quintessential Doja tracks like "Say So" and "Best Friend," as well as a win for "Kiss Me More." Although <a target="_blank" href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/doja-cat-dr-luke-songs-interview-1235011383/">Doja distanced herself from Dr. Luke in 2021</a> (his name is absent from her latest album, "Scarlet"), <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://variety.com/2020/music/news/dr-luke-back-doja-cat-say-so-kesha-1234605151/">others are still keen to work with an established hitmaker</a>, whatever his reputation.</p><p>So no, Perry isn't alone, but the hypocrisy at work here is stunning. To enlist an accused abuser for a song about female empowerment — a song that's literally called "Woman's World" — is ironic in a way that's almost too glaring to fathom. It might be funny if it weren't so gross.</p><div type="image" title="katy perry album cover 143" height="3000" width="3000" msid="111698662" hostid="261" sizebytes="257244"></div><p>Wouldn't it make more sense for Perry to work with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.vogue.com/article/marina-mans-world-single">female songwriters and producers to bring her feminine vision to life</a>? Or, at the very least, a man with a track record for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://people.com/celebrity/kelly-clarkson-says-she-was-blackmailed-into-working-with-dr-luke/">making women feel comfortable</a> in the studio? There are plenty to choose from: Jack Antonoff and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sg-lewis-coachella-interview-impact-channel-tres-robyn-tove-lo-2023-4">SG Lewis</a> come to mind, or perhaps Zedd, who produced "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://youtu.be/aEb5gNsmGJ8?si=gyYy-e5148XUwzhK">Never Really Over</a>," Perry's greatest triumph of the past decade.</p><p>Perry made a different, very deliberate choice. She wanted Dr. Luke and all the baggage he brings; all four other songwriters on "Woman's World" are Dr. Luke collaborators or signees.</p><p>"Katy knew exactly the album she wanted to make and put together the team to make it happen," a Capitol Records source told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/katy-perry-new-album-kp6-dr-luke-max-martin-1235041835/">Rolling Stone</a>.</p><h3 id="d5962bea-4f7d-4e2c-b0ad-5a3c87e6a197">Perry's 'Woman's World' proves she's stuck in a sound of the past</h3><p>Surely Perry knew she'd face backlash — and for what? "Woman's World" is not a good song, not by any measure. It has all the warmth and charisma of an AI chatbot, all the bomb-like subtlety of a "Saturday Night Live" parody. In fact, the heavy-handed self-ridicule in "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://youtu.be/YfiLAcERNQ4?si=BTNZW9YFxnyGmwzW">This Is Not a Feminist Song</a>" is more inclusive and nuanced than Perry's latest work — and that skit aired in 2016, back when Hillary Clinton thought she would be the first female president.</p><p>Eight years later, Perry is cosplaying <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/watch-katy-perry-rise-and-roar-for-hillary-clinton-at-dnc-123015/">a version of herself on that very campaign trail</a>, a dewy-eyed heroine who no longer exists.</p><p>Slinking back to Dr. Luke to produce a song like this, so insipid and uninspired, is the mark of an artist who's not only stuck in the past but unable to see the challenges beyond <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/katy-perry-denies-dr-luke-raped-her-in-unsealed-deposition.html">her narrow periphery</a>.</p><p>Perhaps in Perry's white, cisgender, mega-wealthy household, it really does feel like a woman's world. For the rest of us living in reality, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/arizona-abortion-ban-1864-trump-roe-womens-rights.html">it is very much not</a> — and the shallow idealism of the 2010s, the very fuel of Perry's once-beloved empowerment porn ("Firework," "California Gurls," "Roar") plays as tone-deaf and patronizing today.</p><p>Whatever kind of delusional utopia Perry is trying to sell, I'm not buying it. But on the bright side, she could make good money licensing this song for a Tampax commercial.</p>

Katy Perry's new song 'Woman's World' isn't as bad as we feared. It's worse.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sydney Baker, 27, previously thought office cubicles were outdated and dreary.</li><li>When she started working in one, she decorated it to make it feel like her own space.</li></ul><p><em>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Sydney Baker, 27, about her experience working in office cubicles. The following has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>I was raised by a single mother who worked long hours.</p><p>Sometimes, she'd take me to work with her. It introduced me to the daily grind. You get your coffee, add sugar, sit at your desk, answer calls, and take notes.</p><p>As a little girl, I remember watching my mom do those things and mimicking her. She didn't let me drink coffee, but I drank hot chocolate and pretended to answer the phone. It was really fun.</p><p>I knew I wanted to emulate her.</p><p>I had a few jobs in between my bachelor's and master's degrees, and in July 2023, I got a marketing job working in a cubicle. <span>I was then offered another job working for a senior living management company, also in a cubicle, which I started in September.</span></p><p>Before <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rto-bring-cubicles-back-office-design-productivity-gen-z-boomers-2024-2">working in a cubicle</a>, I thought of them as outdated, dreary, and so 90s, perhaps because I saw my mom in cubicles during her career or have seen them portrayed in the media.</p><p>Now, I'd say I'm 60-40 in favor of a cubicle environment. I enjoy socializing, but I also get distracted by it.</p><div type="image" title="Baker's cubicle. There are photos green and white tassles strewn on one wall. There is a small desk with a mirror and a picture frame with a green poster that says &quot;Good Vibes only&quot; on it." height="1000" width="1000" msid="108521478" hostid="261" sizebytes="96144"></div><h2><strong>People think cubicles are dreary, but decorating them can make them light and bright</strong></h2><p>My preconception about cubicles was that they didn't get a lot of sunlight. It seemed like the bosses got the nice window view and privacy in their offices, while the rest of us were in a sea of cubicles.</p><p>When I went into the office for my first day in a cubicle, they gave me an onboarding gift box that had different branded items and trinkets I could use to decorate the space.</p><p>It empowered me to make my cubicle my own space. I went on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hat-learned-quit-buying-amazon-stores-community-2024-2">Amazon</a> and bought things I liked. I keep a blanket at my desk and slippers for when I want to take off my heels.</p> <p>I've enjoyed that with cubicles and desk environments in general, people bring their personalities to their space.</p><p>I'd seen people across ages posting their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cubiclelife">cubicle decor</a> on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-growth-collapsed-life-getting-in-way-2024-3">TikTok</a>. Seeing this trend growing is fun because TikTok can inspire people to decorate their space and make it light and bright.</p><p>I also like that cubicles can be social, but you also have the flexibility to not be social when needed. It's easy to knock on someone's cubicle and ask for their opinion or just chat with them, but then you can go into your cubicle and shut yourself off.</p><h2><strong>It can be hard to concentrate in my cubicle</strong></h2><p>At my current office, there's a meeting space near my cubicle. I bring headphones to my desk. A lot of the time I listen to a podcast to distract from the sound of the meetings and help me to concentrate.</p><p>There are people around me all the time walking by or wanting to chat, so it can be a challenge to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/mental-health/how-to-focus">maintain focus</a>.</p><p>I think using headphones is a double-edged sword because choosing not to participate in conversation with other people can impact relationships negatively.</p><p>I try to be very aware of this. When people walk by, I try to say good morning or smile.</p><p>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/return-of-cubicles-workers-pushing-for-change-office-2024-2">cubicle environment</a>, you have your privacy, but then again, you don't. People can see you, and they're going to determine things about you based on what they see you doing at your desk. Is your cubicle messy? Do you speak when they walk by? These kinds of things are important to me.</p><h2><strong>I've never worked in an open-plan office but think I'd prefer the privacy cubicles afford</strong></h2><p>I've toured <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/open-offices-over-due-to-coronavirus-employee-effects-2020-8">open-plan offices</a> but never worked in one. I think open-plan offices are more distracting because you can see everything around you. I'd like to hold onto the little bit of privacy I can have in a cubicle.</p><p>I'm a younger <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-gen-z-stock-market-baby-boomers-wealth-investing-2024-2">millennial</a>, and I've watched the workplace evolve drastically from my first full-time job because of Covid.</p><div type="image" title="Sydney Baker sitting at her desk and typing on a keyboard." height="2832" width="4240" msid="108521759" hostid="261" sizebytes="255354"></div><p>Pre-pandemic, I remember being so intimidated by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-predicts-2030-working-culture-gen-z-millennials-2023-12">corporate culture</a> that I would hesitate to take paid leave because of the shame I would feel admitting to my boss that I needed a break. It felt normal to side-eye someone taking a vacation or spending more than one day at home sick.</p><p>Today, there is more emphasis on taking a break and prioritizing your personal life while also working hard, at least where I'm at now.</p><p>I'm a working mother, and there are days when my daughter needs to get picked up from school early. I have the flexibility to do this because my superior knows I'll get the work done.</p><p>I go into the office three days a week.</p><p>I anticipate cubicles being my normal work environment for the near future and am glad that, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pros-of-hybrid-work-why-it-could-be-best-scenario-2023-10">hybrid work</a>, I still have the option to shut myself in and work remotely.</p>

I'm a millennial who thought cubicles were a dreary relic from the '90s — then I realized they can be social and personal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new TikTok meme involves men transforming into fabulous pink outfits after drinking the Barbie shake.</li><li>It's a riff on the <a href="https://www.insider.com/mcdonalds-grimace-marketing-takeover-internet-memes-2023-6">viral Grimace shake trend</a>, in which people pretend to pass out after drinking it.</li></ul><p>Step aside, Grimace, Barbie has arrived with her own yassified milkshake trend.</p><p>Men on TikTok are filming themselves drinking the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuClHFDswwF/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new cotton candy-flavored Barbie milkshake</a> from US ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery which was released as part of the ad campaign for the upcoming "Barbie" movie. After taking a sip, they become "yassified," or are transformed into a new fabulous look, typically completed with a pink dress and a new dashing attitude.</p> <p>The trend is a riff on — and almost a thematic opposite of — <a href="https://www.insider.com/grimace-mcdonalds-mascot-turned-queer-meme-icon-history-2023-6">the recent Grimace craze</a>, which saw TikTokers pretending to pass out after downing the mysterious purple McDonald's milkshake created for its famous mascot Grimace. </p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@clickatronn/video/7250992286899768619?_r=1&amp;_t=8dlaU9YJ7D0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Barbie shake videos</a> usually begin with the poster announcing that they've bought the beverage and are about to taste-test it. After drinking it, they spin around into a wardrobe change, where they've switched out of their unassuming T-shirt and cargo shorts, and into a colorful crop top or a full bright pink dress with heels. Many of the videos also include Aqua's iconic "Barbie World" song during the transformation.</p><p>While it's unclear who started this recent meme, joking about being "yassified" after drinking the shake began spreading on Twitter in late June, and soon leaked onto TikTok, according to the <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/barbie-shake-trend-krispy-kreme-barbie-chiller-yassification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meme encyclopedia KnowYourMeme</a>. The earliest TikTok clips about the meme are from early July. </p><p>"Yas, bitch, that's a slay," the Barbified user @whistlin_gasoline says in <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whistlin_gasoline/video/7251267295408917803">one of the trend's most popular videos</a>, which also features the man's car appearing to change from blue to pink in the background. His video has been viewed 1.7 million times in three days.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kevin_pyle7/video/7251184188286569770?_r=1&amp;_t=8dlaZIMSZ2c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another clip</a>, a man donned a blonde wig, hot pink gown, and pink roller skates. He took antics to another level by filming himself accidentally falling down the stairs in his new outfit.</p><p>The trend is not limited to male participants, of course. And some users are even elevating it. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ceekayye/video/7252448529065594158" target="_blank" rel="noopener">User @ceekayye</a>filmed herself drinking the Barbie shake and then pretending to be J. Robert Oppenheimer, the atomic bomb scientist whose career is being made into a movie, "Oppenheimer," which is set to be released on the same day as the "Barbie" film. (The hilarity of such seemingly opposite movies premiering the same night has also become its own meme, often referred to as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/movies/barbie-oppenheimer-release-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbenheimer</a>.) </p> <p>Instead of yassifying themselves, some Barbie shake trend participants are remixing it with the Grimace shake trend by pretending to pass out or be kidnapped by the character. One clip of a man who filmed himself <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@safiyd/video/7251436444080950574?_r=1&amp;_t=8dlaX8h4eiJ">wriggling in a taped plastic bag</a>, joking that he'd been kidnapped, was flooded with comments telling him he did the challenge wrong.</p><p>"Bro read the wrong trend instructions," one top comment said; "It's supposed to make you girly pop," another person wrote.</p><p>The Barbie shake phenomenon seems partially boosted by a strange micro-trend within the meme where hundreds of people are spamming comments about how many of these videos they've seen. On the most popular videos, there are dozens of comments like "Commenting on every Barbie video I see," and numbering and listing the order of videos they're watching.</p>

In a glorious new meme, men are 'yassifying' themselves and turning into Barbies after drinking the new Barbie shake

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Beauty and style influencer Amanda Steele, 23, announced that she's pregnant.</li><li>She posted the news on Instagram and TikTok, where she also showed her daring maternity fashion.</li></ul><p>The 23-year-old influencer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amandasteele/">Amanda Steele</a> is pregnant.</p><p>Steele <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/amandasteele/videos">started her career as a beauty YouTuber</a> more than 10 years ago under the name MakeupByMandy24. She later transitioned her content to focus on style, and she now has more than 2.5 million followers on YouTube and Instagram.</p><p>She used the latter platform on Tuesday to announce that she's expecting her first child. </p><p>"The best is yet to come… ," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkJIOcBpEzE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">she wrote</a> alongside a photo of herself wearing a pinstripe suit with the jacket left open to reveal her baby bump.</p><p>Steele also <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.steele24/video/7158604040094387498?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7024152139971560966">announced the news on her TikTok page</a> Tuesday with a video of herself dancing to Thundercat's "Them Changes."</p><p>The influencer is first seen wearing a baggy sweatshirt in the video, which quickly transitions to show her in a blue suit that shows her stomach.</p><p>Her TikTok has been viewed more than 2.6 million times as of Wednesday.</p> <p>But her daring maternity fashion didn't stop there. Hours after announcing her pregnancy, Steele attended a Veuve Clicquot event in another bold outfit.</p><p>She paired a black, high-neck top with a matching blazer, and ditched pants entirely. Instead, she wore a high-waisted pair of Dolce &amp; Gabbana underwear over sheer black tights.</p><p>To complete the look, she added silver rings, open-toe heels, thick eye makeup, and blonde brows.</p><div type="image" title="Amanda Steele at a Veuve Clicquot event on October 25, 2022." height="2000" width="1478" msid="95105380" hostid="261" sizebytes="125176"></div><p>She posted about her bold maternity outfit on her Instagram story on Wednesday night, writing: "mine and baby's first night out and proud."</p><div type="image" title="Influencer Amanda Steele shows her maternity fashion on Instagram." height="1638" width="1386" msid="95105382" hostid="261" sizebytes="45694"></div><p>Days before Steele's announcement, social-media personality <a href="https://www.insider.com/sophia-grace-brownlee-pregnant-ellen-viral-2022-10">Sophia Grace Brownlee revealed that she's also expecting her first child</a>. </p><p>Like Steele, Brownlee rose to fame as a child more than 10 years ago.</p><p>Brownlee, now 19, went viral after appearing on "The Ellen Show," where she rapped and sang Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" with her cousin in 2011.</p>

Influencer Amanda Steele announced that she's pregnant by wearing back-to-back daring maternity outfits

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The press tour for Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie has gifted us a goldmine of fun facts.</li><li>For example, the film used so much pink paint that it caused an international shortage.</li></ul><p>After months of breathless <a href="https://www.insider.com/barbie-press-tour-every-inspired-outfit-look-margot-robbie-2023-7">press tour coverage</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/barbie-had-150-million-marketing-budget-2023-7">Barbie mania</a> is in full swing.</p><p>But just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about Barbie Land (or, at least, what happens inside Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House), Insider's entertainment reporters Ayomikun Adekaiyero and Esme Mazzeo did some digging and found 16 unique facts about the film that you might not know. </p><h2>Margot Robbie made the cast and crew wear pink on Wednesdays and fined those who didn't <div type="image" title="Margot Robbie attends the Seoul premiere of &quot;Barbie&quot; in July 2023." height="1499" width="1999" msid="102116909" hostid="261"></div></h2><p>On Wednesdays, the cast and crew had to wear pink on set, according to Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie.</p><p><a href="https://people.com/barbie-special-issue-sleepovers-group-chats-pink-days-cast-exclusive-7557080?utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&amp;utm_content=new&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_term=64a86dd879077d000118bb6f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gosling first told People</a> about the rule, explaining that those that did not wear pink were fined by Robbie.</p><p>"She would go around collecting the fines, and she would donate it to a charity," he added.</p><p>However, a few days later, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ladbible/video/7255254274228243738?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robbie clarified to LadBible</a> that it was an "optional" fine while attending the European premiere of "Barbie" in London.</p><p>"I didn't get to donate that much to charity because everyone wanted to wear pink all the time," she said.</p><p>Gosling also told People the male crew members especially enjoyed having to wear pink on set.</p><p id="mntl-sc-block_1-0-26">"What was really special was just how excited the male crew members were. At the end of the film, they all got together and, with their own money, made pink crew shirts with rainbow fringe," Gosling said. "It was this opportunity for them to show their respect and admiration for what Margot and Greta were creating."</p><p>He added: "It was almost like that scene at the end of 'Dead Poets Society,' where they all get on their desk and say, 'O captain! My captain!' "</p><h2>Amy Schumer was originally attached to a 'Barbie' movie</h2><div type="image" title="A composite of Amy Schumer in a marine shirt and Margot Robbie wearing a pink striped dress and floral earrings while playing Barbie in &quot;Barbie.&quot;" height="900" width="1200" msid="102116911" hostid="261"></div><p>Robbie sought out the rights for the "Barbie" film for her production company LuckyChap Productions alongside Mattel and Warner Bros. when they <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/10/anne-hathaway-barbie-movie-to-open-2020-1202267729/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became available in October 2018</a>. Before then, Sony had the rights and Amy Schumer was in talks to play the iconic doll. </p><p>But the comedian told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/amy-schumer-interview-life-and-beth-oscars-1235106625/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a> in 2022 that she backed out of the film because of creative differences with Sony. In the script Schumer reportedly read, Barbie was an "amibitious inventor," but the studio requested her invention be high heels made of Jell-O. "The idea that that's just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, 'You've got the wrong gal,'" she said. </p><p>Robbie admitted to <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/margot-robbie-barbie-summer-cover-2023-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vogue in May 2023</a> that though her company had the rights, she didn't picture herself playing the iconic doll until later in the pre-production process. </p><p>On "Watch What Happens Live!" in July 2023, Schumer said that Greta Gerwig and Robbie's version of the film appeared to be <a href="https://www.insider.com/amy-schumer-quit-barbie-movie-feminist-cool-2023-6">"feminist and cool"</a> and she was excited to see it. </p><h2>'Barbie' contains references to many discontinued dolls</h2><div type="image" title="Michael Cera in real life and in the &quot;Barbie&quot; movie as Allan" height="960" width="1280" msid="102116913" hostid="261"></div><p>Gerwig was clearly fascinated by some of <a href="https://www.insider.com/discontined-barbie-dolls-allan-midge-sugar-daddy-ken-growing-up-skipper-2023-7">Mattel's forgotten dolls while writing "Barbie."</a> Allan, Ken's discontinued friend who's played by Michael Cera in the film, plays a key role in Barbie Land; his pregnant wife Midge is present portrayed by Emerald Fennell, also appears.</p><p>There's also a scene featuring an array of discontinued dolls including Growing Up Skipper, whose breasts change in size; Video Girl Barbie, whose chest contained an actual video camera; and Sugar Daddy Ken, an older Ken who is "daddy" to... a puppy named Sugar.</p><h2>The older woman in 'Barbie' has made Oscars history</h2><div type="image" title="Ann Roth in &quot;Barbie.&quot;" height="1158" width="1544" msid="102116914" hostid="261"></div><p>In a key scene in "Barbie," Robbie's doll encounters an old woman at a bus stop in the real world and tells her she's beautiful. The woman in the scene is <a href="https://www.insider.com/barbara-handler-barbie-cameo-explained-ann-roth-2023-7">Ann Roth</a>, an Oscar-winning costume designer.</p><p>Roth has worked as a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744778/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_Ann%2520roth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">costume designer on popular films</a> like "The Birdcage" and, most recently, 2023's "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."</p><p>She's won Oscars for costume design in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/25/movies/english-patient-dominates-oscars-with-nine-including-best-picture.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1996 for "The English Patient"</a> and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-04-25/oscars-2021-ann-roth-oldest-winner-ma-raineys-black-bottom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">again in 2020</a> for her work in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." For the latter, she made history as the oldest woman to win an Oscar. </p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/magazine/greta-gerwig-barbie.html">Gerwig told The New York Times</a> that Roth is a friend. "Do you have many friends who are, like, 90? I do, weirdly. I have three real friends, not pretend friends, who are now 91, 90 and 91."</p><h2>The production of 'Barbie' caused a pink paint shortage</h2><div type="image" title="Margot Robbie in 'Barbie' wearing a pink gingham dress." height="882" width="1176" msid="102116915" hostid="261"></div><p>When Gerwig hired "Barbie" production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer on the movie, she told them to spare no expense when it came to covering Barbie's world in pink. </p><p>The result is that "the world ran out of pink" — more specifically, there was an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barbie-set-used-so-much-pink-paint-caused-international-shortage-2023-6">international shortage of "the fluorescent shade of Rosco paint,</a>" Greenwood told Architectural Digest.</p><p>"I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much," Gerwig told AD in an emailed statement. </p><h2>Those are Robbie's real feet</h2><div type="image" title="A close-up shot of Barbie's feet next to her pink high heels in &quot;Barbie.&quot;" height="1908" width="2544" msid="102116916" hostid="261"></div><p>When the "Barbie" trailer was released, a shot of Robbie's arched feet defying gravity as she stepped out of her heels set the internet on fire. The "I, Tonya" star <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1674349134856310784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1674349134856310784%7Ctwgr%5Edf6d05ebe2d5733a83a5a3dd132fe5ae9d65e2cc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fpost%2Fpreview%3Fpost_id%3D64b81381c7f3f0550e037ce2mode%3Ddesktopbabara-handler-makes-a-cameo-and-rhea-perlman-plays-barbies-creator-ruth-handler-6">confirmed</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/35FbTkEXe2s?t=605" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that</a> those are her real feet, and that no special effects were involved in the scene.</p><p>She <a href="https://youtu.be/35FbTkEXe2s?t=605">told Fandango</a> that she shot "about eight takes" of the scene to get it right. Her heels were stuck to the floor with double-sided tape, and she held onto a bar above the camera to steady herself while keeping her feet in the shape of a high arch. And yes, Robbie did get a pedicure before filming the scene. </p><h2>Gosling had the idea for 'Ken' branded underwear </h2><div type="image" title="Ryan Gosling as Ken in &quot;Barbie.&quot;" height="1800" width="2400" msid="102116917" hostid="261"></div><p>Barbie Land belongs to the Barbies — the Kens just live in it. But "Barbie" costume designer Jaqueline Durran <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/barbie-costumes-jacqueline-durran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told British Vogue</a> that one of Ken's extremely personalized items of clothing was Gosling's idea: his "Ken"-branded underwear. </p><p>Durran said the "Blue Valentine" star came up with the idea late in the fitting process, but that didn't stop her and her team. "We just rushed to make it."</p><h2>The cast of 'Barbie' went to 'movie church' while working on the project </h2><div type="image" title="The cast of &quot;Barbie&quot; standing in front of a pink car while Margot Robbie wears a bright pink outfit." height="2159" width="2879" msid="102116918" hostid="261"></div><p>During pre-production and while filming "Barbie," Gerwig asked the cast to attend her "movie church" every Sunday, where they'd watch a movie that inspired her while writing the script with her partner, Noah Baumbach. According to <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/margot-robbie-barbie-summer-cover-2023-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vogue's Abby Aguirre,</a> they watched a lot of "old soundstage Technicolor musicals" like "The Red Shoes" and "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" to grasp the balance between artificial worlds and reality. </p><p>The cast also bonded by attending other group events, like a Barbie sleepover at Claridge's Hotel in London. (The actors who played Kens were invited to attend, but not to sleep over.) Gosling couldn't make it, so he sent a telegram in the form of a bagpipe player reenacting a "Braveheart" scene, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5bI_732Cqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robbie told BuzzFeed Celeb.</a></p><p>Robbie also took the cast out to see "Magic Mike Live!" one night in London, Ncuti Gatwa told <a href="https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/news/ncuti-gatwa-says-margot-robbie-took-barbie-cast-to-see-magic-mike-live-31069/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rolling Stone UK</a>. </p><h2>Robbie gave Gosling a beach-inspired present every day on set</h2><div type="image" title="Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as Ken and Barbie" height="3000" width="4000" msid="102116919" hostid="261"></div><p>One of the most memorable things about Gosling's Ken is his insistence that <a href="https://www.insider.com/barbie-margot-robbie-ryan-gosling-present-ken-every-day-2023-5">his job is "beach."</a> To that end, Gosling <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/margot-robbie-barbie-summer-cover-2023-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Vogue in May</a> that Robbie brought him a gift inspired by the beach every day they were on set.</p><p>Gosling said that every day he'd get a "pink present with a pink bow" addressed "from Barbie to Ken."</p><p>The gifts ranged from puka shells to a sign that read, "Eat, Pray, Surf," according to the "La La Land" star. He didn't confirm how many gifts he received in total. </p><h2> Gerwig wrote a 'Barbie' poem inspired by the Apostles' creed</h2><div type="image" title="Greta Gerwig" height="3648" width="4864" msid="102116920" hostid="261"></div><p>Robbie <a href="https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/apostles-creed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Vogue in May 2023</a> that Gerwig wrote a poem about Barbie inspired by the <a href="https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/apostles-creed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apostles' Creed.</a></p><p>"Greta wrote an abstract poem about Barbie. And when I say 'abstract,' I mean it was super abstract," the "Wolf of Wall Street" star said. Gerwig declined to share it, but confirmed it had similarities to the short summary of the Christian faith that's been <a href="https://www.insider.com/greta-gerwig-says-her-catholic-upbringing-influenced-barbie-scenes-2023-7">handed down for many generations</a>. </p><h2><strong>Saoirse Ronan, Gal Gadot, and Timothée Chalamet almost appeared in the movie</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="saoirse ronan timothee chalamet greta gerwig_edited 1" height="900" width="1200" msid="102116921" hostid="261"></div><p>Gerwig <a href="https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1678443991874826241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1678443991874826241%7Ctwgr%5E12662dd2c44967531f34ddf22e291412084f7f3d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fpost%2Fpreview%3Fpost_id%3D64baede7458c1a30316d66b7mode%3Ddesktopbabara-handler-makes-a-cameo-and-rhea-perlman-plays-barbies-creator-ruth-handler-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CinemaBlend</a> in July that Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet almost made appearances in "Barbie" but the plans fell through due to scheduling conflicts. The actors appeared in Gerwig's previous films, "Lady Bird" and "Little Women," which were released in 2017 and 2019, respectively.</p><p>"It felt like doing something without my children," Gerwig said. </p><p>In the <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/margot-robbie-barbie-summer-cover-2023-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May Vogue article</a>, Robbie and Gerwig said they pictured "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot when they thought of "Barbie energy." </p><p>"Because Gal Gadot is so impossibly beautiful, but you don't hate her for being that beautiful, because she's so genuinely sincere, and she's so enthusiastically kind, that it's almost dorky. It's like right before being a dork," Robbie said. Gadot was also unavailable. </p><h2>There's no writing in Barbie Land, and the only element is good wind</h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Margot Robbie in a scene from &quot;Barbie&quot; where Barbie is looking into a pink mirror while sitting in a pink bedroom that overlooks another home with palm trees in the background." height="1399" width="1866" msid="102116922" hostid="261"></div><p>While touring the set of Barbie Land with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKgaVlMN7IY&amp;t=36s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Architectural Digest</a> in June, Robbie revealed that there's no water or fire in Barbie Land. In fact, she said there are "no elements" at all — except wind that makes hair look good.</p><p>She also showed viewers a piece of mail in Barbie Land to confirm that there is no writing there, either — just gibberish. </p><h2>Robbie begged for Aqua's song 'Barbie Girl' to be in the film</h2><div type="image" title="barbie girl aqua" height="832" width="1109" msid="102116923" hostid="261"></div><p>Robbie <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/barbie-soundtrack-mark-ronson-margot-robbie-greta-gerwig-dua-lipa-nicki-minaj-1234775067/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Rolling Stone</a> that she was adamant that Aqua's 1997 hit <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barbie-girl-mattel-sued-mca-barbie-world-song-aqua-movie-2023-7">"Barbie Girl" be in the film</a>. </p><p>"I was like, 'Greta, how are we going to incorporate this song? We can't do a Barbie movie and not have a nod to Aqua's 'Barbie Girl.' It has to be in there,'" she said. </p><p>When she found out that Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj were going to do a remake of the song, she recalled getting excited because she knew her friends "were going to lose their minds" about it. </p><h2>A discarded Ken doll inspired Gosling to accept the part</h2><div type="image" title="Ryan Gosling as Ken." height="1500" width="2000" msid="102116924" hostid="261"></div><p>In a recent interview on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9uHZ2uQ8YI&amp;t=2s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,"</a> Gosling said he found a discarded Ken doll in his backyard after finishing "the best script I've ever read." </p><p>"Do you know where I found Ken, Jimmy?" he asked the host rhetorically. "Face down in the mud next to a squished lemon." He texted the picture to Gerwig and <a href="https://www.insider.com/ryan-gosling-reveals-why-he-agreed-to-ken-in-barbie-2022-7">accepted the part of the underappreciated doll</a>.</p><h2>Hari Nef wrote a letter begging to be in the film</h2><div type="image" title="Hari Nef screaming at Margot Robbie's feet." height="877" width="1170" msid="102116925" hostid="261"></div><p>After Hari Nef was cast in the film, she found out that scheduling conflicts would likely prevent her from being able to play the part. So she wrote a letter to Gerwig and Robbie, begging them to shift the filming schedule to accommodate her and emphasizing how meaningful the role was to her as a trans woman.</p><p>"Identity politics and cinema aren't my favorite combination, but the name BARBIE looms large over every American woman," Nef wrote in a part of the letter <a href="https://twitter.com/harinef/status/1643257294753259522?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she shared on Twitter</a>.</p><p>"Barbie's the standard; she's The Girl; she's certainly THE doll. Me and my girlfriends -okay, yeah, me and my other transgender girlfriends- we started calling ourselves 'the dolls' a couple of years ago, though the phrase stretches back into the language of our foremothers in the ballroom scene," she continued, referring to the <a href="https://www.insider.com/voguing-ballroom-lgbtq-activism-anti-drag-legislation-2023-2">underground queer community. </a></p>  <h2>Emma Mackey's casting started with a joke </h2><div type="image" title="Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey" height="900" width="1200" msid="102116926" hostid="261"></div><p>Robbie revealed to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5bI_732Cqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buzzfeed Celeb</a> that <a href="https://www.insider.com/barbie-movie-scrapped-joke-about-margot-robbie-emma-mackey-2023-7">Emma Mackey</a> was originally cast in her role as a Nobel Prize-winning Barbie because people thought they looked alike. </p><p>"We were going to do this whole joke about us looking similar," Robbie said. "And then once we got all dressed up as our Barbies we were like, 'we don't actually look that similar." The fact that Mackey has brown hair in the film in contrast to Stereotypical Barbie's blonde also made the joke fall flat, so they scrapped it. </p>

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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14473874" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="barbiecore" source="Orion">Barbiecore</keyword> is a fun, hot-pink trend, and a statement on the state of the world, enthusiasts say. </li><li>The <keyword id="11893303" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fashion" source="Orion">fashion</keyword> statement rejects old standards of beauty and challenges stereotypes on femininity.</li></ul><p>After the pandemic kept her indoors for two years, Imani Fahrah wanted to make a statement for her in-person birthday celebration. Her outfit had to be loud, fun, and fabulous. </p><p>The 29-year-old New Yorker finally found it after weeks of searching — a short, poofy, hot-pink chiffon dress paired with sparkly silver heels and a princess crown. Complete with glitter makeup, Fahrah posed for pictures at a Manhattan restaurant with her birthday card that read, "Sassy, classy, and so kick-assy." It was perfectly Barbiecore. </p><p>"It's a movement, an aesthetic, a vibe," Fahrah told Insider. "Barbie is diverse now, like Black Barbie. She's had many different jobs. She's a doctor, a veterinarian, a real-estate agent. That's women, that's girls. We can be anything." </p><p><keyword id="11974765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gen-z" source="Orion">Gen Z</keyword> and Millennials, specifically young women in their 20s and 30s, are <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-barbiecore-summer-fashion-trend-pink-2022-7">leading a fashion movement</a> defined by in-your-face pinks, short skirts, chunky high heels, long nails, and fake lashes. The bimbo aesthetic, an ode to Barbie, is making waves and also highlighting — in a loud color — how feminism, <keyword id="11929860" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diversity" source="Orion">diversity</keyword>, and even global politics intersect. </p><p>The trend coincides with the upcoming release of the Greta Gerwig-directed movie "Barbie" starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but fashion professors, trend forecasters, and women say it's not just the movie driving Barbiecore, which <a href="https://www.thezoereport.com/p/hot-pink-is-the-summer-2020-color-to-try-out-according-to-instagram-22937971">began trending in 2020</a>. </p><p>The hot-pink wave is a statement on feminism, diversity, and global politics, according to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chazlyn.yvonne/?hl=en">Chazlyn Yvonne Stunson</a>, a 21-year-old beauty-and-lifestyle blogger based in Los Angeles.</p><p>"I think we have changed the way we think about the stereotypical Barbie girl with blonde hair and the perfect body. Nowadays, we are seeing all kinds of individuals, such as myself, partake in the aesthetic," the blogger, who is Black, added.  </p><p>Barbiecore is a Gen Z and Millennial response to the quarantining and social distancing from the pandemic, a sexual coming-out moment of sorts, version 2.0 of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-wear-this-summer-trends-night-luxe-indie-sleaze-2022-4">hot-girl summer</a>. The look, which LGBTQ icons like <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/lil-nas-x-industry-baby-pink">Lil Nas X</a> and <a href="https://www.instyle.com/awards-events/red-carpet/oscars/laverne-cox-oscars-2021-christian-siriano">Laverne Cox</a> have embraced, is a feminist statement. It flips the script on stereotypes — specifically that if you wear pink, you're not smart — and expands the notion of femininity to include people beyond blonde, white, heterosexual, cisgender women, industry experts and enthusiasts said. </p><p>At the same time, it's an extension of these generations calling for <keyword id="11893568" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diversity-and-inclusion" source="Orion">diversity and inclusion</keyword>, with young people redefining how they're showing up in society and at work, demanding respect in whatever pink outfit they want — like Elle Woods from "Legally Blonde" or Emily from "Emily in Paris" would. The trend exploded after <a href="https://www.valentino.com/en-ph/collections/valentino-pink-pp-collection">Valentino's Fall/Winter Haute Couture 22-23 fashion show in March</a> and could gain even more steam as Gen Z makes its mark in the working world and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/18/millennial-genz-workplace-diversity-equity-inclusion/">young people call for more diversity in corporate America</a>.</p><p>"Barbie is a personality," Fahrah said. "Women are starting their own businesses. They're ditching the boring black suits at work. We're saying 'I'm here. I'm showing up in business, at parties, wherever I want.'" </p><h2><strong>A COVID response with a feminist kick  </strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Lizzo on stage in a hot pink outfit" height="1600" width="2400" msid="93089669" hostid="261" sizebytes="463464"></div><p>Tara, a 26-year-old lifestyle blogger from Dublin who asked to keep her last name private for safety concerns, has been dressing in Barbiecore-style fashion since before the look had a name. For the past five years, Tara, who goes by her Instagram alias "<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCxJ-gN_PG/?hl=en">Princess Bitch</a>," has donned Barbie-pink dresses, high heels, Barbie shirts, and made references to the doll in her captions. </p><p>"Barbiecore is popular right now because people are tired of being kept in from COVID, they want to have fun. They're now not afraid to wear what they want," she said. "It's a feminist statement as well. It says 'It's OK to wear bright pink and stand out, you can dress however you want.'" </p><p>The shocking-hot pink is a snub to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-pink-gen-z-yellow-very-peri-orchid-flower-generational-colors-2022-1">millennial pink</a>, the previously in-vogue, soft hue that was supposed to define a generation, according to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kendall_becker/?hl=en">Kendall Becker</a>, a trend forecaster who's worked with luxury stores like Bloomingdale's. Becker added that by rejecting the color, Gen Z and Millennials are also saying "no" to the muted version of femininity that society has so often ascribed to women, opting for a bolder version. </p><p>"Initially, Barbiecore was about coming out of COVID. There was an emphasis on party dressing, night dressing, and owning your sexuality," Becker said. "It spilled into workplace culture and street <keyword id="11895715" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="style" source="Orion">style</keyword> with pink power suits. It's about owning your look. You're feeling great and you're feeling empowered." </p><p>The hot pink is reminiscent of the so-called "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pussy-hats-womens-march-washington-trump-inauguration-2017-2">pussy hats</a>" that tens of thousands of protestors donned during the <a href="https://www.insider.com/stunning-photos-womens-march-washington-dc-2017-1">2017 Women's March on Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-grain-carter-81992911/">Shawn Grain Carter</a>, a fashion-business consultant and professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, said.  </p><p>"Pink is a color that represents new waves of feminism in terms of the world and what we're going through," Grain Carter said, citing <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/metoo-survivors-march-draws-hundreds-supporters-california-n820076">how pink became the unofficial color of some #MeToo protests</a> and <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/gender-pay-gap-many-women-across-the-us-have-earned-their-last-dollar-for-the-year/">some of the imagery activists used to show the gender-pay gap</a>. </p><p>"Women are reclaiming this color as a way of empowerment at work, in politics, in finance, in media," she said. "It's this notion of pink being used as a tool of empowerment for women, whether they're trans women, young women, old women, middle-aged women, post-menopausal women, it doesn't matter."</p><h2><strong>Embracing diversity and inclusion </strong></h2><div type="image" title="Lil Nas X performs in a hot pink cowboy suit" height="1981" width="2400" msid="93089671" hostid="261" sizebytes="154066"></div><p>Barbiecore, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/style/argent-hot-pink-suit-ambition-vote.html">specifically the hot-pink power suit</a>, is a product of 2020-induced calls for diversity and inclusion in corporate America, according to Grain Carter and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-ross-728aa413">Jamie Ross</a>, a former fashion executive who's now a consultant and educator who's taught at Marist College and the Fashion Institute of Technology. </p><p>"Barbie is a girl boss now," Grain Carter said. "Barbie represents tradition, but also pushing and breaking new boundaries." </p><p>Black artists, designers, and pop-culture icons have been crucial to the proliferation of Barbiecore. Black women like pop star <a href="https://www.purewow.com/news/lizzo-hot-pink-dress">Lizzo</a> and actress <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10558539/West-Story-nominee-Ariana-DeBose-elegant-pink-gown-2022-Screen-Actors-Guild-Awards.html">Ariana DeBose</a> made headlines recently with their hot-pink getups. Hip-hop artist <a href="https://thisis50.com/2022/05/07/lakeyah-unveils-new-single-music-videoi-look-good/">Lakeyah</a>, in her recent hit "I Look Good" combines lyrics on making money, looking good, and demanding respect. "I body a bitch. Flawless, Barbie a bitch. Don't get me started. Push start in this bitch," she raps. And Black fashion designers <a href="https://www.complex.com/style/harlems-fashion-row-connects-with-barbie-celebrate-black-designers">Hanifa, Kimberly Goldson, and Rich Fresh</a>, who have all worked with Mattel, drew on the Barbie aesthetic for their 2022 and 2023 collections. </p><div type="image" title="Nicki Minaj sings in &quot;Super Bass&quot; from her album &quot;Pink Friday.&quot;" height="525" width="1272" msid="93089674" hostid="261" sizebytes="20462"></div><p>Indeed, many attribute Barbiecore's origin <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/barbiecore-trend-valentino-hailey-bieber-pink">to rap icon Nicki Minaj's rise to fame in 2010</a>, with her hit album "Pink Friday." Minaj paired pretty pink outfits and a big smile with bold lyrics about sex and fortune. She's called her fans "Barbz" for years and in 2021 declared that she's the "f**kin' Black barbie" in her song "Black Barbie." </p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/therealchiclife/?hl=en">Tonya Parker</a>, 49, of Newport News, Virginia, said she loves that Barbiecore challenges the notion that blonde, thin women are the epitome of beauty. </p><p>"I think Barbiecore is definitely a statement on diversity," she said. "We're taking a dated standard of beauty and flipping it on its head. And it's certainly a response to current events. I always see joy as a form of resistance."</p><h2><strong>Taking on a <keyword id="6360041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="life" source="Orion">life</keyword> of its own </strong></h2><div type="image" title="Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken on a movie set" height="2250" width="3000" msid="93089678" hostid="261" sizebytes="520644"></div><p>Barbiecore has the potential to get even bigger with the eponymous movie, which industry experts anticipate to debut in July 2023. </p><p>The fact that it's directed by Gerwig, known for her empowering work "Lady Bird," as well as the fact that it's expected to <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/live-action-barbie-movie-reportedly-features-more-diverse-versions-of-barbie-and-ken/">feature a diverse cast</a>, including a transgender Ken, could make the movie — and thus the fashion trend — popular with more young consumers, Ross said. </p><p>For Fahrah, one thing is certain — Barbiecore is a much-needed breath of fresh air. </p><p>"I've always felt like I was judged for loving bright pink and hot pink. It was always seen as emotional and vulnerable. For it to transition to a strong color is awesome," Fahrah said. "This look says 'It's my year and I'm embracing me.'"  </p>

Barbiecore isn't just the summer's hottest trend. It's a Gen Z and Millennial statement on diversity and feminism.

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