If you’ve had your eye on a brand new budget heater, you might want to check whether its low cost is actually too good to be true.
Why? According to one safety charity, the cost of living crisis is being used to sell dangerous heaters by online retailers.
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Electrical Safety First found all three heaters it bought via links within online ads – branded Keilini, HeatPal and InstaHeat – posed a serious risk of electric shock, with mains plugs not meeting UK safety standards.
The heaters were tested by the charity after seeing ads that claimed they would help Brits save on their energy bills.
Two of the heaters had very poorly-made plugs there was a risk of the pins breaking off when plugged into a socket, putting the user at risk of an electric shock.
The Keilini heater had no UK plug whatsoever, instead being fitted with an EU mains plug and a highly dangerous, substandard UK travel adaptor with no fuse, which creates a fire risk.
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Not just that – all three heaters were missing safety standard CE marks.
“Claims made about safety found on adverts for these heaters are highly misleading. We urge shoppers to stick to reputable high street stores or go directly to their online websites to ensure the product you’re purchasing is safe,” Lesley Rudd, Electrical Safety First chief executive.
“Consumers are handing over their hard-earned cash and in exchange receiving a product that puts their safety at risk, Rudd added.
The charity has reported its findings to the Government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Last month, the ASA banned four advertisements for electric mini-heaters for misleadingly suggesting they could provide cheaper heating than gas and save householders money.
The ads, for the InstaHeat, Keilini, Heater Pro and Heater Pro X, all claimed they were a cheaper alternative to gas central heating and could rapidly warm a room.
According to the County Councils Network (CCN), three-quarters of English councils with social care duties are going to increase council tax by 5%.
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That’s the most each council can increase it by without taking a local vote from residents.
Out of the 114 councils who offer social care and have published their 2023/24 budget proposals, 84 are planning to go with the maximum hike – that’s almost three in every four.
Only Central Bedfordshire council plans to keep tax at its current rate.
The remaining councils are still yet to reveal their plans, although Croydon, Thurrock and Slough have permission to go above the 5% threshold because they are particularly low on funds.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is council tax?
It’s a compulsory charge on all properties in England, Scotland and Wales, which is the main source of income for most councils.
Local authorities decide how much residents need to pay based on how much they want to spend on the services in their area.
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These services include rubbish collection, libraries, police and fire services, snd libraries.
It also fluctuates according to each home’s value. They are all graded into different bands at a certain time, with more expensive properties being higher grades. Find out what your property’s is here, on the government website.
The average property in England – which will have been valued on April 1, 1991 – is and D. The yearly council tax for that is £1,966.
Scottish councils can set their own rates with complete independence, while in Wales, the government can cap the council tax rises if they are seen to be “excessive”.
Councils also receive some funding from business rates, and central government grants.
PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images
Average rise in council tax in England.
Who pays council tax?
Almost everyone over 18 who owns or rents a home has to pay council tax – that means tenants, not the landlords, are responsible for footing this bill.
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If you live alone you can get a 25% discount, and student homes are exempt, as are those living in halls or residence or care home.
If you work away from home and your property is empty you can get it half price.
The government has also agreed to let local authorities spend an extra £5.1 billion next year (that’s a 9% rise for local authorities), with the most deprived areas of England set to receive 17% more per household this year than the least deprived.
But, council leaders say they have “little choice” but to raise the tax to protect the services offered to residents.
Labour vice-chair of CCN, leader of Cheshire East Council, Sam Corcoran, said: “With inflation reaching levels not seen for over 40 years and with demand-led pressures for care services showing no sign of abating, local authority leaders are setting their budgets in the most difficult circumstances in decades.”
He said that while the cost of living crisis is affecting every household, particularly those on low incomes, many local authorities are “reluctantly opting for maximum rises”.
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“With councils facing multi-million funding deficits next year, the alternative to council tax rises would be drastic cuts to frontline services at a time when people at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis need us to be there for them.
“With the financial situation for councils looking extremely tough for the next few years, we will be calling on the chancellor for further help in the March budget.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) says this will raise £3.3billion in 2026/27, and will increase to £4.8billion in 2027/28.
What does this mean for your bills, in real terms?
It would add £98 a year to bills for the average Band D properties.
Band D properties in England already pay £1,966 per year – so from April, this will probably be around £2,064.30.
The council tax amount varies from property to property. To find out how yours might change, calculate 5% of your annual rate (find it here) and then add it on to your current bill.
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What does the government say?
The government made it possible to increase the council tax levy by 5% without a vote last autumn.
Before that decision from chancellor Jeremy Hunt, local authorities needed to hold a referendum to raise the levy by more than 3%.
The government also seems to have encouraged councils to apply this money pressure to residents.
A Levelling Up department spokesperson said: “Our approach to council tax balances the need to deliver vital services while protecting residents from excessive increases.
“We expect local authorities to take into consideration the challenges many households are facing.”
Levelling up minister Lee Rowley is also reviewing the council tax system, after complaints about different amounts being raised in different parts of the country.
Banksy has revealed he was behind a powerful new piece of street artwork which centres around domestic violence against women.
The mural in question appeared recently in Margate, Kent, depicting a traditional 1950s housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth.
In the piece – which is seemingly titled Valentine’s Day Mascara – the abused female figure is shown pushing her husband into a freezer, which sits in front of the wall art.
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Posting a photo of his latest creation on his Instagram page, the anonymous street artist zoomed in twice to show a close-up of the woman’s smiling face.
A new artwork by street artist Banksy, titled ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’ on the side of a building in Margate, Kent.
Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty Images
The piece also features a variety of rubbish on the ground in front of the artwork, including a broken white garden chair, a blue crate and an empty beer bottle.
It is set on a white wall backdrop, with users online speculating it is off Grosvenor Place in the seaside Kent town.
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Comments about the post have suggested the Bristol-born artist is referencing fighting violence against women on Valentine’s Day.
Undated handout file photo of one of the new works by Banksy, appears to show a 1950’s housewife, wearing a classic blue pinny and yellow washing up gloves, with a swollen eye and a missing tooth seemingly shoving her male partner into a chest freezer, the piece is set on a white wall backdrop in Kent. Issue date: Tuesday February 14, 2023.
Banksy via PA Media
In December, the elusive graffiti artist announced they had created 50 screenprints which would be sold to raise funds for a charity supporting the people of Ukraine.
Banksy previously confirmed they had spent time in Ukraine after posting a video of an artist spray-painting designs in the war-torn country and speaking to locals.
The artist has managed to conceal his identity despite his work’s popularity, with former Art Attack favourite Neil Buchanan being forced to issue a statement insisting that he is not Bansky back in September 2020.
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Help and support:
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:
The Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Refuge: 0808 2000 247
In Scotland, contact Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline: 0800 027 1234
In Northern Ireland, contact the 24 hour Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline: 0808 802 1414
In Wales, contact the 24 hour Life Fear Free Helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 999 5428
Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327
Respect helpline (for anyone worried about their own behaviour): 0808 802 0321
New York Fashion Week begins Friday, and after years of a demand for more body inclusivity, the industry event still has a long way to go. Although many fashion brands have made an effort to introduce plus-size clothing and models, even the crowd invited to attend doesn’t feel inclusive to many.
Blogger Chastity Garner told HuffPost that she felt like an outsider from the beginning. When she was at fashion week in 2015, she was 360 pounds and couldn’t wear any of the clothing on the runways. “What was I really attending for?” she asked. “It’s like when you want a seat at the lunch table in school. I’m a person who loves fashion and wants to be included in fashion, but I didn’t feel included at fashion week.” To Garner, this wasn’t a surprise. “You can barely shop in malls if you’re over a certain size, so I expected not to be represented at fashion week,” she said.
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Instagram influencer Greivy was only invited to one New York Fashion Week show in February — for Tiffany Brown, a designer who has featured full-figured models in the past. “The PR [public relations] people are limiting the reach their client can get by making a list that isn’t inclusive,” she shared. In the past, Greivy was invited to shows for Cynthia Rowley, Libertine, Anna Sui and more designers, but this year she chose not to email PR teams to request invitations. “I knew I would just be disappointed because TikTok influencers get all the seats now. It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I know very well these TikTokers don’t reach out like I used to, either. They don’t know how or who is in charge.” Greivy sees a constant struggle to prove she belongs at fashion week: “Sometimes, designers have a few seats, but plus-size influencers are more than just a sacrifice.”
Most attendees of designer shows are dressed by the brand. However, plus-size guests are often left out of clothing pulls. “Brands are only dressing sample sizes. It’s really hard to show up and not wear the brand while everyone else is because I don’t fit the clothing,” Greivy said. “It feels like I’m not cool or like I’m a loser because I stick out.” She has noticed these brands have oversize pieces that may fit, but they don’t offer them to her in the first place. “They want their image to be a certain way, and that way is sample size,” Greivy said. “Sometimes, a jacket can or belt can fit five different sizes, but they only gift the clothes to people who are a size 2. I’ll probably get a handbag or a shoe from the brand, but that’s it.”
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For DJ Ty Alexander, being left out of fashion week has become the norm. Not only did she receive no invitations this year, but the influencer hasn’t attended since 2017. “In addition to being plus size, I am also Black, so most of my existence in fashion — in the world, really — feels like I’m on the outside looking in,” she said. “There is pressure in the world to stay thin. This isn’t a fashion issue. Fashion is only mimicking what society is doing. Everything about the world is thin, and I’m afraid that will not change.”
Models are also being affected, as they are instructed to maintain their tall, thin physique for runways. Surrendering to standards proved detrimental to Nathalia Novaes’ mental health. She views the fashion industry as the catalyst for her eating disorder, a struggle she endured for seven years as a model. “I built this international career that I’m super grateful for. But I built that with a body that wasn’t really natural because I was dieting all the time,” she told HuffPost. “I was never able to relax around food. I was always hungry.”
She cited a 2014 fashion week in Brazil as a particularly toxic experience. “All the models are really focused on not gaining weight. Nobody was actually eating,” she recalled. “I remember going back to my home with this mental exhaustion and feeling of hunger. I couldn’t eat because I had all of these shows.” By the end of fashion week, Novaes would resort to binging. “I was starving myself so much. It’s a triggering environment where everyone is self-conscious,” she said.
“Inclusivity is more than just the model on the runway. It’s also the clothing that is being offered.”
– Chastity Garner, blogger
When Novaes was just a size 4, clients started to complain about her weight. “I was called a balloon,” she said. “I have big hips, and I think they’re beautiful. But I’m not like the stereotypical model that’s a straight line.” Eventually, Novaes’ work stopped completely. She dropped her agency at the time, and it was eager to let her go. “I told my agency I was leaving. They said they were relieved because I wasn’t getting any work,” Novaes said.
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Models and influencers aren’t the only ones privy to industry pressures; photographers avoid shooting larger bodies, as well. “Body exclusivity has been the norm for a fairly good portion of my career,” said photographer Alvin Toro. “Everything from the runway shows to editorials, advertisements and catalog shoots have been and still are plagued with outdated beauty ‘standards.’ The 1990s brought digital image manipulation and the rise of the supermodel. With them came the unrealistic beauty standards we are still fighting against today during fashion week.”
Toro said he even fell into patterns of body exclusivity in his own shoots. “It was almost impossible to have anyone consider your work if the models did not fit the editor’s vision,” he said. “Because of the top-down way the industry works, advertising agencies and brands would adopt a similar stance.”
In an industry that still struggles to be fully body-inclusive, it is up to the models, influencers and photographers as individuals to spark change. After years of dieting, Novaes decided enough was enough. “I sent an email to my agents and said: ’OK, I’m probably going to gain weight, but I’m just not going to diet. I don’t want to hear any comments about my body anymore,’” she said.
Toro, meanwhile, has taken steps to showcase more diversity in his work. In 2019, the photographer partnered with Hungarian fashion designer Eni Hegedus-Buiron of Lulu et Gigi Couture for an editorial shoot in Paris, which featured several plus-size models and a double amputee.
However, designers often use plus-size models to check off a box and avoid criticism or controversy. As plus-size fashion became more mainstream, the industry realised it could profit by tokenising curvy models. “Real inclusivity looks like more than a token model. It looks like more than this one girl who gets a chance to walk for a major brand,” Garner said. “Inclusivity is more than just the model on the runway. It’s also the clothing that is being offered.”
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Although progress has been made, people are still excluded from fashion week because of their size. “When I became a plus-size model, I was a size 8, which is ridiculous,” Novaes said. “I didn’t get much work, because whenever [designers] want to cast someone diverse, they go for the extreme. They think, ‘OK, putting this plus-size woman in makes us inclusive.’” The model sees it as an either-or situation: You’re either plus size or you’re not, and there is no in between.
Body-inclusive efforts are seen as a rebellion against the status quo. Designers receive honourable mentions for introducing a greater size range, but there is no consideration of why those sizes weren’t present to begin with. “These brands need to do better. Just because we’re over a size 14 doesn’t mean we can’t be invited [to fashion week],” Greivy said.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology surveyed a racially diverse and stratified sample of professionals, all from a large global financial institution and who all had white managers. Employees answered a survey about their self-promotional behavior with prompts such as “I talk proudly about my contributions or education with others at [company name],” and a group of management researchers used manager surveys and human resources information to see how supervisors rated the employees’ performance.
The researchers found that although white, Asian and Latinx employees received higher job ratings when they talked more about their contributions and accomplishments, Black employees were penalised by white managers for doing the same thing. Black employees who rated themselves highly on self-promotion received lower ratings of their job performance and assessments of their fit with the organisation.
In other words, self-promoting at work benefited white, Asian and Latinx employees while it had negative consequences for Black colleagues.
What explains this racial bias? The researchers think that white supervisors could be holding negative stereotypes of lower job competence against their Black employees while other racial groups were not dealing with the same thing.
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As a result, when Black employees excel and communicate their accomplishments, strengths and contributions, their white managers see this as something that goes against their stereotypes of Black employees’ competence and skills.
“When managers perceive the violation of their stereotypical ‘norm’ of Black employees, they feel uneasy and thus react negatively,” said Jiaqing Sun, an assistant professor in the London School of Economics’ department of management, and a co-author of the study.
“The unique bias revealed in our study is more likely to happen in [occupations] highly emphasising competence, education, and skills, and also with a low representation of Black employees, such as financial banking, high technology and higher education,” Sun told HuffPost via email.
“It’s really not you, it’s them.”
– Career coach Ebony Joyce
The study controlled for employees’ education levels, tenure at the company, length of time in their current position and how long they had worked with their direct manager to “really try to isolate the extent to which self-promotion is positively impacting performance ratings,” said Sandy Wayne, a management professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the lead author of the study.
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“What we did find was that African Americans, controlling all those other potential predictors of performance ratings, were getting lower ratings than other groups when they engaged in higher levels of self-promotion.”
Black employees can find sponsors to advocate on their behalf, but this is not their problem to fix.
Career coach and diversity consultant Ebony Joyce said the study’s findings resonated with her experience as a Black professional and with what she has seen with clients.
“We’re faced with this double-edged sword. You’re taught to do the work, put your head down and your work will speak for itself,” she said. “And you notice after a while that everyone is getting promoted around you. And you’re like, ‘I’m doing the work. What do I need to do?’ And then when it comes to advocating for yourself, that doesn’t work, either.”
Joyce said she has worked with many Black clients in this situation who wonder if there is another certification or degree that they need to get to be promoted. To them, Joyce advises, “You already have the education and the expertise and everything that you need already. You are just not supported within the organisation that you are in.”
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If you’re a Black employee looking to stay within your organisation, it can help to find a sponsor at your company, outside of your direct manager, who can speak up on your behalf. As Morgan Stanley senior client adviser Carla Harris put it in a TED talk, a sponsor is someone, usually within your same company, who is not just going to speak positively about you but will be willing to spend “their valuable political and social capital on you” and “has the power to get it — whatever it is for you — to get it done behind closed doors.”
Wayne said it is also critical for Black employees “to track and to maintain documentation on areas in which you have excelled and accomplished a great deal, so almost more objective indices of one’s competence and performance, rather than just communicating that yourself to your manager.”
But in many cases, the best option is to leave.
This is what Joyce said she did when she experienced this trap of self-promotion. At her then-job, she noticed people she started with the same day were getting promoted while she was not. Joyce would do the things being asked of her in performance reviews and would go to leadership and human resources with documentation, but she still saw no change and continued to watch less-experienced co-workers advance.
“[I was] getting overlooked to where it was really a slap in the face and almost, I felt like, an embarrassment to me, as to ‘What am I not doing?’” she said. “After, I think, year three of not being promoted, I had decided to leave the organisation, which was the best thing for me. And the next place that I chose to work was for a manager who looked like me.”
For Black employees who do exit unsupportive companies, Joyce advises them to look at the turnover of diverse staff and the representation in leadership of places they want to work at next to lower the chances of the situation happening again.
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Ultimately, however, the burden should not be on Black employees to deal with their white managers’ bad managing. Instead, it is the organisation’s responsibility to rectify the problem.
“The backlash toward Black employees’ self-promotion only exists when the manager holds a negative competence-related stereotype, so the most direct method to mitigate the bias is to mitigate the stereotypes,” Sun said. “This is, of course, not an easy job, but it is organisations’ responsibility and the only pathway to create an equitable workplace.”
Or, as Joyce put it, “This is one of those cases where it’s really not you, it’s them.”
After shrinking for one quarter, it (ever so slightly) jumped back between October and December by just…not growing at all.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said this was a sign “our economy is more resilient than many feared” – but warned that we’re still not “out of the woods yet”.
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It’s also worth noting that Friday’s data – which has helped experts decide if we’re in recession – is only the first estimate. These numbers are often revised later.
But what does all this mean?
What has just happened to our economy?
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy recorded zero growth between October and December.
According to the ONS’s director of economic statistics Darren Morgan, it comes down to a few different factors – including strikes.
“Public services were hit by fewer operations and GP visits, partly due to the impact of strikes, as well as notably lower school attendance,” he said.
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“The break in Premier League football for the World Cup and postal strikes also caused a slowdown.
“However, these falls were partially offset by a strong month for lawyers, growth in car sales and the cold snap increasing energy generation.”
Across the whole of 2022, the economy did grow by 4%, despite the cost of living crisis squeezing household incomes.
PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images
UK quarterly economic growth (GDP)
What is a recession?
A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters (so six months in total) where the economy shrinks. This is also known as a decrease in the value of goods and services we produce, Gross Domestic Product, or GDP.
If GDP declines in value people’s income tend to fall.
In the third quarter of 2022, July to September, the economy did shrink by 0.2%. But because it didn’t shrink again the next quarter, we’ve just missed out on meeting the criteria for a recession.
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The last recession was in 2020 at the height on the pandemic, but it only lasted for six months, although it did see a 20.4% reduction in the UK economy between April and June in 2020 though – the largest on record.
Before that, the 2008 global financial crash went on for five quarters.
Why is 2023 still expected to feel like we’re in recession?
Even if we don’t meet the technical definition for being in a recession right now, experts believe that it will very much feel like the country is in a period of negative growth already.
And experts at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) still expect the UK to be the only G7 country to fall into recession this year, and set to perform even worse than Russia.
And 2023 is still set to feel like a recession for many, according to an economist at National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NEISR).
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“A focus on the economic crisis faced by most of the British population, rather than technicalities, offers a more insightful perspective,” NEISR’s Paula Bejarano Carbo told POLITICO.
One in four UK households (potentially seven million families) will not be able to fully pay off their food and energy bills in 2023 – that’s an increase from one in five last year, according to NEISR.
So how would a recession affect you?
The job market
Recessions usually trigger companies to let more people go, as consumers spend less and businesses have to adjust their margins.
Employers may also reduce workers’ hours, cut wages, pull back on bonuses and financial incentives or introduce a hiring freeze to an effort to reduce their outgoings.
The stock market will probably struggle too. As people tend to send less, companies report lower earnings, investors consider liquidating their stocks.
The Bank of England has been increasing interest rates in recent months in an effort to decrease the double-digit inflation. That means the price of borrowing increases.
So your credit card balance will also come with higher payments, and anyone looking to secure a mortgage will likely only be offered more expensive deals.
Only if you have a fixed rate mortgage will your monthly payback stay the same.
So lenders may want to think twice before letting people take out loans, which could affect people’s ability to go after large purchases.
Government spending
More economic growth means the government usually gets more money in taxes.
It can then spend more on benefits, public services, government workers wages or reduce taxes – but this can equally all be negatively affected if the economy shrinks too.
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How can you prepare for a possible recession?
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) still expects the economy to shrink by 1.4% in 2023, with the recession causing an overall drop of 2% in GDP.
Although it is expected to grow again by 2025, it’s still best to prepare now.
Pay off your debt sooner rather than later – interest rates are expected to continue rising this yer
Save, if you can, in the event of sudden redundancy
Basically, anywhere on your body can sometimes feel itchy, but some places are a little more unsettling than others.
If you’ve ever experienced itchiness, or irritation on your breasts or even your nipples, you know the frustration of needing to scratch a place you can’t easily access in public. Unfortunately, there are various reasons and treatments for itchy breasts, so it might take time to figure out the issue.
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But that doesn’t mean the situation is hopeless. Below, dermatologists break down the potential causes and offer advice for itchy breasts.
Eczema is a common reason.
“Eczema of the breast is a common cause of itchy breasts and nipples,” said Dr. Azadeh Shirazi, a dermatologist based in La Jolla, California. “The tissue and skin is more sensitive and more prone to irritation.”
The most common form of eczema is atopic dermatitis, which typically manifests as itchy, dry, irritated skin around creases like the backs of the knees and elbows. It can, however, occur on the breasts and nipples as well. There’s also contact eczema, or contact dermatitis, a similar itchy flare-up that stems from contact with an irritant.
“Itchy breasts or nipples can be caused by an irritant dermatitis, such as excessive rubbing or chafing on harsh fabrics,” said Dr. Lauren Penzi, a New York-based dermatologist. “It can be caused by a true allergic contact dermatitis to certain ingredients in soaps, fabrics, laundry detergent, etc.”
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She pointed to a study that found Cl+Me-isothiazolinone, cobalt chloride, thimerosal, nickel sulfate, and 4-tert-butylphenol-formaldehyde resin were common causes of nipple eczema. These ingredients are sometimes used in clothing, cleaning products, cosmetics and other personal care items.
“For those who may be experiencing a sensitivity to something they are coming into contact with ― which can be a new detergent, a new bra or undergarment, a new soap or clothing ― it can help to avoid fragrance or certain ingredients that can be irritating on the skin,” said New York City dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick.
She recommended sensitive skin-friendly detergents like All Free and Clear and skincare brands like Vanicream, which offers products free of fragrances, dyes, lanolin, parabens and formaldehyde. Also, be mindful of the synthetic fabrics and dyes in the clothing you buy.
“I recommend washing new undergarments before wearing them as many manufacturers use chemicals that leach out onto the skin, causing itching and rashes,” Shirazi said.
Sakan Piriyapongsak / EyeEm via Getty Images
Itchy breasts and nipples can be signs of a variety of medical conditions.
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The issue can also be a result of body and skin changes.
“Itchy breasts are often caused by dry skin, breast growth ― due to pregnancy, puberty or weight gain, for example, ― hormonal changes, mastitis, yeast infection and breastfeeding,” said Dr. Hadley King, a dermatologist in New York City. “Nipples often get dried out and irritated from breastfeeding.”
Be mindful of irritation from friction or rubbing, as this can also lead to itchiness. Sometimes, itchy breasts may also have to do with seasonal changes, especially in the colder months.
“Extreme temperatures like a really hot shower or cool, dry weather can all lead to skin irritation, itching, and inflammation,” Shirazi noted. “The breasts and nipples are often forgotten, and we tend to skip moisturising this delicate area.”
Garshick also encouraged moisturising year-round, especially when your skin feels dry and inflamed.
“In these cases, using a moisturising cream or ointment can be helpful to nourish the skin as well to provide a protective barrier to keep moisture in and minimise potential friction and external irritation,” she said. “Thick creams such as Cerave moisturising cream or Vaseline Healing ointment work well for this.”
In rare cases, itchy breasts may indicate something more serious.
“There is a rare but important entity called Paget’s disease of the breast that can present like an eczema of the nipple,” Penzi said. “It usually presents as persistent scaling, eczematous, or ulcerated lesion involving the nipple-areolar complex.”
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Paget’s disease typically only affects one nipple, so pay attention if you notice irritation on only one side.
“Itching and rashes can be a sign of Paget’s disease of the breast linked to underlying breast cancer where cancer cells from an existing breast tumour travel through the milk ducts to the nipple and areola,” Shirazi echoed.
Inflammatory breast cancer is another rare diagnosis that can sometimes lead to itchiness. Other symptoms may include swelling, discolouration, tenderness and other rapid changes in the breast over a period of weeks.
It’s important to contact a doctor if things don’t improve.
“There are lots of common causes of itchy breasts and nipples that are not concerning or indicative of a more serious underlying condition,” King explained. “But if common causes are ruled out, and the itching does not improve, particularly if it is unilateral and accompanied by a rash, then it’s important to have this evaluated by a doctor in order to make sure that it’s not breast cancer.”
A dermatologist can help you determine the cause of this issue and the best course of treatment. In the rare case of cancer, you may need a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Even if cancer is not a factor, seek medical attention if your itchiness doesn’t improve over time or respond to traditional treatments.
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“If at-home treatments are not sufficient, it is best to see a board-certified dermatologist as a prescription topical may be needed, such as a prescription topical steroid or topical non-steroid anti-inflammatory,” Garshick said. “In some cases, an oral medications such as steroids, JAK inhibitors or injectable medications, such as Dupixent, can be helpful as well. For some individuals, where there is a concern for a contact allergy, it can help to consider patch testing, a type of allergy testing.”
Some of us see sleeping with a partner as an act of intimacy, however for others it can cause discomfort and have a negative effect on sleep. If the latter rings true, you might want to opt for a “sleep divorce”.
A sleep divorce is simply sleeping apart, in separate beds or bedrooms, so that both partners can get a good night’s rest.
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“No one talks about sleep divorce and it is so common,” says relationship psychologist Mairead Molloy, from elite dating agency Berkeley International.
She’s right – a survey by the National Sleep Foundation in 2017 found that one in four married couples chose to sleep in separate rooms.
There are lots of reasons why a couple might choose to sleep separately. You might work different shifts, one of you might be a loud sleeper, or you might have children and co-sleep.
“If your partner snores, moves a lot or gets up in the middle of the night, you wake up, interrupting your rest,” says Molloy. “This takes a toll on you both physically and psychologically.”
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While the name “sleep divorce” doesn’t exactly have the most positive connotations, it doesn’t have to be a negative experience.
“Sleeping in another room helps not only improve your comfort and rest but also to keep your personal space,” says Molloy.
Peter Saddington, a sex and relationship counsellor,previously told HuffPost UK he works with lots of couples who want to entertain the idea of sleeping separately but are worried about what it will mean for their marriage and sex life.
People get anxious about what it means, he said, because they worry it’s “a sign of the end days”.
But while some might worry that sleeping apart spells the end for intimacy, Molloy and Saddington believe the opposite is true.
“Sleeping in the same bed can become mundane,” said Saddington. “You see your partner not always necessarily looking their best – sweaty, disheveled – but if you’re just there for sex you can put more effort in and present yourself when you’re feeling at your best. For some people it can even heighten excitement.”
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Molloy agrees a sleep divorce can give your sex life a boost. “Being separated at night favours the existence of an erotic space in which you miss the other person. Thus, it increases your desire to be together,” she suggests.
If you are tempted, it might be worth trialling it for a couple of months. That way, if it doesn’t work for you, you can go back to your previous arrangement.
But if you do see an improvement in how rested you feel, “keep going,” Saddington advised. “It is not always bad news to sleep separately.”
If you’re a very romantic person who’s horrified by the idea of spending the night alone, an intermediate solution could be sleeping in the same bed but with separate duvets or blankets, known as the Scandinavian sleep method, suggests Molloy.
“Overall, this is a good way to sleep together,” she says, “but still comfortable if your partner moves a lot and invades your space.”
Users upload photos of themselves to the genealogy platform MyHeritage, which for $10-$18 (£8.15- £14.68)transforms the images into digital portraits in the style of famous paintings and “historical figures” like an ancient Greek, a Viking or a sultan.
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Many TikTok users say the images made them feel beautiful and more confident in their unique features, even those they usually feel self-conscious about.
“I usually dislike my key features (thin lips, weak chin [and] soft jawline) but I kinda want to cry at these,” @coreyisnothome wrote in a TikTok video that went viral with over 300,000 likes and 2.5 million views. “I’ve never felt so beautiful,” said user @marymargaret14.
Student Savannah Caughey explained in her own viral TikTok video that she always felt insecure about her nose, but the Time Machine images made her change her mind.
“This trend allows people to connect with a part of themselves that is not distinguished by modern-day beauty standards,” she told HuffPost, adding that “the images allowed me to see myself in another light.”
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“I learned to see that I have more of a classic beauty than a modern one, and this trend allowed me to feel confident and happy with that,” she said.
The MyHeritage program produces images that resemble drawings and paintings that imitate real art. Could that be why people feel so beautiful in their images?
Portraiture dates back at least to ancient Egypt, and throughout history portraits were used to showcase wealth and power. “I think it’s important to know that humans have been creating portraits for thousands of years; it’s really not a new phenomenon,” said Ella Raphëlle Dufrene, a French-Haitian American visual artist and registered art therapist.
Before photography, portraits were also a way to be remembered after death — physical proof of someone’s life. But in the selfie era, when it’s easy to capture your own image with the click of a button, the AI Time Machine images combine the digital world and the love of portraiture humans have had for centuries.
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If there’s anyone who can speak about people’s love of portraits, especially in the form of paintings, it’s Melbourne, Australia-based artist Rebekka Lord-Johnson, who specialises in photorealistic and hyperrealistic drawings and paintings.
She went viral on TikTok for creating live wedding paintings in which real-life couples and their wedding celebrations become the subjects of her art. She has more than 500,000 followers and 32 million views on TikTok, where she posts the work she describes as “family heirlooms.” “It’s a family portrait, essentially,” said Lord-Johnson.
In her opinion, the AI Time Machine trend went viral because art is a celebration of uniqueness. People are generally excited to see themselves in images resembling art.
“I think when you see yourself in the context of an artwork, when you’re a part of making an artwork, your recognisable features, and your recognisable face is part of the whole painting that makes everything beautiful, I think it can really capture and feature your uniqueness,” she said.
Lord-Johnson said that art has the opposite effect of social media, which promotes beauty standards that have people trying to look extremely similar to one another in order to feel beautiful. By contrast, art celebrates each person as they are, no filters needed.
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But while images from the AI Time Machine might resemble art, she said, they aren’t really. “It’s almost like a filter to me, like an Instagram filter,” Lord-Johnson said. “It’ll adjust your features to current beauty standards or standards of beauty back then, historically. So people aren’t actually seeing themselves, necessarily.”
In her experience, people do feel prettier when they see themselves in artwork. In a painting, a person’s uniqueness is highlighted and appreciated in a way that’s not commonly experienced, which many people find refreshing.
The couples Lord-Johnson works with, for example, often express how beautiful they feel in her paintings. Not only are they seeing themselves portrayed as they are, but “there’s a lot of emotion behind what I do,” she said. “When I create a work of art, a lot of love and attention goes into that painting.”
But if the AI Time Machine creations can’t really be interpreted as art, why are people feeling beautiful? “I think people are seeing themselves as beautiful because they’re seeing themselves in a different context,” Lord-Johnson said.
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Dufrene offered a similar theory. “I do think that it’s because of the fact that they’re being turned into an ‘artwork’ that it’s increasing their sense of beauty,” she said. “But if we think of the origins of the word ‘portrait,’ coming from old French ‘portraire,’ which means to draw, reveal or expose, the AI portraits are allowing people to play a role, to reveal a more beautiful or empowered part of themselves. What that’s really telling me is that people are longing for a sense of wonder, play and creativity in their lives.”
“If you think of a little girl dressing up as a princess, we all have that inner child that wants to feel fantastical, wonder and play,” Dufrene said. She explained that when people see themselves as famous paintings and historical figures, it may help them to tap into their inner child — which might be why people are so drawn to this trend.
“We have a lack of playfulness, wonder, and spontaneity in our own lives,” she said. It’s not often that people exercise their will to play, like by creating digital portraits of themselves that resemble art and feel fantastical and special.
“People are really stressed out, especially after Covid,” Dufrene said. “Many people work 9-5 day-to-day jobs, where they’re doing these redundant activities that don’t necessarily explore their creativity and bring out their sense of play, and I think that can kind of dull our sense of self.”
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It’s understandable, then, that people felt beautiful participating in the AI Time Machine trend (and thankfully, given facial recognition and online privacy concerns, the company says it does not save the photos that users upload).
As internet fads come and go, Dufrene said, there are many ways of exercising our inner child in our day-to-day lives, as well as increasing our own sense of beauty through art. If we have the means, of course, we can contact artists we admire to create a portrait, or we can do it ourselves with an art therapist. It’s also possible to add more play to your life by yourself; your inner child lives wherever you want them to.
“Playing dress up, creating a storyline, there are many ways that we can push it a little bit more,” Dufrene said. “Paint it. Dress up. Create a story.”
It’s hard to imagine anything more delightful than bringing an adorable puppy home. Yet many new dog owners find themselves feeling anything but delighted during those early weeks and months. It turns out there’s a name for this phenomenon: the puppy blues.
“The term ‘puppy blues’ refers to a range of emotions including feeling overwhelmed, sad, helpless, guilty, trapped, anxious and sometimes regretful after bringing a new puppy home,” Becky Stuempfig, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Encinitas, California, told HuffPost. “These feelings can last anywhere from a few days to a few months.”
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Not everyone experiences the puppy blues after getting a new dog, but it’s certainly common, especially in first-time dog owners whose expectations for life with a pup don’t match the reality.
“Prior to bringing a dog home, many people have a scenario playing out in their mind that involves lots of puppy cuddling and play time,” Stuempfig explained. “They may be expecting to form an immediate bond with the puppy, especially if they had a very close bond with a previous pet.”
Raising a puppy can be fun and magical, but it’s also filled with challenges and frustration. Don’t underestimate the toll this new responsibility can take on your physical and mental health. But don’t despair, either.
“I have been a practicing veterinarian for over 40 years and have been a pet parent literally every day of my 67 years on this earth,” said Dr. Danny Cox, chief veterinary medical officer at Petzey. “I have experienced the sensation of ‘second guessing’ the decision to add a new puppy to the household multiple times for myself, my family and my clients.”
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“It is not unusual for people to wonder if they made the correct decision,” Cox added. “However, with a little preparation and enough time, the puppy blues and that time of frustration and fear will morph into happiness, compassion and love for a wonderful lifelong companion.”
HuffPost asked Cox, Stuempfig and other experts to share their advice for coping with and overcoming this emotional experience, and they offered seven helpful tips. As Cox exmphasised: “Rest assured, the puppy blues ― being a real feeling ― is survivable.”
Remember the puppy stage is temporary
“It is important to remember that many of the things that create the puppy blues are fleeting,” Stuempfig said. “For example, the sleep deprivation that comes with potty training a puppy is a temporary phase and there’s [an] end in sight. The biting and nipping that puppies tend to engage in can be quite painful, but also a temporary stage.”
If it seems like your puppy is more interested in tearing up pillows than interacting with the humans at home, don’t despair or assume that this stressful environment will be the long-term reality. And this frustration doesn’t mean you hate your dog or that your dog hates you.
“Many new puppies have no interest in cuddling and feel trapped when humans try to hug or cuddle with them,” Stuempfig said. “Puppies want to explore their environment. They are curious about everything and their natural curiosity can be interpreted as detachment. Puppies often take a while to warm up to everyone in the family, particularly if you have young children.”
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Study up and prepare
“New dog parents, just like new human baby parents, often find themselves unprepared to be new parents,” Cox explained. “If they have never had a dog before, they simply don’t know what to expect, and with the actions and behaviour quirks of a young puppy, their first response is ‘Oh my, what have I gotten myself into?’ ― much like postpartum depression experienced by new parents with a newborn child.”
She recommended taking the time to educate yourself about your dog’s breed so you know what to expect and can set ground rules for training your puppy and everyday life at home. Knowledge is power.
“A puppy is a feeling, thinking, loving, angry, confused, hungry, thirsty living being,” noted Dr. Alejandro Caos, a veterinarian with The Vets, a mobile veterinary service. “They require physical and emotional support, environmental enrichment and exercise, warmth and tender care mixed with rough-and-tumble fun. If you read this as being ‘needy,’ they are and deserve the best.”
He recommended reading the work of the late veterinarian and applied animal behaviourist Sophia Yin, who published many books to help families welcome a puppy into their lives.
Focus on the progress
The amount of training your puppy needs can sometimes feel overwhelming, but keep in mind that it’s a gradual process. Celebrate the small wins and milestones when they happen ― whether it’s the first time they communicated that they needed to use the bathroom, stopped chewing on cords or were OK with a leash.
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“It’s very normal to feel these ‘puppy blues’ when we do not focus on the progress our furry buds are making,” Caos said. “Celebrate the good they do and try not to dwell on the not-so-good.”
Regressions can happen, and some days are better than others. But thinking about the overall positive momentum will reframe your day-to-day outlook.
Jessie Casson via Getty Images
Try to focus on the small milestones and the progress your dog makes.
Build a support network
“Ask for help!” Stuempfig urged. “Puppy owners can benefit from recruiting the help of others to minimise exhaustion. Similar to parents of infants, it often takes a village to raise a puppy. I encourage puppy parents to find their dog village and remember they are not alone in the transition. It can be helpful to talk about their ‘puppy blues’ feelings with other dog owners as a way of normalising their emotions since they are quite common.”
If you don’t have many friends who own dogs, consider striking up a conversation with people at the dog park to get a sense of what’s normal and what to expect. Fellow dog owners can be a hugely helpful source of information and comfort.
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Professionals like trainers, behaviourists and veterinarians are also a great resource, whether you can schedule in-person classes and consultations or just follow their helpful videos and posts on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. If it’s within your means, consider puppy classes as well.
“Visit your veterinarian regularly,” said Dr. Mondrian Contreras, a veterinarian at Carol Stream Animal Hospital in Illinois. “Make sure your puppy is healthy and not showing signs of overt medical issues that may need to be addressed properly and possibly immediately. Your veterinarian will also let you know if your pup is healthy enough to be socialising with others. These first few veterinary visits are essential to helping owners get started on the right ‘paw’ by helping them understand puppy needs as well as physical growth and social development.”
Acknowledge what you’re losing
“When we are talking about the puppy blues, what we are really talking about is a life transition, and with any life transition, grief and loss are central to the transition,” Stuempfig said. “When we bring a new puppy into our lives, we lose our old way of being in our home. We no longer have the same daily routine. There’s a sudden shift in focus and a dramatic increase in time, money and energy spent on a tiny little animal.”
With a new pet also comes a loss of independence, as you can no longer be away from home for long stretches. Stuempfig emphasised the importance of acknowledging these losses.
“By identifying and processing our losses, it allows people to understand what they are feeling in a nonjudgmental manner and then feel more present in our current situation,” she explained. “If we push these feelings down or judge ourselves for having them, they only grow larger.”
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Resist the urge to compare your pup to a past pet
“Sometimes people bring past dog experiences into their new relationship with their dog and create very high standards for the new relationship with their dog, which takes time to build and does not always happen in the first few weeks or months,” Stuempfig explained. “People need to remind themselves that the relationship with their puppy will be different, and try not to place any expectations on the relationship. Rather, think of it as a new adventure that is yet to unfold.”
Remember that emotional bonds don’t form overnight, and that every dog has their own personality and special traits, which will emerge in due time and help you feel closer. Try to take it one day at a time and those positive memories will come.
“The puppy days can be exhausting and filled with stress,” Stuempfig said. “We are given strict guidelines to keep them healthy, tasked with obtaining well checks and immunisations, advised to facilitate puppy socialisation, all while trying to maintain the other pre-existing life tasks. Oftentimes, the enjoyable memories come when the dog has grown past the puppy stage and the puppy tasks have been fulfilled.”
Make proper socialisation a priority
Although medical issues can contribute to the puppy blues, Contreras believes a more common factor involves puppy behavioural issues, like potty training, excessive biting and barking, resource guarding, growling and separation anxiety.
“Lack of socialisation is the most common reason for future behavioural problems. What’s more, the lack of proper socialisation in addition to negative experiences at a young age can result in fear, aggression and generalised anxiety,” he said. “The good news is that most of the behavioural issues can be decreased with proper socialisation and training, which will help owners feel less overwhelmed, anxious, and negative toward their new puppy.”
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Getting your puppy vaccinated and following veterinary guidance will allow for safe social interactions with other dogs and positive development. Once your canine is old enough and you’ve taken the proper precautions, they can go out into the world and meet other pups.
