Model drops jaws with list of '118 reasons not to have kids'
Having kids is not easy. It requires a huge deal of sacrifice, compromise and patience and can sometimes feel like a pretty thankless task. And yet, not everyone feels comfortable admitting that they’d prefer to avoid such trials and tribulations by simply not becoming a parent. Enter Ellie Gonsalves, an Australian model and influencer who has sparked a fierce internet debate by sharing every single reason why she has chosen to remain “child free”. The L'Oréal ambassador posted her 118-point-long list to Instagram, explaining: “Societal pressure when it comes to this topic are (sic) truly questionable and I believe unfair towards those with differing opinions. “Very rarely do we see a voice in support of this… because let's face it, the public backlash can be too much.” Her arguments against starting a family include the risk that a child can “turn into a rapist”; that “they can poo inside you” and that you are “more susceptible to yeast infections while pregnant”. The full list is as follows: Inevitably, her catalogue proved divisive among readers, with one woman commenting: “Your 'list' on why you don't want kids are (sic) all negative, but how about the positives? The Positives completely outweigh. “Of course, it's a person's choice as to whether they want to be a parent,” she added. “But a lot of your list were (sic) very vain reasons [in my opinion].” Another added: “So much fear. Better not to have kids if that's what you will instil into them anyway. Gosh, so many self-centred people in this world.” However, others defended Gonsalves, with one asking: “Am I seriously reading comments from women who are offended by your decision..? What’s wrong with people?!?!. “It’s 1milliion percent (sic) your choice- end of story. I really don’t understand people sometimes.” And another said: “I’m with you. I’m 40, don’t have kids, and never wanted kids (...) I had a coworker ask me once, ‘If you don’t have kids, who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?’ I remember thinking, (and still do), that that’s a selfish reason to HAVE kids.” In her statement accompanying the list, the 32-year-old said that she had received “hundreds of DMs criticizing me [and telling] me how much of a horrible and broken person that I am.” She insisted that whilst some of the points she included are “satirical”, “many are serious and factual.” She added: “As someone in a 15-year relationship, I have [been asked whether I want kids] for almost that entire time and it’s probably the most frequent [question] I get.” She then said she could count “on one hand” the number of times people posing the question have been respectful and understanding of her views. Still, she stressed that she was glad that her message had resonated with so many women. “It's been nice to read hundreds of comments from people who feel seen, people who have also had uncomfortable moments where others have questioned their choice and all that has done is made them feel awful or uncomfortable,” she told Mamamia. She also said that the fury her list had provoked simply reinforced her argument. “People are sold a certain life,” she noted. “And when they witness others choosing a different path, the frustration lies within themselves.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-11-27 19:21
Couple that dressed as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for Halloween three years ago go viral
A few months ago, the idea of musician Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce dating wouldn’t have crossed many people’s minds. But now, one couple is going viral after it emerged they dressed up as the pair for Halloween a whole three years ago and way before the rumoured celebrity pair were a thing. In 2020, Makayla and Nick Stephens dressed up as the celebrity couple, years before Swift and Kelce got together, and now their holiday photo has gone viral. Swift and Kelce were first thought to be romantically linked last month. Since then, rumours have been fuelled by Swift’s attendance at Kansas City Chiefs games, whom Kelce plays for. Makayla shared the photo of herself and husband Nick dressed as the celeb couple on Instagram on 31 October 2020. In the caption, she wrote: “I don’t know any world in which Taylor Swift + Travis Kelce would be in the same room together, but apparently in this one they’re married?” The post has been liked more than 13,000 times as people can hardly believe the bizarre prophecy that seems to have occurred. One person commented: “Girl go buy a lottery ticket.” “I absolutely adore this is so perfect like the odds are crazy this is Simpson level predictions,” another suggested. Another wrote: “Wow y’all are fortune tellers!” Someone else joked: “Hey maybe this Halloween you should dress up as me and Trevor Zegras.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-03 17:24
MrBeast is worried he’ll go ‘broke’ after latest video
As the world's most popular YouTuber, MrBeast is known for his elaborate videos but there's one stunt he fears may leave him "broke". The 25-year-old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has over 188 million subscribers on the video platform. Over recent years he's pulled off some expensive events for content such as recreating Squid Game and having his very own Olympics. Recently, MrBeast was number one on the Forbes Top Creators 2023, after he amassed earnings of $82m - however, a recent stunt could prove costly. Donaldson has pledged to give a man $10,000 for every day if he can cope with living in a shop, and as it goes, the guy is hanging in there. He also noted that the shop isn't operating as a store currently and that he "blacked out the windows and locked it". “I messed up.. I bought a random grocery store and told a random person I’d give him $10,000 every day he lives in it and it’s been weeks and he shows no signs of ever leaving. I’m gonna go broke," the YouTube tweeted. This caused fans to question how long every day the guy has lasted so far, to which Donaldson replied: "It’s been over a month so far.” It means the man has bagged himself over $300,000 with this number increasing the longer he continues to remain inside the shop. Another person highlighted to Donaldson a video where fellow YouTuber MatPat explained how a person could survive up to 60 years locked in a supermarket. Not exactly something MrBeast wants to hear, since 60 years inside the shop would set him back $219m - although spending most of your life inside a dark shop isn't exactly ideal. There isn't a video out yet on Donaldson's YouTube channel about this particular challenge, so guess we'll have to wait and see how long the guy lasts... Meanwhile, fans have previously been concerned that the YouTuber was broke after someone who looks like Donaldson was spotted flying economy on a Taiwanese airline. However, the identity of the man in the photo has not been confirmed nor has Donaldson responded to the image. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-02 18:18
Kourtney Kardashian reveals who's in the 'Not Kourtney' group chat after clash with Kim
Kourtney Kardashian has shut down Kim Kardashian's claims that her friends are in an anti-Kourtney group chat. On the latest episode of The Kardashians, Kourtney called Kim a "narcissist," before Kim claimed, "All of your friends call us complaining." "Whether you think they're the ones going to you, they're all coming to us on the side, saying the opposite to us," Kim continued. "We're all confused, and we're on a group chat labelled 'Not Kourtney' so we know, and have to funnel what your friends are saying to us, and have to figure out why you're such a different person and why you have this vendetta." Kourtney has since taken to Instagram to clear the air that her friends are not involved. In a screenshot posted to her story, Kourtney's friends Allie Rizzo Sartiano and Simon Huck said "trolls" are attacking them for Kim's claims. "Should I soft launch the YASS Kourtney group chat?" Sartiano wrote in a text message, to which Kourtney later responded with crying laughing face emojis. "OMG please! These trolls keep DM’ing me accusing me of being on the other chat," Huck responded. "I’m like, if only they knew our anxiety about meaningless, endless chit chat," Sartiano said, adding that the alleged 'Not Kourtney' chat "didn't exist." "I mean over a martini we will debrief, but dang for a group chat that didn’t exist I am fidgeting," Sartiano added. "Kim threw us all under the bus when there was not one actual friend on the chat," Huck quipped. Kourtney later confirmed who was in the chat by responding to a fan's comment under a post of her baby shower. "Are those friends on the ‘not Kourtney group chat’ Cause if so we don’t need them there," one fan wrote, to which the Poosh founder responded: "No the members of that chat are namely Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie. Case closed." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-01 18:21
Sir Keir Starmer mocked for bizarre Labour party conference photoshoot
Sir Keir Starmer is being mocked for his strange pose on the cover of Labour’s annual conference programme. The political party’s annual conference is taking place in Liverpool on 8 - 11 October 2023 and brochures have been released ahead of time to promote the event. Pictures of the programme shared on X/Twitter have got people talking, as they feature a large picture of the Labour leader Starmer on the front cover. Starmer is pictured in a side profile against a grey background, prompting some severe mockery poking fun at his perceived reputation for having “no personality”. Others pointed out that it resembles an album cover for a musician more than a conference programme. One person on X/Twitter mocked: “‘Keir Starmer, former session musician with The Moody Blues, announces his debut solo album, Annual Conference. A melange of soft rock, mellow jazz and blue eyed soul, this has been given 5 stars in Q Magazine’.” Another wrote: “Cult of no personality.” Someone else added: “Keir Starmer: “For the Me, not the You.” “This is objectively hilarious. Imagine the meeting to discuss the various design options,” wrote another. One person joked: “If you’ve always wanted a soft focus portrait of Keir Starmer for your wall, you’re in luck with the #lab23 conference programme.” “Labour drops its new conference brochure/Keir Starmer greatest hits album cover,” wrote a Tory Twitter account. According to Labour’s website, the annual conference will host “inspiring speeches, invaluable training and an events timetable that makes the most of every minute, it’s a real opportunity to be a part of democracy in action”. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-09-12 19:28
Dillon Danis ‘shares secret Nina Agdal picture with Adin Ross' as misogynist trolling continues
The misogynist trolling of Nina Agdal by Dillon Danis is continuing in the run up to his fight with Logan Paul. Danis and Paul are going head to head in Manchester in October, which will be on the same card as KSI vs Tommy Fury. The pair have clashed repeatedly on Twitter, with Danis making claims about Paul and Agdal’s private life. Now, Danis has claimed that he possesses a picture which is capable of disrupting the pair’s relationship – and he supposedly shared it with Twitch streamer Adin Ross as part of a recent video. The clip, which was shared by the Happy Punch page on Twitter/X, saw Danis claiming to show Ross a picture. Ross appeared to be shocked in the clip, saying: "Bro, what the heck, bro? Now, that is beyond wild, bro. I actually feel really bad." It’s just one example of the misogynist trolling aimed at Agdal. Over recent times, Agdal has been trending on social media due to an explicit video that people have claimed features her. However, it has been reported that the video in question does not feature Agdal. Drama Alert posted a picture of Agdal and Paul on Twitter, adding the caption: “Leaked explicit video of Logan Paul’s fiancé is NOT real, DramaAlert has confirmed. The video is not of Nina Agdal, but of a different girl.” Agdal and Paul have yet to release any comment on the situation. Danis has claimed the pair have had arguments over the MMA fighter’s recent tweets. He wrote last month: “Told Logan to his face he’s marrying a sl** and he didn’t do sh** about it.” He added: “Had his whole team and me in there alone, shows you the kind of man he is.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-09-06 22:25
Timothée Chalamet fan calls Kylie Jenner a "stalker" after the pair are seen kissing
The internet has gone crazy after a video of actor Timothée Chalamet and reality star Kylie Jenner were spotted kissing at a Beyoncé concert. The video came after months of speculation that the two had become an item. But some are seemingly more upset than others about the pair, namely one Chalamet fan account known as Club Chalamet, run by a woman called Simone who describes herself as a "GenX LA based super fan account". On her Instagram account she called Jenner a "stalker" and says "it looks like they're meeting for the first time since she's been stalking his place. What else is he supposed to do, spit in her face? He was probably there with friends and mama kajenner waved her staff and commanded this meeting be filmed." Simone continued to upload on her social media, sharing her distress at the pair being spotted together. Later that night she posted a photo of text that read "If you're feeling distressed by the video, it's ok. But please take care of yourself. Step away from social media for a couple of days." However, later in the night footage of the pair kissing went viral, and, in Simone's words, "it does get worse." "Based on all the DMs I have received, fans are absolutely devastated and disappointed. I don't know what more I can say to alleviate your pain and heartache, I truly sympathise with you. Please take some time away from social media to tend to your mental health because that's very important to me," she wrote. "For those of us who know better," she continued, "stay strong. the relentless pursuit of Timothée Chalamet had an end game and what better way to claim her prize than at a Beyoncé concert where half of Hollywood and the media would be there, with a special focus on the kajenners and their guests in the VIP stand." In another post she wrote: "The past 24 hours have been stressful for must of us, especially those of us who support Timothée." Over on Twitter/X, she bizarrely claimed that his smoking at the event was a "clear sign of his level of stress and discomfort." Of course Simone's strange accusations and seeming-obsession with Chalamet drew a lot of criticism online. Many called her "delusional" and "insane": It also led many to comment on parasocial relationships and its impacts. PsychCentral defines parasocial relationships as "a one-sided attachment with a fictional character or media personality." And with the rise of social media where it is easier for fans to interact with celebrities they love, the risk of forming a parasocial attachment is higher, as can be seen by Simone's reaction. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-06 21:17
The MrBeast and Jacksepticeye drama explained
Two of the biggest names in YouTube have been feuding, with viewers surprised to see there was beef between MrBeast and Jacksepticeye. It comes following the circulation of a clip on social media, which saw Jacksepticeye asked questions about his fellow YouTuber. The footage shows the Irish 33-year-old hooked up to a lie detector, while giving his honest opinions on MrBeast – the biggest name on the video streaming platform. When asked about his content, Jacksepticeye said that MrBeast "ruined YouTube" because he made videos which were all about "views, money, and popularity." TommyInnit also appears in the video, and when he asked if MrBeast ruined YouTube, Jacksepticeye replied: “Yes. Because it became more about views, money, and popularity than it did about having fun. If he had fun doing those videos, they'd be longer. We'd see the fun." The clip quickly went viral, and MrBeast replied to him by taking issue with his comments. "So, I, 'ruined YouTube' because I didn’t buy a mansion and sports cars and instead reinvested my $ into making content/ocused on doing good and inspiring kids to help people?" he wrote on Twitter. "'If he had fun the videos would be longer.' What does that even mean, lol? You think I’d give up every hour of my life for 14 years if I didn’t have fun?” He went on to say: "This clip is insanely disrespectful IMO (in my opinion) and obviously there is so much I could say about his content but I’ll just take the punches and be the bigger man. Sigh." The disagreement understandably raised a lot of eyebrows among fans, but it now looks like the pair have managed to patch things up. They both posted on Twitter, with an exchange that seemed to suggest they’d been chatting privately and were no longer unhappy with each other. MrBeast posted a smiling emoji and said: “We messaged, we’re Gucci now”, followed by a smiling emoji. Jacksepticeye then replied to the message with a cowboy and thumbs-up emoji. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-09-04 22:29
BBC presenter apologises after lewd slip of the tongue live on air
Radio presenter Chris Arnold has apologised after a slip of the tongue left him saying something rather explicit live on the radio. Arnold was covering Mel Everett on BBC Radio Somerset and was trying to tell listeners there was "lots to come" for them to enjoy on the night's show. But he accidentally said something else with a completely different meaning. "Hello, good evening, Chris Arnold here until 10pm. Hope you've have a good day, lots of come... lots to come tonight," the presenter said before pausing and saying "right, OK". Posting on Twitter/ X he apologised to listeners, writing: "I can only apologise profusely to the listeners for this deeply unfortunate slip of the tongue on the show this evening." Reacting to his post, people thought it was pretty hilarious. Fellow radio presenter Greg James, for instance joked that it was "always exciting to be live on air". "I hope that the show had a happy ending". "Never knew radio cummerset was such good fun," another quipped. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-02 20:23
Did Donald Trump release a rap song about being arrested?
A rap song "by Donald Trump" is making waves across social media following his arrest in Georgia last Thursday (24 August). The former president was arrested on 13 counts but adamantly denies any wrongdoing. Now, a song titled 'First Day Out' by 'Trump The Don' has racked up millions of views in a matter of days. The lyrics rap: "These DA's acting silly, my mugshot is worth a billi, sold some merch and made a milli" and "Call me racist? But these rappers riding with me, they my soldiers, MAGA, MAGA, MAGA." The track has reached almost three million views, with many being fans of the beat. One wrote: "I respect the flow! What’s a link to your real music?" Another added, "Bro this goes hard," while a third tweeted: "That’s a pretty catchy tune." "I stay out of politics but I’m not gone lie! Trump got bars," another penned. Unsurprisingly, the song is not from Trump himself. It was created by Hi-Rez The Rapper, who said he made the AI song "an absolute joke in 30 minutes." "A song I made as an absolute joke in 30 minutes now has millions of views, streams, and thousands of sales," he wrote. "We're bringing people together through comedy, music, culture, & politics. They want us divided and living in fear! We're taking back Hollywood, entertainment & the culture." In a follow up tweet, he wrote: "Btw, I will be releasing my real music in coming weeks hahaha I am just having too much fun with this sh**. Don't care who unfollows or hates it tbh I am having a blast lol!" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-30 00:29
MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan responds after Jordan Peterson labels him a 'Caucasian'
Jordan Peterson has labelled a brown man a “Caucasian”, and has unsurprisingly been slammed for doing so. British-American broadcaster and author, Mehdi Hasan, responded to the outrageous statement made about him by Peterson yesterday. Peterson, the rightwing celebrity psychology professor, posted on X/ Twitter, on 27 August. He said that Hasan was “not really brown. More like a light tan. Just like ‘white’ people.” He added: “Plus you're a Caucasian. By definition. Buddy.” In response, Hasan posted: “Nothing to see here, just Jordan Peterson, a white man, telling me I’m not brown, I’m actually white. Also, how am I a Caucasian, ‘by definition’?” Hasan is a Brit who was born to Indian parents from Hyderabad in the south of the country. They emigrated to the UK before he was born. In 2021, he tweeted that he was "tired of people telling me that I shouldn't take any pride in my south Asian heritage today, or that it has any relevance to my political views". "There's a word for this and it starts with R," he added. Hasan moved to America in 2015 to work as a producer and presenter on news TV. Now, he hosts his own show on MSNBC. It is unclear what definition of the word "Caucasian" Peterson is referring to. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as “belonging to the races of people who have skin that is of a pale colour”. Peterson’s bizarre attack on Hasan’s heritage was a response to a monologue by the presenter on his TV show. Hasan criticised white American conservatives’ attitudes in the wake of a mass shooting in which a white person killed three black people with an assault rifle. “Tonight, this brown Muslim is asking the white conservative community to do the same: get your house in order, crack down on the hate preachers... condemn the right of white supremacist ideology,” he said. Peterson did not respond to Hasan’s most recent post. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-28 18:26
Elon Musk mercilessly booed and mocked at video game tournament
Elon Musk is usually right at home among large crowds of video game aficionados – but now, even they are turning against him. The billionaire, who bought Twitter last year, gutted many of its core features and renamed it X, was booed and jeered at by a large gaming crowd at the recent Valorant Champions 2023 tournament in Los Angeles. In a clip shared on X/Twitter, Musk appeared on the big screen and was immediately met with a chorus of dissent. Some of the crowd could even be heard shouting: “Bring back Twitter.” “Where’s that coming from, that can’t be from in here, surely,” one of the stream’s commentators asked. “Is that a bigger reaction than [professional Valorant player] tenZ got?” Reacting to the clip on X, one person said: “Now he’s gonna ban all valorant content on twitter or lock it behind the sub.” The person was referring to the fact that Musk has frequently cracked down on the content of rivals, such as Substack, on Twitter/X. That is despite claiming he wanted to apply a police of “free speech absolutism” on his own app. During his tenure at Twitter, Musk has also suspended reporters and left-wing accounts that drew his ire, retaliated against media outlets perceived as too liberal and ordered engineers to boost his posts after a tweet from president Joe Biden about the Super Bowl did better than his own. It's not the first time he's been booed onstage in recent times either. Musk appeared to be mercilessly jeered by audience members after being brought on stage by Dave Chappelle on 12 December. Musk was introduced by the comedian during his show at San Francisco’s Chase Center. Chappelle joked: “It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience.” In a characteristically self-aware moment after the incident, Musk called his hecklers "unhinged". The Tesla founder's leadership of Twitter, then X, has also led to a reported drop in standards across the app, with many of the company’s content moderation staff sacked late last year as he slashed headcount. And late last year, research given to the New York Times suggested there has been a sharp a rise in hate speech on the platform as a result. No wonder the gamers were unhappy with Musk. “I’m sure he’ll change it back now,” said the original poster, Jake Lucky, seemingly sarcastically. At least he’s realistic about his chances. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-28 17:25