Is Bruce Jenner Brave...Or Just An Attention Whore?

It seems to be on a daily basis that Bruce - sorry Caitlyn - Jenner is in the news as she completes her transition from male to female.

Today, her very own reality show premieres on E! and the whole spectacle just makes me think that Bruce is just loving all of this attention.

I’ve been an avid watcher of the family's original reality show for years and there have been numerous occasions where you see him (I'm going back to that pronoun now as I talk about Bruce, not Caitlyn) whining or acting resentful because he is being overshadowed by the stronger, glamorous female personalities in the family. Now, the spotlight is on him and you can tell he’s loving it.

His social media antics do little to dispel this assumption:


Twitter: Caitlyn Jenner

Erm Caitlyn, you know who else has millions of followers? Amanda Bynes. Twitter followers does not necessarily mean support - some people just like to see a car-crash play out in front of them. It's entertainment. Don't be fooled.

Besides, are you 12 that your self-esteem relies on how many social media followers you have? Or do you just relish ANY sort of PR coverage and its milestones, whatever the circumstance?

The Taylor Swift Show

Instagram: Taylor Swift

I like Taylor Swift. Her songs are catchy, sometimes relatable (even though it can feel like they’ve been written from a 13 year old’s perspective). She seems incredibly hard-working and ambitious, but still manages to have fun.

Style-wise, Taylor always looks chic and glam too and rarely gets it wrong on the red carpet, proving you can dress sexy without being vulgar or trashy.

However, do I feel she deserves the blatant industry favouritism she gets? No.

Music industry nepotism was more recently being displayed when the 2015 MTV VMA nominations were announced, with Taylor Swift being nominated for a total of NINE awards.

Frankly, I’m surprised they didn't find a way to nominate her in EVERY category… including "Best Male", "Best Rock" and "Best Hip-Hop".

Taylor’s success led to an outspoken Nicki Minaj publicly commenting about her own lack of acknowledgment in a specific category, despite breaking video-viewing records herself. She's put it down to white music artists being favoured in the media (an old argument, and incidentally, part of the reason why Kanye West stormed the stage at the 2009 VMAs when Taylor won an award over Beyonce).

To be fair, "Anaconda" is a horrible song with an even worse music video…it’s so crass, it’s almost like a parody. Given the choice, I would give the award nomination to Taylor Swift too. She’s like the lesser of two evils.

"One Conception": Louis Tomlinson's Baby Mama Drama

It's been a busy week of press coverage for both past and present members of boyband One Direction, what with Zayn Malik being embroiled in a nasty spat with former friend and collaborator Naughty Boy… as well as news that, at the ripe old age of 23, Louis Tomlinson is set to become a father.


A bleary-eyed Louis
Instagram: Louis Tomlinson 

Between the public slanging match and the baby-daddy news, it's like Jeremy Kyle for the rich and famous.

Why do I get the feeling that Simon Cowell’s mentally calculating how much longer One Direction have left, before he starts putting together another group of fresh-faced lads to assault the charts?

How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, Zayn Malik Style

Zayn Malik really likes his Twitter beefs, doesn't he?

Twitter: Zayn Malik
 

Even ex-fellow boy band member Louis Tomlinson wasn’t spared from the wrath of Malik:


Twitter: Zayn Malik

You can take the boy out of Bradford…

 

Why Women Go Back To Bad Men

Instagram: Karrueche Tran

When recently asked about the status of her relationship with bad-boy Chris Brown, Karrueche Tran (unsurprisingly) refused to confirm that things were over between them for good.

What a fool. Some women just love being doormats.

Not even taking into account that he beat-up a woman in the past, this is a guy who: dumped her for his ex-girlfriend, returned to her when things between him and his ex didn’t work out, has insulted her on social media and blasted information about their private life on there…and has now fathered a child with another woman.

No doubt Chris has been back in touch with Karrueche, messing with her emotions so she has trouble moving on or is reluctant to date anyone else. Meanwhile, he is probably playing the field, while she mistakenly believes that he is grieving over her.

Can Depression Be Grounds For Assisted Suicide?

A bleak topic, but an interesting one to explore nonetheless.

The 24-year-old Belgian lady, known only as Laura, hit the headlines having been granted an assisted suicide – a controversial decision as, aside from suffering for years from clinical depression, she is otherwise physically healthy.

Image credit: StepanFoto

As someone who has dealt with and come back from extreme depression and suicidal thoughts, this makes me uneasy…almost as if they're agreeing that someone’s life is worthless and that it’s the end of the road in terms of receiving help for depression. It all seems really clinical, soulless and "Evil Doctor".

As human beings, we should be kind and compassionate to each other. Not encouraging people to give up.

Some would argue that, in this case literally, putting someone out of their misery is kind, especially if the alternative is a suicide attempt which, depending on which method you choose, can easily go wrong and leave the person dealing with the ramifications of a botched suicide attempt.

The Difference Between Atheists and Agnostics

Image credit: Jacky77

It is currently the Holy Month of Ramadan which, coming from a family of practicing/non-practicing Muslims, puts me in a slightly awkward position as being the only one not fasting.

When your family practice a particular religion, even if some are stricter than others, by default it means you do too.

Most people genuinely believe in the religious and cultural practices they have been brought up with, without question.

However, and I know a lot of British-Asian kids struggle with this too, sometimes people who have been brought up with a particular religion are left questioning some of the rules and the validity of the beliefs that have been imposed on them, especially if they’re living in a secular society where their religion and culture is in the minority.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Split – Did You See It Coming?

Tabloids have been speculating that Hollywood couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were on the brink of divorce for several weeks now.

Seeming like a rare genuine solid Hollywood couple, many dismissed the rumours as unfounded gossip.

However, today a spokesperson for the couple confirmed that the couple are indeed separating after ten years of marriage.

As much as you hate it when the media turn out to be right about something like the break up of a family (Affleck and Garner have three children together), news like this is often not surprising.