Latest news with #PaulMescal
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Thigh guy summer? Men's short shorts in high demand and steering swimwear
Recent victims of shrinkflation have included butter, mouthwash and teabags. The next casualty? Men's shorts. In-seams are rising with retailers reporting a surge in interest for short shorts featuring a 5in and even 3in inside leg measurement. Now the trend is having a knock-on effect on swimwear. This week, GQ magazine posed the question: 'Are Straight Guys Ready for Speedo Summer?' Google searches for Speedos are up 41% year on year in the UK, while the swim brief category is up 17% globally. The fashion stylist Luke Day, who owns more than 50 pairs of swimming briefs, isn't surprised. 'Shorts have become so short it's like: what is next? The answer has to be swimwear.' It's not even June but already a so-called thigh guy summer is well under way in Europe. Earlier this week, the actor Alexander Skarsgård appeared on the British breakfast TV show Lorraine in a pair of checked shorts with a 5in in-seam from the designer S.S. Daley. Curtseying before host Ranvir Singh, Skarsgard said: 'I wanted to be sexy today.' Elsewhere, the latest edition of the art and design magazine Cultured, stars the 53-year-old White Lotus star Walton Goggins on its cover, manspreading in a pair of canary yellow Speedos. Some are calling it the Mescal effect. Five years ago, the Irish actor Paul Mescal became a household name after his role in the TV drama series Normal People. But it was a photograph of Mescal wearing a pair of micro shorts, snapped when leaving a supermarket in east London, that really thrust him into the spotlight. Overnight, shorts were shortened. This season's catwalks were dominated by short shorts with versions appearing at Gucci, Hermès and Dior. Celebrities including Harry Styles, Pharrell Williams, Jeremy Allen White and Donald Glover have all channelled John Travolta in Pulp Fiction with maximum leg-bearing short shorts. Now the trend is going mainstream. On Thursday, Marks & Spencer launched its summer campaign, which positions a pair of banana-printed swim shorts with a 3in in-seam as a wardrobe staple. At John Lewis, bestsellers in its short category include 5in in-seams from Under Armour, while it is micro shorts from Paul Smith and Lacoste are trending in swimwear. Day's preference for short shorts predates Mescal and Gucci by a decade. 'As a gay man I feel we are often pioneers of trends. I've been wearing short shorts for 10 years. But now straight men are wearing them. They want to show off their thighs.' He credits the boom in popularity to a wider interest in health and wellbeing. 'The biggest flex at the moment isn't a designer item. It is your body. People want to show how hard they have been working out.' Orlebar Brown, a British resort wear brand whose swim shorts have been worn by everyone from Hugh Jackman to David Cameron, offers four different in-seam lengths ranging from 6in that hits just above the knee to 3in that grazes the upper quads. Its chief marketing officer, Trevor Hardy, says the shortest style, called the Springer, is 'already becoming more prevalent this year' among its customers. 'Men are becoming more adventurous. Even the most non-fashion conscious man is dressing with more confidence.' Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved after newsletter promotion Brief styles are mandatory at French swimming pools and commonplace on Italian beaches but a rise in cold swimming and sauna culture is also fuelling interest in the UK. Traditional trunks cannot be worn under wetsuits. Briefs and tighter fitting swim shorts also absorb less water making them more suitable for moving between plunge pools. In Australia, yellow and pink styles from AussieBum are a go-to. Speedo's new Jetstream collection takes inspiration from the 1980s with drawcord briefs measuring 3.5in, compared with the 13.5in fit of its standard training briefs. For first-timers taking the plunge with briefs, Day recommends choosing a thicker fabric and sizing up. 'You want a bit of room. It's not about compression.' But his biggest tip is not to make a big deal about them. 'I hate when someone walks out and everyone is like 'Oh he's got budgie smugglers on.' It's like: what year are we living in?'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Scratch That!
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Scratch That! Constructors: Emily Biegas & Sala Wanetick Editor: Amanda Rafkin DES (28A: Boston Marathon winner Linden) Desiree "DES" Linden is a long-distance runner, author, and podcaster. She won the Boston Marathon in 2018. Earlier this year, DES Linden announced that this year's Boston Marathon – which she ran in 2:26:19, finishing 17th – would be her final professional road race. Since 2023, DES Linden and fellow runner Kara Goucher have hosted a podcast about running called Nobody Asked Us. MESCAL (9D: "Gladiator II" actor Paul) The 2024 movie Gladiator II is a sequel to the 2000 movie Gladiator. Paul MESCAL stars as Lucius Verus Aurelius, the grandson of the former emperor Marcus Aurelius. Lucius had been exiled from Rome as a child to protect him from assassins. He becomes a prisoner of war and is sold into slavery to become a gladiator. MADAM (5A: "___ Secretary" (TV drama)) MADAM Secretary is a TV series that originally aired from 2014 to 2019. Téa Leoni portrays the title character, Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst and political science professor who becomes the U.S. Secretary of State. ANYA (14A: "The Gorge" actress Taylor-Joy) The Gorge is a 2025 sci-fi action movie. ANYA Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller portray elite snipers who are ordered to guard opposite sides of a gorge, without being told what the gorge contains. LYNN (17A: Country singer Loretta) We saw Loretta LYNN as a theme answer just two days ago, which is a fun coincidence. Loretta LYNN's country music career has spanned six decades; she has had 24 number one hits and 11 number-one albums. LIDS (19A: Retailer that sells hats) There are currently over 1100 LIDS stores, mostly located in malls and factory outlets. AERO (35A: European chocolate bar with bubbles) AERO chocolate bars are manufactured using a process that was patented in 1935. The chocolate is heated and aerated to create small bubbles. These bubbles expand as the chocolate cools, creating the chocolate bars characteristic bubbles. DUO (42A: Dynamic ___) It feels appropriate to see "dynamic DUO" in a puzzle made by a pair of constructors. BLT (43A: Sandwich that sometimes adds an "A") The A sometimes added to a bacon, lettuce, tomato (BLT) is avocado. CODA (58A: Person whose first language may be ASL (Abbr.)) CODA here stands for "child of deaf adult." Whether or not they themselves are deaf (ninety percent of CODAs are not deaf), a child of a deaf parent may grow up speaking ASL (American Sign Language). SUEZ (61A: ___ Canal (Egyptian waterway)) The SUEZ Canal, which is 120 miles long, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It runs through the Isthmus of SUEZ, dividing Africa and Asia. RAILS (65A: They often run down the stairs) This is a fun, slightly tricky clue. The answer is not a person in a hurry, but rather the RAILS that often run alongside stairs. DEMI (66A: "The Substance" actress Moore) The Substance is a 2024 movie in which DEMI Moore portrays a 50-year-old movie star whose fame is fading. She purchases a black market serum (the titular substance) in an attempt to counteract the aging process. The Substance is a horror movie, so as one might imagine in such a film, using the drug does not go well. MCDREAMY (5D: Nickname for a swoon-worthy character on "Grey's Anatomy") Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D. is a character on the TV medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005-present). Patrick Dempsey portrayed Dr. Shepherd from 2005-2015 and 2020-2021. Dr. Shepherd is often referred to as MCDREAMY by the other characters (and thus, by fans as well). DUST STORM (7D: Common weather event at Burning Man) Burning Man is a week-long event held annually in the Western United States. Burning Man aims to facilitate a network of people interested in the "pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world." The name of the event comes from the burning of a large wooden effigy each year on the Saturday evening before Labor Day. Burning Man is held in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, and DUST STORMs are common. SALE (10D: Square transaction) Square is a system that helps merchants accept credit card payments for SALEs. GOD (12D: Allah or Ganesha, e.g.) Allah is an Arabic term for GOD. It is used by followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Ganesha is a Hindu GOD whose image is recognizable by his elephant head and four arms. Ganesha is a widely revered and worshipped deity who is thought to bring good luck. ELTON (21D: NBA All-Star Brand) ELTON Brand is currently the general manager of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is a former NBA player. During his playing career he played for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, and he was a two-time NBA All Star. MED (34D: "Chicago ___" (NBC drama)) The medical drama Chicago MED premiered in 2015. Set in the emergency department of a Chicago hospital, the show is part of the Chicago franchise, along with Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Justice. ATTILA (47D: Hun ruler) The Huns were a nomadic people in Central Asia between the 4th and 6th centuries. Little is known of their culture. Perhaps the most widely known Hun was King ATTILA. Under the leadership of King ATTILA, the Huns made frequent raids on other peoples. ORE (59D: Rock smelted in Stardew Valley) Stardew Valley is a role-playing video game first released in 2016. Players assume the role of a character taking over their grandfather's farm in the titular Stardew Valley. Players can socialize with townspeople, grow crops, raise livestock, smelt ORE, and participate in activities such as cooking, crafting, and fishing. LOTTERY TICKET (20A: Purchase for someone who's feeling lucky) VINYL RECORD (36A: Item in a DJ's collection) MOSQUITO BITE (54A: Itchy "souvenir" from a warm summer night, perhaps) SCRATCH THAT: Each of the theme answers is something that can be SCRATCHed. An exclamation point in a crossword clue is an indication to solvers that there is a bit of trickiness going on, and the clue should be interpreted literally. The exclamation point in today's title is serving a similar purpose. Each of the theme answers is literally something that might be SCRATCHed. (We all know we're not supposed to SCRATCH a MOSQUITO BITE, but it happens.) I really enjoyed this theme. Thank you, Emily and Sala, for this delightful puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 23, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
The 16 Best Movies by Female Filmmakers
There's a well-worn (read: tiresome) myth that there just aren't that many great films directed by women. We've gathered here today to shatter that illusion into a million glittering, high-frame-rate pieces. From dreamy indie gems to Oscar-anointed powerhouses, these are the female-directed films that critics adore, film students dissect, and your friend with the Letterboxd addiction is using to impress boys in Brooklyn. This list is far from exhaustive—but it's a solid start. Céline Sciamma's slow-burn queer romance between a painter and her subject unfolds on the windy edges of 18th-century France, simmering with erotic tension and serving some of the most beautiful visuals committed to film. Also, zero men. It's perfect. Stream Now Come for Paul Mescal's short shorts, stay for the devastating emotional autopsy of memory and fatherhood. Charlotte Wells gives us grief as memory, and love as a camcorder flicker. You won't cry until three days later in the shower. Stream Now A dreamy, melancholic portrait of suburban ennui and adolescent mythmaking. Still her most haunting—and debatably best—film. Stream Now Agnès Varda made existential dread look chic before it was cool. This French New Wave classic follows a pop singer in real time as she awaits medical results—and questions everything. Black-and-white, but make it deeply interior and defiantly feminist. Stream Now Now tell me why Twilight feels like an indie. Say what you want, but Catherine Hardwicke kicked off the YA vampire craze with blue-tinted angst and Kristen Stewart's best lip-bite acting. The remainder of the franchise was helmed by a rotating selection of men, but hey, at least we had Forks. Stream Now Chloé Zhao turns economic collapse into a spiritual odyssey, while Frances McDormand poops in a bucket and finds transcendence on the open road. Bleak? Sure. But also strangely liberating. Stream Now Ava DuVernay's blistering documentary connects the dots between slavery and the modern prison-industrial complex with clarity and conviction. Required viewing that doubles as a cinematic mic drop. Stream Now A Western for the modern era, Campion uses the genre to explore repression, queerness, and toxic masculinity—plus, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a cowboy with layers (of emotion and textiles). Stream Now Lorene Scafaria's stripper crime saga is Goodfellas meets Magic Mike, with pole-dancing as economic resistance. in this film is a moment, a movement, a manifesto. It's also a recession story, which feels…timely. Stream Now Possibly the quietest horror film ever made, Kitty Green captures the banality of evil via printer paper and passive-aggression. A single day in the life of a junior assistant at a Weinstein-esque firm becomes a subtle warning about complicity and silence. Stream Now A bisexual panic attack of a film, Emma Seligman traps us in the most claustrophobic Jewish funeral this side of Curb Your Enthusiasm and lets anxiety do the talking. If you've ever been trapped at a family function with your ex and your sugar daddy, you'll relate. Stream Now Kathryn Bigelow's high-octane war thriller drops you into Iraq with a fuse already lit. It's testosterone cinema, sure—but filtered through a woman's gaze that interrogates addiction, masculinity, and the futility of control. Stream Now This is coming-of-age storytelling at its sharpest and most specific. Greta Gerwig's semi-autobiographical teen dramedy is a perfectly imperfect ode to mothers, Catholic school, and Sacramento ennui. Every line is a quote, every feeling a gut punch. It's not boring—it's Sacramento. Stream Now A talky film that shouldn't work—but absolutely does. Sarah Polley's Mennonite #MeToo chamber drama is essentially a 90-minute moral philosophy debate—and it's riveting. Quiet fury, radical forgiveness, and the power of choosing your own exit. Stream Now An iconic meet-cute on a basketball court, this coming-of-age film is singular. It's a sports movie that is also a rom-com that is also a generational Black love story. We still quote 'double or nothing.' Stream Now Eliza Hittman crafts an odyssey out of necessity in this quietly radical, observational tale. Two teens, one unplanned pregnancy, and a bus ride to New York that becomes a study in sisterhood, strength, and the systemic failures of reproductive care. Again, timely. Stream Now
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Welcome to the Cannes of Cork! Triona McCarthy on what it's like to have Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan bringing star power to her hometown
Since 2009, the Fastnet Film Festival has attracted a steady stream of A-listers to Schull and local Triona McCarthy shares the sense of magic, opportunity and excitement that now exists in the village Yesterday at 21:30 As a child growing up in West Cork, I could never have dreamed that Hollywood stars would one day visit my hometown of Schull. Today, I still have to pinch myself when I see A-listers like Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan and, last weekend, Barry Keoghan, Nicola Coughlan, Bill Pullman and Domhnall Gleeson walking around. Schull is the place I still call home; we live in Dublin during the school term and then it's straight home for the holidays. Growing up here, Hollywood was a very distant, almost mythical, place to me – our tiny village didn't even have a cinema! I was 12 before I went to the cinema for the first time. My aunties, Marie and Gráinne, came on a visit from the UK and brought us to see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom half an hour away in Bantry.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Paul Mescal spotlights Palestinian doc ‘No Other Land'
DUBAI: While promoting his latest film, 'The History of Sound,' at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Irish actor Paul Mescal took a moment to spotlight the Palestinian documentary 'No Other Land.' For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ In a heartfelt statement, Mescal shared his experience watching the film in a packed Brooklyn theater, expressing profound upset over its limited distribution. He emphasized the importance of amplifying Palestinian voices and stories, highlighting the film's portrayal of the destruction of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank. 'I remember sitting there in a packed-out theater in Brooklyn and just being so profoundly upset that the film hadn't, at that point, I still don't know if it has received distribution there. Having a cultural moment like that with a film like that, which is so wildly upsetting to see in a room. The story that I feel like needed to be told the most was being censored, it felt like almost. And the feeling in the room was one of great fear and sadness and it felt like the film was bigger than the four walls in which we were watching it,' he said. 'No Other Land,' the story of Palestinian activists fighting to protect their communities from demolition by the Israeli military, won the Oscar for best documentary earlier this year. The film's co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham used their speeches to call for an end to the 'ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.' The film follows activist Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, which Israeli soldiers are tearing down to use as a military training zone.
