Latest news with #Refinery29Australia
Refinery29
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
How Depinder Chhibber Is Using MasterChef Australia To Shift Stereotypes Around Indian Foods
Depinder Chhibber is having a dream run on MasterChef Australia 2025, with a bunch of wins under her belt and one of the most talked about dishes so far: her traditional Indian street food dish, Raj Kachori. In the West, there can be a stigma rooted in racism surrounding South Asian food, where the cuisine is associated with words like 'cheap' and 'simple'. Compare that to French or Italian cuisine, often considered 'elevated' and 'expensive'. This type of thinking is a 'sore spot' for Chhibber, because not only is her identity tied directly to Indian food, but she also tells Refinery29 Australia that people often don't understand how 'technical' traditional Indian recipes are. 'When I make Indian food, I know how much technicality is involved in the recipes that I'm using, which is probably the same, if not more than a French recipe, I would say,' she explains. '[I've] always said that we need to respect the local artisans, the local street food vendors, because they've been doing this for generations… when I go to Delhi, I go to the ones that have been there for like, over 100 years. These local artisans have had recipes passed down for generations and have spent years perfecting their skills. "The way they do it, they just make it look so easy. But you try and do that at home, and it's impossible to get right,' she adds. With Chhibber's Raj Kachori dish, she specifically created the street food version rather than a fancy deconstructed version, because she wanted it to be authentic. Part of her mission on MasterChef Australia is to educate Aussies about Indian food, because she believes these racist stereotypes can sometimes come down to 'lack of awareness'. 'I feel like it's my job to make everyone aware of the dishes that I know and do the best in the best possible way, if that makes sense. Because I want to go out there, and I want to create these dishes, and I want to show these dishes to the judges, to the world,' she says. ' 'It's not about the price that you pay. It's about what you get, and it's about flavour, and it's about the experience.' ' When Chhibber moved to Newcastle as an 11-year-old, she was impacted by the absence of Indian street food. There was one takeout restaurant that everybody would go to… and that was it. 'That kind of got me really interested in food, especially learning techniques and recipes that normally you wouldn't need to when you were living in India, because you could just go down the street [and buy it],' she recalls. 'I think that [food] became like an identity, kind of like a mission for me to master those and showcase those, which is what I'm aiming to do this season.' The first time Chhibber competed on MasterChef Australia, she didn't expect to have such a reaction from other Indian Australians watching the show. This time around, she's all too aware. 'When I came onto MasterChef [the first time], I was cooking Indian food without realising how much it meant to other people in the community. I honestly didn't realise the importance of that emotion, because I had never felt that before,' she says. ' 'This time around, when I'm making dishes… if I'm tearing up, I know people will be tearing up with me, because they can all feel the same emotion.' ' Her mission to bring Indian food to Australia won't stop at MasterChef Australia, whether she wins or not, because she has big plans for after the show. She's already opened her own supper club called Ghar in Newcastle, and her next step is to publish a cookbook. 'I would love to put all my recipes together, all of the things that I've learned over the last how many years I've been cooking, and I'd love to put them into a cookbook for local people that are intimidated by Indian food,' she says. 'Indian food can be quite intimidating with its flavours, with its spices, the number of ingredients. But you know what? There is an easy way to do everything. 'I think everyone can learn a little bit of spice work. And I think living in Australia, how multicultural we are, I think it's really important to kind of be across a lot of different cuisines if you're a foodie, especially if you like to call yourself a foodie.'
Refinery29
26-05-2025
- Health
- Refinery29
Everything To Know About Bouf Haircare, Sister Brand Of Tbh Skincare
Here at Refinery29 Australia, we've been long-time fans of tbh Skincare since it first made a splash with unique acne-busting patented technology. Rachael Wilde, the entrepreneur behind the successful Australian brand, turned tbh Skincare into a multi-million dollar business after launching in 2020, and, in 2023, Wilde merged Boost Lab into a banner company, York St Brands, of which she is cofounder and CMO. Now, Wilde is launching another business under York St Brands — a haircare range called Bouf. The products are formulated with patented FGF5, a hair technology that came across Wilde's desk in 2024, but was initially intended to be part of York St Brands' existing portfolio. Wilde, however, believed that the technology, which claims to strengthen and visibly thicken hair while supporting its growth, deserved a completely new brand and product line. For the last 15 months, Wilde has been using Bouf products on her own thinning hair, and the results have been nothing short of mind-blowing. "One thing my hairdresser said to me [after using Bouf] was that your hair is actually growing full to the ends, which means it hasn't just grown long and wispy, it's grown healthily all the way down to the bottom," Wilde explains in an Instagram Reel. Early 90-day testing of the products on the Bouf website also shows some incredible results. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachael Wilde (@rachhwilde) How does Bouf work? FGF5 is a protein that tells your hair when it's time to stop growing and fall out. The protein is a crucial regulator of hair growth in humans, and it is said that a mutation in the gene can result in increased hair length. Bouf works by blocking FGF5, thus acting as a snooze button for hair fallout. So, not only will your hair grow longer, it will also grow thicker and stronger. The scientists behind Bouf's technology ran two clinical trials, according to Wilde, with the results showing hair that grew 20 per cent faster, had a 44 per cent increase in hair follicle growth, as well as an 82 per cent hair loss reduction. It is understood that around 49 per cent of women will be affected by hair loss in their life, and the reasons can vary from shedding due to stress, to conditions like postpartum hair loss. The Bouf range includes a hair-growth tonic, shampoo, conditioner, leave-in mask and hair growth supplements, with prices ranging between $29.95 to $39.95. Bouf products will be available to shop online and in-store at Priceline and Atomica on May 27, 2025.
Refinery29
24-05-2025
- General
- Refinery29
How To Show Up As An Ally For First Nations People, Today & Every Day
Practising true allyship to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an ongoing process. Undoubtedly, it requires a lot of listening and learning, but there's also a lot more we can do to show up in a genuine way for First Nations Peoples. 'The most important thing people can do is to step up and support us and be an ally in the tough times, not just the good, happy days,' explains Dr Clinton Schultz, Gamilaroi/Gomeroi man, registered psychologist, and Director of First Nations Partnership and Strategy at the Black Dog Institute. 'It's all good for people to want to turn up during NAIDOC Week or at Reconciliation Day events, [but] true allies want to be there and walk this hard walk with us, every day.' One of the first steps we can take to become better allies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is to educate ourselves — but that's certainly not where it ends. 'It absolutely requires people to take a step back and reflect on the everyday power and privilege, the opportunities and resources that are readily available to them, because they happen to be a non-Indigenous person living in this country,' explains Shultz. 'Then, consider: ' What am I willing to do with those in the effort to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a more positive direction? ' That's the work that needs to be done by non-Indigenous people that we can not do as First Nations peoples." As Shultz tells Refinery29 Australia, true allies will ask themselves 'what they are actually willing to relinquish in that space in order to walk with us'. Educate Yourself Without Adding To The Cultural Load Of First Nations Peoples While it's essential to listen to and platform the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as part of your allyship, it's crucial to do this without adding to the cultural load of the people in your orbit, whether that's a public figure you follow on Instagram, a colleague, or a friend. 'Cultural load is that extra work that gets put upon us as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within workspaces that sit outside of our job descriptions or our everyday work,' says Shultz. Essentially, it's when people are being expected to speak for 'everything and anything Aboriginal, for instance'. Shultz emphasises that asking your First Nations colleague (or friend, or social media creator) to explain the concept of, say, a referendum to you when the same information is available to you online, is adding to their cultural load. 'So, I think, what people need to do is take the time to actually do their own background research first — that's part of the learning journey — and then come and have an informed discussion with us, rather than expect us to do the work and to just give you the answers.' Below is a non-exhaustive list of resources and organisations to visit to start, or continue, your learning journey in a culturally sensitive way: — Pay The Rent — Common Ground — Seed Mob — AIATSIS — Reconciliation Australia — NITV — NAIDOC — ANTAR — Indigenous-X — National Indigenous Radio Service Being a better ally means understanding and learning more about the traditional custodians of the land. You can do this by reaching out to your local councils, or utilising resources like the Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) or Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) to find out the history of your local area and the land your town was built on. The AECG also has local representatives in each area that you can connect with, listen to and learn from. Another organisation to learn from is Australians Together, a not-for-profit that aims to help non-Indigenous people learn the true story of our shared history and understand how it's still having an impact today. Listen To First Nations Podcasts An important part of being a better ally is listening, whether it's via podcasts, local radio or in person. Listening to the stories of the traditional custodians of the land allows their voices and perspectives on issues that impact them to be heard. Below is a list of important listens that will help educate you on how to be a better ally and to understand First Nations culture better. AWAYE! The AWAYE! podcast presents a diverse and vibrant range of Aboriginal arts and culture from across Australia. You can listen to it via ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Speaking Out Speaking Out is a politics, arts and culture radio segment from a range of Indigenous perspectives. Speaking Out broadcasts on Radio National on Fridays at 12pm and on ABC Local Radio on Sundays at 9pm. Unravel: Blood On the Tracks Unravel: Blood On the Tracks is a 2018 true crime podcast from journalist Allan Clarke that delves into the unsolved murder of Gomeroi teenager, Mark Haines. It tells the story of a divided town, an investigation bungled, evidence lost and explores why critical leads were never followed up by police in the death of this Indigenous teen. Beyond The Gap First Nations Foundation (FNF) launched the 2021 podcast series, Beyond the Gap, to explore best practice reconciliation and Indigenous engagement for corporate Australia and beyond. The conversations investigate the influences and constructs that should be considered for Reconciliation Action Plans, and what is the best path forward to engage and empower our country's First Nations peoples. The host, Phil Usher, is a proud Wiradjuri man who grew up in the rich culture of the Gamilaroi people. He chats with a variety of guests to dig deep into our country's history to better our future. Frontier War Stories Frontier War Stories is a podcast dedicated to truth-telling about a side of Australia that has been left out of the history books. Hosted by Boe Spearim, Brisbane-based Gamilaraay & Kooma radio host, each episode features interviews with different Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Through these stories, we uncover research, books and oral histories that document the first 140 years of conflict and resistance. While the list below contains a wide variety of educational anti-racism books (including some on racism in America), it's also important to read the stories of our own people to understand our history and how it still affects our society today. We recommend adding these to your reading list. - Welcome To Country, Marcia Langton - Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia, Anita Heiss - Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe - City of Gold, Meyne Wyatt - Kill the Messenger, Nakkiah Lui - Tell Me Again by Dr Amy Thunig - Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen - Come Together by Isaiah Firebrace, Jaelyn Biumaiwai (picture book) - Citizen, Claudia Rankine - Biased, Jennifer L. Eberhardt - When They Call You a Terrorist, Patrisse Khan-Cullors - On the Other Side of Freedom, DeRay Mckesson - Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates - Monument: Poems New and Selected, Natasha Trethewey - The Tall Man, Chloe Hooper - Talking To My Country, Stan Grant - Terra Nullius, Claire G. Coleman - The White Girl, Tony Birch Watch Informative Videos Here are some informative videos that will help non-Indigenous people to better understand the history of oppression, racism and suffering experienced by our First Nations Peoples. It's important that we hear these stories directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people to help us understand how we can be better allies and fight against racism. One part of recognising our privilege as non-Indigenous people living in Australia is recognising that sometimes, conversations about racism and discrimination are received with more open-mindedness than for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. 'I think there are some tough conversations that, unfortunately, and as hard as it is for me to recognise and acknowledge this: there are some hard conversations in this country that need to be had that, unfortunately, I think are better taken when they come from non-Indigenous people,' says Schultz. 'I know from experience that discussions on racism and discrimination are taken better and listened to more by other non-Indigenous people, when they come from a non Indigenous person, than when they come from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person or somebody else from a culturally diverse background. 'So I think some of those difficult conversations need to be taken up and really moved forward by non-Indigenous peoples, which will then give us the space that we need to add what needs to be needed from an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander standpoint.' It's important to have these conversations with nuance and without removing important messages from cultural context. Ensuring that you are elevating the voices and words of First Nations people without alterations and without centring yourself is key here, as is seeking consent from First Nations people before inserting yourself into cultural events, and knowing when to step back, so you aren't taking up space that belongs to First Nations people.
Refinery29
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
‘Be Mindful': Chrishell Stause On Why Privacy Around Starting A Family Is Important
Chrishell Stause is currently experiencing the ups and downs that come with trying to start a family, but tells Refinery29 Australia that she is staying positive with the hope she'll have good news to share soon. Stause's desire to start a family became a focus on Selling Sunset when she and her partner at the time, Jason Oppenheim, ultimately broke up because of their differing opinions of the subject. Since then, Stause has found her life partner in Aussie musician G Flip, and the pair have expressed their desire to adopt a child on multiple occasions over the years. In a recent Instagram post in April, Stause shared images of herself, G and a child, clarifying that it's their niece pictured in the caption. "She is not ours, but we are obsessed with her," the caption read. "The way the comments have slowly changed to positive feedback on this topic is very nice to see especially in today's climate. Thank you. We are working on it. It's a process but will all be worth it." When Refinery29 Australia spoke with Stause in May, she explained she wants people "to be mindful of people's journeys" when asking questions about family. "Sometimes they're asking these questions and they're not thinking them through," Stause explained. "It's 2025 — we've got to get past asking people whether they're pregnant or not, or asking people, 'When are you going to have a kid?' You have no idea all the things that you know maybe just happened or didn't happen, or just the heartbreak, or the ups and downs." Stause expressed that she needs to retain an element of privacy around the process of starting a family in order to protect herself. "I feel like there are some people who share every single part of their journey, and I'm just not one of those people, because I'm a little too sensitive for that. I'm a Cancer, so I kind of have to protect myself a little bit and share when I'm ready," she said. "One day soon, I will have good news to share." According to Stause, Season 9 of Selling Sunset will be returning "in the fall", which should mean we'll see the new drop somewhere between September and November and can expect lots of "crazy, fun content". Stause also recently hosted a reunion special for reality dating series Love Triangl e on Stan, sharing how excited she was to see a queer triangle on the show, as well as how important LGBTQIA+ representation is on mainstream television. "When we watch TV, we want it to reflect the world that we live in," Stause explains. "Sometimes it isn't so black and white, and sometimes sexuality is a spectrum, and I think that being able to show people that and [that people] fall in love with who a person is, which is what has happened in my life, [is important]." As for what reality TV project is next for Stause, she did tease an upcoming hosting role for something that's her own idea. "I'm actually working on a project that is close to my heart, that I've been part of developing, and that I would host," she shared. "I'll have a little bit more in front and behind-the-scenes involvement."
Refinery29
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
Where Do Chloe's Love Triangle Relationships Stand After The Reunion?
Stan's original reality dating show Love Triangle just had a very messy reunion. We had tears, plot twists we didn't see coming, and relationships that imploded entirely. At the centre of all the drama was Chloe Hannigan, who was in somewhat of a love square throughout the season. Chloe's relationship with Beck Schmitz was going well when her second match, Emma Pazarkoski, walked through their front door and caught both of the women's eyes. This is reality TV, however, so a fourth suitor entered the chat: Bernie Moredio. After the Love Triangle contestant poured out his feelings for Chloe in a two-page letter, the pair wound up sharing a kiss at a dinner party. When it came to decision time for Chloe, her initial match, Beck, bowed out of the running altogether — leaving only Emma for Chloe to decide whether or not to continue a relationship with. Or so Emma thought. All hell broke loose when Chloe and Bernie's secret relationship was unveiled during the reunion, including the part where she told Bernie she'd like to pursue a relationship with him outside the show. At the reunion, Chloe promptly branded herself as 'such an idiot', because Bernie had broken things off with her the night before. So, where do these four Love Triangle contestants stand now, and is there any hope for Chloe and Emma in the future? Does Chloe still speak to Bernie? Chloe tells Refinery29 Australia she was 'very broken' while filming the show, and declares she's no longer on speaking terms with Bernie. Good for her, because like host Chrishell Stause said, he was following the 'playbook of f**kboys'. 'Bernie and I have not spoken at all since the next morning [after the reunion],' Chloe says. 'I was quite worried about him. He had a really big night, and a lot was shown… so I checked in with him the next morning, and he just respectfully asked for space, and I have not heard a peep from him since.' While she seems to be in a better place, she has no regrets about exploring her connection with Bernie. 'I think I made the right choice at the end of the day,' she muses. 'I followed my heart, and I think if I didn't choose Bernie, I would always have the 'what if' in the back of my mind. And so I feel very content that I've explored that, and he is most certainly not the man or person for me.' She admits his actions were 'really upsetting and confusing', and made her feel like 'complete and utter sh*t', but everything happens for a reason. Her hope now is to focus on her future relationship, and she's not looking for a Bernie 2.0. 'I'm going to be with someone who is probably 10 times better than Bernie ever could have been to me,' she declares. 'I'm just feeling very optimistic and looking forward to what's to come.' Chloe holds one big regret when it comes to how he handled the whole Bernie-Emma-Beck situation, and that's not telling the ladies about his letter. Due to production schedules, she wasn't able to have a conversation with Emma and Beck about it on camera, and producers discouraged Chloe from having an off-camera phone call. 'That was a real struggle for me morally. I had to sit with that, and it felt wrong. I felt like I went against, I was going against my values and you know, the honesty that I preach so much and the communication,' she recalls. 'I did not have the opportunity to have that conversation in a way that was private, that was respectful, and so yeah, it's awful, and it is my biggest regret of the whole show. If I could do my time again, I would have told them as soon as he passed me the letter.' Does Chloe still speak to Emma and Beck now Love Triangle has wrapped up? Surprisingly, Chloe says she is still friends with Beck after the reunion. While she was 'shocked' by the way Beck stormed out — she expected a reaction from Emma, but not from Beck — the pair have cleared the air. 'I have spoken to Beck about it since, and she opened up to me, and she said the reaction was more so towards Bernie, because Beck and Bernie were also quite close friends, and none of that was shown through the season,' she explains. 'I think, if anything, she almost felt a bit betrayed by Bernie as well, because they were close and they had been messaging between the end of filming and the reunion.' Beck and Chloe have decided to 'remain friends on the outside', and even attended the same finale event on Sunday. While there is no chance of romance, Chloe spills that her friendships with Beck, Ariana Djoric and Peyton Ellicott are 'the best things that have come out of the show'. When it comes to Emma, it's a different story. While Chloe tried to repair their friendship, it appears that Emma doesn't want anything to do with her ex. 'Emma and I have not been in touch. I did try to reach out to her, like a month or so after filming, just to sort of, you know, give her that space, but then also touch base and see how she was,' Chloe says. 'Unfortunately, she didn't respond to me, but I do know that she is in a very happy, healthy relationship. She seems to have found her match. So I couldn't be happier for Emma, honestly. And it's a shame that we lost touch, but you know, that's just how life is sometimes.' It's nice to see Chloe find all the positives out of her bumpy Love Triangle ride. While she didn't come out with a long-lasting relationship, she gave us the bi-representation we so desperately needed on Aussie reality TV, and seemed to have come out reasonably unscathed. More of this, please!
