Latest news with #Relatable
Los Angeles Times
04-08-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
In-N-Out's owner is leaving California. Is the state a bad place to do business?
Last month, billionaire In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder announced her move from California to Tennessee, where she plans to open new restaurants and continue raising her family. It's a dramatic shift for the leader of the beloved West Coast brand, which has become the latest company to signal its dissatisfaction with California in recent years. And she didn't mince words in explaining her decision. 'There's a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,' Snyder said during a recent appearance on the 'Relatable' podcast, hosted by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey. In-N-Out's headquarters will remain in California, but the company is consolidating its operations in the state and opening a regional headquarters in Franklin, Tenn. Other high-profile companies have more formally exited the state. Tesla moved its headquarters out of Palo Alto in 2021, the same year that financial services firm Charles Schwab relocated from San Francisco to north Texas. Elon Musk moved the head offices of his other companies — SpaceX and X — to Texas last year, as did Chevron, the oil giant that was started in California. The departures have contributed to a narrative pushed by some media and politicians that the state's economy is in trouble and is unfriendly to businesses. Conservative commentator and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Hilton, who announced his bid for California governor this year, recently wrote on social media that the state has the 'highest rate of poverty, highest housing costs' and the 'most hostile business environment in the country.' Experts and economists interviewed by The Times paint a more nuanced picture. Although California's steep taxes and stringent environmental regulations have pushed some firms to leave, the state remains the fourth-largest economy in the world, boasts a diverse pool of talent and is a hub of technological innovation, they said. 'The popular media narratives have characterized California as one-dimensional,' said William Riggs, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management. 'We continue to be a magnet for investment in tech, biotech, entertainment and green energy, as well as being an agricultural hotbed for the planet.' The artificial intelligence boom has new companies flocking to Silicon Valley, Riggs said, leading to the highest rate of corporate office leases in San Francisco since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The corporate departures, although generating significant media attention, represent adjustments to California's $4.1-trillion economy rather than signs of systemic decline. 'It's being overhyped,' Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics said of the purported mass exodus of companies. 'California is a big, competitive economy. We've got lots of great stuff here.' To be sure, the state is facing some serious challenges that could threaten its competitive perch if they are not addressed. In fact, California has been losing more companies than it's been gaining since 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The net out-migration of firms from California peaked in 2022 at 741 firms, after economic disruptions and strict regulations related to the pandemic. In 2023, the net out-migration was 533, meaning that 533 more companies left the state than entered. California has ranked among the top three states with the highest rates of firm out-migration since 2015. One persistent complaint: Corporate executives have cited California's tax burden as a driver of their decisions to relocate. The state taxes its highest earners at 13.3% on their regular income, and unlike most states, applies the same rate to profits from the sale of investments or business assets. Joe Lonsdale, the Palantir co-founder who moved his venture capital firm, 8VC, from the Bay Area to Austin, Texas, in 2020, partly framed his decision around California's high taxes. 'I could either put that money toward things that are fixing the world, or give it to the California state government,' he said. Companies also face California's complex regulatory environment, with authorities governing matters including environmental standards and workplace safety. Many businesses must navigate multiple layers of licensing, labor and compliance requirements. 'When businesses complain about dealing with regulations in California, they're not kidding,' said Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Milken Institute. 'There are lots of overlapping authorities and a lot of businesses find it really hard to operate.' Before fast-food chain Carl's Jr. announced it was relocating its California headquarters to Tennessee in 2016, then-Chief Executive Andrew Puzder said it takes about five times as long to open a new location in California than it would in Texas or other states. According to Klowden, states including Florida and Texas attempt to attract businesses from California with lower tax rates, fewer regulations and other incentives. In June of this year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott awarded hair-care brand John Paul Mitchell Systems $640,000 in grant funds to support the company's expansion into Dallas County. 'Texas is the headquarters of headquarters,' Abbott bragged at the time. In 2021, Florida topped the list of states with the highest net firm migration, followed by North Carolina, Nevada and Texas. When firms move their headquarters out of California, it doesn't mean they're eliminating all business operations in the state, said Thornberg, a founding partner of Beacon Economics. For example, Tesla maintains its design center in Hawthorne and engineering headquarters in Palo Alto, as well as a factory in Fremont. Defense giant Northrop Grumman, which moved from Los Angeles in 2011 and is now based in Virginia, continues development, prototyping and production operations in Palmdale. Riggs of the University of San Francisco acknowledged that California businesses face fundamental challenges, but said that 'the opportunities California presents definitely outweigh those problems.' Addressing housing constraints and regulatory burdens that limit business growth and workers' ability to remain in the state remain a central challenge. California has initiated some reform efforts, including pilot programs for business license changes, but comprehensive change faces political obstacles. Although labeled by some as bad for business, the state retains a strong reputation for innovation. 'California is viewed globally as a place that you go to try out an idea,' Klowden said. 'You're going to keep seeing businesses under pressure to move, and you'll see other ones that are desperately eager to come in.'
Eater
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
East Bay Chefs Will Plate Barbecue at a Big Party in August
is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. Tacos Mama Cuca is one of the hit makers available at BBQ Without Borders. Lena Park The Oakland Museum of California is about to be the hottest place to get a plate of barbecue. Nonprofit No Immigrants No Spice has brought tons of East Bay chef talent together for BBQ Without Borders. The event runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 2. East Bay Nosh reports Anthony Salguero from Popoca, Daniel Yeshiwas from Cafe Colucci, and Maria Marquez from Tacos Mama Cuca are among those cooking. This summer benefit raises money for The Resilience Fund, a financial support system for immigrants in the East Bay. Live music comes courtesy of a myriad of performers including Batalá San Francisco and Hipline Oakland. Desserts from Third Culture Bakery and pani puri by Preeti Mistry are on deck, too. Tickets start at $85 and can be purchased online. In-N-Out CEO bids farewell to California One of the state's most popular fast-food restaurants will be owned by a Tennessee billionaire in the near future. That's because In-N-Out owner and CEO Lynsi Snyder, granddaughter of founder Harry Snyder, will move her family to the Volunteer State. In an episode of the Relatable podcast, Snyder told host Allie Beth Stuckley doing business in California is not easy. The corporate headquarters will remain in California. South Bay mochi wizards hit SF The brightly colored doughnut purveyor Modo Hawaii will open its second location in San Francisco. This marks the popular business's first location in the city, per the San Francisco Chronicle. The new outpost for the Japanese American treats will take over 1353 Taraval Street, though no opening date has been set as of yet. Australian chef hits Oakland Buzzy Broadway bar Viridian will host Tony Tan for a book signing and tasting event. From 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, guests can walk in to get a copy of Tony Tan's Asian Cooking Class, the celebrity chef's new book. Tan grew up on Malaysia's east coast before opening Sydney's Tatler's Cafe in 1983 and hosting the national program The Food Lovers' Guide to Australia in the 1990s. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Los Angeles Times
27-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Raising a family, doing business in California not easy, In-N-Out boss says
There's something about In-N-Out that strikes a fierce if not irrational sense of pride among many Angelenos and Southern Californians. There are several fan clubs and awards, including Yelp's No. 1 Fast Food chain honor earlier this year and Market Force's 2022 'best burger experience.' For some reason, there isn't the same fervor for Southern California's own McDonald's, one of the top 10 brands in the world, or for Santa Barbara's The Habit, which beat In-N-Out in July 2024 for USA Today's best fast food burger accolade. Times readers even lambasted former food columnist Lucas Kwan Peterson when he placed L.A.'s Fatburger atop his fast food burger rankings in 2022. Maybe that's what made the news that Lynsi Snyder, billionaire owner and chief executive of the iconic Baldwin Park brand, was leaving the Golden State last week all the more jarring. Colleague Piper Heath broke down the announcement Monday, while columnist Lorraine Ali opined on what the decision meant. Snyder made an appearance on the podcast 'Relatable' on July 18, hosted by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey. During the interview, Snyder uttered a statement that created shockwaves locally. 'There's a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,' she said as part of her announcement that her business was continuing its eastward expansion. The move to Tennessee represents a seismic shift for the leader of the brand. Currently operating more than 400 locations across eight states — California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Texas and Idaho — In-N-Out has long thrived on being the burger chain you couldn't find everywhere. Snyder's comments set off a disinformation blitz, launching the Double-Double into the middle of a red-state/blue-state culture war where, clearly, nothing is sacred, Ali wrote. Anti-Cali factions incorrectly crowed about yet another business fleeing the West Coast. More proof that Gov. Gavin Newsom's 'failing' state sucks! It appeared that In-N-Out was following Tesla and Charles Schwab, companies that cited regulatory challenges and operational costs among their reasons for relocating. Chevron also fled. Many in SoCal felt abandoned and disrespected. They, after all, propped up the chain for 76 years, only to be told by its owner that the place that made her family's business — their home — is no longer to her liking. On X, Oracle Park Seagull posted ''Not easy for In N Out to do business in California…' Said the person who became a billionaire doing business almost exclusively in California. So much so, it was a point of pride for the chain. Gotcha.' During the podcast, Snyder discussed elements of California policy that make the state hard to operate in, referencing pandemic-era restrictions as particularly challenging. She told Stuckey 'the bulk of our stores are still going to be here in California.' The relocation of both corporate operations and the CEO signals a fundamental change in the company's center of gravity. 'It will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there, and being able to have the family and other people's families out there,' Snyder said, though she maintains limits on expansion. Newsom even chimed in, starting his X post with, 'For those interested in the facts, rather than fiction, In-N-Out is expanding East — creating a second HQ in Tennessee.' Snyder responded Monday in an Instagram post: 'Where I raise my family has nothing to do with my love and appreciation for our customers in California.' Immigration and ICE raids Trump Administration policy, actions and pushback Crime, courts and policing Health and medicine Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage. Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew J. Campa, reporterKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Cosmopolitan
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Meet the new wave of femininity influencers who want you to abandon feminism as you know it
In the recording studio, Allie Beth Stuckey sits on a cream sofa, her blonde hair perfectly tousled. She leans into the microphone and speaks. She's chatty and fun, interspersing the serious with the silly and, at first glance, she's just like any other podcaster. In many ways, Stuckey's entire brand is built on being a regular 'girl's girl'. Her hair is impeccably blow-dried, she hates matcha, wears floral dresses and throws in pop culture references like she's just another millennial onthe group chat. Her podcast is called Relatable – and that's exactly what she wants to be to her listeners. But Stuckey isn't just here to chat. She's here to convert. There's a new women's movement emerging; one directly reacting to all that's come before it. Those who are part of it – to varying degrees – believe that decades of feminism have harmed us and made us more miserable, and that marriage, modesty and motherhood is the way out of our discontent. Stuckey is at the more radical end of the scale: her podcast is unapologetically right-wing and Christian, encouraging women to lean out of all that we've been taught and let men take charge again. Many episodes involve deep dives into scripture and the promotion of 'biblical womanhood', a belief about gender norms and women's role in society drawn from interpretations of the Bible. Others centre around political discussion, often focusing on abortion, which Stuckey opposes in all circumstances. She lightens the tone with edgy and sarcastic takedowns of pop culture and discussions on parenting. Stuckey seems to see herself as the evangelical Christian who dishes out hard truths. And 'the truth is – and this is uncomfortable and unpopular to say – most of our problems in society… are caused by premarital and extramarital sex', she said on stage to an audience of over 2,500 at the Young Women's Leadership Summit in June 2024 (an annual conference for conservatives, organised by pro-Trump organisation Turning Point USA). Then there's fellow podcaster, 'Cuteservative' and self-professed Swiftie Alex Clark. She hosts the Turning Point-sponsored POPlitics (think: anti-woke pop culture roundup) and Culture Apothecary, a health and wellness podcast that aims to 'heal a sick culture – physically, emotionally and spiritually.' When I talk to Clark over the phone, she's candid and direct, speaking with very little hesitation. Her audience, according to her own figures, is around 95% female, and predominantly composed of women aged 25 to 35 who (she tells me) extend well beyond conservatives. 'When I started focusing on health and wellness exclusively, my audience exploded,' she says. 'Covering health and wellness is a great way to welcome people in,' Clark adds, 'I don't hide the fact that I'm conservative. People may not agree with that at first, but they agree with me on the health stuff and then they get to know me… and they're like, 'Well, maybe conservatism isn't that scary. She seems really normal, she seems like a girl I could be friends with,' because I probably am. But they've been sold this lie that conservative women are super scary and that we have no mind of our own, so it introduces them to conservatism in a way that's non-aggressive and is very palatable.' And being palatable is key. Both Stuckey and Clark promote traditional Christian marriage, oppose abortion and berate hormonal contraception. They sell a lifestyle that looks very close to that of 'tradwives' – content creators (largely populating Instagram and TikTok) dressed in Betty Draper-esque aprons, who encourage women to stay at home, cook everything they eat from scratch and obey their husbands. But they are realists and – a cynic might say – they understand that rejecting the trad-wifery of current discourse is a way for them to appeal to a wider audience. Stuckey has even gone as far as saying that some tradwife content lacks moral substance and has referred to it as 'straight-up 1950s fetishised cosplay'. 'The tradwife fantasy of total submission is not appealing to women with a bit of life experience,' says Dr Annie Kelly, a researcher at King's College London who has followed tradwives and anti-feminist communities. Instead, many of these content creators are peddling a seemingly more open-minded exterior, often with the same archaic values lurking underneath. They 'give some intellectual grounding for the trad lifestyle' and gradually make it more flexible and realistically attractive, explains Dr Kelly. As Clark herself admits, it's a similar story with the topic of health and wellness. Her 'palatable', girl-next-door approach to discussing hormonal birth control, for example, is 'a great way to welcome people in'. But Culture Apothecary is largely a one-stop scroll of alternative health and contrarian medical discourse. Some of the guests on Clark's podcast have included the vaccine-sceptic paediatrician Dr Bob Sears (who promotes an 'alternative vaccine schedule') and the influencer Dr Paul Saladino, a red-meat evangelist who's said that his list of dating deal- breakers includes women who wear perfume and take hormonal birth control. Threaded through all of the crunchy health talk is a clear message: feminism has made women unhappy, hormonal birth control is harming them and we all need to return to the concept of the traditional family unit. 'I think that women are going to be turning more conservative because men are,' explains Clark. 'Women crave a man who actually leads and stands up, and is a man and is masculine. We've had this decade of men succumbing to women and letting women take the lead – I don't think that's working out well... Women will fall in line and let the men take that role again.' The UK doesn't have the evangelical tradition of the US and it's easy to assume that we're immune: too secular and savvy. But tradwife content is growing at a steady pace here, too. Some social media accounts that commentators have associated with the tradwife movement have amassed millions of followers. Louise Perry apologises for being late for our call and explains she has two small children at home. She has escaped to a cafe to work on her new book – 'It's going slowly,' she tells me. The juggle feels familiar. Perry and I are one year apart, and like her, I know all too well the balancing act that goes into writing and taking care of a demanding toddler. Soft-spoken and articulate, Perry looks and sounds like a typical liberal, urban millennial. Perry is the host of the podcast Mother Maiden Matriarch and the author of The Case Against The Sexual Revolution, in which she argues that hookup culture, porn and kink positivity, which she ties to sex-positive and liberal feminism, have left women empty. For her, the fix is traditional sexual morality, with more marriage and less swiping on Tinder. Her book advises women to get (and stay) married, ditch porn and only have sex with men who would 'make good father material'. Perry, a well-known journalist who lives in London, didn't grow up watching Fox News or quoting scripture. In fact, her journey started at SOAS, one of Britain's most left-leaning universities. It was a disillusionment with liberal feminism that led her to what she calls 'reactionary feminism'. Popularised in 2021 by author Mary Harrington, reactionary feminists believe there are fundamental differences between the sexes and view traditional marriage and the nuclear family as supportive structures for women. Perry has also described herself as 'emotionally and intellectually drawn' to Christianity, and regularly makes reference to the Christian tradition when putting forwards a case for a return to monogamous marriage. But it's easy to nod along as she discusses the perils of dating apps and how unsafe we can feel when walking down the streets or spending time online. She's well versed in the issues facing young women today and her critiques of sexual objectification, pornography and the misery of dating apps echo arguments that have spread widely outside of conservative circles. From the 'Cancel Porn' TikTok trend to pop stars' criticism of the abuses of the porn industry, discontent with the current sexual culture has developed among millennial and Gen Z women. It's perhaps not surprising when we've grown up with unsolicited dick pics, non- consensual explicit deepfakes and media dominated by the male gaze. Perry also works with the charity We Can't Consent To This, which has campaigned around the problematic rough-sex murder defence. Freya India, 24, is another British content creator speaking to these genuine grievances of modern womanhood. Bro podcaster Chris Williamson (host of the popular British podcast Modern Wisdom) describes India as a 'younger, blonder Louise Perry'. Her Substack, Girls, has 40,000 subscribers and is dedicated to unpacking the (mostly online) lives of young women today. Her 'You Don't Need To Document Everything' essay went viral last year and was shared widely across social media, with many agreeing with her view that the impulse to post everything is 'ingrained in everyone now'. She speaks about problems that acutely affect Gen Z women, from mental health struggles to body dysmorphia and toxic beauty standards promoted by social media filters. Amid this, India also laments the fact that 'promiscuity has become so popular and normalised' that young women are pressured into sex and are 'lost' in our feminist, progressive and technology-addicted societies. Like Perry, she has described how she has become 'drawn to Christianity' despite a liberal and agnostic upbringing. While it might be easier for liberal-minded women to roll their eyes at Stuckey and Clark's not-so-hidden conservative agenda, the likes of Perry and India should act as a reminder that not all voices criticising modern feminism are built the same. And in a similar fashion, not all feminists agree on what's right for our future. How individuals live their lives is, of course, up to them. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with much of the lifestyles India and Perry are promoting. I'm married and have a child; both marriage and motherhood have brought me joy. You may – as I do – agree with some of what they have said or written. Being more conservative or reserved, or holding religious beliefs, certainly does not automatically equate to being either anti-feminist or right-wing in the extreme. The question is, what bigger political project do their views about gender roles serve, and what impact do they have on women's freedom? It brings me back to Clark's point about being palatable. Scratch beneath the surface of Perry's statements about women's discontent with hookup culture and porn, and her belief that pre-marital chastity and traditional marriage is for (nearly) everyone is clear. In sweeping statements based on findings gathered from the (contested) field of evolutionary psychology, she's argued that, on the whole, women feel 'disgust' after one-night-stands and that – barring a few outliers – women will find contentment and safety in traditional marriage. Her criticisms of consent culture, and her views that women often feel pressured into bad sex and violent pornographic scripts, may resonate. But her remedy is for everyone to just be 'a bit more normal', rather than to have nuanced conversations about the different forces that shape our desires and how we can expand our sexual freedoms (while acknowledging some of the harms that our sexual culture can cause). The palatable exterior doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny. Both India and Perry, for example, have described marriage as protective, despite the fact that the majority of sexual violence is perpetrated by partners and ex-partners, and that hundreds of women are killed by their partners each year. Like many conservatives, they think divorce has been trivialised. 'These days, divorce is seen as just another form of self- empowerment,' India has claimed, while Perry has stated that no-fault divorce 'has made wriggling out of a marriage easier than wriggling out of a bank loan'. Legal and women's rights experts have argued that no-fault divorce – which Perry opposes – provides important protection against domestic abuse and trauma, and can be vital for women on low incomes to be able to escape abusive and unhappy marriages. But these are smart women, who know young women are at crisis point right now and looking for answers. Answers they can promise to provide. On first glance, flicking through a copy of Evie, the magazine is similar to others found on the newsstand. But, look closer and the content comes with an ultra-conservative and 'anti-woke' twist. Articles in Evie praise conventional femininity, narrow standards of beauty ('body positivity is a cope'), and female modesty ('Kim Kardashian explains why she has chosen to dress less sexy'). It has sex tips, but with a catch, Evie encourages women to be sexually available but only to their husbands. (Articles containing sex tips come with the disclaimer 'for married women only' and include 'Mastering Cowgirl: How to Ride Your Husband Into Delirium' and 'The Feminine Art Of Giving Your Husband A Breathtaking Lingam Massage'.) Launched in 2019 by Brittany Hugoboom and her husband Gabriel, Evie magazine has been described as a 'Gen Z Cosmo for the alt-right' and has plenty of advice on 'how to go from feminist to feminine'. Contacted over email, Brittany Hugoboom says her magazine is at the forefront of no less than a 'new cultural era'. Like Clark, she says the magazine appeals to women who aren't conservative. 'Our audience is split ideologically between conservative, liberal, and independent women.' She claims that the magazine's blend of fun and serious content and its validation of allegedly disparaged choices (traditional marriage and motherhood) is what appeals to readers. The language Hugoboom uses, reflected in the tone of the magazine, is hyped and enthusiastic, and leans into empowerment rhetoric. 'Women want aspiration again. They want beauty, love, and purpose' While acting as a glossy facade for the 'trad' content, the magazine also bridges the gap between right-wing ideology and alternative health discourse. It has shared anti-vaccine content, and regularly criticises hormonal birth control with deceptive health claims (a representative article claims that the pill 'gives women a cortisol response similar to PTSD'), while promoting its own cycle tracking app (launched with funding from right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel). Echoing some of the arguments made by tradwives, Evie's articles attack 'girlboss feminism' and claim that feminism and pursuing careers have left women hollowed out. 'We tell the truth about what actually leads to happiness. The media refuses to acknowledge that faith, family, and love—not casual sex, careerism, or ideological activism— statistically bring the greatest fulfilment,' she says. We're tired. People aged 18 to 24 are among the most likely to suffer from burnout in the UK, and young women are particularly at risk of suffering from mental health conditions. Housing costs, stagnating pay and life stresses, combined with the feeling that these things won't change, are making the fantasy of a (rich) husband-protector more appealing. 'The current crop of anti-feminist influencers is able to ride the wave of anger at the failures of neoliberal feminism, which promised empowerment in the form of consumer choice and leaning in at work,' says Dr Jilly Kay, a feminist scholar at Loughborough University. While successfully pinpointing our current frustrations and romanticising the past, these influencers can make us forget how hard-won rights have freed women from abusive and unhappy relationships, and given us opportunities that previous generations could only dream of. And the solution being offered – just opt out – isn't simple at all. Financial dependence on men is one of the riskiest moves a woman can make. In the UK, over 40% of marriages end in divorce, and women's incomes fall by 33% on average after divorce, compared with 18% for men. The real fix isn't giving up independence; it's demanding systems that support it: affordable childcare, stronger labour protections, better healthcare and more equitable parental leave. The fix is, in short, political policy – something these women seem hesitant to lead with, despite their attempt to influence it. Perry is comfortable navigating contradictions. She appears on anti-abortion podcasts, yet says she doesn't want to see abortion rights reversed in the UK. 'Pro-life people have tried to get me to endorse them and I have always refused to do that,' she says, while also citing the anti-abortion legal academic Erika Bachiochi as one of her key inspirations during our conversation. Perry says she doesn't position herself as a politician, but her goal seems to be to influence the dominant culture and women's individual trajectories. 'While I have a laundry list of things I'd like, I'm not a politician; I'm a writer and I write what I think is true. I'm not much of an activist these days, but I hope more women will change their behaviours.' She has recently adapted her book The Case Against The Sexual Revolution into a handbook aimed at teenage girls, in which she advises them to delete dating apps, withhold sex and avoid being alone with men. Aside from her recommendations to women about sex and relationships, which people can take or leave, Perry's views on other issues have been a lot less innocent. She has written, for instance, that the transgender activist movement is 'made up of a combination of fetishists and the mentally ill', and has expressed her opposition to women being in front-line policing roles. So, where does the so-called 'cultural commentary' end and the political manifesto begin? By making feminist arguments interspersed with ultra-conservative talking points and maintaining a presence in both fringe and established outlets, reactionary feminists can maintain plausible deniability when asked if their views could bolster policies that could undo fundamental rights. In the 2024 US election, 40% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 were pro-Trump, compared with just 33% in 2020. That's an upswing of 7%. And while bro podcasters such as Joe Rogan and other anti-woke YouTubers have been largely credited with boosting men's vote for Trump, similar influences on the female vote shouldn't be ignored. And neither should the growing support for Nigel Farage's far-right party, Reform UK, here. They secured more than 4m votes in the 2024 UK election – which equates to 14.3% of the total vote – and in May's local council elections, won 677 of around 1,600 seats contested. While it's true that young women are the least likely demographic to vote for Reform (and this surge of support has – sadly – largely come from Gen Z men), Dr Kay warns that we should not take this as a hard truth. 'The worry for me is that this new wave of anti-feminist women influencers and commentators will start to shape electoral politics in the same way we have seen the manosphere fuelling right-wing voting patterns,' she says. Conservative and anti-feminist women like to say that modern-day feminism has devalued motherhood and is forcing us into the rat race. They can make us forget how their anti-woke message gives credibility to efforts to roll back key rights, and why – beyond our individual desires and choices – we need to demand more for every woman. We need greater support for childcare and flexible work, investment in medical research to develop new forms of contraception and a better sexual culture that doesn't just keep us safe from violence, but guarantees our sexual freedom. These women's messages are rewarded by the algorithms of social media, which will amplify polarising, controversial and misinformative content to keep us engaged and scrolling. Whatever you think of their views, there's no doubt they have spread because of how divisive they are. And the impulse is to push back with equal force. But at a time when 'manosphere' influencers are thriving online, far-right parties are making electoral gains and reproductive rights remain threatened, we need to offer a response to these narratives without alienating the women who recognise themselves in them, creating further divide. In a world where we're often asked to choose sides and can get led down various online rabbit holes, we need to remember that agreeing with This new generation of conservative YouTubers and podcasters seem to know with certainty what's right for us, but feminism has always been about letting us live on our own terms and decide for ourselves what's best. It's about choice, not a mandate from one woman to another. As social media bombards us with shock reactions, viral content and 'controversial' takes, we can lose the ability to consider how we feel about these – and other – reactionary messages that come our way. The solution isn't simple (it rarely is), but to start, we need to learn to slow down, fact-check and consider who benefits from our frustration and attention. some critiques these influencers make doesn't mean that a person embraces all of their wider political views.
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Why In-N-Out is ‘still saying no' to East Coast expansion
Don't expect to see an In-N-Out Burger on the East Coast anytime soon. Lynsi Snyder, president and owner of In-N-Out, garnered national attention this week after announcing that she and her family would be relocating to Franklin, Tennessee, where the company is set to open an eastern office to support its growth. Snyder said country music artist Kid Rock played a role in In-N-Out's expansion into the Southeast, adding he drew a new "map" of locations that included Tennessee as the burger empire's easternmost state. "I guess I would say, a man plans his ways and God's got his steps. So, we had a plan and then he stuck that in there," Snyder told "Relatable" podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey in a recent interview Despite the expansion in Tennessee, Snyder said she was not looking to move the burger chain farther east. "Florida has begged us and we're still saying no," Snyder said. "The East Coast states, we're still saying no." In-N-Out doesn't want to 'ever' compromise on quality, executive says While expanding locations is important, Snyder suggest it's not her top priority. "My No. 1 priority is really keeping the company the same company that my grandparents started," Snyder said. "I want the legacy to continue." Snyder revealed the company will be able to serve ingredients to its Tennessee locations from its Texas warehouse. "Texas can reach some other states," Snyder said, potentially hinting that the chain's facility there could supply ingredients to neighboring states. According to KTLA, In-N-Out restaurants are generally located within 500 miles of its distribution centers. As Snyder looks toward the future, she is trying to find a balance between giving In-N-Out employees on the management track the space to grow and thrive while also not opening a restaurant on "every corner." Snyder agreed with Stuckey's assessment that In-N-Out's presence across the West gives the chain a sense of "novelty" that customers are attracted to. "We don't want to be in every state. And we don't want to ever compromise our values and standards and the cornerstones that my grandparents laid down," Snyder said.
