Latest news with #UKSpecialScreening
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Tom Parker's widow beams as she holds growing baby bump on family day out
Kelsey was married to Tom, who tragically passed away in 2022 at just 33 years old after a courageous battle with a rare brain tumour, glioblastoma Baby Joy Tom Parker's widow beams as she holds growing baby bump on family day out TOM Parker's widow Kelsey beamed as she held her growing baby bump on a family day out. Kelsey, 34, looked gorgeous while attending the UK Special Screening of Lilo & Stitch at London's Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. Advertisement 6 Tom Parker's widow Kelsey beamed as she held her growing baby bump on a family day out Credit: Getty The actress wore a striped cream-and-brown trouser and jacket co-ord, completing her look with tan sandals and a chain necklace. Flashing a grin, she was joined by her daughter Aurelia, four, and son Bodhi, four, who she shared with the late Wanted singer. Kelsey was married to Tom, who tragically passed away in 2022 at just 33 years old after a courageous battle with a rare brain tumour, glioblastoma. Tom captured the hearts of fans as one-fifth of chart-topping boyband The Wanted, known for hits like Glad You Came and All Time Low. Advertisement Even while undergoing treatment, he continued to perform, famously taking to the stage with the band in emotional final performances during their reunion tour. Since his death, Kelsey has worked tirelessly to honour his legacy. She has organised an annual charity football match in his name to raise funds and awareness for brain cancer research - a cause that now means everything to her. Now Kelsey's expecting her first baby with boyfriend Will Lindsay. Advertisement She has since found happiness again with new partner Will, but says she'll always carry Tom close to her heart. Kelsey recently gave a family update as she revealed that Will has stepped in to do things her late husband couldn't for their kids. Kelsey Parker reveals heartbreaking way boyfriend has stepped in to do things Tom Parker couldn't for kids after hitting back at trolls The podcast host sat spoke on an episode of Mum's The Word. Kelsey told listeners: "Tom died when he [Bhodi] was 18 months, I gave him everything. I have over given, Bridget Jones talks about it, when it's just you, I was mum and dad. I've given so much of me, now they just expect 'me, me, me at 3 o'clock in the morning. Advertisement "I'm so happy that Will is there and Will has taken, I don't want to say the role of dad … role model. "So he now backs me, I've never had that because Tom was too ill, he couldn't really pick Bodhi up, so now I've go Will who backs me... Bodhi is like, 'hang on a second'. "He absolutely adores Will and he listens to him, he needed the male role model." 6 The actress wore a striped cream-and-brown trouser and jacket co-ord Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement 6 Kelsey flashed a grin for photographers Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 The actress was joined by her daughter Aurelia, four, and son Bodhi, four Credit: Getty 6 Kelsey is expecting her first baby with Will Lindsay Credit: Instagram @being_kelsey 6 Tom Parker tragically died from brain cancer in 2022 Credit: instagram/being_kelsey
Forbes
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Protect The Dolls: How A $99 T-Shirt Redefined The Power Of Fashion
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Pedro Pascal attends the "Thunderbolts*" UK Special Screening at ... More Cineworld Leicester Square on April 22, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by) On the eve of his London Fashion Week runway show, American fashion designer Conner Ives grabbed a deadstock white T-shirt, stamped the words Protect the Dolls onto it with transfer paper, and pulled it over his head. No brand strategists. No marketing campaign. Just raw instinct — the kind I feel leaders need to adopt more but rarely do. The Dolls? Transgender women — a community facing escalating attacks on their rights, visibility, and safety. In queer communities, 'doll' is a term of affection, pride, and belonging — a coded word that speaks volumes without explanation. The next night, as Ives took his bow at the end of the fashion week catwalk, the Dolls T-Shirt didn't just land — it detonated. It tore through social media, dominated fashion rankings, and hijacked global headlines. Conner Ives hadn't just designed a T-shirt, he had triggered a marketing movement. And within 24 hours, over 2,500 orders flooded in — each one supporting Trans Lifeline, a community-driven organization providing crisis support to trans people in need. If you've read The Kim Kardashian Principle, you already know where I stand: Leaders who win are the ones brave enough to create more of these moments — unvarnished, emotional, and unapologetically true. LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Designer, Connor Ives walks the runway at the Conner Ives show during ... More London Fashion Week February 2022 on February 18, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images for BFC) For years, slogan tees were dismissed as slactivism — easy gestures without real substance. So how did Protect the Dolls hit differently? It wasn't just a statement, it was a shield. A visible call to arms at a time when trans woman visibility is being ripped apart — in courts, in legislation, and in public discourse. The Dolls T-Shirts weren't selling fashion, they were selling solidarity. When I wore a "Orban Love Wins" message across the back of my Gucci jacket on the red carpet at the MTV EMAs in Budapest, Hungary, in 2021, it didn't just generate support from the local LGBTQI+ community — it made global headlines. At the time, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had recently pushed through legislation in 2021 that banned the depiction of LGBTQI+ content to minors, part of a broader crackdown on LGBTQI+ rights. In a country where state-sponsored discrimination was becoming law, the message wasn't just a fashion choice — it was my act of protest, a show of solidarity, and a public stand against political repression. What I learned then — and still believe now — is that context matters. When the world feels the sharp edge of peril, fashion choices stop being choices and they become cultural flashpoints. Today, amongst our most savvy Gen Z audiences, brands don't get a pass for lazy signaling. As a McKinsey study shows, consumers demand authenticity that cuts deeper than words. They expect brands to put real skin in the game — especially when it comes to defending the rights of transgender women, trans men, and non-binary individuals facing systemic threats. Troye Sivan (left) at Coachella with Lorde, Charli xcx and Billie Eilish. It wasn't just what Conner Ives said. It was how he said it. Protect. The. Dolls. Short. Direct. Familiar, yet radical. In queer communities, "doll" is a term of endearment — a private language of affection and solidarity. But in the wider community, the word can sound flippant or even objectifying. From this standpoint, the slogan is polarizing but Ives didn't care as he chose authenticity over universal approval. As research from the Journal of Business Research shows, linguistic precision in branding isn't decorative; it's transformative. The right words create movements — and sometimes, they divide before they unite. When Ives chose "Protect the Dolls" over safer slogans like "Support Trans Rights" or "Love the Dolls," he made a statement of solidarity as he didn't aim for consensus or the safer more palatable version. He made a statement that was emotional, not clinical. Protective, not patronizing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: some of the most powerful brand ideas are no longer afraid of hate. In fact, hate is a status symbol — proof that you've struck a nerve deep enough to matter. And in my experience, brands that understand the emotional weight of language always win bigger than brands that chase clarity at the expense of feeling. Tilda Swinton wearing the T-shirt. Photograph: Twitter The ripple effect was immediate — and electric. Pedro Pascal, beloved not just for his acting but for his visible support of the LGBTQ+ community (and brother to Lux Pascal, a trans woman herself), wore the Dolls T-Shirt alongside DJ Honey Dijon. Pop stars, Troye Sivan wore it during his Coachella set and Addison Rae wore hers on Instagram. Actor, Tilda Swinton reportedly ordered several for herself and her friends. In fashion, often times this kind of celebrity endorsement feels choreographed, but ut here, it felt urgent — and real. The intersection of celebrity influence and grassroots activism created the perfect storm. Meanwhile, across the pond, the UK Supreme Court handed down a regressive ruling on gender definition, excluding trans women from parts of the Equality Act protections. It felt like a slap to the community of people already fighting for basic dignity. The Dolls T-Shirt wasn't just a fashion choice anymore; it was armor. A recent study in the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice shows how fashion activism is no longer fringe. It's now a recognized force in building socio-economic resilience, particularly among marginalized groups. The experiences of transgender people — too often erased or politicized — were now stitched into the mainstream conversation. In today's world, the brands — and the leaders — who will shape the future won't be the ones hiding behind aesthetics. They'll be the ones brave enough to take sides, to build brands with purpose, to defend marginalized communities, to fight for transgender women, to challenge regressive gender stereotypes, and to recognize that preferred gender is no longer an opinion — it's a human right. The world has changed. Leadership must catch up. Protect the Dolls reminds us that fashion is always political, whether we're ready for it or not. I have no doubt that American designer Conner Ives will, in part, be remembered for the night he turned a DIY graphic T-shirt into a weapon of beauty, resistance, and solidarity. Protect the Dolls wasn't a whisper. It was a roar. And for leaders who bristle at the Dolls T-Shirts — who roll their eyes at yet another political statement on a fashion week catwalk — maybe it's worth asking a harder question. Is the real discomfort not about the cause itself, but about what leadership demands today? That you must change again. That you must put yourself — your brand, your reputation — on the line. That leadership now means confronting culture, not just selling into it. Because in a culture that still debates the validity of gender recognition certificates, silence isn't neutrality. It's complicity. And if you're not brave enough to wear your beliefs on a deadstock white T-shirt — I have to ask you — are you really brave enough to lead at all? Named Esquire's Influencer of the Year, Jeetendr Sehdev is a media personality and leading voice in fashion, entertainment, and influence, and author of the New York Times bestselling phenomenon The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (and How to Do It Right).
