Latest news with #originality
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Millennials, I'm Dying To Know The "Cringe" Millennial Trends That Should Be Buried In The Archives Forever
Everything that's being marketed to us these days feels like a remix of the past, from reboots and remakes to low-rise jeans and pop-punk revivals. If you're a millennial, you've probably already seen it all the first time when it was still considered cutting-edge. Related: Maybe it's the rise of AI, the TikTok-fueled nostalgia economy, or just the fact that Gen Z never knew a world without social media. However, originality feels like it's gone missing. And if you've recently seen a pair of JNCO jeans in the wild or a trucker hat at brunch, you might've felt a full-body shudder. Related: As someone considered an Unc in certain circles — and maybe I'm just grumpy and jaded — I have a sneaking suspicion a few of you feel the same way I do. For the millennials of the BuzzFeed Community, what's the trend — fashion, lifestyle, aesthetic, internet behavior — that deserves to stay buried in the past? Related: A few come to my mind off the top: skinny jeans, am I right? I'm honestly surprised they didn't cause long-term blood circulation issues for those of us whose legs couldn't even breathe in them. And while some are attempting to make them fashionable again, it's really just a big no. Although I wouldn't be shocked if it happens again soon, I'm begging for Instagram's in-app filters to stay dead and buried. We don't need them. Let's move on. Related: And maybe most importantly, can we let hustle culture die already? I'll give Gen Z credit: they've done a great job rejecting the grind economy, and let's hope it stays that way. We already know we're getting the short end of the stick, no matter how burnt out we get. And while we're at it, let's retire the whole "can't adult today" energy, too. We're grown. We pay bills. We're just exhausted. On that note, share the millennial trends that should remain in the past and never return in the comment section. For those who feel they have especially hot takes on the matter and would prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to fill out the form below. Also in Community: Also in Community: Also in Community:
Entrepreneur
23-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Brand Lessons from Dubai: Evolving with Purpose and Power
This is a clear message to brands: if your creative is still playing it safe, or feels like a copy-paste job, you're already behind. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Not long ago, much of Dubai's creative scene felt like it was borrowed from elsewhere. Many campaigns were adaptations of global ideas, not built specifically for the region. But that's shifting. Dubai's voice is evolving, from adaptation to originality, from safe to unapologetic. What's driving this shift? Ambition. The ambition to become a creative powerhouse, to attract top talent, and to build world-class brands from the region outwards. And the UAE government is setting the tone. Just look at their Cannes takeover this year: a bold, logo-less campaign that declared, "The Emirates are open for ideas as long as those ideas are impossible." This is a clear message to brands: if your creative is still playing it safe, or feels like a copy-paste job, you're already behind. IDEAS BASED ON LOCAL INSIGHT Brands in the Middle East are beginning to shred the "global-but-generic" creative template we see over and over again. For too long, campaigns created in the region have played it safe, polished, predictable, and built from formulas that worked elsewhere. But that's changing. The market is maturing. Clients are no longer asking, "What did London, Amsterdam or New York do?" They want ideas that begin here, shaped by the region's culture and created by people who live it, understand it, and are genuinely connected to the audience. Adidas' I'm Possible campaign is a perfect example. Instead of rolling out a global message, they started with a local truth: a YouGov stat that 88% of women in the Middle East believe sports aren't meant for them. adidas invited women across Dubai to share their own stories, and then took over the city's billboards with their images. It cut through because it was rooted in real women's voices, stories that felt personal, not performative. The takeaway? If you want your campaign to truly cut through, you can't afford to skip the work of uncovering local insight. It's not just about ticking a cultural box, it's about building creative that couldn't come from anywhere else. The brands leading the way are investing the time to understand the nuances: the humour, the language, the lived realities of their audience. Regional cues aren't being diluted anymore, they're being amplified. And the result is work that feels more confident, more connected, and far more likely to leave a mark. THINK BIG. ACT FAST. This is a region that moves fast and thinks big. Brands that wait for global sign-off or rely on tried-and-tested ideas will likely miss the moment. The most effective work here is reactive and matches the region's pace and ambition. Bold ideas that are sharp, timely, and strategically sound. Emirates nailed this strategic ambition with their Burj Khalifa stunt in 2021. When the UAE was removed from the UK's red list, Emirates responded quickly with a jaw-dropping visual: a flight attendant standing at the top of the world's tallest building holding signs celebrating the return of travel. Bold, timely, and completely mental. It gave them a new claim to fame: one of the "highest ads ever filmed". This is the level brands are competing with here. The work that lands here doesn't just move fast, it taps into the moment. The best brands are plugged into what's happening around them, and they're brave enough to respond with big, bold creative. It's not about waiting for the perfect global brief. It's about recognising the opportunity and having the guts to go for it. CREATIVITY BUILT FROM WITHIN The brands making the biggest impact aren't just getting the message right, they're getting the people right. The work that really connects here is being made by teams who understand this place because they're part of it. Not just flying in for a briefing or asking AI for cultural cues. It needs to be created by those experiencing the rhythm of everyday life, what people care about, laugh about, talk about. Campaigns like Puck's Recipe for Change or adidas' I'm Possible didn't land because they followed a formula. They worked because they were built by people who instinctively understood the tone, the sensitivities, and the stories that would resonate, and knew how to tell them in a way that felt natural, not forced. If you want your work to land here, it has to be created from here. Not adapted. Not translated. Created by people who know the difference between a borrowed insight and a real one, and who know how to build something original with it. Basically, what I'm saying is: brands need to be bold. More now than ever. And Dubai is the place to do it. I moved back because I could feel the ambition here and I want to be a part of it. The brands making the biggest impact are the ones grounding their ideas in local truth, reacting to the moment, and creating from within, not adapting a global formula. If you want to stay ahead, show up with work that's original, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.
Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Damien Hirst and plagiarism: ‘All my ideas are stolen anyway'
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb to plagiarise as follows: '1 v.t. Take and use as one's own (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another person); copy (literary work, ideas, etc.) improperly or without acknowledgement; pass off the thoughts, work, etc., of (another person) as one's own. 2 v.i. Practise or commit plagiarism.' Damien Hirst, who has been accused, not for the first time, of pinching the idea for his best work, A Thousand Years (1990) — the one with the cow's head, the maggots and the insect-o-cutor in a vitrine — from his Goldsmiths contemporary Hamad Butt, is probably used to it by now. Indeed, in 2018 he stated in a filmed interview with fellow artist Peter Blake, 'All my ideas are stolen anyway,' claiming that he was told by his tutor Michael Craig-Martin, 'Don't borrow ideas, steal them' (possibly Craig-Martin had Picasso's famous adage in mind: 'Good artists copy, great artists steal'). That, Hirst said, was when he realised 'you don't have to be original' — and Blake agreed. 'Nothing is original — it's what you do with it.' Still, Butt's Transmission, which is about to go on show at the Whitechapel Gallery in London as part of Apprehensions, the first big survey exhibition of his work, does indeed have remarkable similarities in its ideas and execution to Hirst's work. Shown at Butt's degree show, also in 1990, but developed earlier in prototype in his studio (and seen there, claimed Butt, by Hirst, who overlapped with him at Goldsmiths for two years), it was a multipart work, one element of which was Fly-Piece, a cabinet containing sugar-soaked paper inscribed with enigmatic statements, and fly pupae, which hatched, digested the paper and then died. • Damien Hirst at 60: My plan to make art for 200 years after I die It doesn't take a genius to see why Butt, who died of Aids-related complications in 1994 aged 32, felt Hirst had appropriated his work, and the critic Jean Fisher, who taught both artists, referred to Butt's 'clear influence on Hirst'. The Times approached Hirst for comment. But this is just one of many times Hirst has been accused of plagiarism, which in art is notoriously difficult to prove. In 2010 Charles Thomson, founder of the stuckists, collated a list of 15 examples for Jackdaw Magazine. Some were supported by the artists in question, such as the Los Angeles artist Lori Precious, who said she went into 'a state of shock' after seeing Hirst's butterfly works and noting their resemblance to her mandala works made of butterflies. (Hirst has never publicly acknowledged Precious's remarks, which were not made through legal representation, and told Blake that he got the idea from Victorian tea trays.) Some were Thomson's assertion, such as the similarity between Hirst's early medicine cabinet works and Joseph Cornell's 1943 sculpture Pharmacy. Hirst's press officer at the time described the article as 'poor journalism' and said they would be issuing a 'comprehensive rebuttal'. If this exists, I can't find it. John LeKay, once a good friend of Hirst's, has claimed the artist has repurposed a number of his ideas, including skulls covered in crystals, which LeKay first experimented with in 1993, and has intimated that Hirst's In the Name of the Father, 2005, which featured the corpse of a sheep splayed to resemble a crucifixion pose, was probably inspired by his own 1987 work This Is My Body, This Is My Blood, which does the same thing but without preserving it in formaldehyde. • 25 moments that made Tate Modern — seeds, spiders and sharks LeKay also claimed that Hirst got the ideas for his pickled animal works from a catalogue LeKay lent him, for the Carolina Biological Supply Company, which sold science education products (which is a perfectly reasonable and valid place to get ideas — they don't usually just come out of thin air). Hirst declined to comment on the claims. He did agree, in 2000, to pay an undisclosed sum, out of court, to two children's charities when Humbrol took umbrage at his large-scale bronze sculpture Hymn, describing it as a direct copy of the company's Young Scientist Anatomy Set, designed by Norman Emms (apparently Hirst's young son had one). Mostly, though, claims have gone unanswered. In 2017 Jason deCaires Taylor claimed there were 'striking similarities' between his underwater sculptural installations, which he has been making since 2006, and the works that made up Hirst's Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, exhibited at that year's Venice Biennale. Hirst denied that he had breached copyright and a spokeswoman said he had been interested in 'coralised' objects since the 1990s. In 2022 he exhibited a suite of paintings of cherry blossom at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, which depicted dark branches against a pale blue sky, with petals made of dots. The English artist and writer Joe Machine told a newspaper that he thought when he saw them that he was looking at his own earlier paintings. (A stretch, to be honest. Stylistically they're not particularly similar and it's not as if artists haven't been painting cherry blossoms for centuries. To me, they just look like Hirst has rather savvily combined his dot motif with a tried-and-tested subject matter to appeal to the large east Asian market.) • Read more art reviews, guides and interviews The fact is you cannot copyright an idea. It's true that Thomas Downing was doing spot paintings in the Sixties. So did John Armeleder in the Eighties. Part of the fury around Hirst's alleged appropriation of ideas is that he's made so much more money out of them than anyone else — his success has created its own market, regardless of the quality of the work, which is variable to say the least. I doubt this latest, repeated accusation will make the slightest difference to Hirst's reputation. People know what they're getting with him, and Butt's Transmission, which the Whitechapel will show with the insect component remade for the first time since his degree show (Butt reportedly destroyed Fly-Piece after Hirst's work was shown) is likely to remain a frustrating footnote in art history. And as Dominic Johnson, curator of the exhibition, carefully remarks in the catalogue: 'It's always interesting to consider how and where artists get ideas from especially when working in shared spaces or contexts (as was the case for so many of the YBAs and their peers), as there is inevitably always going to be a degree of cross-pollination — conscious or unconscious.' Still, Picasso's pithy soundbite doesn't mean that stealing makes you a great artist. Mediocre artists steal too. And maybe the suggestion that A Thousand Years, in my opinion Hirst's finest work (he made it aged 25; he's 60 now and nothing he's done since has been as good, not even the shark), was heavily reliant on someone else's idea might, on darker nights, give Hirst a moment's pause.
UAE Moments
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
♒ Aquarius Daily Horoscope for July 12, 2025
Today, you're unpredictable in the best way and your originality is basically a superpower. Aquarius, July 12 is sparking up your inner genius and giving your social side a refresh. The universe is nudging you to break the routine, flip the script, and casually surprise everyone (including yourself). Expect lightbulb moments, unexpected messages, and maybe a mini epiphany about your next move. 🔮 Ideas Incoming, Disruption Inevitable You're thinking at warp speed today and it shows. Your offbeat thoughts? Totally on-point. Don't over-edit your ideas right now. What seems 'too weird' at first glance might be the exact thing that stands out. Innovation isn't just a mood, it's your method. Aquarius Tip: Say the bold idea out loud. It might spark the change everyone else is waiting for. 💼 Career & Money: Visionary, Not Just Efficient You're not clocking in for mediocrity. Today's energy helps you challenge outdated processes, pitch something daring, or go rogue (strategically). You're seeing around corners and asking better questions and that's what sets you apart. Your 'what if we tried this?' is lowkey a leadership move. 💖 Love & Friendship: Oddly Perfect Moments You're not doing romance by the book and that's what makes it magical. Singles may find themselves deep in quirky banter that accidentally becomes a vibe. Partnered Aquarians? Try something new together, even if it's as small as switching up the playlist or taking a late-night walk. Flirt cue: 'Let's make today weirdly memorable. Your ideas or mine?' 🧘♀️ Mood & Vibe: Eccentric, Electric, Deeply Aligned You feel both out-of-body and laser-focused. That's very Aquarius of you. Use that spacey-yet-sharp mental energy to journal, create, or zone into something niche. The world needs your perspective, it's what keeps things interesting. Lucky Color: Icy Mint Lucky Numbers: 8 & 27 Cosmic Playlist Song: 'Ribs' – Lorde Affirmation of the Day: 'I honor my uniqueness, speak my truth, and let inspiration strike on its own terms.' 💭 Aquarius Thought for July 12: Being misunderstood just means you're ahead of your time. Keep going, revolutions start this way.
UAE Moments
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
♒ Aquarius Daily Horoscope for July 8, 2025
Your originality isn't just showing, it's stealing the spotlight. Aquarius, July 8 hands you the mic, and the mood, to express the wild ideas everyone else is just beginning to imagine. With the moon and Uranus syncing up, you're electric in the best way. Expect breakthroughs, 'aha' moments, and random magic that only you could've seen coming. Spoiler: the weird idea? It works 🧠 Big Brain Energy: Fully Activated You're sharp, snappy, and slightly rebellious (in the best way). Whether you're inventing something, questioning everything, or connecting dots no one else can even see, your insight is the plot twist the day needs. Aquarius Tip: Keep a note open. Lightning doesn't strike twice but your mind might. 💼 Career & Money: Pitch It Weird, Land It Big Today is perfect for rolling out a concept that sounds 'too out there," until it clicks. You've got the creativity and the confidence to carry your vision. Just make sure you follow through after everyone goes, 'Wait… that's actually brilliant.' Today's vibe: Unconventional = unstoppable. 💖 Love & Friendship: Spark Meets Synchronicity Romantic sparks come from unexpected places (or people). If you're single, don't be surprised if an offbeat conversation turns into something really interesting. Coupled up? Do something totally different together, think stargazing, tech-free dinner, or DIY dreams. Flirt cue: 'What's the weirdest connection we have… that totally works?' 🧘♀️ Mood & Vibe: Floating but Focused You're in that sweet spot between 'let's disrupt everything' and 'let's nap through the chaos.' Channel your energy into something that excites your soul and stretches your mind. You don't need a crowd, you need a whiteboard, a playlist, and maybe a little solitude. Lucky Color: Cobalt Blue Lucky Numbers: 10 & 27 Cosmic Playlist Song: 'Midnight City' – M83 Affirmation of the Day: 'I lead with vision, trust my flow, and turn odd ideas into obvious brilliance.' 💭 Aquarius Thought for July 8: The moment you stop trying to make sense... You make something genius.
