ELLIS CASHMORE

Is Taylor Swift Really as Great as Shakespeare?* Taylor Swift dominates global culture as her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, breaks sales records and cements her influence across media.

🚨 IS TAYLOR SWIFT REALLY AS GREAT AS SHAKESPEARE? 🎤🎨🎼
Her albums break records, her tours make history 🏟️—but can she match the artistic giants she now stands alongside?
READ NOW IN #FairObserver 👉 www.fairobserver.com/culture/is-t...
#TaylorSwift #PopCulture #Swifties #ArtisticGreatness #MusicCanon

IS TAYLOR SWIFT REALLY AS GREAT AS SHAKESPEARE?🔥
Her albums break records, her tours make history 🏟️—she’s already a legend. But can she exceed the artistic giants she now stands alongside?
COMING SOON IN #FairObserver
#TaylorSwift #ErasTour #PopCulture #Swifties #ArtisticGreatness

Stabbing considered to be an isolated incident, says defence secretary. How about: Manchester synagogue attack (Oct 2025), Uxbridge (Oct 2025), Nottingham (June 2023), Reading (June 2020)? #TrainAttack #Security #PublicSafety @btsofficialtweets.bsky.social
@metpolice.bsky.social

📘 1st published (privately): 1928, Florence
🚫 Banned: 1928–1960 in UK
✅ First legal UK edition: November 1, 1960
📚 Nov 1, 1960, @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social
published Lady Chatterley’s Lover after winning a landmark obscenity trial
#DHLawrence #LadyChatterleysLover #OnThisDay #Censorship

When the Spell Breaks for Taylor Swift and J.K. Rowling Taylor Swift and J.K. Rowling — arguably two of the world’s most influential women — face renewed public criticism as their art..

Taylor Swift & JK Rowling: icons whose work defines eras and embodies female empowerment. Now, both are under fire like never before. I explore the fallout here: fairobserver.com/culture/when... www.fairobserver.com/culture/when...

Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? Where most celebrities rise, saturate the media and fade, former football star David Beckham remains in the limelight.

⚽️ A quarter-century ago, @politybooks.bsky.social
asked me to write a book on a rising footballer who later became a global celebrity.
Why does the world still find David Beckham 🕶️fascinating?
Answer 🔗
www.fairobserver.com/region/europ... @politybooks.bsky.social

Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? Where most celebrities rise, saturate the media and fade, former football star David Beckham remains in the limelight.

She studied fame like others study design — and built a brand that never fades.
In the new Netflix doc, Victoria Beckham says, “It’s not about him, it’s about me.”
I’d say she’s right. My analysis in @myfairobserver:
🔗 www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...

🎤 Ellis Cashmore will be speaking at the Sociology in Action event on 5 December about the evolution of celebrity culture. First event sold out, but tickets for this one are still available: educationinaction.org.uk/speaker/elli... #CelebrityCulture #Timeline #FairObserver

COMING SOON in #FairObserver: Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? ⭐️Most celebrities fade after their peak but David & Victoria remain a global brand—bridging generations, reinventing themselves and still captivating audiences. Why?
#Beckham #VictoriaBeckham #DavidBeckham

COMING SOON in #FairObserver: Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? ⭐️
Most celebrities fade after their peak but David & Victoria remain a global brand—bridging generations, reinventing themselves and still captivating audiences. Why?
#Beckham #VictoriaBeckham #DavidBeckham

YouTube video by Unilever The UK's first TV advert: Gibbs SR toothpaste | Unilever

Today marks 70 years since the UK’s first ever TV ad aired: Gibbs SR toothpaste (22 Sept 1955). Even then, advertising was already seeping into every corner of social life. Now, it's inescapable.
Watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=Eeu3... @ITV
#OTD #TVHistory #Advertising #Marketing

Tokyo 2025 is Britain’s worst performance in global athletics in 20 years. 🇬🇧🥈🥈🥈🥉🥉 Just 5 medals (0 golds). The last time GB did worse was Helsinki 2005, with only 3 medals.

#WorldAthletics #Tokyo2025 #TeamGB #Athletics #TrackandField #GoldStandardFunding

📢 #ALevel #Sociology students + teachers! Sociology in Action is back: 10 Nov, London 📷 #SociologyInAction #EducationInAction #SixthForm #CollegeLife #Students #SocialJustice educationinaction.org.uk/study-day/so...
@bjse.bsky.social u_in_action

Anatomy of the Mushroom Murders Australia’s “mushroom murders” have gripped the world. Erin Patterson is found guilty of poisoning her in-laws and a relative of her husband,

The Mushroom Murders: inexplicable, illogical, and terrifying. But what if the key lies not in psychology, but in sociology? @routledgehistory.bsky.social author @elliscashmore.bsky.social investigates:
fairobserver.com/culture/anat...
#StudySociology
#SociologyStudents
#SociologyDegree
#Sociology

In Memoriam: Giorgio Armani and the Rise of Designer Culture Italian designer Giorgio Armani has passed away at the age of 91, marking the end of an era in fashion. His work represents a cultural shift...

Armani wasn’t just about clothes. His designs embodied Bourdieu’s distinction and Bauman’s liquid modernity: style as social capital, identity as performance. In the 1980s, fashion became a way of being.

More in @FairObserver ⬇️
www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...

20 Years After Diana, Princess of Wales Even the most sober account of her life and death seems like a fairytale that got out of hand.

28 years ago this Sunday, the world lost Diana, Princess of Wales—a woman who redefined the monarchy and captivated the globe. I reflected on her life and legacy on the 20th anniversary: www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...

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From 2000 to today knife attacks arrests and killings have haunted Carnival. Overzealous policing is often blamed yet few credible causes are offered. Carnival remains caught between joy and jeopardy.
#NottingHillCarnival #KnifeCrime #London #MetPolice #Carnival2025 #UKEvents

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In 2000 the Stephen Lawrence report confirmed institutional racism in the Met. For Carnival it was a reminder that policing and prejudice were still entangled.
#NottingHillCarnival #StephenLawrence #InstitutionalRacism #MetPolice #BlackHistory

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1981–84 saw riots in Brixton Toxteth and Handsworth. These uprisings exposed deep racial and social divisions which echoed through Notting Hill Carnival. Mistrust of police grew sharper.
#NottingHillCarnival #Brixton #Riots #RaceRelations #LondonHistory #Carnival

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The 1980s brought the notorious “sus” laws. Stop-and-search powers fell hardest on Black youth and tensions with police escalated. Carnival became a flashpoint for conflict.
#NottingHillCarnival #SusLaws #MetPolice #BlackHistory #LondonEvents #Carnival

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In the 1970s the rise of the Rastafari movement and reggae reshaped Carnival. A cultural showcase turned political stage giving it a distinct identity as both celebration and resistance.
#NottingHillCarnival #Rastafari #Reggae #BlackHistory #LondonCulture

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The first Carnival took place in 1959 a year after the Notting Hill race riots of 1958. Born as a Caribbean celebration and response to racial hostility it showed Britain its emerging problem of racism.
#NottingHillCarnival #CarnivalHistory #London #UKHistory #RaceRelations

THE HISTORY OF NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL 🎭🎶
Carnival begins today but its story stretches back over 60 years — from the 1958 race riots to Rastafari and reggae, from “sus” laws to knife crime. A 6-part thread on joy, struggle and the Met Police ⬇️
#NottingHillCarnival #London #CarnivalHistory #MetPolice

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🔎 Noel Clarke’s lawsuit was meant to restore his reputation. Instead, it cemented his downfall. In the post-#MeToo era, this may be remembered as the moment due process and investigative journalism prevailed. #MeToo #UKMedia

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💥 This case matters:

A #MeToo accused man fought back & lost.

Journalism in the public interest was upheld.

Victims’ voices were legally validated.

Due process confirmed cancellation wasn’t arbitrary—it was earned. #PressFreedom

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📜 Mrs Justice Karen Steyn ruled against him: allegations were “substantially true.” Clarke’s claims of conspiracy “lacked any proper foundation.” His fight to clear his name spectacularly backfired. #Guardian #MeToo

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⚖️ He went to court demanding £70m damages. This was not trial by Twitter but by High Court: witnesses were cross-examined, evidence tested. It was due process at its toughest. #MediaLaw #MeToo

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🎭 Clarke, a BAFTA-winning actor, was accused by 20 women of harassment & abuse over 15 years. He denied it, said he “lost everything,” and blamed The Guardian for destroying his career. #MeToo #UKLaw

1 of 6. THE NOEL CLARKE CASE:
In the post-#MeToo era, Noel Clarke was the rare accused man who fought back ferociously. He sued The Guardian for £70m, claiming cancellation. He lost. A judge ruled the allegations “substantially true.” Due process didn’t save him—it finished him. #MeToo

30,000+ asylum seekers in the UK. Some councils plan action against hotels housing them. Today’s Britain is more diverse & anti-racist than ever—but this could become the most divisive issues of this century. #AsylumSeekers #Immigration #UKPolitics #Diversity #SocialCohesion