Latest news with #Leah
Refinery29
a day ago
- Business
- Refinery29
Return To Office Mandates Hurt Women Of Colour, But Australia Won't Talk About It
In March 2025, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said that 'women have a right to feel at risk' as Peter Dutton tried to roll back remote work arrangements in the public service. In Australia, then, we're fine with acknowledging that gender structures the way we experience the workplace, and petitioning the government accordingly. But the same can't be said about race. When it comes to conversations about a return to office, which have once again been making headlines, there's been a glaring absence of discussion about the unique harm that can come with forcing women of colour back into office environments. 'It's like working on eggshells', says Josie*, a 25-year-old woman of Filipino heritage, when asked her experiences of working in an Australian office environment. 'Because I work in an white-dominated industry, I feel like I have to be very careful about what I say and how I say it, especially to avoid being branded as an aggressive, outspoken brown girl,' she says. By working from home, Josie speaks of feeling less pressure to constantly monitor how she is presenting herself. As doing so offers less in-person interaction, she's relatively insulated against the racism born in offices. The women that I spoke to also expressed having to produce a level of output that wasn't expected of their white counterparts, making working from the office a frustrating experience. Leah*, a 34-year-old woman of Chinese descent, spoke of becoming more aware of her role as the 'quiet, reliable Asian girl' when in the physical confines of her white colleagues. 'There's this expectation on me to keep my head down,' Leah tells Refinery29 Australia. 'Working in an open plan office means that I often hear my white coworkers gossip about things completely unrelated to work,' she says, adding that it was 'frustrating' to see how much more time they had in their day. Working from home, she said, allows her to feel 'less on edge', while giving her the space to complete her work. Remote working can also offer a break from having to present themselves in ways that are grounded in white, western culture. One 28-year-old woman, Zoya*, of Pakistani heritage, for example, spoke of receiving unwelcome comments from a colleague because she tended to wear trousers to work over a skirt. 'One of my coworkers was like, 'why don't you ever wear a skirt? Are you a lesbian back home or something?'' Having grown up in a culture where it wasn't common to expose her legs, Zoya has found working from home a welcome escape from comments about how she presented herself, adding that her company's claims to be 'multicultural' didn't really square with the reality of being at work. Given the reprieve that remote work arrangements offer to women of colour, it's disturbing that almost nothing on the topic has featured in the Australian context, even though it's been discussed extensively in the US, the UK, and Canada. It's an absence that's especially egregious when research from 2024 shows that two out of three women of colour in Australia experience discrimination in the workplace, a number that is up from 10% in 2021, with racism being the predominant type of discrimination they experience. Perhaps one of the reasons that the experiences of women of colour in offices continue to get worse is a dearth of racial literacy in Australia that, of course, bleeds into the contours of office life. While Australians usually talk about race euphemistically, to 'multiculturalism' and 'CALD', we rarely talk directly about the specificity of how people of colour are discriminated against: the specificities of how we move through the world and are impacted by it. This is baked into us from an early age, with a 2021 study finding that kids are steered away from talking about racism, stunting racial literacy from a young age. The result of not talking about race, both on an interpersonal and government level, is that conversations like this aren't broached, and no one is thinking about how to make workplaces work for us. Thanks to a national acknowledgement that blitzing remote work arrangements disproportionately impacted women, Peter Dutton admitted he made a mistake. But the Aussie approach of thinking about an amorphous mass of 'women' isn't working. An approach to workplace equity that doesn't acknowledge the unique and specific challenges that women of colour in Australia experience is at best, mostly benefits women who are white. At worst, it's actively doing women of colour harm.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Inside England captain Leah Williamson's romance with Miss USA winner Elle Smith
England captain Leah Williamson will be leading the Lionesses to hopeful victory in the Women's Euro 2025 finals tonight. Leah's England will take on former rivals Spain in St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, two years after losing out on their World Cup attempt. All eyes will be on the England team, including 29-year-old team captain Leah, who was permanently appointed to the post by England manager Sarina Wiegman in 2022. But what do we know about Leah's life away from the pitch? Does she have a girlfriend or partner? When not leading her team to victory, Leah has made headlines for her rumoured romance with former Miss USA Elle Smith. Here's all we know about Leah Williamson's relationship with the 27-year-old beauty pageant winner. American journalist and beauty pageant contestant Elle Smith was crowned Miss USA in 2021. In the run-up to the competition, she was named Miss Kentucky USA that same year, making her only the second woman from Kentucky to win Miss USA. She went on to represent the United States at Miss Universe, ultimately finishing in the Top 10, losing out to India's Harnaaz Sandhu. Although they became romantically linked in 2024, Leah and Elle have not officially confirmed whether they are in a relationship. Speculation that the pair were 'soft-launching' a relationship began in March, when Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean together on a paddleboard. This came accompanied by the caption 'happy birthday my love x,' to which Leah responded with a series of emojis. Since then, they have continued to pop up all over each other's social media, including a picture of them celebrating England's 6-0 win against Portugal, back in May. In the black-and-white picture, Leah sits on Elle's lap, with the former Miss USA titleholder's arms around her. In response to the picture, Leah commented: 'We did it🥹🥹🥹' Last month, Elle shared a series of snapshots from their holiday to Majorca together – many of which saw the pair looking very loved-up indeed. These images included a snap of Elle and Leah on a paddleboard together, as well as shots of them all dressed up and headed out for dinner. Leah shared her own carousel of images on her Instagram page, too, which included a number of grabs of Elle smiling and contented. Leah also showed her appreciation when Elle shared a series of snaps posing in her Skims bikini while on holiday in Jamaica for her birthday last month. 'I have no words,' Leah wrote in the comments to the post – to which Elle responded: 'all yours.' More Trending She then commented again soon afterwards, writing: 'Just come for a second viewing.' Elle has shared a message of support ahead of tonight's final, posting a snap of herself in a t-shirt to her Instagram Stories. This wasn't any old England t-shirt either. The message emblazoned on the white tee's front in red writing? 'Live, Laugh, Leah.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: How much do women footballers get paid? England player salaries revealed MORE: Why are Mary Earps and Millie Bright not playing for England at Euro 2025? MORE: Who is commentating on England's Euro 2025 final vs Spain? BBC and ITV line-ups
Cosmopolitan
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Is Leah Williamson in a relationship?
Leah Williamson, footballer and captain of the England women's national team, has long sparked dating rumours with Elle Smith, an American model and former Miss USA winner. From sweet holiday snaps to celebrating her football wins together, the 28-year-old and her beau have somewhat soft-launched their relationship on Instagram over the last few months. However, from what we, and other social media sleuths (see: fans of the pair), can see, they're yet to actually make it 'official.' So, let's take a deep dive into their rumoured relationship, including some of the sweetest moments so far... Last month, Elle took to her Instagram to share snippets of her Majorcan holiday with her 127K followers. While many shots showed off her summer fits and stunning views of the Spanish island, a couple of pics saw the pair looking super loved up. Case in point: slide 3 caught Leah and Elle on a paddleboard together, while slide 17 saw Elle snap a candid pic of the footballer dressed up and heading out for dinner. Leah also posted snaps of the getaway — where they were celebrating Elle's birthday — which included a gorgeous photo of the pair at dinner. A selfie of the two was featured in the carousel too, which saw Leah and Elle sunkissed and smiling. Elle commented on the holiday roundup: "same time next year?" to which Leah responded: "yes please x." Err, cute. Back in May, Elle posted a black and white shot of her cuddling Leah, who was sitting on her lap. Leah was clutching a medal and wearing an England shirt following her team's 6-0 win against Portugal. The post also included footage of the match, in which Elle could be heard cheering on the team. Leah commented on the post: "We did it!" Even earlier in March, Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean on a paddleboard. Leah appeared to be lying down and resting her head on Elle's legs, as they had a sweet, intimate chat. Elle accompanied the post with the caption: "happy birthday my love x." Leah responded with the cutest emojis: "🥰🤭🧜♀️." Interestingly, this Insta post sparked 'official' comments from fans, with one person writing: "The mother of hard launches!" Others said: "So happy for you!" while another person said they were the "cutest" together. Officially obsessed with these two.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside England captain Leah Williamson's sweet summer holiday with Miss USA 'girlfriend'
Leah Williamson - captain of the England team and player for Arsenal - jetted off for a sweet summer holiday with rumoured girlfriend Elle Smith The Lionesses are primed to take on Spain in the UEFA Women's Euro Final 2025 - with captain Leah Williamson, 28, charged with leading her team to try and defeat the world champs. The final will take place in Basel, Switzerland, and will see the Lionesses defend their massive Euro 2022 win. With the last two games the England team played in this tournament featuring some dramatic, last-minute wins, the stakes couldn't be higher for UK football fans - and the final is likely to keep pulses racing. England boss Sarina Wiegman's huge personal sacrifice for family in UK Lioness super-sub Michelle Agyemang gears up for England games by playing piano Before taking on the major challenge of the tournament, captain Leah Williamson made sure to take some much-needed rest and relaxation with a holiday in Spain - ensuring she was fully charged up and ready to go for the professional feat. Leah went on the trip with former Miss USA Elle Smith, 27, who has long been rumoured to be the England captain's girlfriend. The model joined Leah - who posted a series of gorgeous snaps of her holiday on Instagram - for the break in the stunning Spanish island of Majorca. While they were there, the pair and pals enjoyed the sunshine, went for dinners, lounged on yachts, listened to a piano player by candlelight, and gave paddle boarding a go. Leah also included a video of herself undertaking some drills while she was away, clearly keen to keep up with her fitness regime ahead of the major tournament. They looked to have had a great time during their trip, as Elle commented on the post, "same time next year? x" and Leah quickly replied, "yes please." Elle, who previously worked as a journalist for WHAS-TV in Kentucky, is signed to the iconic agency Wilhelmina Models, and after winning the beauty pageant Miss Kentucky in 2021, she went on to win the overall Miss USA competition the same year - and came in the top 10 for Miss Universe shortly after. Earlier this year, Elle posted a sweet birthday tribute to Leah on her own Instagram page, of the pair chilling out on a sea float in the sunshine, and captioning it "Happy birthday my love x". Leah replied to the post with a series of emojis, including one of a blushing face hiding its smile - and a series of white hearts. Elle's page was quickly flooded with support, with several people noting that the birthday post seemed like something of a relationship "hard launch". When Leah, playing for Arsenal, won the Women's Champions League back in May, Elle quickly posted her support of the football player, sharing a series of snaps. In one, Leah sat on Elle's lap and showed off her medal, and in another, Elle held the trophy while Leah bit her medal, and the pair both beamed.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
MAFS UK sign up stunning blonde with three ITV soap star pals
MARRIED At First Sight has cast a super-glam blonde business consultant for its new series. Leah Tyrer is set to be one of the brides for 4 Stunning Leah is set to star in the new series of MAFS Credit: Instagram 4 The blonde bombshell already has a selection of celebrity friends Credit: Instagram A source told The Sun: 'Leah is sure to be one of the most talked about brides this year. "She's a fun party girl and regularly shows off her toned body in bikini snaps from her luxury holidays on social media. "She's also pals with several ITV soap stars. Former Emmerdale star "She also counts former Corrie stars Helen Flanagan and Kimberly Hart-Simpson amongst her followers, so she's already well-connected before she's even made her TV debut.' Read more The bride-to-be, who turned 30 this year, is based in Edinburgh. Along with Leah, Brunette Leisha Lightbody was the first to sign up for the E4 series. Leisha juggles her job as a dental practice manager with marketing and social media roles. Most read in Reality She can often be seen showcasing her lavish getaways and glam lifestyle on Instagram and TikTok. The raven-haired beauty will soon be switching vacations for vows during Married At First Sight filming, which will see her say I Do to a complete stranger. First MAFS UK 2025 bride revealed as stunning dental practice manager months before new series hits screens The hit E4 show has revealed when the new series will start filming, as well as how you can apply to be on the next show. Though no official start date for the 2025 season has been revealed, MAFS UK will likely hit our screens in the coming months. It is estimated that it will make a welcome comeback in the middle of September. Elsewhere, a former MAFS UK star has given birth to her first child and revealed its adorable name and a sweet snap . Dental news with her fans on Wednesday. She has given birth to her first child with fiance TJ O'Reilly. The reality star previously shared her pregnancy journey with fans having had three failed stages of IVF and four heartbreaking losses. To apply for MAFS UK 2026, . The Sun has contacted a rep for C4 for comment. 4 MAFS UK is coming to the small screen this autumn - with gorgeous Leah signed up Credit: Instagram 4 The 'fun party girl' will make her mark on the E4 show - thought to land in September Credit: Instagram
