This week, we explore the end of the Clean Girl aesthetic (finally!) and Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny’s quiet response to Donald Trump’s use of their music in immigration deportation videos - and whether refusing to engage is actually a powerful political strategy.

In UK politics, we look at Andy Burnham’s bounce, Labour’s recovery in the polls and whether small, everyday policy wins can rebuild voter confidence.

And finally, it’s chaos in Clacton as Nigel Farage attempts to return to Parliament in one of the strangest by-elections yet.

Links

Politics, culture, beauty and the stories everyone’s talking about — all in this week’s News Diet.

Is the era of the Clean Girl over?

https://observer.co.uk/style/features/article/is-the-clean-girl-era-over-beauty-messy-girl

Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Dealt With Trump Quietly. It’s a Smart Move

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-bad-bunny-trump-remove-tik-tok-songs-1235606235/

*Correction: We say Hollywood Reporter in the podcast. We actually meant Rolling Stone*

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Links:

Ariana Grande May or May Not Be Struggling. We Can Talk About It Without Trying to Shame Her, by Selome Hailu and Alison Herman for Variety | https://variety.com/2026/music/news/ariana-grande-eating-disorder-speculation-harmful-1236827071/

The Far Right Is Distorting Ceuta, by Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/ceuta-spain-far-right/688154/

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Are Bali influencers fuelling modern-day colonialism? Why are more women choosing to stay single? And can politicians really govern in the age of TikTok? This week, we unpack the controversy surrounding Bali's influencer culture, explore what the Booker Prize longlist reveals about success at every age, examine the rise of single women and shifting relationship expectations, and ask whether social media is changing politics for better - or worse.

Bali influencers are colonialists in cosplay

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbZItAUEQff/?img_index=1

Booker prize longlist

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2026

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