Harrison Luna sparks jealousy in Keenan as he kisses Kassy in 'Love Island USA' Season 5

Barbie director Greta Gerwig has responded to the torrent of hate that rightwingers in the US have directed at the film, saying it’s “an invitation for everybody to be part of the party”. Speaking to the New York Times, Gerwig was asked if she had anticipated the degree of woke-bashing that rightwing critics have engaged in since the film came out, with some calling it a “man-hating” movie. Gerwig said: “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men.” She added: “I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Barbie’s feminist themes have sparked rage from influencers like Ben Shapiro, who made a bizarre Youtube video last week in which he burned Barbie dolls. Ginger Luckey Gaetz, wife of Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, said the movie “neglects to address any notion of faith or family, and tries to normalise the idea that men and women can’t collaborate positively”. Gerwig also responded to criticism that Mattel, which owns the Barbie doll range and executive produced the movie, interfered in the production creatively, in a scene where a character described the dolls as “sexist and fascist”. She said: “It wasn’t like I ever got the full seal of approval from [Mattel], like, ‘We love it!’ I got a tentative, ‘Well, OK. I see that you are going to do this, so go ahead and we’ll see how it goes.’ “But that’s all you need, and I had faith once it was in there and they saw it that they would embrace it, not fight it. Maybe at the end of the day, my will to have it in was stronger than any other will to take it out.” The backlash has been strong, but the support has been stronger, with Barbie already breaking the record for the highest-ever opening weekend for a female director at $356m. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

American actress Sydney Sweeney has come under fire for a “male gaze” photo shoot that has left fans disappointed. The shoot was part of the magazine Variety's #PowerofYoungHollywood issue which featured the Euphoria actress as one of its cover stars. The controversy came when Variety shared a behind-the-scenes video on its Instagram showing a montage of clips from the shoot, sparking a big reaction from fans. One clip showed Sweeney wearing a short blue playsuit that bared her cleavage and extremely high pink heels. Her lipstick was baby pink and she could be seen licking a pink lollipop. Instagram users began leaving comments suggesting that the imagery of the shoot was overly sexualised and created for the male gaze. “Yeah there goes her chance to be taken seriously as an actress,” one person argued. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In response to the backlash, some fans were unhappy with a section that appeared to have been removed from the video that saw Sweeney licking a dripping ice cream cone. Someone else said: “It is not just the ice cream part that is sexual and objectifying her. It's the whole male-gaze shoot. “If you are so afraid of public reaction, why won’t you think before you act instead of all the post-production editing.” Another disappointed fan commented: “Whose idea was this photoshoot? It’s tacky! Some women objectify themselves in a very sexual way and then complain about being taken seriously. “You don’t need to be doing sex faces and be half naked licking ice cream to tell us you’re part of the powerful young Hollywood. Lmao.” In the interview, the 25-year-old spoke about starting a family saying: "I always wanted to be a young mom. I love acting, I love the business, I love producing, I love all of it. But what’s the point if I’m not getting to share it with a family?" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Amazon Prime Video will drop two episodes of ‘Jack Ryan’ Season 4 every week starting June 30 with the finale releasing on July 14

Pink is opening up about her past in a new interview with "60 Minutes," revealing she nearly died of a drug overdose in the '90s.

Ed Sheeran's lookalike Ty Jones was banned from TikTok for apparently violating the platform's community guidelines

Kai Cenat addressed misunderstandings related to the jail stream and provided insights about the controversial event

Sorelle's presence on the show is once again met with questioning from fans, particularly following their 'flopped' performance during the finals

Deanna Duggar, 61, speaks out against her family in cryptic social media post, says 'Tell the Truth, or someone will share the truth for you!'

"Ted Lasso" is making his final appearance on the pitch after three uproarious seasons, when the Apple TV+ series finale debuts this week.

Alisha Lehmann, the first female athlete to join PRIME, signed a sponsorship deal with the energy drink company linked to YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI

Andrew Tate has welcomed former UKIP and Brexit Party politician Nigel Farage to 'the club' after the GB News host claimed that he was being forced out of the UK by banks. Farage shared a six-minute monologue on Thursday claiming that he is facing "serious political persecution" after his unnamed bank closed his accounts two months ago for an apparant "commercial decision." The 59-year-old added that similar things had happened to his family and his political colleagues and he was now contemplating leaving the country and is planning his "next steps." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He added: "I won’t really be able to exist or function in a modern 21st century Britain,” Farage said. “‘I’m beginning to think that perhaps life in the United Kingdom is now becoming completely unliveable because of the levels of prejudice against me.” In response, Tate, the outspoken British-American influencer currently facing charges of rape and human trafficking in Romania said: "Welcome to the club." Tate was arrested in late December 2022 and has been under house arrest with his brother Tristan and two other associates ever since. Earlier this month, Tate and the three other men were officially charged by the Romanian authorities for the aforementioned offenses as well as organised crime for the specific exploitation of women. Tate has strongly denied all the charges against him. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.