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Opinion: Ryan Giggs is hanging up his boots – it's truly the end of an era
Giggsy was arguably the first of the celebrity footballers, a brave pioneer with fabulous bone structure in a world previously reserved for bouffant rock stars and toothy actors.
Opinion: Is James Franco trolling us all?
His behaviour has been odd to say the least, so is Franco engaging in a little method acting?
Column: You cannot – and should not – fix a broken life in front of a thousand cameras
Lindsay Lohan’s “docu-series” on Oprah Winfrey’s channel had bombed; have we finally had enough of watching celebrities fall from grace?
Column: So Lady Gaga is a 'control freak' who wants photos retouched ... can you blame her?
We can’t really whinge at Lady Gaga for wanting control over her own image – after all, her image is her livelihood, writes Lisa McInerney.
Column: We need to talk about Nuala ... RTÉ's portrayal of trans character is shallow and cruel
RTÉ’s newest comedy offering wheels out quite a few stereotypes but none are treated as badly as the character of Nuala Mooney, a transgender woman played by Aprés Match’s Gary Cooke, writes Lisa McInerney.
Column: Passionate or possessive? Shakira forbidden from appearing in videos with men
International megastar Shakira has revealed that she no longer appears in music videos with male co-stars, because boyfriend Gerard Piqué has banned it, writes Lisa McInerney.
Column: Alec Baldwin is waving goodbye to public life – and can you blame him?
Sharon Ni Bheolain was treated abominably by our tabloids at the weekend, so what must it be like to be an international star? It gets hot under that spotlight, writes Lisa McInerney.
Column: Social media and the Streisand Effect – who dictates popular discourse today?
Guess what? Traditional media no longer gets to dictate we can (or should) care about – as Panti Bliss, Pussy Riot and a host of other activists and individuals have proved, writes Lisa McInerney.
Column: Yes, Justin Bieber is a brat... but maybe it's time to feel a wee bit sorry for him?
Justin Bieber is a singularly unpleasant young chap who terrorises his neighbours, drag races ‘under the influence’, and abandons Capuchin monkeys… but what chance did he have? Lisa McInerney takes a look at the volatile lives of child stars.
Lisa McInerney: The rise of personality in Hollywood gives us something to aspire to
We don’t want goddesses to worship. That’s why women like Jennifer Lawrence, Mindy Kaling, Laverne Cox and Melissa McCarthy and are as much loved as they are lauded.
Lisa McInerney: Pop culture in 2013 was full of wacky antics, highs, lows... and deceptive depth
Appropriated Twerking, Joffrey Bieber and the Reign of The Selfie… 2013 was full of ostensibly casual moments over which we could bond and track how our society is changing.
Lisa McInerney: The Paris-Mandela hoax is a perfect sign of the times
Is it just a readiness to believe the worst, born of begrudgery, that allows us to fall for outrageous celebrity quotes?
Lisa McInerney: It’s nice that the f-word is no longer such a dirty one
A few months ago the word “feminist” was strictly taboo for pop stars, but now they’re falling over themselves to identify as feminists, writes Lisa McInerney
Lisa McInerney: Why are we so offhand about what's influencing male body image?
Actors like Chris Hemsworth are praised for their dedication when they lose weight for roles, while female actors are chided for being poor role models. But the reverential obsession with actors slimming radically for jobs is harmful.
Lisa McInerney: Selfies and oversharing – are we all master image manipulators now?
Lady Gaga brushed off an email from Instagram expressing “concern” for her well-being following some recent posts. But it’s not just celebrities who share, overshare, pose, frame and filter – we’re all at it.
Lisa McInerney: It’s patronising to say Miley Cyrus is being exploited by evil executives
Sinead O’Connor has written to Miley Cyrus expressing concern that she is being manipulated – but Cyrus is an industry veteran with who understands very well what she’s doing, writes Lisa McInerney.
Should we direct our distaste at airhead figures like Roz Flanagan – or the system that creates them?
A profile piece on one of TV3′s “Dublin Housewives” caused quite a stir yesterday. And what a convenient place to direct the mob’s ire; an over-privileged reality TV star rather than our own imbalanced society, writes Lisa McInereny.
Lisa McInerney: Were Femen's breast-baring protests ever truly credible?
Allegations that Femen is run by a bully-boy svengali who hand-picks pretty girls to carry out topless protests underlines how confused this approach to tackling sexism really is, writes Lisa McInerney.
Lisa McInerney: Sharing of 'Slane Girl' pics does disservice to women and men
If you’re more upset about a sexual act occurring than about the malicious sharing of images of that act online, then you have a lot to think about, writes Lisa McInerney.
Lisa McInerney: Time might be up for the rural pub - but I'll miss it
Changing consumption habits – driven by economics or social change – are shutting our locals. Should we care?
Lisa McInerney: Pornification of teen sexuality - but we can't just blame porn
The UK plans to make online pornography an ‘opt-in’ choice to try and shield children from it – but will that really protect kids from early sexualisation?
Lisa McInerney: So St Pat's is to close - but that's just the first step
Report after report has documented the problems with St Patrick’s Institution – but now we need to actually deal with young offenders in a meaningful way.
Lisa McInerney: We tolerate cute hoors, we end up with Anglo tape types
Our capacity for putting up with ‘charismatic’ cowboys is no longer a bad national joke – it’s our national downfall.
Lisa McInerney: The loudest voices in pro-life camp discredit the civil ones
There is common ground to be found between pro-life and pro-choice people, writes Lisa McInerney, but plastic foetuses and death threats are eroding it.
Lisa McInerney: Caring for children is a tough job - so why don't we value it more?
Childcare is more of a vocation than a 9-to-5 – but many workers are still underpaid and underqualified, writes Lisa McInerney.
Lisa McInerney: Neil Prendeville blamed the wrong people in his radio rant
The radio presenter could have attacked those responsible for mismanaging the country – but instead he kicked down, writes Lisa McInerney.
Lisa McInerney: Fianna Fáil doesn't deserve our ear...
…not when the party still owe us a tooth and an eye. So why are many people perversely choosing to drift back=?
Lisa McInerney: How can you be a woman and Catholic?
This question is not born out of contempt, says TheJournal.ie columnist, but is out of genuine bewilderment when you consider the status of women in Catholic doctrine.
Lisa McInerney: Misinformation made Bressie's drugs comments front-page news
But the misinformation wasn’t coming from The Voice judge, writes Lisa McInerney, it is coming from his critics – and it’s why young people disregard them.
Lisa McInerney: Rape culture is a stupid, cruel response to a dark reality
Blaming sexual assault victims for their ordeals – such as in the recent case in Steubenville, Ohio – is retrograde and wrong.
Lisa McInerney: Senator's 'frape' gaffe signals that panic - not reason - rules social media debate
Fidelma Healy-Eames and Eamonn Coghlan were “given an important task that deserved research and clarity of delivery – instead we got ludicrous schemes and half-remembered gossip”.
Lisa McInerney: Hands off celebrity baby bumps
“Female celebs are required to share enough to present a rosy image of pregnancy, without grossing anyone out with gory details.”
Lisa McInerney: Magdalene atrocities happened because society allowed them to
The hand of the State and religious bodies in what happened to the women of the Laundries is clear – but the hard facts of the McAleese report also shows that the Irish public was complicit too.
Lisa McInerney: The New Rules for women are best ignored
The terrifying ‘How to land a man’ books have dressed their old claptrap up in the language of the interweb – and are a good guide of what NOT to do in the world of dating.
Lisa McInerney: All sexual harassment needs to thrive is for good men to do nothing
A new #shoutingback project on social media reveals lots of decent men are horrified by public harassment of women – none of us, men or women, should put up with it.
Lisa McInerney: New Year is where we resolve to be grown-ups
The true mark of maturity, however, is to stop beating ourselves up over not being the perfect adult – and to resolve to be a better kid.
Lisa McInerney: Don't feed the Grinch - Christmas is meant to be over the top
We overspend, not because we’re greedy or worried we’ll be ostracised if we don’t, but because we love how generosity feels.
Lisa McInerney: What's so terrible about abortion-on-demand?
It took this long for the State to really address medically-necessary termination – so how long is it going to take for it to address the wider complexity of
Lisa McInerney: Hey guys, you don't have to be arrogant to be attractive
Women do like nice men – and to say otherwise, as an anonymous column did last week, is a real disservice to the good guys.
Lisa McInerney: Playing the 'pleb' - why are we still at it?
Jarvis Cocker was right – it’s not cool to pretend to be poor, and struggling to get by doesn’t automatically make you a folk hero.