Television fans and fashionistas alike have been eagerly awaiting Netflix's latest TV show, Girlboss, which debuts on April 21.
The 13-episode series is loosely based on the autobiography of fashion-industry phenomenon Sophia Amoruso. As noted in our preview, she is an unconventional figure in the fashion scene.
After hitchhiking around America, working odd jobs in record and bookstores and resorting to shoplifting when money was tight, in 2006, at the age of 22, she set up an eBay store. She styled, shot, captioned and shipped all the items herself. In 2008, Nasty Gal launched as a stand-alone online retail store, and in 2016, Forbes named her one of the world's richest self-made women with a US$280 million (Dh1,028m) fortune.
In November last year, Nasty Gal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Amoruso stepped down as executive chairwoman.
She serves as an executive producer on the Netflix show, alongside actress Charlize Theron.
The entrepreneur is played in the series by actress Britt Robertson (star of the movie Tomorrowland and TV shows Life, Unexpected and Under the Dome).
She admits it was a little unusual working alongside someone who she was impersonating.
“It was strange, but probably more so for Sophia,” she says. “I’m an actor, so that’s what I do.”
The actor adds that the link between the real-life person and the TV character should not be taken too literally – the show is inspired by Amoruso’s life but is not a literal account. To reinforce this, the producers gave their character a different name.
“Sophia Marlowe is based on Sophia Amoruso, but she’s still a fictional character,” says Robertson. “It’s not a direct adaptation, so I wanted to make her a unique, separate entity, although inspired by Sophia’s life.”
She also admitted that she is not at all like the real-life Amoruso in terms of style and fashion.
“My closet’s not like Sophia’s closet at all,” she says. “I’m a little more practical – I wear tennis shoes, not those crazy high heels
“I do like fashion and I’ve learnt to appreciate it more, specifically through this experience, but I always say it’s a love-hate relationship: I love fashion but fashion hates me. We just don’t get along but we’re learning.”
Robertson’s background is also very different from that of anarchic former drifter Amoruso, and she admits she is nervous about what her conservative North Carolina family might think of the former child star’s latest potty-mouthed role.
“They may not like the show very much,” she says. “Maybe ‘like’ is the wrong word, but they just won’t get it. They might not get the female empowerment side, but they might understand the other stuff, like what it’s like being in your 20s and struggling to survive and find love and things like that.”
She thinks her mother is the member of her family most likely to take something away from the show, not least because of its positive message regarding empowerment and independence.
“I think my mom will relate to that a lot,” says Robertson. “She very much did as she was told and conformed to the life that was expected of her when she was younger. I think when she sees the show, maybe she’ll think, ‘Maybe I didn’t have to live this life that everyone told me I should, maybe from this point forward I should start doing what I want, figure out my likes, my passions, my goals’. I hope she’ll get something out of it, just like all my family and everyone else who watches.”
Robertson shouldn’t be too concerned. There is a lot of buzz around the show and from previews we have seen, you don’t need to be a dedicated follower of fashion or a hardcore proponent of girl power to enjoy it.
"If I'm going to sit and bingewatch, I want a story that's fun and entertaining, but with a bit of depth – and to me that's what Girlboss is," says Robertson.
"You never find yourself having to rewind to work out what just happened and that, for me, is exactly the essence of 'Netflix and chill.' Take [fellow Netflix show] The Santa Clarita Diet. I got through all 10 episodes of that in one night because it's just so easy to watch.
“This show is totally different, but in terms of the experience, it’s a very similar vibe.”
cnewbould@thenational.ae
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now