# data[].attributes.body
spreading love

# data[].attributes.body
“YouTube has changed the power relationship between the maker and the audience. You used to go to the cinema and a director would show you what a film is and you’d think ‘wow how did you do that?’ but now the audience is deciding what is and isn’t interesting. They’re becoming more demanding about what belongs on the stage, they’re more up for experimentation, and puppetry is benefiting from that.” He also suggests that social media might have a part to play in the art form’s enduring popularity. “Interest in avatars, the virtual world and social media," he says "means that there’s now more interest in the theatre being social and interactive, which puppetry certainly is.”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For Mark Down, co-artistic director of Blind Summit, the company responsible for The Heads (and the gaggle of huge literary characters that graced Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony last year), puppetry's renaissance hasn't happened in spite of more modern forms of culture or technology but because of them. "YouTube has changed the power relationship between the maker and the audience. You used to go to the cinema and a director would show you what a film is and you'd think 'wow how did you do that?' but now the audience is deciding what is and isn't interesting. They're becoming more demanding about what belongs on the stage, they're more up for experimentation, and puppetry is benefiting from that." He also suggests that social media might have a part to play in the art form's enduring popularity. "Interest in avatars, the virtual world and social media," he says "means that there's now more interest in the theatre being social and interactive, which puppetry certainly is."

For me, puppetry's interactive element is one of its key draws. I'm not talking about toe-curling physical audience participation (believe me, if puppet shows tried to haul me up on stage, I'd be out of there) but about intellectual interactivity. Perhaps more than other art forms, puppetry invites (even forces) the audience to infuse characters and action with their own meaning.

Liz Walker, a puppet work devisor from Invisible Thread, who made her name as co-founder of the now disbanded theatre company Faulty Optic, agrees that puppetry gives the audience "a greater role to play. There a lot of implications of what everything could mean so they have to do a bit of work. In the last show I did, I had two slapstick characters - one review called them 'old men' and another described them as toddlers. And that's fine!"

But for Walker, at the heart of puppetry's longevity is its ability to innovate and, in particular, its increasing willingness to 'call our bluff'. "Puppetry has opened up a lot," she says. "Ronnie Burkett does fantastic, quite complicated string shows based on social dramas, but you can see him manipulate the puppets and put them back onto the rack so the whole cast is hanging there. From the audience's point of view there's some incredible magic about knowing that you can see things being operated, you can see what they're made of, you know they're not the real thing but you're suspending your disbelief and going along with it. To become complicit in that magic is really satisfying."

Jeffrey the Dog and Penny in Ronnie Burkett's 'Peny Plain'

For Basil Jones, executive producer of the Handspring Puppet Company, whose War Horse puppets are some of the most captivating in recent years, watching puppets being manipulated isn't just about suspending our disbelief. Our fascination comes from somewhere deeper. "Every moment a puppet is on stage it is struggling to live," he says. "Any inattention from the puppeteers will mean it would die. We, as ordinary people, experience our daily lives as a series of mini epic struggles [so] the lives and struggles of puppets are metaphors for the dramas of our personal lives."

As for the storming success of War Horse itself, Jones puts that down to us being a nation of animal-lovers. "War Horse is the first major play that presents an animal on stage as a living, feeling, thinking being. We have a 10,000 year relationship with horses and remembering our close kinship with them in the context of the theatre is an event of intense nostalgia."

As someone who is thoroughly ambivalent when it comes to animals (did the deboned chicken give me away?) that's not what does it for me. I love puppetry because it gives me layer upon layer of artistic achievement at which to marvel. It's the skill of the puppeteer; the sensitive reactions of the human cast members; the visual trickery (how can that solid wooden face be changing its expression?); the craftsmanship of the puppet itself. And the fact that it moves people where other art forms fail to. (Anyone needing proof of this, watch Stephen Spielberg's schmaltzy film adaptation of War Hors e and feel it evoke, well, absolutely nothing).

Down however, insists that rather than competing with other art forms, perhaps the cleverest thing that puppetry has done over the years is to work its way into those forms. "Until 20 to 30 years ago, puppetry only existed in puppet theatres. Now it's come into the mix of tools that actors and producers use to tell a story. It's had the opportunity to compete with great opera singers, great actors, in really sophisticated venues and productions and has met the challenge. So it has started to appear like a more mature, more complicated art form. Even films [that include puppet scenes] like Being John Malkovich have helped - that film stopped my friends putting socks on their hands in the pub as a way of teasing me about working with puppets."

With any luck, puppetry will only continue to strengthen its footing in the mainstream, appearing in more and more artistic works. Perhaps it will even become a more regular part of our cinema-going experience. As for CGI, Jones has this to say: "We've followed the development of CGI with interest and suspect that a convergence between the two forms is in process. I wouldn't be surprised if we were soon working together with CGI innovators."

CGI artists and puppeteers working together on stage sounds like just my sort of thing. And on film? If I could see the innovation and creativity of the puppetry industry at work in one of my friend's blockbusters, well, I might just stick around for the whole film.

5 great modern puppet shows

The Table - Blind Summit's witty show about a crotchety puppet having an existential crisis on a tabletop is touring Europe but returns to the UK on March 18 for two nights at the Winchester Theatre Royal. blindsummit.com

The Master and Margarita- Complicite's adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel is an intoxicating mix of performance, video, puppetry and music. If you missed its last run at the Barbican keep your eyes peeled for future dates. complicite.org

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Handspring and Bristol Old Vic's Artistic Director Tom Morris present their first collaboration since War Horse: Shakespeare's tale of fairy-fuelled madness in the forest. At Bristol Old Vic from Feb 28. bristololdvic.org.uk/dream

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings - Inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, Kneehigh and Little Angel Theatre present this breathtaking piece about a world of ruined beauty and magic reality. Playing until March 9. kneehigh.co.uk, littleangeltheatre.com

The Lion King - Julie Traymor's stage adaptation of the Walt Disney film marks its 14th year at the Lyceum theatre this year. Still utterly spectacular. thelionking.co.uk

Follow Telegraph Theatre on Twitter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For Mark Down, co-artistic director of Blind Summit, the company responsible for The Heads (and the gaggle of huge literary characters that graced Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony last year), puppetry's renaissance hasn't happened in spite of more modern forms of culture or technology but because of them.

# data[].attributes.body
responses

# data[].attributes.body
responses

# data[].attributes.body
facebook feed

# data[].attributes.body
rambling feed

# data[].attributes.body
**** rambling thoughts - over broadc
ast

# data[].attributes.body
feed

# data[].attributes.body
feed

# data[].attributes.body
instagram feed

# data[].attributes.body
putting all content on twitter, instgram and facebook

# data[].attributes.body
facebook feed

# data[].attributes.body
creating content and all confessional, but getting people to see - sincerity

# data[].attributes.body
all confessing, self promoting unashamed

# data[].attributes.body
all confessing, mocking, imitating shit internet

# data[].attributes.headline
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.headline
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.headline
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.headline
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.headline
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
liv wynter twitter research -- how does she use twitter

# data[].attributes.body
responses to my image

# data[].attributes.body
instagram following who likes your things in hope they will follow back

# data[].attributes.body
searching for things you like

# data[].attributes.body
experimenting with hashtagging -- connecting with people you dont know. niche enough that you are spotted amongst the tags but enough range that someone with similar interests would search for the tag

TAGGING GIVES CONTEXT TO THE IMAGE. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, BUT A MEME CAN REGENERATE 100,000'S OF TIMES

# data[].attributes.body
people self promoting by having several accounts in order to upvote oneself

# data[].attributes.body
searching for hashtags im interested in and liking others photos - forming connections

# data[].attributes.body
finding things you like

# data[].attributes.body
finding things you like

# data[].attributes.body
screenshot of 4th wave feminist rticle

# data[].attributes.body
screen shot from 4th wave feminist article

# data[].attributes.body
images that resonate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A new breed of feminism has been rearing its big, beautiful head. The fourth wave has swept in on the tides of the internet the last decade, and though it isn't yet as defined or action-based as its older sisters, it is more inclusive than them in nature and diverse in its messages. As well as traditional feminist issues like unequal pay and domestic violence, fourth-wave feminism tackles a new host of problems, from online misogyny and slut shaming to campus rape and the rights of women in developing countries. It's also marked by a strong emphasis on the body positive movement, particularly the reclaiming of female bodies, which is fucking awesome considering how much razor heads cost these days.

The movement is championed by Millennials who, thanks to the multitude of platforms the web has spewed forth, can communicate with and express themselves to a limitless following. Prominent artists like Filthy Ratbag and Frances Cannon use their drawings to spread the message. Creatives like Big Dumb Pissbaby and social influencers like Adele Labo do it by exercising control over their bodies. In an even bigger spotlight, there's Nakkiah Lui, Lena Dunham, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Emma Watson - the list goes on.

Then there's H&M.

About two weeks ago, the Swedish multinational brand released the video for its autumn 2016 Collection. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. The ad is set to a (particularly glorious) Lion Babe cover of Tom Jones' 'She's a Lady' and features a wealth of phenomenal women challenging stereotypes of what it means to be ladylike. Muay Thai boxer Fatima Pinto admires herself in a little black dress, hairy-pitted model Arvida Bystrom reclines in a bed, musician Jillian Hervey picks her teeth in a restaurant, model Iselin Steiro sits spread-legged on a train and business mogul Pum Lefebure chairs a boardroom meeting. A shaven-haired Casja Wessberg, 72-year-old model Lauren Hutton, trans model and actress Hari Nef, Gurls Talk founder Adwoa Aboah and plus-sized models Paloma Elsesser and Katy Syme also play a role.

The media, of course, exploded.

Predictably, dunny-roll tabloid The Daily Mail wrote about the campaign video's "wobbly bottoms" and "far from demure scenarios", but the Sydney Morning Herald, TIME, the Huffington Post and Pedestrian TV applauded the clip, some going as far as to call it "stunning" and "awesome" and all giving the multinational corporation a wet-dream's worth of free publicity. The Twitterverse was equally stoked.

the h&m commercial is a masterpiece. im a 5'4 asian thick-thighed girl with braces, but im still a lady. a goddamn beautiful one.

- gisele bundt cake (@hautearmani) September 16, 2016

The new H&M #ladylike campaign is an absolute game changer, so much love

- Tara // (@immabeahippo) September 19, 2016

But while the video is undeniably fabulous, there is one looming problem. It's an ad. It's an ad that, at its core, is designed to promote the idea that H&M stands for something great. By championing an empowering feminist ethos, the retailer hopes to sell the shit out of its latest range and make consumers feel good about themselves when they buy it.

According to a spokesperson for H&M, "The latest campaign celebrates diversity as well as inspirational women from various backgrounds, encouraging women around the world to embrace their personal style and take pride in who they truly are and what they stand for."

But H&M doesn't stand for women.

Earlier this year, a report compiled by the Asia Floor Wage Alliance found that the fashion giant was routinely exploiting its supply staff. Based on 251 interviews with garment workers, the report alleged that employees from 11 out of 12 Cambodian supplier factories claimed they had witnessed or experienced employment termination during pregnancy. It also claimed that every single one of the 50 staff surveyed in India said that women were often fired when they fell pregnant. In a predominately female industry, this is a colossal problem, particularly when coupled with the workplace sexual harassment that was also reported as commonplace.

Heck, H&M doesn't stand for basic rights in general. Syrian refugee children were recently found working in its factories in Turkey, and last year's Human Rights Watch report into Cambodia's garment industry found factory staff were not allowed to refuse excessive overtime, but were not paid any overtime wages. Speaking of income, despite the Fair Wage Method project that H&M initiated in 2013 and rolled out to 20 of its factories in Cambodia, staff in the south-east Asian nation are still earning below the stipulated industry median of $178USD per month.

As for its purported stance on diversity and body positivity, one look inside a H&M store will tell you that's puffery at best. Plus-size models may have rocked their bods in the autumn vid, but most H&M stores don't even stock a plus-size range. Sydney's Pitt St store is one of many without a plus-size department, and this month, every New York store pulled its plus-sized garments from its floors because, according to a H&M spokesperson, they don't have room for it. Actually, come to think of it, maybe the plus-size models in the ad were only wearing underwear because they couldn't find any H&M clothes that fitted.

So I guess what that H&M spokesperson really meant was We sat down with advertising agency Forsman & Bodenfors to discuss what would help us sell our latest range of cheaply-made, poor-quality clothing. We settled on feminism and body positivity, because we've noticed it's trendy and popular at the moment.

H&M doesn't care about women. They do not care to muddle the feminist message in their campaign with affirmative action in their garment factories. They just want to capitalise on the idea of empowering females in order to sell their clothes. But feminism isn't a trend to be enjoyed for autumn 2016, nor is it a privilege that is only supposed to be accessible to women who can afford to shop. It's a longstanding commitment to equality in both the developed and developing world.

And another thing. Though the reach of H&M's campaign is incredible (the video has already clocked more than two million views) and the conversations it has spawned make it a welcome catalyst for female-centric dialogue, girls, come on: we don't need an unethical multibillion-dollar apparel company to tell us that it's okay grow our armpits out and order hot chips for dinner, just like we don't need our soap telling us we're beautiful a la Dove's #choosebeautiful campaigns. Greatness of the video aside, H&M will exploit anything to make a sale - just ask the women who work in its factories. I'm not buying it: the sentiment or the clothing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new breed of feminism has been rearing its big, beautiful head. The fourth wave has swept in on the tides of the internet the last decade, and though it isn't yet as defined or action-based as its older sisters, it is more inclusive than them in nature and diverse in its messages.