Cover Story: Is everyone getting Botox without me?
Five years on from the Zoom Boom and in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Alex Casey investigates what is motivating women to get Botox.
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27:37
The rise and rise of Botox in Aotearoa
Senior writer Alex Casey has always been fascinated by the multi-billion-dollar appearance industry, both as a consumer and a journalist. Today The Spinoff published a Cover from Alex, headlined “Is everyone getting Botox without me?” Alex is 33 and looks 23, or so a Botox specialist said. But she’s been thinking about injectables and how they seem to be everywhere she turns. So she spoke to dozens of women about their decisions to either get Botox or stay away from it, as well as those who’ve administered them, with mixed feelings. The story is a thoroughly researched but also deeply personal feature about the decisions women must make about their bodies every day.
Alex appeared on Behind the Story to talk first-person feature writing, ageing and having your mind changed.
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23:45
The unreported reality for NZ veterans
Ātea editor Liam Rātana has reported two stories recently on the same topic, a topic that is so often ignored by both media and everyday New Zealanders: veterans. Our returned or retired army personnel are at the sticky end of almost every social measure: unemployment, mental health, suicide. But without even a national register of how many veterans we have, it’s even harder to tell the stories of a community that hasn’t been quantified yet. Liam’s work covers the recent Waitangi Tribunal hearings into the treatment of Māori veterans as well as a veteran group’s call to boycott the formal ceremonies of Anzac day.
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17:40
Why are big shows shorter in New Zealand?
Alex Casey is a pop culture writer and expert and also an incredible investigative journalist. This week she combined the two to investigate why popular global shows in New Zealand are just a little bit shorter than overseas in ‘Mystery of the missing minutes: Why are TV shows shorter in New Zealand?’ And what happens when the answer to a question is a little bit boring but you still want to write about it?
Plus, there’s wild chat about Lorde’s new album teaser and why it suggests her greatest ever work is about to come out.
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19:28
What does broadcast TV in NZ look like now?
As the premier local TV writer at The Spinoff, Tara spends a good chunk of her time thinking about what’s on our screens and why. This year has gotten off to a roaring start, with the big hitters of television returning, like Severance, White Lotus and Handmaid’s Tale, as well as new trendsetters like Adolescence. Tara joins Behind the Story to talk old favourites and the current state of broadcast television in New Zealand.
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Join The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman as she sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week.
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