BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Fashion' English mega-class! 30 minutes of new vocab!

6 Minute English,

from BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Will. Hello.

Hi there, Will. I have to say, I like that shirt you're wearing today.

I haven't seen that one before.

Yes, I got it at the weekend.

But, to be honest, I don't give my clothes much thought.

I just throw on the first thing I see. What about you?

Well, I try to look presentable.

I wouldn't want to appear too scruffy.

Clothes say an awful lot about us, don't they, Will?

A lot depends on the job you do.

In a bank, you're supposed to look pretty smart all the time.

But if you work for a design company, say,

a suit would look 'out of place' — that means 'unsuitable'.

People in the creative industries tend to 'dress down' —

that means 'dress casually' — you know, jeans and a T-shirt.

Yes. Then there's the whole question of what to wear to an interview.

I reckon if you put on something smart, you can't go far wrong.

Yes. But the meaning of clothes goes far deeper

than what you should or shouldn't wear in the workplace, Will.

It can really influence what people think of us.

Now, rightly or wrongly,

they can make 'snap judgements' — or 'quick decisions' — about us.

Yes, you're right. It's a cultural issue. It's about how we see ourselves, too.

Now, take the sari.

It's been around for centuries and is still the main form of dress

for millions of women in the Indian subcontinent.

That's that very long garment

with all those amazing colours and designs, isn't it?

It always looks so elegant.

Yes, it does. So Will, can you answer this question —

what is the maximum length of a sari?

Is it a) 12 metres? b) nine metres? Or c) seven metres?

Surely it can't be 12 metres long!

Um, I'm going to say nine metres.

OK. Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.

But now let's listen to Dr Shahidha Bari talking about the sari.

She uses a word that means 'covered'. Can you hear what it is?

Saris encircle the waist, are often pleated

and then swept across the upper body

with folds and fabric draped over the shoulder or veiling the head.

There are more than 80 different ways of wearing a sari

and they've been worn in the Indian subcontinent since the first millennium.

It's a garment woven into the histories of the countries from which it comes.

So 'draped' means 'covered'.

Then she used the word 'garment'. That's another word for 'a piece of clothing'.

And then she said there are 80 ways of wearing a sari, Rob. Amazing!

It is, isn't it?

Some Asian women in the West wear saris just for 'ceremonial occasions' —

that means 'special events', like weddings.

I suppose, in a sense, it's not that practical for day-to-day use.

But it certainly makes a beautiful 'splash of colour' — or a 'display of colour' —

when they do wear it.

What she said has got me thinking about English traditional dress.

And, to be honest, Rob, I can't recall anything off the top of my head.

Off the top of your head, Will? That's because you're not wearing a hat.

Don't be ridiculous, Rob.

'Off the top of my head' —

it's an idiom and it means 'I can't think of anything immediately'.

Yes, Will. I do know that actually. It was my attempt at a joke.

But you're right, the British dress sense has become a bit 'samey' —

it 'looks the same' — apart from the fashion industry,

which is highly regarded throughout the world.

Well, you wouldn't catch me wearing most of the men's gear you see on the catwalk.

Mm. But, seriously, Will, clothes are undoubtedly an important business.

Let's listen to Dr Shahidha Bari again

as she reflects on her mother's use of the sari.

And yet the sari makes me feel safe too,

because I associate it with her body and the world she made for me.

And now, as I struggle to keep hold of the sari,

the rituals and the memories around it,

I fear losing the world it signifies — and her, too.

She talked about the way she 'struggles' — that means she 'finds it difficult' —

to make the sari important in her life.

And she uses the word 'signifies', which means 'giving the meaning of something'.

The sari obviously has an emotional attachment for her.

And when you think just how much money people spend on clothes,

it shows how vital it is.

And let's not forget football shirts, Will.

Fans want to be seen in their team's latest shirt design, don't they?

I know I do.

By the way, what team do you support, Rob?

Ah, well, it's Chelsea, of course. Come on, you Blues. What about you, Will?

Tottenham Hotspur.

Never mind, someone has to.

Now, remember at the beginning of the show,

I asked you what is the maximum length of a sari?

Is it a) 12 metres? b) nine metres? Or c) seven metres?

Yes. And I said nine metres.

Well, you know your saris well, because that is the right answer. Well done!

Now, before we go, it's time to remind ourselves

of some of the vocabulary that we've heard today. Will.

Scruffy.

Out of place.

Dress down.

Make snap judgements.

Draped.

Garment.

Ceremonial occasions.

Splash of colour.

Off the top of my head.

Struggle.

Signifies.

Thank you, Will. Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

You can listen to more programmes on our website at BBC Learning English dot com.

Please join us again soon.

— Bye-bye. — Bye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Neil. Hello.

Hi there, Neil! Now, Neil, what's that on your face?

What, this? It's a beard, Rob. Have you never seen one before?

I have, but I've never seen one on you before

and, I'm surprised to say, it looks good on you!

Well, thank you! I thought I'd get on the beard bandwagon, you know.

Beards are 'all the rage' at the moment — that means 'very fashionable'.

Mm, and 'to get on a bandwagon'

is when you 'join other people in doing something that has become popular' —

perhaps because you hope to become popular yourself!

Well, that doesn't apply to me, Rob,

because, as you know, I'm very popular already.

Yes. Yes, I know that, of course.

Right, anyway, beards are such 'a talking point' —

'a subject that a lot of people are discussing' —

that we decided to talk about them on today's programme!

So are you ready for today's question, Neil?

What's the name for someone who loves beards?

Is it a) barbophile? b) pogonopile? Or c) pelophile?

Hmm. All the answers sound tempting, but I’m going to go for a) barbophile.

Right. OK, well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.

But this is interesting —

a new scientific study suggests that the more beards there are in a population,

the less attractive they become

and this currently gives clean-shaven men a competitive advantage.

Oh, no! That's bad news for me, then!

'Competitive advantage' means

'when a condition or circumstance puts you in a favourable position' —

in this case, being 'clean-shaven' or 'having no facial hair'.

That's right. We’ve reached peak beard, apparently.

Beard popularity has 'peaked' — or 'reached its highest point' —

and will decline in popularity from this point.

OK.

Let's listen to writer Lucinda Hawksley talking about beards through history.

And listen out for a word

that means women's struggle to achieve the same rights and opportunities as men.

It's interesting, while I was writing the book,

I came to realise that the most heavily bearded times in Britain

are either when women are in power, such as Elizabeth I or Queen Victoria,

or when there's a big discussion of feminism

and it is really interesting that the last few years,

there's been so much more discussion of feminism.

You get a woman on the throne and men go, "Oh, got to grow a beard".

It's really strange.

Or in the '60s or '70s with all the kind of, you know, big thing about women's lib,

suddenly the beard becomes huge here.

Well, needless to say, Lucinda doesn't have a beard,

but she certainly knows a lot about them.

She's the great-great-granddaughter of famous writer Charles Dickens,

who 'sported' — or 'wore' — a very flamboyant beard.

'Flamboyant' means 'eye-catching and different'.

Now, did you spot the word

for women's struggle to achieve the same rights as men?

Yes. It's 'feminism'.

She also talks about 'women's lib', which is short for 'women's liberation'

and this has a similar meaning to feminism.

So, what do you think, Neil?

Are beards a show of testosterone in reaction to powerful women?

Is that why you've grown your beard?

I don't think it's 'testosterone' — that's 'the main male hormone'.

For me, it's laziness. I'm flying the flag for men's lib — liberation from the razor.

Right. Well, I'm not sure whether that's a worthy cause or not, Neil.

Let's hear from Brock Elbank, the photographer behind the exhibition, Beard.

He’s talking about one of the people he photographed.

I found Jimmy on a friend's Facebook page whilst I was in Sydney.

Invited him to come to my home studio for a portrait

and I posted it and it got reblogged over half a million times in four hours.

I mean, I think when Jimmy and I...

When I met Jimmy, he told me about his Beard Season melanoma charity

and I was kind of on board from the get-go.

So Jimmy must have a pretty awesome beard!

Indeed. We should check out the Beard exhibition and find out.

But Jimmy has a beard for a special reason, right, Neil?

That's right, yes. Brock mentions Jimmy's melanoma charity.

'Melanoma' is 'a serious type of skin cancer'

and Jimmy is raising money and awareness to help people who suffer from it.

And Brock says he was 'on board from the get-go' —

meaning he wanted to be involved with the charity 'right from the start'.

We should also mention Movember and Decembeard —

both campaigns invite men to get hairy for good causes.

That's right, good causes — moustaches in November and beards in December.

Now, let's have the answer to the quiz question.

I asked what's the name for someone who loves beards.

Was it a) barbophile? b) pogonopile? Or c) pelophile?

And I said a) barbophile.

Wrong, I'm afraid. The answer is actually b) pogonophile.

Oh, well, you can't win them all.

Now then, Rob, can we hear today's words again?

Sure. We heard...

All the rage.

Get on a bandwagon.

Talking point.

Competitive advantage.

Clean-shaven.

Peaked.

Sport.

Flamboyant.

Feminism.

Women's lib.

Testosterone.

Melanoma.

On board from the get-go.

Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

We hope it wasn't too hair-raising for you. Please join us again soon.

— Bye-bye. — Goodbye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Finn. Hello, Rob.

Hi there, Finn. I have to say you've got a lean and hungry look today!

Oh, really? I'll take that as a compliment, shall I?

Please do. Do you want a doughnut?

Actually, yeah — can I have two?

So, mm, mmm! What are we talking about today, Rob?

We're talking about 'skinny' — or 'very thin' — models

and whether there should be a law banning them from working on the catwalk.

And a 'catwalk' is 'the long runway that models walk down at fashion shows'.

Well, no danger from me there, Rob —

I think I like eating a little bit too much.

And there's no danger of you becoming a model anyway, Finn,

because you're not good-looking enough, I'm afraid!

Oh, really? OK. Thank you, Rob.

— That's very nice of you. — You're welcome.

I think it's time for today's quiz question, please.

OK, well, here goes. Which country banned the use of underweight models in 2013?

Was it a) Israel? b) Canada? Or c) the US?

You know what? I've got no idea, so I'll take a guess and say a) Israel.

OK. Well, we'll find out if that's the right answer later on.

— OK. — So come on, Finn, what do you think?

Are the models we see on the catwalk and in the media too skinny?

Well, yeah, I think some models do look fantastic, but others look painfully thin.

Now, 'the media', by the way,

refers to 'the different ways information is communicated to us',

so, for example, through TV, radio, magazines,

and often the internet and newspapers.

OK. Well, let's listen to Jamie Gavin,

founder and managing director of media agency inPress,

talking about a new French law being discussed

preventing the use of underweight models.

Can you spot a phrase that means a limit or an ending?

I think it's a BMI of 18 or less that's gonna...

that is hopefully gonna be banned by the French Assembly today.

This is what the US health organization

states as being kind of clinically unhealthy,

so it's almost like a cut-off point.

Yes, be thin, yes, be thinner than the general population,

but once it starts getting to unhealthy territory,

really that's time to start banning it.

And the French Assembly did pass this law a few days later.

Now, did you spot the phrase for 'a limit or an ending'?

It's 'cut-off point'.

Mm, so models that are too thin will be 'banned' —

or 'won't be allowed' — to work and the cut-off point is a BMI of 18 or less.

Now 'BMI' stands for 'body mass index'

and this is the ratio of a person's height to their weight.

'Ratio' means 'the relationship between two things',

showing how big one thing is compared to another.

But what happens if you're just naturally really thin?

The authorities could be accused of 'discrimination' against skinny people —

or 'treating some people less fairly than others'.

That's right. It's a good point.

And that's why the French authorities and those of some other countries

are using BMI as a way of deciding.

So, models with a BMI of 18 or less

weigh too little when compared to how tall they are.

And 'clinically unhealthy', what does that mean?

Well, it means when you 'need medical treatment for a condition or illness'.

Now 'anorexia' is 'an illness where a person refuses to eat,

'in order to lose weight'.

But some models these days are so skinny they do look anorexic.

You're right.

Let's hear more from Jamie Gavin talking about protecting the health of models.

Now, what phrase is used to mean 'the responsibility'?

The theatrical agents and the modelling agents

that have got a responsibility to look after their clients.

There's a huge amount of pressure on both the agent and on the models themselves

and really the buck lies with them in making sure that these people are healthy

and that they're looking after their careers as well.

So the problem with the modelling industry

is that the agents who employ the girls 'put pressure on' —

or 'strongly persuade' them — to lose weight.

And in this way they aren't taking care of their clients.

They are actually putting them at risk.

Now, why's that, Rob?

It's because many people in the fashion industry prefer very thin models,

so it's a case of supply and demand.

The agents are simply supplying the fashion industry

with the type of girls they want.

Mm, right.

And what does the reporter mean when he says the buck lies with the agents?

When 'the buck lies or stops with someone'

it means it's 'his or her responsibility', not someone else's

and agents who employed underweight models

can face fines of up to 75,000 euros,

or even prison sentences.

OK, shall we hear the answer to today's quiz question?

OK.

Well, I asked you which country banned the use of underweight models in 2013?

Was it a) Israel? b) Canada? Or c) the US?

I said a) Israel.

— And you were right, Finn! Well done. — Oh, right, OK.

OK, now, shall we listen to the words we learned today?

We heard:

Skinny.

Catwalk.

Media.

Cut-off point.

Banned.

BMI — that's Body Mass Index.

Ratio.

Discrimination.

Clinically.

Anorexia.

Put pressure on.

Supply and demand.

And the buck stops with

or the buck lies with.

Thank you.

Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English.

We hope you had a healthy interest in today's programme.

Please join us again soon.

— Doughnut? — Er, go on then.

— Bye. — Bye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Catherine.

And hello, I'm Rob.

Now, Rob, do you ever buy things at a charity shop?

Yes, I do.

They are a great place to pick up a bargain

and I also donate items to charity shops too.

And a 'charity shop', by the way,

is a 'shop where people take their unwanted items

'and then the shop sells them and makes money and the money goes to charity'.

Exactly. That's good to hear, Rob, because 'donating' —

that's 'giving money or goods to an organisation' —

helps charities raise money.

And you might be interested to know that dressing up in second-hand clothes

is back in fashion — well, sort of.

And that's what we're discussing today —

is looking like you're dressing in charity shop clothes a new fashion statement?

Hm, it should be interesting.

But first, Catherine, aren't you going to set me a question to answer?

And not a second-hand one, please!

It's a brand-new question today, Rob, for you and the listeners at home —

do you know when the first official charity shop opened its doors in the UK?

Was it in a) 1928? b) 1948? Or c) 1968?

I'll go for 1948.

OK, and we'll find out the answer later.

But now back to our discussion about charity shops and fashion.

And there's a new look in town, which some people are calling scumbro.

Scumbro combines the word 'scummy' — which means 'dirty and messy' —

with the word 'bro', which is an informal way of referring to a boy or man.

So 'scumbro' is 'a fashion for men', but women can adopt it too.

Mm, it's a bit of an insulting name

and here's the odd thing about this new fashion style —

being scumbro is about buying expensive designer brands

that look like they're from a charity shop. Very odd!

Well, it's something Amber Graafland knows about.

She's the Fashion & Beauty Director for the Daily Mirror newspaper

and she's been telling BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme all about it.

So, how did this trend start?

Well, I think the name came from a Vanity Fair article,

and I think Justin Bieber, the likes of Jonah Hill to thank for this look,

and Pete Davidson, who's actually the fiancée of Ariana Grande —

he's definitely one of the founding fathers of scumbro.

And I think, like most of these trends, they're started by celebrities

and then, I mean, look, it's been picked up by everybody by the sounds of things.

OK, so the fashion magazine Vanity Fair invented the name,

but the trend has spread,

because celebrities have been dressing in this style.

Yes and Amber mentioned a number of celebrities

who are the 'founding fathers' of the trend —

that's a term used to describe 'people who start an idea or an organisation'.

Yes, the trend has been 'picked up' — or 'copied' —

by people who you might describe as 'fashion victims' —

'people who have to follow the latest fashion trends'.

Well, Rob, I'm no fashion victim,

but I say, maybe one day, I might want to look scumbro — or maybe scumsis!

So how exactly should I dress?

OK, well, let's hear from Amber Graafland again.

How does she describe the characteristics of this fashion trend?

It's all about wearing these oversized clothes that are overpriced

and I think it's not just about looking like

you've rummaged in a teenager's dressing up box.

These are very, very expensive items —

you mentioned the labels Prada, Versace, Gucci, Supreme —

while it's basically about looking simultaneously like you've made no effort,

but the underlying thing is you do need to see that the effort has gone in there.

Wow, this fashion trend does involve a lot of effort!

It's not just about looking messy —

like you've rummaged in a teenager's dressing up box.

'Rummaging' is when you 'search for something

'that's mixed up in lots of other things'.

No, don't be rummaging!

The trick seems to be to look like you've not made any effort,

but at the same time, you're showing that you have made an effort.

And that's the meaning of the word 'simultaneously' —

'doing one thing at the same time as another thing'.

And I guess by showing you've made an effort, you wear designer labels,

showing you've paid lots of money.

The issue here is clothes from charity shops are supposed to be cheap.

Some people even buy these clothes because it is all they can afford,

but the irony here is some people are choosing to pay lots and lots of money

to look like they're wearing second-hand clothes

and the charity shops aren't making any money from it.

Mm, well, if you're a fashion victim, it's something you have to do.

And there's one thing I have to do now

and that's give you the answer to today's quiz question.

So I asked you earlier

when the first official charity shop opened its doors in the UK.

And I said 1948.

And you are correct this week, Rob. Well done!

The very first shop, run by the charity Oxfam,

opened its doors in Oxford in 1948,

as a direct result of an appeal launched to help postwar Greece.

Very interesting.

Right, well, let's remind ourselves of some of today's vocabulary,

starting with the word 'donating'

which means 'giving goods or money to an organisation or charity'.

Then we mentioned 'founding fathers' —

a term used to describe 'people who start an idea or an organisation'.

We also mentioned that Catherine was no 'fashion victim' —

'a person who has to follow the latest fashion trends'.

'Rummaging' was a word that described

'searching for something that's mixed up with lots of other things'.

And then we had 'simultaneously'

which means 'doing one thing at the same time as doing something else'.

Well, you can simultaneously listen to this programme

and look at our website, if you like.

The web address is BBC Learning English dot com.

But that’s all we have time for now.

Join us again next time. Goodbye.

Bye-bye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Sophie.

And I'm Neil.

I see you're wearing trainers today, Neil.

Of course, I don't wear anything else.

Well, trainers — or to use the American term, sneakers —

are the subject of today's show.

They are 'ubiquitous' — that means you can 'find them everywhere'!

People wear them across the globe — men, women, kids, teenagers and pensioners.

And did you know that 85% of people who buy trainers don't wear them for sport?

Mm, that makes sense to me. I wear mine because they're comfortable.

They're also very 'tatty' — that means 'old and in bad condition' —

if you don't mind me saying so.

Hmm, I should probably get a new pair.

There's a lot of choice out there —

high-tops, GEL, Air, classic, retro, the list goes on.

But before we go any further, I have a question for you.

What's a popular US slang term for trainers?

Is it a) kicks? b) wedges? Or c) flats?

I'll go for kicks.

OK, well, we'll find out if you got the answer right later on in the show.

Now, it has become socially acceptable to wear athletic 'apparel' or 'clothing',

including trainers, in situations where ten years ago it would not.

Yes, I think my apparel of jeans and tatty trainers is socially acceptable —

at our workplace, anyway.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook,

is famous for his 'dressed-down' — or 'informal' — look of hoodies and trainers.

You can pay anything from a few pounds for unbranded trainers

to thousands of pounds for limited edition brands like Nike or Adidas —

and 'limited edition' means 'something produced in very small numbers'.

Why would anybody spend £1,000 on trainers?

And how many people would actually recognise

that you were wearing Nike limited edition ones rather than regular ones?

Other sneakerheads, Neil.

A 'sneakerhead' is 'somebody who collects limited edition sneakers'.

It's an American term.

But trainers are not new.

In the 19th century, people wore sneakers as a mark of their 'prosperity' —

or 'economic success'.

Let's listen to Elizabeth Semmelhack,

curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto in Canada.

This new industrial age actually ushered in a new class, the emerging middle class,

that was able to, now, have leisure time, because of their new economic success.

And so what they did was they wanted to sort of express

the fact that they had leisure time by playing,

but they also wanted to signify

that they were doing these things by their sartorial choices.

And so the sneaker, in part, was invented to meet the needs of this new class,

so that they could very conspicuously show that they were playing.

What does it mean to 'usher in', Sophie?

It means 'to mark the beginning of something'.

In this case, the Industrial Revolution

marked the beginning of a new social class, the middle class,

who made a lot of money from industry.

And why were they interested in trainers?

They wanted a way of showing people

that they were so rich they didn't need to work all the time

and by wearing trainers, they were saying, "I'm busy playing tennis".

'Sartorial', by the way, means 'related to clothes'.

These days, wearing trainers doesn't reveal much about social class.

For example, Mark Zuckerberg and I

look surprisingly similar in our hoodies and trainers.

You'd have to guess which one of us was a multibillionaire and which one was not!

People respond to current trends in popular sport

through the trainers they wear

and here's Matt Powell for the US consumer research group, NPD, to tell us more.

When I first got into the retail business in the '70s,

the sexy sport, if you will, was tennis.

And we all wore tennis apparel for casual wear

and we played tennis and we wore tennis shoes

and we identified with athletes like McEnroe and Borg and Connors.

Over time, though, it has become even a broader range.

There was a jogging craze in the '70s — everybody was out jogging,

and then that became a full-fledged running business.

The basketball business really exploded in the mid-late '80s

with the emergence of Michael Jordan.

So Matt Powell knows a thing or two about current consumer trends —

he says in the 1970s there was a 'craze' — or 'enthusiasm' — for tennis and jogging

and this led to big sales of the apparel associated with these sports.

Are tennis shoes still sexy, Sophie?

Maybe, but basketball high-tops are sexier.

Michael Jordan started that trend back in the 1980s and it's still going strong.

Well, we're running out of time.

Let's go back to our quiz question.

I asked you what is a slang term for trainers?

Is it a) kicks? b) wedges? Or c) flats?

It has to be kicks. I'm right, aren't I?

I have to tell you, Neil, you're right!

Yes!

'Wedges' are 'shoes or boots with a triangular wedge-shaped heel'

and 'flats' are 'a woman's shoe with no heel'.

I 'know my onions', you see, Sophie.

Yes, in other words, you 'know a lot about something you do'.

Now, let's remember the words we heard today.

Ubiquitous.

Tatty.

Apparel.

Dressed down.

Limited edition.

Sneakerhead.

Prosperity.

Usher in.

Sartorial.

Craze.

Know your onions.

That's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

Don't forget to join us again soon!

— Goodbye. — Bye-bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.