Beginning her transition at the age of 12, the story of Kim Petras was always going to be a controversial one. Not in the eyes of Kim, of course, who insisted from the age of two (when she was Tim) that she was a girl - and not in the eyes of her parents, who supported her decision every step of the way, convinced that this was not "just a phase".
The perfect storm of controversy came from the German press and the public themselves, who whipped themselves up into a frenzy when Kim was first interviewed for German current affairs program Stern TV. At the time she was 13 years old, and she was already planning to have the reassignment surgery by the time she was 16. There was only one problem: German law forbids it until you are 18.
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.