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Chase Rollins/AFF/EMPICS Entertainment

Lisa McInerney The rise of personality in Hollywood gives us something to aspire to

We don’t want goddesses to worship. That’s why women like Jennifer Lawrence, Mindy Kaling, Laverne Cox and Melissa McCarthy and are as much loved as they are lauded.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, Elle magazine found itself in a bit of a bind (pun totally intended) when its readers took to social media to protest its latest collection of covers. For its Women In TV edition, Elle created four separate covers, featuring actresses Amy Poehler, Allison Williams, Zooey Deschanel and Mindy Kaling.

Mindy Kaling’s portrait was the only one in close-up and the only one in black and white. It’s hardly a coincidence, readers suggested, that Mindy Kaling is the only one of the four who is a woman of colour. Plus, she wears an American size 8. (That’s an Irish 12, you guys. Hardly what you’d call irresponsibly fleshy.)

There’s little to be learned here in terms of debating whether the fashion industry is fearful and shallow (it is) or whether Kaling was hard done by (she tweeted that she loved her portrait), but it does suggest a refreshing facet to our appetite for celebrity gloss.

There is an insidious undercurrent of racism in the fashion world – it’s not been long since Elle was accused of lightening Gabourey Sidibe’s skin in a portrait – and women who don’t match model dimensions are practically invisible. Almost literally; Melissa McCarthy appeared under a shapeless coat in her Elle cover. But readers also rushed to protest Kaling’s cover because Kaling’s celebrity comes from her talent, and her likeability, not her ability to look flawless in a frock. Neither a doe-eyed cyborg or a fame-grubbing foghorn, Kaling is instead seen as representative. She is “one of us”.

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Mindy Kaling attending the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre at LALive in Los Angeles, USA. (Image: O’Connor-Arroyo/AFF/EMPICS Entertainment)

Back to the personality-heavy tradition of Hepburn and Davis

So the Elle controversy is about visibility, and it might have been circumvented if its fashion-savvy staff had kept their bejewelled ears to the ground. Stars aren’t meant to thrive in serene silence, and the pop-culture conscious are glad to see female celebrities drifting back towards the personality-heavy tradition of Hepburn and Davis. It’s certainly agreeable in the era of Photoshop and endless examination of showbiz diets, don’t you think?

Take the unanimously treasured Jennifer Lawrence. This week, she told The Sun that she was trying to “clean up her act”, seeing as she was prone to gaffes and occasionally foul-mouthed. Cue a collective roar of anguish; that Oscar-winning, Oscar-tripping, goofy, smartarsed Jennifer Lawrence might try being bland and inoffensive for 2014 is wholly unnecessary. Lawrence would have won fame and fortune in any case – she’s an immensely talented actress and blessed with distinctive features – but her appointment as Everyone’s Favourite Person Ever, Ever came about because she’s so… normal, which is an abnormal quality indeed in Hollyweird.

This begs the bitter question: are we obliged to somehow feel grateful to famous women for being “normal”? Is that what’s suggested when we talk about Mindy Kaling and Jennifer Lawrence, women who have, despite their status, failed to achieve celestial perfection? Kaling’s still at least two sizes larger than Hollywood would like, and Lawrence falls over her dress even when she’s collecting an Oscar.

Rather, the point is that it’s one thing to see an extraordinary woman doing ordinary things, but quite another to see an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things. That’s something we can identify with. It becomes inspirational.

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Jennifer Lawrence stumbled as she walked to the stage to accept the award for best actress in her eading role for “Silver Linings Playbook” during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on 24 Feb, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

The concept of ‘role model’ is a troublesome one

There was a great point made by another awesome woman this week: Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox. In an interview with Katie Couric, Cox rejected the term “role model” in thoughtful terms, saying that she preferred “possibility model”; the fact that she had the opportunity to work towards her goals publicly, she explained, highlighted the possibilities open to her fans.

Laverne Cox has overcome more specific and demanding challenges than most; as a trans woman of colour, her experiences cannot be glibly likened to Jennifer Lawrence’s endearing red carpet clumsiness, and it wouldn’t be fair to cheapen her point by pulling it too closely to the idea of making the ordinary visible in show business. And yet there’s a universality to Cox’s words. The concept of “role model” is a troublesome one, and the label a burden to bear. “I would never be so arrogant as to think that someone should model their life after [mine]”, Cox explained. Here’s a woman who gets it.

The idea that there are paragons of class, or conduct, or femininity for us to emulate is a tired one. In Cox’s words, we get something a lot more appropriate: the upside to celebrity culture is its visibility, and in seeing people like us achieve great things, we see our own potential. At its worst, the world of celebrity is vapid, draining codswallop, but at its best, it’s a boisterous pep talk.

We want people to identify with

While writing this column I found myself drifting, as I so often do (don’t judge me), to a Buzzfeed article. It celebrated Kate Middleton’s 32nd birthday with “32 Reasons Kate Middleton Is The Most Perfect Human Being Alive”. The “reasons” were as preposterous as a notebook made of Victoria sponge, ignoring anything remotely personality-driven for points like “She has glorious hair” and “She’s elegant”. Giving us something unattainable to aspire towards is pointless, and the thing about the duchess’s hair and teeth is that they’re actually hers and we can’t just go take ‘em.

Aspiring instead towards actual achievements, made appear achievable to us through the honesty of the women already working it: that is something to celebrate. Perhaps this is why women like Jennifer Lawrence and Mindy Kaling and Laverne Cox and Melissa McCarthy and Gabby Sidibe are as much loved as lauded. We don’t want goddesses to worship, Elle magazine. We want women to identify with. Perfection is so last year.

Read more of Lisa McInerney’s columns here >

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    Mute Peter Slattery
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:46 AM

    Abbott is inexcusably thick and no more than a Rupert Murdoch stooge. The sooner he’s gone, the better for Australia.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:34 AM

    Australia deserves better.

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    Mute willow
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:55 AM

    And the smell of onion on his breath would knock a horse!

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:12 PM

    Agreed, it’s great news. Don’t know a lot about Australian politics but I do know that Tony Abbot is a racist and vile misogynist.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:29 PM

    You can find racism a lot closer to home. Have a look at any article about refugees…

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    Mute GameOverMan
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:34 PM

    completely agree with you monty but this will keep the liberals in power since Turnbull is more popular with libral voters. With Abott as pm, the libral party didnt stand a chance…now its just a different jockey on the same horse. Ultimately i doubt Turnbull will do anything different.

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    Mute Pud
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:37 PM

    Monty , right first time u don’t know a lot .

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:51 PM

    Good point, Game – Turnbull is probably more diplomatic and less overtly bigoted and therefore less of a liability than Abbott and more likely to ensure the Liberal Party stay in power. He still represents a party with deplorable principles and if he increases their chance of maintaining power that is indeed undesirable.

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    Mute Marguerite Hoiby
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:54 PM

    And Tony has gone and the revolving door of the PMs office continues. Thankfully, Abbott is gone who was a PM of slogans and rhetoric. The fact that Murdoch dislikes Turnbull has to be a positive thing for the country, surely. Turnbull is a self made man, Abbott has never done anything but politics………enough said.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 14th 2015, 2:12 PM

    “Abbott is inexcusably thick”

    Tony Abbott is a Rhode Scholar.

    I can’t stand the guy. I find his politics and his character equally reprehensible. But whatever his failings, he can’t possibly be as stupid as he looks.

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    Mute Boganity
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:35 PM

    A Rhodes Scholarship merely means one has the ability to study and pass exams, Abbott has consistently demonstrated he’s as thick as two short planks. His entire policy agenda during his tenure as PM consisted of three word slogans two of which where always “Stop the..”. One thing voters hate more than being taken for fools but is being taken as dumb. Abbott’s singular most enduring success was achieving unanimous consensus among conservative and progressive political commentators that his was the worst government in Australian history by every criteria. That takes a special kind of dumb!

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:47 PM

    No, he’s stupid alright, he could have stayed in power if he had been patient and not tried to force all of his right wing tea party conservative bullshit all at once.
    His biggest mistake was he thought he’d won the election because people loved him. He won because the previous government imploded spectacularly. A bit like Enda really…

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    Mute Boganity
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    Sep 15th 2015, 2:59 AM

    No opposition ever wins an election, governments lose them.

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    Mute Charlie Mountney
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:33 AM

    Sir Prince Phillip. I can’t stop laughing. Yes Australia. Get rid of this idiot.

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    Mute Dale G-t
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:43 AM

    gday mate hahahhahahahahahhahaha

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 14th 2015, 2:16 PM

    Apparently the leadership challenge was decided by a knifey spooney contest.

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    Mute Bernadette Mansour
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:36 AM

    A change in leadership would be a positive move. Here’s hoping.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:52 AM

    Please please please get rid of him. Turnbull is not the saviour but he’s a hell if a lot better than Abbott.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:28 PM

    Great news. Gotten rid of a bible bashing, monarchy loving, backwards plank and replacing him with a pro gay marriage, pro environment and articulate prime minister. That’s progress.

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    Mute Pud
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:42 PM

    What being pro gay is the first criteria for a prime minister !!

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    Mute Zoe Daly
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:45 PM

    that’s probably why Abbott got the boot. He wouldn’t support gay marriage, so he had to go.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:49 PM

    It’s more what that represents I.e they’re not stuck in the 19th century.

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:44 AM

    They are hoping to Shorten the odds!

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    Mute John Campbell
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:49 AM

    With Mr. Abbott it’s a toss up as to whether he is totally arrogant or just stupid.

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:48 PM

    Both.

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    Mute Bernadette Mansour
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:06 PM

    We have a new PM . Yes.

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    Mute Denito
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:37 PM

    Whatever about the pros and cons of the people in question, if I were Australian, I would be deeply uncomfortable at the tendency of governing parties in Australia to change leaders, and thus PM’s, without seeking a fresh mandate from the electorate.

    I can’t think of any other western democracy where this happens.

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    Mute Boganity
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:44 PM

    The last time an Australian Prime Minister served a full term the iPhone hadn’t been invented.

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    Mute Alien8
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:47 PM

    out of interest, the people of Australia voted against Turnbull when he was leader. kind of like the hatred noonan becoming leader again (and automatic taoiseach).

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    Mute Boganity
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    Sep 15th 2015, 3:09 AM

    The people never got the chance to vote on Turnbull last time as he was knifed by his own because he was too moderate and wasn’t far right enough for them.

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    Mute Dean Anderson
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:41 AM

    The hand that wields the knife shall never wear the crown

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 14th 2015, 2:13 PM

    That’s not a knife!

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:46 PM

    Thankfully, we have Australia giving us an example of how to change leaders mid-term.
    Enda deserves to know how Tony feels.

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    Mute Darren Varley
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:34 PM

    Abbot is a smart man let down by his people skills , Turnbull is a much better communicator . But the Labour Party are very weak bill shorten looks like the substitute teacher no one listens to and albanese ain’t any better

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    Mute Boganity
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:39 PM

    There’s no “Labour” party in Australia

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:53 PM

    No Abbott is an idiot who failed to capitalise on being handed power.

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    Mute Bernadette Mansour
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:21 PM

    Yes!

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    Mute John Reid
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    Sep 14th 2015, 3:27 PM

    The Australian Liberal (politically conservative) Party may deserve to lose the next Australian general election, as a result of hastily stabbing their relatively young Prime Minister in the back. By taking this course, the Liberal Party have proven themselves to be no better than their rivals – the Australian Labor Party – who were disloyal to their own prime ministers even before the Australian people had a chance to pass a verdict on them at the ballot box.

    Tony Abbot deserved the opportunity to make his case before the Australian people in his country’s general election next year. The fact that he was betrayed, robbed of the right to do this by his very own party may result in Australian voters taking a dim view of the Liberals for not giving Tony Abbott a “fair go”, in addition to a very public back-stabbing and betrayal. The fact is that Mr Abbott won a general election, as recently as 2013, as his party’s leader. He had earned the right to defend his premiership at next year’s general election.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 14th 2015, 3:49 PM

    In fairness, the Australian people didn’t know just how much a tosser this guy was when they elected him.

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    Mute Neil Browne
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    Sep 14th 2015, 4:17 PM

    John when back benchers fear for their seats in the next election wright or wrong has nothing to do with it. They would have got hammered in the next election under Abbott now at least they have some chance. Politics the world over has noting to do with having principles or being good or bad, it is all about re-election at least now they have some chance. Politics is all about self preservation.

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    Mute Linda
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    Sep 14th 2015, 5:33 PM

    @John – The Liberals had next to no chance of being re-elected with Abbott leading the party. This is actually a blow to the people that would like to see the Liberals out next term, they’re a stronger opponent without him.

    There would be very few people saying Tony didn’t get a fair go, he did and c*cked it up at every opportunity, even those that would’ve originally backed his party and policies quickly realised he is bad for business and a complete embarrassment.

    There’ll be very few people not celebrating this news today.

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    Mute Tap Solny
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    Sep 14th 2015, 10:37 AM

    ‘How ya’ – what chance have our children got when adults write like this?

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    Mute Al Ca
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    Sep 14th 2015, 11:03 AM

    Well Tap……don’t write and don’t have children.

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    Mute Guy Incognito
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    Sep 14th 2015, 2:23 PM

    Oi, Mr Prime Minister…..ANDY!!!!

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    Mute Conor Dunne
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    Sep 14th 2015, 1:26 PM

    And I care why?

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 14th 2015, 3:50 PM

    Go back to your bread and circuses, the grown-ups are talking.

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    Mute John Reid
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    Sep 14th 2015, 4:02 PM

    This result will cause huge division within the Australian Liberal Party making it much harder for them to govern effectively, and even to win reelection.

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Sep 14th 2015, 3:53 PM

    Looks like ‘game, set and match’ where the Australian government are concerned.

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