So, the infamous film of the infamous book is now showing at UK cinemas and there can't be a single person over the age of consent who has't noticed. Everyone's talking about how the lead actors didn't get along and hated being in the film, the author and director disagreed, the trailer was terrible, and... Continue Reading →
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to the fantastic Helen Zaltzman for her new podcast about language called The Allusionist. As Helen was discussing the etymology of the word bra in the second episode, she wanted to speak to someone about the history of the garment and Amber Butchart very kindly pointed her in... Continue Reading →
When I was offered a review copy of The Vagenda: A Zero Tolerance Guide to the Media by Holly Baxter and Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, I was initially hesitant for a couple of reasons. The first is that I had already unfollowed Vagenda on Twitter because I was no longer interested in what they had to... Continue Reading →
When I tell people I'm studying the history and culture of fashion, I get a mixture of responses. Perhaps because I'm female and dress to stand out rather than fit in, people often react as if I couldn't possibly be studying anything else. Some folk take the opportunity to declare that they, personally, know nothing... Continue Reading →
When you have never met a person who belongs to a particular group, it can be difficult to see theings from their point of view. When you've not chatted to someone who is different to you in a certain way, it can be hard to realise why certain things affect them more. If you work... Continue Reading →
Who would you turn to for advice regarding issues in your sex life or relationship? If friends and family simply aren't an option - not everyone can share their problems with people they know - would you consider asking an expert? Many people do write to newspapers and magazines or radio and television shows who... Continue Reading →
We hear lots of talk about 'real' women these days. Folk moan that magazines don't use images of 'real' women, labels don't design for them, and that they're having a hard time coping in a world full of supposedly perfect (I'm guessing 'unreal'?) models, actresses and assorted celebrities. However, in their attempts to right these... Continue Reading →
On Monday we discovered that there was a new World Scrabble Champion. I thought it was odd that the winner of a board-game championship was deemed newsworthy until I saw the accompanying photo of Mikki Nicholson in her bright pink outfit... and then read the terrible article that accompanied it in most news sources. If... Continue Reading →
Back in 2003, I wrote a piece for The F-Word on body image. I was in my late 20s and only just managing to get to grips with the fact that my body's outward appearance didn't match the image I had of it in my head. I had begun to summon the self-confidence to say... Continue Reading →