Q. Like many women of a certain age, I’m ‘on the pen’. I’ve lost about 20lb on Mounjaro, which I judge to be enough. However, the friend who urged me and many others to try it has lost more than 60lb. Not only does she have the dreaded Mounjaro face – deeply lined – but she wears short, sleeveless dresses that reveal arms and legs that are, bluntly, not those of a 20-year-old. Mary, I have always felt that tight garments are both unflattering and vulgar. I am also anxious because this well-meaning friend has become a subject of private mockery for turning herself from a voluptuous size 18 beauty to a haggard size 10. How can I tactfully suggest that she needsa bit more flesh?
– C.P., London NW1
A. As the poet Robbie Burns lamented in 1786: ‘Oh wad some Power the gift gie us/ To see oursels as others see us!’ To help your friend, you might club together with other ‘losers’ to purchase a thank-you present for her. A ‘mini me’, which costs £239 from Printerval, is a resin statuette about 9in high. It is a scaled-down, 3D replica of a human. To achieve the chilling accuracy, the human must go into a 3D scanner and have hundreds of photographs taken. As your friend studies the sinister trophy she will indeed see herself as others see her and the penny will drop.
Q. I’ve had a sofa covered in Fermoie linen and it looks really smart. How can I stop my daughter’s grubby boyfriend from leaving scuff marks and grime when he comes at weekends? She’d be furious if I asked him to sit on an older sofa.
– Name and address withheld
A. Take a tip from the owners of smart Airbnb premises who buy remnants and lengths of matching fabric to place on top of smart sofas, tucked carefully in. This means that, should spillages occur, the remnant can go into a cold wash while the sofa retains its pristine perfection. At the Fermoie outlet store in Marlborough, remnants and lengths of fabric can be had at bargain prices as the company is keen to achieve ‘zero waste’. You can order by Zoom appointment should you be unable to visit.
Q. University friends have asked me to a weekend at a house which has a hot tub. I cannot stand hot tubs, with their bobbing plasters and all the bacterial infections they pass on. How can I say ‘no’ when they will all be bullying me to get in? – P.W., Basingstoke.
A. Pre-empt the bullying by carrying a chair to the hot tub and sitting down to chat to them. Claim you’ve just had a spray tan and can’t get wet for 48 hours.
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