Beauty tips every man should know
British men are getting into ‘beauty’. ‘Now it’s men’s turn to hog the bathroom,’ reports the Times, as spending increases…
Meet Millennial Millie, the new swing voter
An election looms and political parties are already talking ‘voter demographics’. Every few years, the wonks of Westminster pick a…
Is milk racist?
I was tired when I went to see Milk at the Wellcome Collection, having been up for much of the…
In defence of hot baths
I admire stout oldies who, even in good times, refuse to put the heating on unless it’s absolutely necessary. They…
How Carrie helped blow it for Boris
Of course it is sexist to blame the woman. But, in the case of Carrie Johnson, it cannot be said…
Beware the sex party bores
You know you’re getting old when your friends start going to sex parties. In our twenties, there were parties, and…
It’s not up to Boris to save Christmas – it’s up to us
How well-behaved have you been in the second year of Covid? I wouldn’t say I’ve been perfect but I haven’t…
The Covid vaccines affect periods. Are we allowed to talk about this?
It’s fashionable to talk about periods. Books on the subject, with glossy red and pink covers, are bestsellers. They have…
‘I’ve seen the bare bones of London’: street painter Peter Brown interviewed
‘I’ve been seeing the bare bones of London,’ explains the landscape artist Peter Brown, who is known affectionately as ‘Pete…
The curious rise of cottagecore
Cottagecore, not to be confused with cottaging, is an aspirational lifestyle trend. The word is relatively new —although you’ll find…
Papers, please: immunity IDs are on the way
Where will vaccine passports lead?
Why charity begins in shops
When everything re-opened after the first lockdown, I didn’t immediately head to a restaurant, bar or hairdresser. I went to…
Inside the court of Carrie Symonds, princess of whales
Inside the court of Carrie Symonds
In defence of Emily in Paris
A frothy new drama called Emily in Paris arrived on Netflix last month. Starring Lily Collins — daughter of Phil…
The problem with pretty floral face masks
Now that we must all wear face masks, it is hardly surprising that they have started to become a fashion…
Lockdown used to be the norm for new mothers
I laughed when my Spanish midwife mentioned in passing that in Latin American countries they have a custom for new…
The art of pregnancy
Pregnancy has always been a public spectacle – and as the Foundling Museum’s new exhibition shows, a dangerous one
The new trend for ‘gender reveal’ parties sums up the mood of the past decade
OMG, the end of the decade is almost here, which means it’s time to start reflecting on what on earth…
The truth about food photography
While looking at the photographs of food in this humorous exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery, I thought of how hopelessly…
Is your Halloween costume woke?
Halloween used to be easy. It was a fancy-dress party: you could wear whatever you liked. The idea was to…
Can Boris Johnson’s ‘little otter’ make him woke enough to win?
Philip May seems a decent cove. He’s been stoic and loyal but I can’t help hoping that the next prime…
Should we all write ‘feminist’ stocking fillers?
I arrived at Waterloo, half an hour before my train departed. Needing to buy a birthday card, I popped into…
The horror of choosing a Halloween costume
Halloween used to be easy. It was a fancy-dress party: you could wear whatever you liked. The idea was to…