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…
Why are modern men obsessed with self-improvement?
My friend recently met a man on a dating app and went out for dinner with him. When he arrived,…
Wedding lists are out of control – just look at Harry and Meghan’s
I have a phobia of wedding lists. They always seem very presumptuous. Friends ask for monstrous amounts of things that…
The vlogging fantasy that bewitches our children
My friend’s ten-year-old daughter has a new hobby. Like many of her school pals, she hopes to become a video…
Blue pill-pushers: Why is Viagra being marketed to young men?
In September last year, official figures showed a startling rise in the number of young British men turning up at…
Welcome to the age of the digital inquisition
A friend of mine at university had a rule: he didn’t want anything to appear online that might ruin a…
Taipei is obsessed with food… and it’s so cheap you can try everything
The Taiwanese seem besotted with food. The National Palace Museum in Taipei has almost 700,000 objects in its collection, but…
Poking fun at the royals is good for the monarchy
Isn’t Meghan fabulous? Hasn’t she totally brought the monarchy into the 21st century? Doesn’t she make Kate look like such…
The sexual reformation has opened up a schism between women and men
Nell Minow, an American film critic, recently described how in 2010 she had interviewed the Friends actor David Schwimmer. When…
The forgotten history of the Tube’s ‘poster girls’
Every weekday, I travel by Tube to The Spectator’s office, staring at the posters plastered all over the walls. I…
Following suit
Why do Tories all look the same? This year, having never been to a party conference before, I went to…
The sinister power of family courts
It’s right that some children are taken into care. One case in point is that of Ayeeshia-Jayne Smith, the toddler…
Snobbery in the age of social media
We like to think we have moved on from the age of snobbery. Judging others by birth or status, or…
Why must I have a strong opinion about everything?
At a party earlier this summer, I was chatting to a man who asked me how I voted in last…
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