Sanef, the National Press Club and the Right2Know campaign have issued a call to wear black on what has been dubbed Black Tuesday: when Parliament votes on the Protection of Information Bill. It’s a cause that has resonated with many, and there’s been plenty of discussion on social media platforms; #POIB and #SecrecyBill are top […]
Sarah Britten
During the day Sarah Britten is a communication strategist; by night she writes books and blog entries. And sometimes paints. With lipstick. It helps to have insomnia.
Posted inGeneral
You will look like biltong when you are 60
Braaivleis, cricket, sunny skies and cabriolets. Ah yes, Joburg does summer well. So does Cape Town (even if they don’t have our fantastically amazing thunderstorms, the ones we tweet about obsessively). In fact, the whole of South Africa is pretty generous when it comes to drenching us in sunshine. Naturally, we take advantage of this. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why getting married is like buying shoes
Getting married is a lot like buying a pair of shoes. Think about it. You go into the shoe store, you look around. Maybe you’re there because you actually need shoes, maybe you found yourself in there because there’s a sale on and those sandals looked gorgeous and and and … you just can’t help […]
Posted inLifestyle
Things I am curious about in this city
Joburg skyline in lipstick Sacks that look like dead animals lying in the road until you get closer. Why diners in restaurants and coffee shops started asking waiters for “the machine”. Whether, if I take Jan Smuts Avenue to get to my appointment, I would have got there faster than if I’d used the highway. […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Everybody loves Nonhle
Dear Nonhle I started writing this letter to you when I was in Germany last week, before I saw this Dear Nonhle letter and by then it was too late. So maybe we’ll just have to start a Dear Nonhle meme. Lots of people can compose Dear Nonhle missives and it can become a rite […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, Media
Julius toppled by vaginas…and T-shirts?
Julius Malema has been toppled by vaginas and sexist T-shirts. Who would have thought that the posts that attract the most reads should be about plastic surgery for fannies (over 5 000, a record for me) and T-shirts bearing legends like “You looked better … from behind”. Admittedly, a lot of the comments would indicate that […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Media
Here’s to South African creativity
So the announcement has finally been made: Cape Town is World Design Capital for 2014, ahead of Dublin and Bilbao. This is great news for creativity in South Africa. Cape Town has long focused on positioning itself as a creative hub — film, advertising, design — and this is paying off. It’s the kind of […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle, Media
Germany — on being disconnected in a connected world
It’s so easy to take connection for granted. Sure, there are places, like the bush, where you expect to feel isolated from technology. But finding yourself in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language and everyone else is connected — now that makes for the kind of cognitive dissonance that triggers panic attacks. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why don’t Bryanston people pick up dog poo?
People in Bryanston, I have noticed, don’t pick up dog poo. The people in Parkhurst do. There, not picking up after your dog is considered highly antisocial and will earn you plenty of hipster opprobrium. No sitting at Vovo Telo sipping latte for you. Why do the residents of some suburbs pick up dog poo […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
New! Improved! Designer vaginas
Insecurity is big business. We probably wouldn’t bother with half the things we buy if we felt good about ourselves. Your breath isn’t fresh enough (that’s how Listerine got its big break). Your hair isn’t straight enough (cue GHDs and Brazilian blowouts). Your teeth aren’t white or straight enough (aesthetic dentistry). You’re too pale (fake […]
Posted inLifestyle
Are horoscopes harmless nonsense?
“You’re in your element, especially as it seems things are coming together in your career,” intones the Your Stars section in my mother’s copy of You magazine. I like that. That makes sense, especially as I have just made some major changes at work. Pity then that this is for Capricorn, so doesn’t apply to […]
Posted inLifestyle
My year of panic
Yesterday I spotted Nianell, the singer, on the front page of a magazine with revelations of her panic attacks and depression. It’s interesting how many celebrity depression stories are running these days, usually in You and Huisgenoot. There once was a time when nobody would come out of the depression closet, but now it’s much […]