Glamour, 16 June 2018 “Society’s policing of female body hair is so strong that most women don’t question it anymore.” It’s a heatwave and you’re off to the beach. Sun cream? Check. A good book? Got it. Very little body hair? Hmm, probably. Sound familiar? That’s because most women wouldn’t dream of leaving their body […]
Category: opinion
Five things I’ve learned from a year of living in Berlin
#1 The freelance struggle. When I decided to move to Berlin and enter the world of freelance I knew it wouldn’t be an easy gig. Away from the (relative) safety of a fixed salary with paid holidays and the luxury (!) of being paid for sick days, life is a whole lot tougher. Obviously these workers’ […]
A lot of thoughts, a lot of anger
Today I woke up feeling angry. It’s rare for me to wake up with this emotion. Tired? Yes, almost always. Sad? Sometimes. Happy? Now and again when I sleep for 10 hours without waking once. But today: angry. Restless. I woke up a few times during the night. I thought about the stories I’d read […]
The politics of language
There’s a chapter in an English as a foreign language text book called: ‘How to avoid saying no directly’. I burst out laughing when I saw it. Is there anything more stereotypically British? I came across it at the language school I work at, where we regularly teach the art of small talk to students. […]
What it’s like to live with your parents at thirty
Refinery 29, April 12, 2017 It’s Friday night and I’m enjoying a well-earned wine and some trashy TV with one of my favourite people in the world. But it’s not my boyfriend on the sofa passing me crisps. It’s not even a reliable girlfriend or flatmate. It’s actually my mum, who I live with along […]
February 11 2016: Films like Spotlight remind us how important journalism is
The Evening Times opinion column, February 11 2016 There is only one thing I love more than a good Hollywood movie. And that’s a good Hollywood movie about journalism.
October 8 2015: Refugees are part of our communities so we must change the way we think about them
The Evening Times opinion column, October 8 2015 Right now and in the coming weeks refugees will be trying to settle into life in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland.
September 25 2014: Nicola Sturgeon, a shoe-in for First Minister
The Evening Times opinion column, September 25 2014 Who knew a pair of shoes would lift the referendum comedown and get a whole country talking again?
March 20 2014: The world is confusing when you were born in 1986 instead of 1926
The Evening Times opinion column, March 20 2014 If you’re only as young as you feel then I’m afraid I’ve gone the other way … because I’m getting on for about 74.