Fairlady August 2015

When I first started working in magazines, the prevailing wisdom was that if you put the following words on the cover (not necessarily in one sentence) – Sex, Chocolate, Hair, Shoes – then women would buy the magazine. It struck me as patronising even then, and to be honest I never really noticed that they made much difference when we did put them on the cover. But I am pretty sure they’d have even less impact now. Because what I think women really fantasise about these days is running our own business. It’s not that corporate life is so terrible, or that we hate our colleagues, or even that we necessarily have a brilliant idea we want to act on: we just want to be in charge of how we…

winning letter In response to ‘Time to let go?’ ‘Time to let go?’ (May 2015) came at just the right moment. I was struggling with whether to move on from my job, thinking ‘winners never quit’ and staying loyal – even though I was becoming miserable. By chance I bought FAIRLADY as a pick-me-up after a rough day at work. Reading the article was like someone talking to me, telling me everything I already knew but was fighting against. I handed in my resignation the next morning. There was no longer room for growth – in fact, I found out the next day that there would be a reshuffle and I was to be put in an even less fulfilling job. Even though I have no idea what’s next, I…

Tip Unsure how to apply a facial mist? Hold the bottle at least 15cm away from your face and spritz. Wait for a minute for it to be absorbed, then blot the excess off with a tissue. Instant dewy glow! Tip Facial mists are a must for travelling, especially on long-haul flights. Just a few spritzes will freshen you up instantly. Check to see if your favourite comes in a travel size, and pop it in your handbag!…

1 Spread the love With every pair of Vosk unisex shoes you buy, Vosk will give a new pair of shoes directly to a child who desperately needs them. Go to www.vosk.co.za for more information. 2 THRIFTY FIND! Of all the budget fashion items we sourced this month (every item on our fashion pages costs less than R500; look out for it on page 70), this lace cutout pencil skirt is our absolute favourite! It’s a steal at just R189,99 from Rage. 3 Homegrown handbags Bloss & Co is a locally designed range of handbags, purses and vanity bags that, they say, offers the South African woman ‘what she’d been dying for: a sophisticated, expensive-looking bag that doesn’t require remortgaging your house’. Prices range from R299 for a makeup bag…

The ethos of ‘everyone’s child is my child’ is no more. We want people to think that way again. If everybody adopted that attitude, our children would be better protected. Pink Ladies was founded in 2007 when Sheldean Human, a little girl from Pretoria, went missing. The night she was found murdered, left in a storm water drain, a few of us who were involved with the search started an online chat group and decided there and then that we needed to put a stop to this sort of thing. Sheldean was wearing a little denim skirt and a pink top. That’s where we got our name – we decided that we would be the Pink Ladies. It became a mark of respect. We now wear pink shirts when we…

It’s been four years since Oprah filmed her final show. ‘I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say… until we meet again. To God be the glory.’ For 25 years, that show had been part of the daily lives of her loyal viewers. But as far back as the 12th season, Oprah was saying she was exhausted. The reason she didn’t quit then was because she felt a responsibility to keep going. ‘I made the decision in the midst of doing Beloved. I connected to what slavery had meant, and connected it to my own personal ancestry and history in a way I had never before. And I realised I had…