Fairlady May/Jun 2023

I loved Bonnie Garmus’s book Lessons in Chemistry (read our interview with her on page 72) for many reasons: because it’s fresh and original, it’s her first published novel, and she was 64 when she wrote it. Her previous novel had been rejected 98 times. Ninety-eight times! I think I would have hauled out the old paper-shredder around rejection number 3 but, like Elizabeth Zott, Bonnie’s redoubtable protagonist, she is clearly made of sterner stuff. I find that deeply impressive. This issue is full of impressive women. Women who are either making successful debuts long after their ‘sell-by’ dates, as Bonnie did, making triumphant career comebacks (as Renée Zellweger and Jennifer Coolidge have done), or surviving horrific ordeals with grace and courage, as Glynis Horning and Nikki Bush both have.…

WINNING LETTER CROSSING THE LINE Your article on gender identity in the March/April 2023 issue is so disingenuous it’s borderline criminal. I find it morally repugnant to even suggest that pumping a perfectly healthy child full of puberty blockers and synthetic cross-sex hormones is going to help their situation. In your article you ‘neglected’ to add the following information about the drugs you mention so nonchalantly. The puberty blocker known as Lupron is a chemical castration drug. Lupron causes permanent, irreversible damage. In 2003, the makers of Lupron were sued by the US government and deemed a criminal enterprise. The company paid $875 million to the government as settlement and just continued prescribing it. Synthetic cross-sex hormones cause permanent, irreversible damage. Patients are left with permanent sexual dysfunction. Surgeries have…

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High standards I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but damn, there is something just so aesthetically pleasing about having Standard Beauty’s pastel-toned bottles all lined up in my bathroom. Luckily, the contents live up to the hype. From the products I’ve tried, I feel like the standout product is the Vitamin C Serum. Most vitamin C serums tend to be yellowy brown – especially if you forget about it in the back of a cupboard somewhere – and quite oily, which I don’t mind, but I imagine not everyone will be a fan. This one is the opposite. It is light and watery – you can just pat it right in – and it won’t affect your makeup in the slightest. It contains two different forms…

Kamogelo Mafokwane Founder and creative director of the decor and design firm NAIA ‘My style is minimal and monochromatic. It’s also transitional: I love to have different items that I can wear almost every season. I wear mostly neutral tones, and then I love to add a pop of colour through accessories.’…

‘I would say my style is best described as classics with a kick. The key to that is having a good staple wardrobe with an edge, incredible accessories and a fun attitude. I am also easily seduced by a magnificent print, either in a garment or a scarf. Prints to me are the ultimate display of femininity.’…