Many of us tend to diminish ourselves and others with some snappy, reductive phrase rather than dig more deeply in search of understanding. Enter the idea of the “people pleaser”. The term has a ring to it; it rolls off the tongue and its meaning seems self-evident. It feels comfortable and anodyne. We know where … Read more
I wasn’t especially good at basketball, but I loved it. One day while playing, I broke my ankle. I needed corrective surgery and would be on crutches for months while I recovered. Getting to and from work, and running errands, was suddenly a huge struggle. I could order groceries online, but there were still a … Read more
Vicky Pattison in a toy car in 1990 and 2025Vicky Pattison in 1990 and 2025. Later photograph: Pål Hansen/The Guardian. Styling: Andie Redman. Hair: Jeyanney. Makeup: Thomas Tatum. Archive photograph: courtesy of Vicky Pattison Born in Newcastle in 1987, Vicky Pattison graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in drama. At 22, she joined the cast … Read more
They walk the path for a variety of reasons. For the challenge, the exercise, the views. To find companionship or seek solitude. Some walk with a sense of escaping problems, others with the idea of striding towards a goal. Many more are expected to head to the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile route around … Read more
On Monday night, the party of the year will ask the question: can Vogue keep diversity in fashion in Trump’s America? The Met Gala, the knotty point where fashion meets politics, will be in the spotlight. The annual event has become a pop cultural phenomenon by reinventing party dressing as a world of internet-breaking daredevil … Read more
Lungs are amazing. There they sit, inflating and deflating from dawn to dusk, dusk to dawn, sucking in air, stripping out oxygen and exchanging it for carbon dioxide. They do this 20,000 times a day, 7.5m times a year, 600m times in the average lifetime, keeping our trillions of cells ticking over and saving them … Read more
The fried pickle – or frickle – is an on-trend appetiser with a murky provenance. Allegedly, it dates back to the early 1960s, originating at a drive-in restaurant in Arkansas run by an individual who laboured under the name Bernell “Fatman” Austin. Frickles are generally deep-fried, like onion rings, and usually accompanied by a gloopy … Read more
“Hi mum,” the first message starts, “I’ve lost my phone.” It carries on with a tale of woe: for some reason the sender has also been locked out of his or her bank account. Luckily a friend is often on hand to help – it’s their phone that the message comes from, apparently – and … Read more
Large rooms need more – and bigger – furniture, so small rooms just need fewer, smaller pieces, right? Not entirely. In fact, there’s a lot more to creating a successful small space than that. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. When looking … Read more
Lucy, 41 As it takes Kyra a long time to climax, we usually have sex on the weekend – it takes up a Saturday morning Even though I’ve had more experience with women than Kyra, she has a higher sex drive than me. I’d happily have sex once a month, whereas Kyra wants it two or … Read more