The rule of six is due to return on March 29, paving the way for all kinds of foodie freedom from garden picnics to bbqs on the beach – weather gods, hear our prayers.

It’s going to be very nice to have a slice of normality with our hot cross buns this year but if you’re struggling to remember what we eat for Easter and you’re fresh out of practice at hosting family and friends, here’s a menu for you to chew on.

Whether you want to go traditional with a classic glazed ham dish, or you’re looking to level up your spread with mac ‘n’ cheese lasagne, a culinary delight listed below is certain to pique your interest.

And if it all goes tits up and you set fire to your oven mitt because cooking, what’s that again? Then so be it. The Easter bunny is a benevolent, forgiving type and dining alfresco with a Deliveroo on our laps, toes tinkering with the lawn below, is just as bloody lovely.

Lemon Asparagus Pasta

For a post-choc palate cleanser, look no further than this fragrant veggie pasta with a parmesan kick. April is prime time asparagus season, so reap the rewards of your harvest my friends and dig in.

Get the recipe from Delish here.

Spring Pie

Spring in a pie, we are deceased. Streaky bacon and sweet leeks on a bed of flaky filo pastry sounds like the kind of duvet we want to dine with.

Get the recipe from Jamie Oliver here. 

Coca Cola Ham

If you’re not showering your ham in Coca Cola then is it even Easter? Studded with cloves and glazed in black treacle, Nigella really does know best when it comes to holiday crowd-pleasers.

Get the recipe from Nigella here.

Eggs Benedict Croissant

Not all Easter eggs are created equal guys.

Get the recipe from BBC Good Food here.

Slow Grilled Leg of Lamb with Mint Yogurt and Salsa Verde

This herby protagonist is always a household favourite.

Get the recipe from Bon Appetit here

Easter Pie

It’s got the prosciutto, it’s got the sausage, it’s got the pockets of gooey mozzarella. The Italians were on to something with this one.

Get the recipe from Real Simple here

Baked Salmon Wellington

Give it some welly this Easter with this fish supper of epic proportions.

Get the recipe from Sainsbury’s here.

Sunday Pot Roast

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one-pot wonder than this hearty classic.

Get the recipe from BBC Good Food here.

Paneer and Roasted Veg Curry

Bring a scrumptious veggie dish to the table. If it’s good enough for Mary Berry!

Find the recipe from Mary Berry here.

Meatballs with Orzo

This one-pot meatball casserole has our full attention.

Get the recipe from Nigella here.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Lasagne

Two of the comfort greats joined together in holy matrimony. And yes, we’re self-invited day guests.

Get the recipe from Taste here.

Spring Onion Pancakes with Sticky Pork

Ribbons of cucumber, sticky pork and homemade pancakes. You won’t even miss the duck.

Get the recipe from Mindfood here.

Crispy Pan Potatoes

We’re obviously not suggesting you just have a plate of potatoes for your Easter dinner but that’s also exactly what we’re suggesting. These golden tats qualify. If you want to relegate them to a side plate division, that’s none of our business.

Get the recipe from Delicious Magazine here.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tray Bake

Sorry mum but your cottage pie has no authority here.

Get the recipe from Delicious Magazine here.

Kedgeree Risotto

Looking for a Good Friday dish? Enter this toothsome haddock hybrid, cooked like a risotto and topped with quail eggs.

Get the recipe from Nigella here

Philly Cheesesteak Toastie

It’s been a minute since you caught up with family and friends – this calls for quick, convenient American style grub, washed down with an ice-cold beer. Reunited and it feels so good – too good to be stuck in the kitchen for 84 years.

Get the recipe from Delicious Magazine here

First off, how are you and how is your 2021 going?

Oh gosh, thank you for asking! I can’t complain. I’ve finally gotten the hang of Zoom and spend a lot of time bopping between group chats and writing and hanging out with my family, so I’ve been keeping busy. I also have a new pandemic ritual of drinking a decaf coconut tea and eating chocolate mug cake after dinner every night, which certainly improves one’s general state of being.

We’re super excited to be reading ‘You Have a Match’ for our March Zoella Book Club pick. Can you take us through the process of writing it?

I’m so excited you’re reading it!! It was a fun and unexpected process — I was working as a viral news editor at the time and saw so many stories about people finding half-siblings through DNA tests that I thought to myself, Wow, how strange would it be if you found a full-blooded sibling you didn’t know about? I hadn’t even sold my first book yet, so I tucked the idea away for probably a year before I showed it to my editor. After that I hit the ground running on plotting and writing it about two years ago, getting up super early in the morning and carving out time on weekends (I work as a digital media editor during the day). It was especially fun to write a book set in the Pacific Northwest, because I spent about half my childhood there, so it felt like a fun little fist-bump to my baby self!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to write YA fiction?

Oooh. A ton, but mostly just to write what makes you happy. I’ve often found that the things that make you happiest to write are the things people are going to want to read. You can really see the passion authors have for their work in any kind of YA, whether it’s a romance or a thriller or a family-focused book, and their love for it is often what takes it the extra mile and makes it all the more memorable.

Can you tell us about some of your other work and writing projects?

Yes yes! My debut novel, Tweet Cute, is about two classmates — overachieving Pepper, whose parents own a fast-food chain, and class clown Jack, whose family owns a beloved New York City deli — who end up in a Twitter feud over a stolen grilled cheese recipe without realizing they’re at war with each other. Shenanigans ensue, and there is a TON of dessert involved.

My next book will be about a loudmouthed Broadway hopeful named Millie who has to compete with her rival to land an internship to help her figure out which one of three potential women is the mom who left her with her dad at birth — it’s basically what happens when you squish ABBA and Broadway into a confetti cannon and set it loose. I’m super excited for it to come out.

What is the most satisfying part of writing a novel?

Almost certainly whenever someone says the names of my characters back to me. It never gets old. It’s so strange that a person you conceived of in your head can then exist in another person’s head, that they can have an understanding of them the same way you do. I think it means so much to me just because I’ve been writing fanfiction my whole life and considering other people’s characters, so it’s bewildering and super cool to think that anyone would think about mine.

What are some of your favourite recent reads?

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher, Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan, and Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas were all books I TORE through recently.

How do you make time to both work and write for a living?

The funny thing is, because I’ve just always been writing, it doesn’t feel all that hard to make time. There are some weeks where I may have deadlines (usually self-imposed; I’ve been lucky to work with a team that gives me plenty of time to write!) that I’m more stressed than others. But I’ve been writing fanfiction since I was a little kid and my own fiction since I was a teenager; aside from running and singing, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do in my spare time, so the time I spend writing in my off-hours after work is just time I would have spent writing for free anyway. As for my actual job — I’m very lucky to be doing something I love (I work as a Shopping Editor for BuzzFeed) and something that feels very different from fiction writing, so I can easily switch between the two without ever feeling burnt out.

Fiction writing is slower and what I do during the day is much more fast-paced, which appeals to two different parts of me and is really just like *chef’s kiss* in terms of balance. I also just love the heck out of my coworkers — when I’m writing, my only coworker is my Baby Yoda plushie, and while he’s cute, he’s not particularly chatty during the day!

What are you currently working on?

My fourth book, which is my first young adult book that will be set in ~college~ — I’m so jazzed about it, it’s been a really fun opportunity to look back on what was a really fun and turbulent and defining time in my own life. I also have a ton of other ideas in the pipeline and have no idea what’ll happen with them yet, but I love to kick them around in my spare time since it’s my brain’s favorite thing to do.

Who are some of your favourite follows online?

Um, every bakery in New York. The Sprinkles Cupcakes, Ole & Steen, Magnolia Bakery, Chip City, Butterfield Market, Orwasher’s, Supermoon Bakehouse, Shortbread Society, Baked By Melissa, and Red Gate Bakery accounts are some forever faves. I also follow a lot of aesthetically pleasing businesses like My Oh My Supply Co (millennial lifestyle brand FULL of fun Disney-esque apparel) and Happenstance Candles (Taylor Swift-themed candles!) and Surprisingly Baked (cookies that take it to the next LEVEL) and Ideal Bookshelf (beautifully illustrated bookwares). Basically, if it’s cute or I can eat it, I WILL FOLLOW.

What does your perfect weekend look like?

Oooh. On Saturday I get up early and go for a loooong, long run around Central Park — I like to clock in between eight and ten miles. Then I’ll come home and make myself a very delicious brunch while watching something on the computer. For a few hours I’ll write or plot, and then I’ll venture out to whichever bakery has the dessert I’m most excited about that week (I have a lil’ ritual where I check the Instagrams of all my favourite places on Friday night and decide in advance). I’ll call my mom or one of my sisters and chat on my walk over. I’ll read in the park for a little while and wander back to my apartment for a glass of wine and sushi, and will intermittently watch a movie and write for the rest of the night. Sunday I’ll go for a shorter run just to wake myself up before going to a community theatre rehearsal — there’s a group called AfterWork Theater in New York I’m part of, and I can’t wait for us to start back up again once it’s safe. We’ll usually be there for a few hours to dance and sing our heads off, and then in the afternoon, we’ll get drinks and apps nearby, then spiral off to the subway to go home. I’ll set my life out for the coming weekday, probably eat a big ole mug cake, and go to bed early, because I am a millennial grandma.

What do you always carry with you?

My AirPods, but more specifically, the Goldfish cracker bag-shaped silicone case I put on them. The snack that smiles back!!

What would your last ever meal be?

Thank you for asking this, because I think about it a LOT. It would be a crusty sourdough roll cut in half and toasted with a bunch of butter and Jarlsberg cheese, two sunny side up eggs that are slightly burnt on the bottom, a side of mustard, some kind of fruit-flavoured yoghurt with granola, English Breakfast tea with sugar and half ‘n half, and some kind of chocolate dessert (I love Oreos and any kind of caramel or peanut-buttery chocolate bar). To be clear, this is the precise brunch that I eat after my long runs on Saturdays, and I will never not love it to pieces.

What is one positive piece of advice you could give to our audience?

I’ll steal it from my mom: “Run your own race.” It’s always going to be easy to try and hold other people’s lives up to yours as a measuring stick, particularly if they have something you want. But worrying about what other people have in life isn’t going to help you change anything about your own; sometimes you just have to keep your eyes on your own paper, work toward your goals in your own way, and trust the process. Better to achieve something your own way than to get it faster by trying to copy someone else, and never fully feeling like it’s your own.

Ah, the menopause. It’s the reason our mums get weirdly into portable fans, this much we know but beyond that, we are in the dark, mystified and blissfully ignorant about what the menopause – actually – entails for those of us with ovaries.

Forgive the bad feminist tones here but dealing with dry fannies, night sweats and unsympathetic GPs doesn’t sound like that much of a hoot alas, we’ve gotta get the t-shirt one day so we may as well know what life has in store for us once our periods have done a Piers Morgan.

Knowledge is power – and in this case, it’s the slightly sobering realisation that our inner workings won’t always be the dewy, hydrated, self-lubricating WAPs of our youth but we grow through what go through pals, and if all else fails, we’re sure TikTok will have discovered some kind of hack by then. We’ve got this.

What is it the menopause?

The menopause refers to the time in a woman’s life, typically between the age of 45-55, when the menstrual cycle stops permanently. At this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing high levels of oestrogen meaning a woman is no longer fertile.

You have reached menopause when you have not had a period or spotting for one consecutive year. Depending on your medical history and your symptoms, you may also have blood tests to rule out other underlying conditions and confirm a menopause diagnosis.

The perimenopause, or menopause transition as it’s sometimes referred to, occurs well before you officially hit menopause, usually between 4-8 years. As hormone levels change, you may experience some symptoms commonly associated with menopause, such as irregular periods, trouble sleeping, breast tenderness, hair changes, headaches, weight gain, loss of sex drive and a wide-ranging list of other physical and emotional symptoms. During the perimenopause, you may still ovulate, so you can still very much get pregnant, even if you’ve missed a period for a month or more.

Symptoms of the menopause

Due to the hormone flux, many women experience physical, emotional and psychological changes. Everyone’s experience of the menopause is unique but some of the most common symptoms can include heavier, lighter or less frequent periods, night sweats and hot flushes (extreme heat in the upper body) – all very similar to some of the symptoms experienced during the perimenopause stage and each can vary in severity. Some women may also experience bouts of increased anxiety and depression.

Can the symptoms be treated?

If your symptoms are severe or they’re impeding your quality of life, hormone therapy may be an effective treatment. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment to relieve the symptoms of the menopause such as night sweats, vaginal atrophy (thinning of the walls of the vagina caused by decreased oestrogen) and hot flushes.

There are two types of HRT: combined HRT replaces the two main hormones your ovaries no longer produce (oestrogen and progestogen) and is offered to those people who still have their womb as the progestogen protects against the risk of womb cancer associated with oestrogen-only HRT. Oestrogen-only HRT is for those who have had their womb removed in a hysterectomy.

Your HRT treatment routine will either be cyclical (also known as sequential HRT) or continuous, depending on whether you’re in the early stages of menopause or you’ve had symptoms for some time.

As stated on NHS.uk, you can usually start HRT as soon as you start experiencing symptoms of the menopause and it can be delivered in different ways including pessaries, tablets, topical hormone therapy, skin patches and gels to help with dryness.

Once the menopausal symptoms have subsided, usually within a few years, you can gradually decrease your dose and taper off the hormones.

Lifestyle changes such as practising relaxation techniques, supplementing your diet with calcium, vitamin D and magnesium and keeping active can also help manage mild to moderate symptoms.

Early menopause

Some women enter menopause early, before they hit 45. In some cases, menopause is induced by surgery, genetics, certain health conditions such as autoimmune diseases and cancer treatment but the cause can’t always be determined.

Premature menopause

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) happens when a woman’s ovaries stop functioning before she has reached her 40s, meaning they do not produce normal levels of oestrogen or release eggs regularly. Unlike early menopause, however, some women with POI can still have a period and may, in some cases, still get pregnant.

Affirming footnotes

Whilst it can be a strange time for women going through the menopause transition, it’s not all downhill from here. It’s a milestone just as much as any other life experience and your worth is not diminished by the passing of years. Ageing is a privilege.

Just as we discover another layer of our selfhood during adolescence, the menopause isn’t all doom, gloom and vaginal droughts. It can be akin to shedding your old skin and reinventing yourself.

Sex without having to give a single thought to birth control? Reveal yourself, menopause. No more nice pants lost to period leakage? Unleash the spenny lace, queen.

Like having twins or living through lockdown, there are many, many good exhilarating moments ahead, people just don’t seem to share them quite as much.

If there’s one thing TikTok has influenced us in (besides whipped coffee and feta pasta) it’s finding, supporting and lusting after the plethora of indie brands that are absolutely killing it, both old and new in the small biz game. Lockdown has seen a huge uplift in cool and creative hobbies becoming businesses, and with IRL shopping off the cards it has opened up a world of opportunity to shop small.

During the week of International Women’s Day 2021, we’re celebrating and sharing our favourite female-run businesses that make our Instagram feeds a better place and inspire gift giving for both pals and ourselves (mainly the latter) a joyous evening activity. From baking to books, candles to ceramics and flowers to face masks, this week’s team edit will have you sucked into an impromptu haul in seconds (sorry bank balance).

Lareese

I love how Instagram, particularly throughout lockdown, has provided an opportunity for so many female business owners to pursue their dreams and do something they love.

Me & My Bloomers was one such gem I discovered via social media – their lavender-filled linen scrunchies and flower pressed artworks are dreamy.

I’ve been a fan of Find candles for a while now – they’re a wonderful family-owned Business near Brighton and they smell incredible.

Butter Up is my sister’s baking business she set up in lockdown and I’m endlessly proud of her! Plus, it means I get to taste test upcoming recipes haha.

Pepper Loves Candles is another 10/10 Instagram discovery – I will forever need her wordy wicks telling me I have a nice bum.

Waiste Vintage is a carefully curated collection of premium vintage wear in Brighton, headed up by the glorious and effortlessly cool Sara Waiste.

Charlotte

Ahh small businesses! There’s such joy in supporting someone’s dream and I find Instagram and TikTok to be such wholesome places in finding businesses that are so aligned with my tastes. Harry Styles designs and products in particular are absolutely popping OFF online right now and The Sunday Dream and Cait Mo Studio are my absolute faves for this- my gallery wall is looking stunning with Cait’s prints! I don’t often buy jewellery for myself but I’ve followed Manchester brand July Child for years and was lucky enough to receive some earrings from a pal for Christmas from the brand which really cemented my love for it. They have so many fun and unique designs and it feels very Gucci-esque in my eyes!

Finally, The Vegan Bakes– OMG BEST SWEET TREATS EVER. I honestly powered through the biscuit brownie trio in a matter of days and still dream about it months later. That Oreo one. MMMM.

Darcey

I think more than ever we should all be trying to support small businesses where we can, and I hope this continues moving forward too. I find the experience of buying small is always way more personal too which I love, with beautiful packaging and little notes etc!

I have recently started to learn more about crystals and I love the crystal bracelets from Luna Loves Shop, they are customisable too! Kalon Candle Co are one of my faves too, absolutely adore the inclusivity of the female form candles. Flourish Sussex sell the most beautiful wreath kits, I purchased one back at Christmas and the experience was so enjoyable and I came out of it with a pretty professional looking wreath. Made by Dhaina is my amazingly talented friend who creates the coolest wall prints perfect for any gallery wall! Another wall art gem is Stef Maden, I recently purchased a print from her through Etsy and I absolutely love it!

Holly

One of the good things to come out of lockdown was the incredible small businesses. Some started up in lockdown and some I just managed to find through literal hours of scrolling.

Foxy Lemon have the best range of cards I’ve ever seen, mainly because of their Gavin and Stacey range and I’ve decided to exclusively speak in Gavin and Stacey quotes from here on out

Maya and Lou face masks were created during lockdown by 2 nurses, specifically designed for people that wear masks for a prolonged amount of time, and who suffer from bad skin as a result of this. They’re so comfy, look nice and they go under usual PPE so pretty much an all-round winner.

Jenni Sparks artwork is among my favourites, they use bright colours and a lot of the prints can be personalised. I have multiple around my flat!

Salt Studios started sharing more of their process through lockdown and I became obsessed! They also run workshops where you can make your own pots etc which is really cool!

Zoe

Small businesses are such a joy to buy from and support where you can & these are a few of my current favourite ones!
I’ve got a real mixture of food, homewares & a gorgeous baby clothing brand I stumbled upon recently!

Dees Basement creates the most beautiful & delicious madeleines you’ve ever seen or tasted! Making the perfect little treat for you or to send to someone else as a little gift!

Stylish eats is a local business that Alfie & I have used for years! Katie makes the most delicious and well thought out graze boards which we order at any given chance!

I discovered Heather Evelyn Candles on Instagram at Christmas time and placed a big order of her wonderful candles! It’s nice when you discover something a bit different!

Elizabeth Rachael worked with us on the Etsy x zoella collaboration and her designs and products are so fun and vibrant!!

Megan Louise Ceramics is also someone we worked with on the Etsy collaboration and her mugs are my go to! Such incredible quality and look pretty too!

Claude and Co do such lovely quality baby and children clothing! Alfie and I recently ordered our babies first garment from here and plan on buying more!

Danielle

I think most of the small businesses I follow are female-owned, I guess the kinds of items I’m after very clearly have a female touch. They really care about the experience and they’re all packaged beautifully. I hate buying prints from websites that everyone goes to and much prefer to spend a bit more on an artist’s work. Eleanor Bowmer and Hand and Palm are perfect places to grab art for your home. I became obsessed with these beaut cakes from @Aprilsbakerlondon I NEED them to start delivering to Brighton! The Skin Library kindly gifted us some Korean skincare products and I have to say I’m completely converted, check them out! Azurina is my go-to for personalised gifts AND they currently have an initiative going where they’re investing £10K in a female-owned small business, find out more here!

Movie magic is bound to happen when there’s a woman calling the shots #justsaying.

From the cinematic Greta Gerwig to the wickedly talented Ava DuVernay, we’ve pulled together a non-exhaustive list of some of the finest filmmakers around and their cinematic triumphs, because if the Oscars won’t give them the recognition they deserve, we sure as hell will.

1. Lady Bird (2017) – Greta Gerwig

Greta’s stunning directional debut centres on a spiky teenager Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her protective mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). It’s a beautifully observed, coming-of-age story that portrays teenage milestones and the complexities of the mother-daughter dynamic with an explosive mix of wit, humour and authenticity. It’s no wonder it made Greta the fifth woman in HISTORY to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar. Please, tell us again how sexism doesn’t exist in the industry anymore.

2. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) – Susan Johnson & Sofia Alvarez

Every generation gets its high school rom-com and this one was a mass hit. When Lara Jean’s secret love letters are exposed to each of her five crushes, she hatches an elaborate plan to fake-date Peter Kavinksy so that he can get back at an ex and she can get over another crush.

3. Selma (2014) – Ava DuVernay

The film chronicles Martin Luther’s King, Jr.’s battle for black voting rights and the epic marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, featuring a note-perfect performance from David Oyelowo as King. Ava DuVernay became the first African-American woman to be nominated for a best director Golden Globe.

4. Tallulah (2016) – Sian Heder

A comedy-drama written and directed by Orange Is The New Black’s Sian Heder and starring Elliot Page as an unlikely nanny who impulsively steals a baby from a neglectful mother and passes her off as her own.

5. 13th (2016) – Ava DuVernay

This blistering Netflix original Oscar-nominated documentary takes an unflinching look at the links between slavery and the 13th amendment and the US penal system that disproportionately affects black people.

6. Clemency (2019) – Chinonye Chukwu

A deeply human death row drama, starring Alfre Woodard as a conflicted prison warden struggling with the emotional demands of her job. Nigerian-American filmmaker Chukwu made history when she became the first black woman to win the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

7. Little Women (2019) – Greta Gerwig

Another sparkling example of Gerwig’s exemplary storytelling matched with Saoirse Ronan’s pitch perfect performance as the iconic Jo March.

8. The Farewell (2019) – Lulu Wang

Writer/Director Lulu Wang directs this beautiful semi-biographical tale about a family returning to china under the guise of a fake wedding – a well-intentioned lie to get everyone together to say goodbye to their beloved grandmother Nai Nai, the only one who doesn’t know she has a few weeks to live. Lulu Wang will make you howl with laughter and rip your heart out at the same time – and you’ll be forever grateful for the privilege.

9. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019) – Marielle Heller

Based on a true story of a real-life friendship between the celebrated American children’s TV presenter, Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) and a cynical journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), loosely based on Tom Junod. In Marielle Heller’s gentle hands and with a benevolent Tom Hanks at the helm, ABDITN was always going to be one remarkable movie wasn’t it!

10. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2020) – Céline Sciamma

A film shot by women, directed by a woman and starring an almost all-female cast, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an intimate celebration of the female gaze and a Celine Sciamma masterpiece. Set in coastal Brittany in the 18th century, artist Marianne is tasked with secretly painting the wedding portrait for reluctant bride-to-be, Héloïse, who is against the idea of arranged marriage. What unfolds is a forbidden, achingly beautiful romance between artist and subject. It’s a visual feast.

11. Pariah (2011) – Dee Rees

Written and directed by Academy-Award nominee Dee Rees, Pariah is the coming-of-age coming-out story of a teenage African-American teenager from Brooklyn, beautifully played by Adepero Oduye. Warm, poetic and tender, it speaks to the queer, black female demographic all too often ignored by Hollywood.

12. Nomadland (2020) – Chloé Zhao

Chloé Zhao is a Chinese filmmaker powerhouse you need to get on your radar ASAP. Her latest film Nomadland, which she also wrote and edited just won a Golden Globe for best motion picture. Nomadland features Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves her home to travel around the American west.

13. One Night in Miami (2020) – Regina King

You may recognise Regina King as an actress but that hasn’t stopped her from picking up a Golden Globe nomination for her directorial debut with One Night in Miami. The film is a fictional meeting of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in 1964 after Ali’s title win over Sonny Liston. Regina became the first African-American female director to premiere a film at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020.

Whilst you’d be forgiven for not having heard of OnlyFans before the pandemic hit, spending more time at home combined with a collective need for extra streams of income has seen the site go big time in the past 12 months. For those that have missed the OnlyFans hype and successfully nailed digitally detoxing in 2020 and beyond, OnlyFans is a content subscription service in which creators earn money from users subscribing to their page, in addition to one-off tips for custom content or solo interaction with a creator.

Despite an obvious disparity in wages amongst its 1 million creators, OnlyFans is synonymous with big cheque payouts and has a get-rich-quick identity following the success of celebrities and public figures on the site. One example of this is Love Island’s Megan Barton Hanson, whose subscriber count and engagement can make her up to £800,000 in a month. But how does OnlyFans work for regular creators without a big name or following behind them? We spoke to 4 women about their experience on the site and got the juicy details you’ve always wanted to know…

Maeve Moon

First up, Maeve Moon of @profit_from_trauma on Instagram. Maeve has a long history working in the adult industry including time in brothels, escorting, sugar babying and also training and working as a professional dominatrix. After leaving the sex industry behind, she now focuses her time and energy on educating younger generations on issues within sex work, including the “quick cash” myth of OnlyFans and healing trauma after sexual abuse.

What was your motivation to start OnlyFans?

Only Fans for me was my final attempt at ‘safe’ sex work. I started out in the adult industry as a Sugar Baby on Seeking Arrangements at 20, travelled to America, private mansion swingers parties, luxury spas and even dated an ex-felon turned celebrity. After about 9 months in the Sugar Baby world I realised I could make the same amount of money I’d make in a week from a sugar relationship within a day if I turned up an account on Adultwork and began escorting. 

I went ahead and it quickly transitioned into full time, high class escorting. I then moved into low class escorting, working in brothels and continuing with Sugar Daddy appointments and arrangements. I also provided a safe space for other sex workers to work within my apartment in London and receive 100% of their earnings, where as working in brothels you are lucky to get 50%.

I then trained as a professional dominatrix for 4 months at a private dungeon in central London with the London Dominatrix school, and then finally – OnlyFans. All whilst I was a student at University.

Maeve Moon

After the whirlwind of my life as an escort, sugar baby and domina, OnlyFans seems like the safest form of sex work I could be involved in. As I already had a solid 2 years of sex work behind me, I thought it wouldn’t be possible for me to find another job…

Sex work is an industry often still shrouded in taboo, is it something you have felt backlash for being part of from your immediate circle/friends/family? Have you had any awkward conversations with those close to you?  

Backlash has never been much of an issue. Most sex workers, if they’re open about the work they’re doing, usually have a good amount of confidence and so when the judgements come from others we don’t tend to be fazed.

Another awkward experience I had was when I was working in a brothel in central Bradford, and I became very ill so I had to stay with my mother for a few days whilst I recovered. The pimp both dropped me off and picked me up from my mother’s house a few days later. This was right before Christmas and on Christmas Day itself my mother refused to do Christmas and I sat at the dining room table and cried as she told me how disappointed she was in me. Hoe hoe hoe…

How do you navigate maintaining healthy relationships and is it something you ever worry may impact a current or future partner? 

I did find this a difficult thing to navigate as a sex worker. Sometimes I just wanted to date a normal person who wasn’t paying me for sex, and who just wanted to spend time with me for me, and date me intellectually. However, I always told people what I did for a living as I was never ashamed, nor did I care what others thought, and this then almost set the precedent within their minds that I was fair game, easy and would sleep with me regardless.

What often ended up happening was I would just date clients, which looking back also didn’t work for me as they were mainly drug dealers or sugar clients in their 40s who wanted to have a family with me and always tried to convince me to ‘not’ be an escort anymore. 

Now as an ex-escort, but not ex-sex worker (I still struggle to leave Only Fans and intend to continue being a dominatrix), relationships going forward are still going to be difficult but in a different way. I will no longer hear the phrase from my Tinder dates “How can you possibly say you have respect for yourself and refuse to have sex with me when you literally sell your body to men everyday?!” – but instead face the reality of a lot of potential partners being afraid to sleep with me, either due to the common myths of a stretched vagina, being riddled with infectious diseases or a fear within them that they will be very inexperienced in comparison to my experience, and not be able to satisfy me. 

Alongside that, I have now seen humans in a different light altogether. I’ve slept with hundreds of men, and sold images and videos of myself to hundreds of people too, I am now no longer interested in sex. 

A funny thing happens within the mind of a human being who no longer wants for money and who also no longer wants for intimate connection and sexual partners. When you have both in abundance, you relieve yourself of the two most pressing wants and desires of humans. Going forward in looking for a relationship, I’ve found it hard to find someone who can connect with me on a level of mental intimacy, as that’s all I really crave- I don’t require the physical intimacy most people need in relationships.

Is there anything surprising or unexpected about creating OnlyFans content you wish more people knew about?

The energy exchange. This is something I was blind to when I began sex work and something I shout from the rooftops now. The energy exchange between you and a client, either online or in person is vital. The energy it requires of you, not only creatively and socially, but physically for the autonomic nervous systems to try to gate out and gage how safe a person, situation or environment is, is incredibly strenuous. In order to be a sex worker, you need to have other aspects, people and environments in your life that feed back to you the love, social energy and creativity you sell online. You need balance.

When you sell your energy for money but receive nothing back other than money from the industry, you will quickly realise that the money is not fulfilling. 

I believe that when we have sex with someone, we share a little bit of our soul with them, and we take on a little bit of their soul in return. The moment that changed my life and made me quit being an escort altogether was when I went on an Ayahuasca retreat and the Grandmother medicine showed me all of the souls I was carrying in my body from being an escort, all of the men I had slept with, and how traumatising it really was for me and how disassociated and damaged my yoni is. After that retreat I stopped it all. I gave up my apartment, all the money I was making, left escorting behind and started my community @profit_from_trauma so that I could educate people and potentially prevent anyone from doing SW for the reasons that I did, that being; trying to fill the hole in my heart from years of abandonment, abuse, homelessness and addiction with the money I could earn from SW. And instead, look within ourselves for that healing. Post Traumatic GROWTH.

Do you ever feel concerned that your OnlyFans presence could limit your future career opportunities outside of sex work?
You can find me on UK punting offering bareback sex to all and sundry, you can purchase videos of me having sex and stuffing lace panties inside of myself, as well as watch me give a foot job to a dildo and electrocute a man’s penis strapped to a table in a dungeon, you can probably still source me on Adultwork, so what does this mean for future careers? Well a lot of companies have a morality clause:

A morality clause is a term within a contract of employment that prevents the employee from behaviour that could bring the employer into disrepute, or is contrary to the ethos of the employer.

The morality clause typically allows for the employer to take disciplinary action, up to and including the termination of employment, against the employee if the clause is breached. Morality clauses are sometimes seen in high-profile positions, such as in the entertainment industry, or in religious institutions.”

An ex-client, who’s now a very good friend of mine once said to me: “however long you think you’re going to do sex work for, times that by 10, and then times that by 10 again” and he’s right. Once you’re in, you’re in. The money and the adrenaline of the danger is heavily addictive, you quickly realise very few other industries can even come close to paying you a ¼ of what you earn as a sex worker, you feel the empowerment of being self-employed and being part of badass tribe of independent women, but you quickly put a big red X on multiple jobs and occupations you can apply to in the future. 

A look to the future…

I wrote an online course called 15 Days of Introspection 4 months after I left the industry because introspection, along with the Ayahuasca retreat, is what saved me. I am also a coach and mentor, for current sex workers, sex workers who want to leave the industry as well as ex-sex workers who are suffering from trauma that occurred whilst they were in the industry. 

Within 15 days of introspection, participants take part in a 15 day video course paired with intimate self-enquiry zoom groups led by me or by one of my introspection tutors.

As a coach I can offer help with:

• Sex work, be it current, past or future sex workers seeking guidance
• Trauma from emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse
• Trauma from homelessness
• Addiction
• Disordered Eating
• Self-awareness/Introspection 
• Self-healing, regulating the Autonomic nervous system (useful for people with PTSD of being a sex worker)
• Goal setting and achieving
• Music – Healing through songwriting

To connect with Maeve, you can find her on Instagram at @profit_from_trauma or visit her website www.profitfromtrauma.com to learn more about her work or book onto a course.

–

Charlotte

Next up we spoke to Charlotte (@arcticharl on Instagram and Twitter) who at the time of publication ranks in the top 0.4% of OnlyFans creators since starting out in sex work in 2017. She created her OnlyFans account in 2019, and was able to dedicate consistent time and energy to her page during May 2020.

What was your motivation for starting an OnlyFans account? 

I was asked on Twitter if I sell nudes – which I didn’t at the time – and so I started selling them via Twitter and then discovered OnlyFans so it made sense as the natural next step.

Have you always felt confident and open in discussing sex with those around you or has OnlyFans helped to make you feel more empowered in this way?

I always have but I think OF has definitely helped.

What’s something you wish you could tell your past self when starting out on the site?

Don’t undervalue yourself!

Do you work on your OnlyFans platform full time, part time or more as a hobby? 

I work full time (12-16 hour days), 7 days a week.

What are the best parts of creating OnlyFans content?

The main part of the job isn’t really making content, although people think it is. But I do like editing photos after I’ve taken them!

What are the downsides to creating OnlyFans content?

It can feel monotonous and like you’re doing the same thing over and over again sometimes.

Sex work is an industry often still shrouded in taboo, is it something you have felt backlash for being part of from your immediate circle/friends/family? Have you had any awkward conversations with those close to you?  

I have seen no backlash as a result of my job, which is how it should be. My friends and family all support me (as they should, it is a job just like any other)

How have you found the experience of sex work during a pandemic? It seems like the ideal role when you’re able to create content during extended periods of time at home, but have you found it hard to switch off or set boundaries?

Do you have a particular niche or identity on OnlyFans that you think sets you apart from other creators? 

I wouldn’t say so – I would consider myself a ‘soft alt’ girl next door.

Do you ever feel concerned that your OnlyFans presence could limit your future career opportunities outside of sex work? 

I really don’t like this question. First of all, I don’t think it should ever be assumed that sex workers see their job as a temporary thing. I intend on doing this for as long as I can and retiring early. I also don’t think it’s anyone’s business what I choose to put online, and I don’t want to ever work for anyone else again anyway so this isn’t relevant to me.

Is there anything surprising or unexpected about creating OnlyFans content you wish more people knew about?

Probably just the mass amounts of bizarre requests I get – but this isn’t news to me any more.

Have you picked up any new and unexpected skills since working on OnlyFans such as photography or videography?

Hahahaha absolutely not, I own a tripod now and I use a Bluetooth remote to take my photos but that is pretty much as far as it goes.

Do you think having a strong social media presence before starting your OnlyFans helped contribute to your success?

I used to think so but now, absolutely not. I have not gotten to where I am on OnlyFans from social media whatsoever, I do all my promoting internally.

Is there anything OnlyFans does as a platform that makes you feel safe and supported, or anything you feel needs to be implemented to improve this?

–

Kaya Corbridge

Next up we spoke to Kaya Corbridge, a 24 year old OnlyFans creator who has made a total of £1.5 million using the platform. She has amassed over 30,000 Instagram followers, 50,000 Twitter followers and is currently within the top 0.4% of OnlyFans creators. 

What was your motivation for starting an OnlyFans account? 

I was a broke university student that couldn’t find a job. I had no idea just how life changing it would be at that current moment. 

Have you always felt confident and open in discussing sex with those around you or has OnlyFans helped to make you feel more empowered in this way?

Yes it certainly has made me more open. Nothing shocks me anymore. I have seen and heard it all … (I hope). I wouldn’t say I was not open about sex previously, it just didn’t come up in conversation as much before OnlyFans whereas now it’s around me all day every day. 

What’s something you wish you could tell your past self when starting out on the site?

Do you work on your OnlyFans platform full time, part time or more as a hobby? 

I have worked full time on Onlyfans for almost four years now. I quit uni when I started to make 30k a month and it’s only increased since then. 

What are the best parts of creating OnlyFans content?

Playing around with photography and props- it can be a lot of fun so long as you have the right attitude. Themed content is your chance to show your uniqueness. Think Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween… all chances to be artsy and smart. 

What are the downsides to creating OnlyFans content?

Looking at yourself all day can be so damaging. You begin to see ridiculous flaws with yourself and it can make me very critical towards myself. Some days content just doesn’t flow – I could be due my period or on my period so I feel bloated/tired and not as much effort can be put in.

Sex work is an industry often still shrouded in taboo, is it something you have felt backlash for being part of from your immediate circle/friends/family? Have you had any awkward conversations with those close to you?  

No I thankfully haven’t. My family has known that I started Onlyfans from day one – it’s never been a secret. Just be honest with those you care about to avoid shock. 

How have you found the experience of sex work during a pandemic? It seems like the ideal role when you’re able to create content during extended periods of time at home, but have you found it hard to switch off or set boundaries?

Yes I struggled massively with this during the second lockdown; I found myself working for up to 19 hours a day. I didn’t move, some days I even forgot to eat. I lived by each hour- it was unrealistic of me to think I could carry on living like that so I began to find balance. 

Do you have a particular niche or identity on OnlyFans that you think sets you apart from other creators? 

I’m just an amateur creator. My content isn’t professional, it’s just me usually in my room taking personalised content for subscribers. My theme across my socials however is travel focused.

Do you ever feel concerned that your OnlyFans presence could limit your future career opportunities outside of sex work? 

Yes I did at the start of my OnlyFans journey however as it started to grow I realised that so long as I’m smart with my money I’ll never have to work for anyone again. 

Have you or would you consider working in the sex industry in person or do you enjoy the dynamic of exclusively working online?

No, I could never do it in person. I feel like I’m too shy even though my close friends would say the opposite. I prefer exclusively working online because it’s less time consuming I believe. 

Is there anything surprising or unexpected about creating OnlyFans content you wish more people knew about?

It will feel like you’re repeating the same poses quicker than you think. I recommend using Pinterest for model/pose inspiration. Pinterest is great for finding inspiration. 

How do you navigate maintaining healthy relationships and is it something you ever worry may impact a current or future partner? 

No it’s not something I’m worried about. I am only 24 years young. I still have a lot more life to love before I start worrying about future romantic situations. 

Have you picked up any new and unexpected skills since working on OnlyFans such as photography or videography?

I can type extremely fast on a keyboard/iPhone. I can type with my eyes closed actually. I send out roughly 5000 messages per a day replying to all my subscribers one-to-one so it was a skill I acquired pretty quickly. 

My photography has certainly improved as I take all of my own content. I have never had professional shoots done or help from other people. I know my best angles and the best lighting spots without trying now. 

Does OnlyFans feel like a sustainable career for you long term?

Is there anything OnlyFans does as a platform that makes you feel safe and supported, or anything you feel needs to be implemented to improve this?

I think they could have better communications with creators as it’s noticeable at times when they send the same automated responses out. Live chat speaking with support would be an awesome feature. 

Mama Soothe [Anonymous]

Finally, we spoke to an anonymous OnlyFans creator who goes by the alias Mama Soothe on the platform about her experience on the site, namely the difficulties and misconceptions when it comes to money, finances and being able to survive on OnlyFans earnings as a small creator:

What was your motivation for starting an OnlyFans account? 

I started an OF account for the most basic of reasons, to make money. I kept putting the idea off, but there was one constant motivator…. TikTok. Every time I opened the TikTok app my For You Page would be full of people telling me about this easy way to make money. It wasn’t just OF, it was ALL sex work. Selling panties, fem dom, massages, sugar babies. You name it, I saw it. I couldn’t escape it, and these girls were making BANK.

Sex work is an industry often still shrouded in taboo, is it something you have felt backlash for being part of from your immediate circle/friends/family? Have you had any awkward conversations with those close to you? 

I only have one friend that knows I have an OF and I would prefer to keep it that way.

What are the best and worst parts of creating OnlyFans content? 

The best part of creating content is being in complete control. Whatever you want to put out there, is on you. You can be as graphic or non graphic as you want. The worst part of creating content is when it starts to feel like a chore.  The fees of working on OnlyFans are not talked about enough, nor are the reversal charges. OF creators don’t want me to talk about it, because essentially more people can know about how to scam the OF content creators. This is a flaw in the OF system. 

Do you ever feel concerned that your OnlyFans presence could limit your future career opportunities outside of sex work? 

I believe OF could definitely limit me in my future career, even though my content on OF only shows my breasts. I am still trying to remain as anonymous as possible. While doing that, I also make less money. But it’s a sacrifice that is worth it.  On that note, nothing is sustainable forever. I think some women have definitely built a solid career that could last quite some time. For others, like me, this will not be a forever thing. 

How do you navigate maintaining healthy relationships and is it something you ever worry may impact a current or future partner? 

In terms of being honest with my partner, I will tell him. I’m single right now, but I would expect that kind of honesty from my partner so I will extend them the same courtesy and be honest with them. If they stay, they stay… If not, well life continues. 

For many, OnlyFans has been a saving grace during pandemic life, creating an accessible platform through which users can generate income with little to no equipment, experience or long term commitment. But what is perhaps brushed to the side when hearing of the many financial success stories is the time required to reach this level of stability, along with the emotional energy and compromised privacy that you’re also signing up to when creating an OnlyFans profile. The site has been the point of debate many times as creators have been ‘doxxed’ (the act of publicly revealing private personal information about an individual, in most instances someone’s identity) by those that know them in real life, potentially jeopardizing jobs outside of sex work in the future and taking a huge toll on an individual’s mental health.  OnlyFans is an empowering place for women in so many ways, but the standout success stories are not the only experiences worth taking notice of. 

For support, charities and organisations such as SWARM (Sex worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement) and Maeve’s resources on www.profitfromtrauma.com offer safe spaces for information and mental health support for those within the sex work industry. 

Who run the world? GIRLS. If it wasn’t already obvious, we’re pretty into celebrating, uplifting and championing women in all that we do, so it probably comes as no surprise that we’re head over heels for the female form interiors trend that has taken Pinterest by storm in the past 12 months. From peachy booty vases and ceramics to abstract line silhouettes, you can say goodbye to bare walls and lacklustre shelves as these celebrations of the female body add a fun and flirty twist to any space.

Alexa: play Girls by The 1975.

*This post contains ad-affiliate links

Hankering for an empowering, educational and inspiring read? You’ve come to the right place.

In this blog post, we’re celebrating women and their wise words, sisters and their stories, females and their fierce bodies of work. From essayists past and present and breakout names to literary powerhouses and contemporary greats, these are the books that have advocated for the lives and truths of women and challenged the way we think about gender.

1 Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies) – Scarlett Curtis

What exactly does the F word mean? This curation of funny, powerful and personal essays by a plethora of diverse contemporary female voices and celebrities explores everything from misogyny and masturbation to period tax and motherhood. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

2. A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf

First published in 1929, Woolf’s essay on women’s struggle for independence was a call to arms and a seminal feminist text. Her thesis is simply that in order for women to write, they have must have money and a room of their own. That is – the freedom and the space to fulfil their true potential. We don’t ask for much. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

3. Dear Ijeawele – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

From the best-selling author of We Should All Be Feminists and Americanah, Dear Ijeawele gets right to the heart of 21st century sexual politics. Adichie’s childhood friend and new mum Ijeawele wrote to ask how she should raise her baby daughter to be a feminist and this 15-piece manifesto is her funny, perceptive and utterly galvanising response. Leave it to Adichie to make her mark in 60 pages and under. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

4. Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible – Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene

Featuring interviews with Susan Wokoma, Lady Leshurr and Denise Lewis, Slay In Your Lane is a true insight into what it’s like to be a black girl today and a powerful toolkit to help black women everywhere take control of their lives. It will inspire, uplift and resonate with many. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

5. Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo

Evaristo’s Booker Prize-winning novel follows the interconnected stories and struggles of 12 black female and non-binary characters, diverse in age, background and lived experiences. Brimming with humanity, Evaristo’s nuanced and achingly relevant novel flows like a lovesong to black womanhood and quite frankly deserves ALL the awards. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

6. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions – Gloria Steinem

A collection of timeless essays from the trailblazing feminist Gloria Steinem, ranging from the hilarious satire “If Men Could Menstruate’ to the moving tribute to her mother “Ruth’s Song”, and the famous exposé “I Was A Playboy Bunny”. Purchase the book via Amazon here.

7. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women – Naomi Wolf

If you’ve ever stood in the mirror, poked at your hips and wished for a smaller, thinner, more symmetrical version of yourself that doesn’t exist, Wolf’s words will strike a chord. Her iconic critique of the oppressive function of beauty standards through the ages is a clarion call to freedom from the shackles of pretty-pressure. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

8. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath’s legendary novel closely parallels her own life and experience with depression. It centres around Esther Greenwood, a young promising writer interning at a fashion magazine in New York who should be having the time of her life, only she’s not because she’s stifled by a misogynistic society and spiralling into mental illness. The fig tree quote will make you feel every type of emotion. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

9. A Vindication of The Rights of Women – Mary Wollstonecraft

Dubbed one of the mothers of feminist theory, Mary Wollstonecraft’s seminal text challenged the notion that women only exist to please men and called for women and men to be given equal opportunities in education, work and politics. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

10. Gender Outlaw – Kate Bornstein

“I know I’m not a man . . . and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably not a woman, either. . . . . The trouble is, we’re living in a world that insists we be one or the other.”

First published in 1994, Bornstein’s fearless and prescient text dismantles gender binary, unpicks our notions of male and female and questions why society defends the binary system so vehemently. In the foreword, Bornstein caveats their work by acknowledging that the way we speak about gender is always in flux and the language used in this edition will no doubt fall short, even in its revised 2006 version. That said, Gender Outlaw invites us all to consider what kind of world we live in. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

11. Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay

Ever felt like you’re a sh*tty feminist? A flawed woman with a penchant for Vogue magazines, misogynist songs and all the pink? From Fifty Shades of Grey to Chris Brown, Bad Feminist is a razor-sharp, witty and insightful look at the glossy myths and contradictions inherent not only in the feminism movement but within the human condition. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

12. The Power – Naomi Alderman

In this speculative fiction/dystopian feminist fantasy, Naomi Alderman asks what if the matriarchy had all the power? It’s a woman’s world now and they can kill with the touch of a finger… Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

13. The Periodic Table of Feminism – Maria Bate

The Periodic Table of Feminism is an empowering look at the feminist movement through the international figures who have shaped it. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org here.

First off, how are you and how is your 2021 going? 

Thank you for asking, you know, 2021 has been far more hopeful for me (and for everyone I think!) and I’m feeling more focused. 

Can you tell us about your career online and how it has evolved?

The origins of Bambi Does Beauty started way back during University (I created a print fashion magazine titled Bambi as my dissertation piece). As I got older, my interest in beauty was more heightened than ever, and that’s when Bambi Does Beauty was born. Originally it was Youtube and blog posts, then Instagram became my outlet. First, there were shelfies and the occasional selfie, now I’ve turned the brand into something more (I hope!) – skincare information and guidance for my audience, alongside an insight into my mental health journey with my posts #BambiDoesLife with a big old dose of aesthetic thrown in for good measure!

We love your IG bio ‘A less is more approach to beauty’ – what can people expect from your content online?

Thank you! My content has definitely diversified, originally it was just pretty pictures, now I want to educate, guide and relate to the people who choose to follow me. My story highlights are where you’d find most of my educational skincare content, tips and tricks and “Skinfo”. Then there’s #BambiDoesLife, possibly my most exposing content series to date. I feel so happy to be able to share who I really am, what I’ve felt and have a bit more of a laugh, and for it to have been received so well! 

We know skincare is just important if not more important than makeup, what are some of your top tips for glowing skin?

Hydrate hydrate hydrate! Not just plonking on a heavy moisturiser but actually layering different textures to get a long lasting dew. I’m also a fan of chemical exfoliation, it can be a real pick me up for skin that’s looking dull and tired. 

People often neglect the skin on their bodies, what are some of your most-used body brands?

This is so true! Up until a few years ago that was me too. I have a memory of someone commenting on how scaly my legs were and that’s just stuck with me! So now I’m really dedicated to my body care routine, and my legs are dolphin soft now haha. I love an exfoliating body cream – it does all the hard work for you without needing to scrub. I adore the Gallinee Body Milk, Dr Dennis Gross Body Peel Pads, Amanda Harrington Glycolic Body Scrub, and you can’t go wrong with a big tub of CeraVe moisturising cream!

Can you tell us about some of the features you host on your IG?

I’m loving hosting my latest feature, Skinfo. It’s basically a Q&A format where my followers enter their skincare questions, and you’ll not be surprised to hear that most people have the exact same concerns! I love that this is just there on my highlights for everyone to refer or just to have a nosey. I’m also really enjoying putting together Guides, (Instagram’s newest feature) where I collate my Top Ten products from each skincare category at different price points, I update this when a new fave comes in too! 

We love your Glamour column! How do you find inspiration for topics?

Thank you! It often just pops into my head! I can be lying in bed and be like “Aaaah that’s it!” and once I have a concept I’m ready to write. I don’t tend to plan them out, I like to write freely and from personal experience. 

What are you currently working on?

A few things will be changing for me in the next few months and I’m really excited for the next chapter! I’m working on building longer-term relationships with brands, and continuing to build an informative platform that encompasses humour and reality. In the hope it will help or perhaps inspire my audience (particularly my younger audience) to have confidence in themselves. 

Who are some of your favourite beauty follows online? 

I adore me some LC, that’s @laucapon on Instagram! Everything she puts out brings me joy, and it’s not often you can say that about a person online. I’m also really enjoying Dr Soma, @dr.somaskin, she shares such informative skincare knowledge but makes it accessible and quite visual too. Lastly, I love Peony, @peonylim, she has such a kind and humble presence, and for someone so beautiful who shares such luxurious content, I think that’s very rare and special.

What does your perfect weekend look like? 

Ooooh, I’ve lost sight of weekends! It would probably be either a trip to a Cotswolds spa with my Mum, eating scones and getting massages. I also love visiting where I grew up down South, my Dad and I are planning a visit this Summer and I can’t wait for all the nostalgia!

What do you always carry with you? 

It used to be my phone but I’ve started banning myself from it when I go to bed until I’m up the next day. So at the moment, I’d say my Milk Makeup Lip Mask (it’s the best product I’ve ever used on my lips!).

What would your last ever meal be? 

Literally, this is something I think about a lot haha. At the moment it would be my mum’s homemade vodka pasta, followed by a box of Krispy Kremes. Lol.

What is one positive piece of advice you could give to our audience? 

Do you, it’ll pay off in the end. 

This International Women’s Day, we’re honouring the fierce female greats who changed the course of history, broke boundaries and defied societal expectations. From pioneering science and political milestones to radical acts of defiance, these are the precedent-setting women who blazed a trail for others to follow.

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 – 1928)

In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel formed the militant wing of the women’s suffrage movement known as the Women’s Social and Political Unit (WSPU). The Representation of the People Act was passed just a few weeks after her death in 1928, granting full suffrage to women.

Emily Davison (1872 – 1913)

Often confused with Emmeline Pankhurst, Davison was a suffragette who died after she was struck by the king’s horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913. When it comes to her intentions, history is divided as to whether she was attempting to merely disrupt the race by attaching a suffragette’s flag to the horse, or she truly intended on killing herself. Whatever her motivation, she was prepared to die for the cause and become a martyr for women’s suffrage.

Amelia Earhart – The first female to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932)

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in a nearly 15-hour voyage.

Claudette Colvin The first Black woman to refuse to give up her seat on a bus (1955)

At just 15-years-old Claudette Colvin became a pioneer in the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat for a white man on a Montgomery bus on March 2, 1955. When the driver of a segregated bus ordered Colvin to get up she refused, saying she had paid her fare and that it was her constitutional right to sit there. She was arrested on several charges including violating the city’s segregation laws. Nine months later, Rosa Parks did the very same thing and Colvin received little recognition for her act of bravery.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old Black seamstress, sparked a turning point in the US civil rights movement when she famously refused to give up her seat for a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott lead by Martin Luther King, Jr. and a nationwide effort to end racial segregation. In 1956, the US supreme court ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional.

Marie Curie – The first female Nobelist (1903)

Marie Curie née Maria Sklodowska became the first woman to win the joint Nobel prize with her husband Pierre Curie in 1903 and again in 1911, this time for pioneering research on radioactivity.

Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)

In 1914, Margaret Sanger emerged as the founder of the Birth Control Movement in the United States. She made it her mission to educate women about birth control and give them easy access to safe and reliable contraception. In 1916, she opened the first birth control clinic in America and in the 1950s, she initiated the research and development of the first oral contraceptive pill.

Valentina Tereshkova – The first woman in space (1963)

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to travel to space. She spent almost 3 days in space and orbited the Earth 48 times in her spacecraft, Vostok 6.

Gertrude Ederle – The first woman to swim across the English Channel (1926)

At age 20, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to complete what was then considered one of the toughest endurance tests in the world, a feat only five men had managed before her. She finished the 21-mile swim in 14 ½ hours, beating the fastest man’s existing record by 2 hours.

Charlotte Cooper – The first female Olympic champion (1900)

In 1900, a 29-year-old Charlotte Cooper made history on the tennis courts when she became the first female Olympic champion in any sport. This feat is made ever more remarkable by the fact that she lost her hearing when she was 26, three years prior to her Olympic success.

Elizabeth Smith Miller – The first woman to wear trousers (1851)

Elizabeth Smith Miller was a life-long advocate and financial supporter of the rights for women movement. She is best known for being the first woman to wear Turkish pantaloons under a knee-length skirt, popularised by Amelia Bloomer in her periodical The Lily. Though trousers didn’t become acceptable everyday dress until the 20th century, the outfit known as bloomers paved the way for change and became a symbol of women’s emancipation, albeit ahead of its time.

Josephine Baker The first Black superstar (1927)

From homelessness to international fame, Josephine Baker was the first African American to star in a major motion picture. She also used to walk the streets of Paris with a pet cheetah on a leash, so she was not messing around when it came to breaking boundaries.

Elizabeth Blackwell – The first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the US (1849)

Bristol-born Elizabeth Blackwell graduated at Geneva College in New York with the highest grades in her class.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Maya Angelou was a poet, historian, lecturer, actress, dancer, singer, director and civil rights activist who fought for social and racial justice alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Her 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African American woman. Her contribution to American culture was most recently recognised in 2011 by President Obama when she was awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.

Anne Frank (1929-1945)

Anne Frank, a young German-Dutch diarist of Jewish heritage, documented the harrowing account of her family’s attempt to hide for the Nazis during the Holocaust in what is arguably the most famous diary of all time.

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Considered one of the 20th century’s greatest humanitarians, Mother Teresa founded The Order of the Missionaries of Charity and dedicated her life to helping the sick and the poor, particularly in India. Today, the group has over 4,000 members who care for people all over the world. In 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress and in 2016, she was declared a saint by Pope Francis.

Malala Yousafzai

In 2014, Malala became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt in 2012 by the Taliban for her activism work. She has since launched an education fund called the Malala Fund to help girls around the world receive an education.

Jane Austen (1775-1817)

In Austen’s day, writing a novel was a radical act for a woman. Not only did she go against the norm by publishing novels, albeit anonymously, she also made women the central figures of her writing. Her six completed novels combine tales of love, life, dysfunctional families, women’s rights, realism and wit, and centuries on from her death, her heroes and heroines have still got a hold on us.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

Florence Nightingale (known as The Lady with the Lamp) was the founder of modern nursing and reformer of hospital sanitation methods. At the age of 87, she was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit in 1907, in recognition for her service in the Crimean War and pioneering work in the health care field.

Michelle Obama

Between 2009- 2017, Michelle Obama served as the first African-American FLOTUS. During her time in the White House, she pushed for healthy living, championed equal rights and advocated for American families in poverty.

Princess Diana (1961-1997)

Princess Diana was determined to leave the world better than when she found it and though her tenure as Princess of Wales was tragically cut short, her humanitarian work was fundamental in changing the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDs.

Queen Elizabeth II

Following the death of her father King George VI in 1952, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne and was officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. She has now been Queen for 68 years and counting and is the longest reigning monarch in British history. Not bad for a reign that wasn’t meant to be!

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest-serving first lady of the United States of America, holding the post from 1933-1945. In 1946, Harry S. Truman appointed her as a United Nations delegate where she became the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1968, she was posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

A century before the first computer was built, mathematician and writer, Ada Lovelace, was credited with writing the world’s first machine algorithm laying the groundwork for today’s computer software.

Kamala Harris – The first female, Black and Asian-American Vice President (2021)

Upon inauguration in January 2021, Kamala Harris made history as the first female, first Black and first Asian-American US Vice President. Ms Harris, 56, was born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents – an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father.

Margaret Hamilton

Hamilton is a trail-blazing American computer scientist credited with coining the term software engineer while developing the onboard flight navigation system for NASA’s 1969 Apollo space program. She was critical to sending humankind into space and very humble about it, too.

Cleopatra

The Queen of the Nile, the last Pharaoh of Egypt and the only woman to rule in her own right, Cleopatra still captivates historians, storytellers and artists centuries after her death.

Elizabeth Eckford The first Black student to attend an all-white high school (1957)

Elizabeth Eckford was one of the first African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, to attend an all-white school as a result of the “Brown v. Board of Education” supreme court case.

Kathryn Switzer – The first woman to run the Boston marathon (1967)

Kathryn Switzer made history when she defiantly became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, even as race officials tried to physically stop her by pulling at her bib number as she ran. Back then, women were deemed too feeble to run the 26.2 mile distance. Fifty years later, Kathryn returned to the Boston Marathon to race again, donning the same number: 261.

Harriet Tubman (c.1820-1913)

Born into slavery in c. 1820, Harriet Tubman grew up working in the cotton fields. In 1849, she escaped her Maryland plantation fleeing 90 miles north to the freedom of Pennsylvania where she found work as a housekeeper. Intent on helping lead other enslaved people to freedom, she returned to the south on some 13 rescue missions to free 70 slaves using the so-called underground railroad network.

The Biden administration will seek to push forward the plan to make Harriet Tubman the face of the new $20 note. The abolitionist will become the first African-American to feature on a US bank note and the first woman in more than 100 years.

Sojourner Truth (c. 1797-1883)

A powerful outspoken advocate for abolition and civil women’s rights, best remembered for her speech on racial inequality, “Ain’t I A Woman” delivered at the women’s rights convention in 1851.

Dorothy Levitt – The first female racing driver (1903)

Dubbed ‘the fastest girl on earth’, Dorothy Levitt became the first woman to compete in a speed competition at the Southport Speed Trials in October 1903. In July 1905, she set her first Ladies World Speed record at the Brighton Speed Trials, driving a Napier car at 79.95 miles per hour.

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Considered one of Mexico’s greatest artists, Frida Kahlo was a trailblazing feminist best known for her fierce self-portraits featuring her iconic unibrow and beflowered hair. In her work, she depicted taboo subject matter such as abortion and miscarriage, celebrated her facial hair in defiance of gender norms and channelled her debilitating chronic pain and trauma into passion on the canvas. Today, her legendary work and uncompromising resilience continues to inspire artists, women and the LGBTQ community the world over.