The Beauty Myth

Remember we said we were going to have some exciting guest posters? Well, meet the first one! Medbh of the excellent Dante and the Lobster is not impressed by Elizabeth ‘Whiny’ Wurztel’s lament for her supposedly lost looks…
Amy Benfer’s post over at Broadsheet brought my attention to Elizabeth Wurtzel’s article in the latest [...]

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All in the Mind

You might be forgiven for thinking that we Anti-Room ladies are obsessed with childish crushes. We’ve talked about the shameful crush (nothing, absolutely nothing, will beat my friend J’s childhood love for Paul Daniels). We’ve talked about role-dependent crushes (hello, Don Draper!). And now, my friends, we’re going to talk about one of the most [...]

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Dude, where’s my give-a-shit?

I’ve always been a bit of a dissatisfied one, prone to pessimism and glass-half-empty thinking. But recently I came across a self-help book that made me feel a little better about my whiney-ass complaining.
30 Something and Over it: What happens when you get up and don’t want to go to work … Ever Again by [...]

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Valentine’s Schmalentine’s Day

I have ranted about the Hallmark holiday that is Valentine’s Day.
I have spewed bile about its romance-on-demand element.
I have baulked at the tweeness of red cuddly toys and heart-shaped chocolates.
I have sniggered at rows of pink and red cards in the shops.
I have spluttered my indignation when anyone asked me “So, what are you [...]

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Me me me me

Respect where it’s due – my fellow Anti-Roomers are delightfully adept at keeping abreast of pop culture this and zeitgeist that. TV, music, film, fem-trends, they’ve got it all licked…and fair play to them. So I thought I’d leave them to it and post about my own specialist subject – ME.
I know – egomaniacal bint.
Anyway, [...]

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Revoking your crushes or ‘How Giovanni Ribisi broke my heart’

I think it’s fair to assume that all of us have crushes on famous folk. Some, of course, are more predictable than others. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are obvious choices, and there’s the whole ’scarlah’ spectrum of our crushes of shame. Erotomania sufferers aside, none of us are delusional enough to think that [...]

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Porn to make me happy

Dear reader, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to read that Kanye West is on for starring in a porno. Not that I’m a huge fan of Kanye per se (too sulky for my personal taste, and that’s before we mention the Brazil-sized ego). I’m more impressed with the type [...]

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Why I’ll never forget John Mortimer…

I was sad to hear this week that John Mortimer (of Rumpole of the Bailey fame) passed away at 85. I wasn’t particularly a huge fan of his avuncular barrister creation, but as a kid I got a kick out of the fact that he called his wife Hilda “She Who Must Be Obeyed”. Mortimer [...]

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Cool as Folk

Something strange has been happening in the music world over the last couple of years. Music has been getting a little bit…pastoral. Artistes like Devendra Bernhardt, Joanna Newsom and the all-conquering Fleet Foxes have been attracting both popular and critical acclaim. And on this side of the Atlantic, the wonderful Rachel Unthank and the [...]

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This Band Won’t Change Your Life

I went to see Vampire Weekend at the Ambassador last week. They were great, in their inoffensive, poppy way, but two things struck me about the crowd. One: girls no longer have to wear sensible shoes to gigs these days. Some day I will write a post about the difference in dressing for gigs when [...]

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