Category: Women

After 15 years on the contraceptive pill Francesca* decided that she wanted to know how her body felt without additional hormones. She started using a fertility tracking app – which tracks menstrual cycles or symptoms of ovulation to help estimate a woman’s fertile window – after learning about them on social media. “I had been […]

The premise of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield’s film We Live in Time doesn’t scream “romcom”: a woman in her 30s falls in love then gets a stage three ovarian cancer diagnosis. No wonder audiences have flooded cinemas with their tears. While critics have called it contrived, hearts have been won over by the leads’ […]

During peak rush hour, the Mumbai metro turns into a bustling microcosm of the city’s social fabric. Largely shot inside women-only carriages, Rebana Liz John’s compelling documentary lends an ear to the everyday stories that would have otherwise been lost amid the incredible flow of urban dwellers. From her interviews with various commuters, a tapestry […]

I had just turned 40 when it started. Suddenly, the ads on my social-media feeds changed. The algorithms decided I was now officially middle-aged and crumbling – by their metrics – and it was time for me to start buying hormone-supporting supplement blends, collagen powder, bum-sculpting leggings and anti- wrinkle creams. In truth, the hormone […]

Diversity caused the wildfires, apparently Women, eh? They’re simply not to be trusted. Eve ate that apple; Pandora opened that horrible little box; and now women are to blame for the devastating wildfires in California. I know that sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, but it’s what Elon Musk, one of the brightest minds […]

I was struck by how dominant makeup and devices were in 2024, after years of skincare mania in the market. Saie, a fairly priced US makeup startup, stormed it. With the notable exception of its complexion products (improvement needed), the line is excellent. Dew Bronze (£20), an extremely easy, natural-looking bronzing liquid, was its best launch. I reached […]

We’d been riding our mountain bikes and chatting for a solid half-hour when my friend casually said: “Oh yeah, I’m pregnant.” She said it the same way one might say: “I stopped by the grocery store” – although this was, in fact, a conversational hand grenade. My stomach dropped. No, I thought. It was a […]

Throughout his ministry, the Rev Cliff Nyekanyeka has led funeral services for women who died after an illegal abortion in Malawi. He has visited hospitals where doctors have shown him the aftereffects of such procedures, including pictures of what he describes as “rotting uteruses”. And he has seen women struggling with unwanted pregnancies. It is […]

Name: The full bush in a bikini movement. Age: A mere five days, born on TikTok. Appearance: Dense and luxuriant. Well, it’s certainly nice to have a bit of foliage at this time of year. Glad to have you on board. And it’s also heartening to hear that the TikTok generation is getting into gardening. […]

Emma, tell me who you are.” It’s the first day of a meditation retreat in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Moors, completely silent apart from scheduled “communication exercises”. I take a deep breath. “I’m 32. I’m from Liverpool, I live in London with my partner, John.” A pause. There’s no avoiding it. “A year […]