Sali Hughes #10 Hiya! Am I in the wrong place? I came here to seethe about Sali.

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Why wouldn't SH recommend somewhere as good as Perfume Parlour? Does she ever look into smaller places that do good dupes? In these times of austerity not everyone can afford perfume - her recommendations for 'affordable' Jo Malone at Zara (£25) would still be a very considered purchase for me.
A column on good dupes for various things would be an absolute winner. If she owes no allegiance to any brands then this should not be a problem.
 
But they’re not an actual nerd, they’re an acceptable, “cool girl” variation of the nerd.

I watched a video recently on the cool girl trope and how it is slowly evolving - just as potentially dangerous but harder to spot. The bit about “cool moms” being imperfectly perfect and putting down the stepford-wife mother types reminded me a lot of SH’s motherhood article where her example of being a rubbish mother was having to buy an Easter egg from a service station the night before it was needed at school. Tragedy.

 
PineappleQueen19 said:
But they’re not an actual nerd, they’re an acceptable, “cool girl” variation of the nerd.

I watched a video recently on the cool girl trope and how it is slowly evolving - just as potentially dangerous but harder to spot. The bit about “cool moms” being imperfectly perfect and putting down the stepford-wife mother types reminded me a lot of SH’s motherhood article where her example of being a rubbish mother was having to buy an Easter egg from a service station the night before it was needed at school. Tragedy.

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Just watched and so interesting. It seems there is a desire amongst 'cool moms' 'cool girls' etc to see themselves as just that bit exceptional and quirky compared to dreary old normal women. 'I'm such a mess! I just don't care!'. They pretend to be the underdog but secretly feel incredibly superior and judgemental whilst pretending they are the judged ones. An extension of the nerd thing - nerds are supposed to be greasy haired geeks but guess what! I'm hot! Sort of self deprecating but not really.
 
Gettae said:
Indeed.
Vegetarianism, dog adoption, bauble collection, granny brands, liberalism, internet decorum...
if you’re not constantly mentioning your lifestyle choices do they even exist?
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It's almost as though she's a construct

Mselvista said:
The dupe of SH's wedding is called Spicy Juice!

🍆

ETA 💦 (apologies, couldn't resist)
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Perhaps Spicy Juice makes a Maintenance Shag easier to stomach
 
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I enjoyed that video, thanks @PineappleQueen19 .
The cool girl is the same as SH's horrendous "dog whistle girl" which I continue to believe is about SH, just like every bleeping other thing she writes (including today's column, which should have been called "the best perfumes for Christmas for someone with exactly my taste". She moans about limited word count but tells us that she's a stationery nerd [that bleeping word again!], what her favourite scent in the stupid sounding gel dispensing pen/brush hybrid is, that she has one of today's recommendations in her handbag, her favourite Jo Malone scent, what her wedding smelt of [like spicy juice it turns out!] and what she has always "felt" about air freshener).
I have long felt that "I'll never be a proper mum" is pretty much bullshit from start to finish. That a control freak like SH would take to her son's school an implausibly battered and bashed up Easter Egg is absurd.
I am probably going to sound very priggish now, but I detest the whole "mommy juice", "I need a g+t, glass of wine etc" after a day of being a parent.
It's really toxic, normalises problem drinking and the idea that alcoholic is a reward or way to cope. If you need a drink after a day of parenting your children go and see your doctor, don't giggle about it.
The "cool mom" thing reminded me of this tweet of SH's. Maybe she's prescribed it privately, perhaps she uses or has used it recreationally or perhaps she's being an edgy twit. I wouldn't joke on social media about currently doing recreational drugs in case I got reported to Children's Services (told you I'd sound like a prig).

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Jelly Bean said:
I've actually considered this in the past and think people (not just SH) use the word nerd to justify spending quite a lot of money on things they know are essentially trivial. Nerds buying lots of beauty products is a very specialist thing and almost scientific. Justification.
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I think you're correct. Luckily for her, she gets her "nerdy" things for free. Like she would be any kind of nerd if she actually had to pay for it herself.
 
I have felt this for a long time with SH’s columns for the guardian and today’s one was yet another example. As a reader I think they look like something written in 10-20 mins max.

Putting all my other issues with the premise of SH’s recommendations, I am very surprised that these columns pass any sort of quality approval. You have a beauty editor plug the same brand’s products in quick succession. You have a beauty editor patronise her audience with a £40 for 18 ml product that lasts for FOUR hours that they have to paint on themselves and a car air freshener! Is the car air freshener meant you be a treat to ourselves in the run up to Xmas in case we so miss the Xmas tree cheer whilst driving to work? Or something we impose on a loved one on Xmas day as a well-meaning and totally not ‘chandler from friends desperate last minute petrol station (via Liberty) present?

I’m confused. But I’m not an idiot. I read a lot of pleasure and judge writing for a living. And this is not great by any stretch of imagination.
 
This "cool girl" and "girly girl" tropes are really interesting and tie into the"nerdy" justification of frivolities which we talked about on previous threads. The video gives a great point she should really take into consideration (perhaps friends/family reading here can send her a link) as she feels like she needs to justify her interests to men, because of some comments (usually from men) about how we don't need this or that, my point here would be - do not justify your interests, men don't. It doesn't have to be anything more than a hobby or escapism or whatever, no science needed, it's just that, something you are drawn to inexplicably. I don't go around asking people how can they be interested in football or pottery or vintage door knobs nor do I give a duck. The point is to reach the level that you don't even feel the need to justify yourself why you write about beauty (that fact that she doesn't do a good job is another thing). However, the "I'm not like other girls/mums/..." gets my reflux going, words only a 2D persona would say, just like her "style" journey which was basically a uniform for most women.

I view everything on an influencer's Instagram as "carefully curated" to create a human billboard and that's pretty much the essence of it now. Same with Twitter, although they have yet to master restraint and their true selves is more apparent, since they believe their every thought must be uttered one way or another as it's so incredibly important.

@Originalnuttah Her writing provides merely amusement and forehead wrinkles from going WTF. Not just the recommendations, but constant repetition of the same exact phrases (which are somewhat better than her poetic attempts) and to paraphrase @Mselvista autobiographical to the point of uselessness. The accompanying photos are pointless most of the time. Did they capture the ambiance of a car freshener in the photo?
 
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Tesla's Ghost said:
The video gives a great point she should really take into consideration (perhaps friends/family reading here can send her a link) as she feels like she needs to justify her interests to men, because of some comments (usually from men) about how we don't need this or that, my point here would be - do not justify your interests, men don't. It doesn't have to be anything more than a hobby or escapism or whatever, no science needed, it's just that, something you are drawn to inexplicably. I don't go around asking people how can they be interested in football or pottery or vintage door knobs nor do I give a duck. The point is to reach the level that you don't even feel the need to justify yourself why you write about beauty (that fact that she doesn't do a good job is another thing). However, the "I'm not like other girls/mums/..." gets my reflux going, words only a 2D persona would say, just like her "style" journey which was basically a uniform for most women.
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If SH stops saying this she'll have to retire"a passion for surface does not indicate a lack of depth" she's clearly so proud of. She'll have to come up with a new opinion too.
 
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She's never been without a Smythson diary. As a child she used get the coach with her nanna from her home in a mining community in the Valleys for their annual trip to Smythson of Bond Street to buy a monogrammed diary for little Sali's stocking. All working class nans did this for their grandaughters back then, it being a matter of pride to ensure that the snot nosed lasses of the coal fields could record their daily strife in journals which closed with a satisfying click
 
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