Pessimism for Beginners

The shortlisted authors for the T.S. Eliot poetry prize have been reading their work all week on BBC Radio 4. Make sure you listen to Sophie Hannah's sensational Pessimism for Beginners, here. I was transfixed in the bathroom this morning, rooted to the spot, listening to it.

Lingerie and burlesque

The Guardian explains the rise in sales of expensive lingerie thus:

Before then, the only acceptable way for a normal woman to blow a week's wages on underwear was to buy a pretty but practical and sturdy set from sensible bra supplier to the Queen, Rigby and Peller. The rise and rise of underwear can also be attributed to the burlesque boom: "Before burlesque exploded a few years ago, lingerie was typically seen as either functional, trashy, or lacy: you could either be the virgin, the whore, or the grandma," says Shell. "With burlesque, there was suddenly a new, confident look that was sexy yet coquettish, vintage yet modern ... I think it gave lingerie a cooler, more glamorous image."

Thought for the day

A girl whose cheeks are covered with paint
Has an advantage with me over one whose ain't.
Ogden Nash