Candice Holdsworth

Friday

Candice Holdsworth

In defence of redheads

From our UK edition

I doubt many people reading this have much sympathy for Prince Harry, but spare a thought for those who have become the collateral damage in all the Harry hate: his fellow redheads. Our precarious fortunes seem to be pegged to the popularity of the most famous male member of our kind. When Harry was loved, people would tell me that he was the ‘only ginger they fancied’, but now that he’s in the doldrums, his hair colour is spat out with scorn. It’s often the first thing people attack about him. Nasty comments about red hair are nothing new. But since the whole ‘Ginge and Whinge’ phenomenon, I’ve heard more negative comments about red hair, in the media and just in ordinary conversation, than I ever have previously.

Saturday

Candice Holdsworth

Rhodes Must Fall activists have become the very thing they hate

From our UK edition

A cruel stunt by a group of Rhodes Must Fall activists has exposed just how detached from reality the regressive left’s 'privilege' narratives are. Ntokozo Qwabe, one of the most prominent figures of Oxford’s 'Rhodes Must Fall' movement, has been publicly gloating on social media about humiliating a white waitress in Cape Town. Showing a stunning lack of self-awareness, Qwabe, in his recollection of the incident, does not recognise that as a student of law at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, he is probably more privileged than a waitress working a minimum-wage job. Even if she is white and he is black.

Monday

Candice Holdsworth

Why are feminists so reluctant to offer practical advice to other women?

From our UK edition

I recently attended a talk for aspiring young journalists where the two female speakers were both senior news editors at a national publication. One of the speakers said quite bluntly to the audience, 'If you want to have a big family, this is not the job for you. Not with the hours we work.' Some people may have found what she said offensive. I thought it was refreshingly honest. It is not often that you hear women speaking so plainly about the practicalities of balancing motherhood with a career. In fact, I think there is a serious dearth of this type of advice, which is sorely needed. It is a reality all women face and struggle with. From contemporary feminism we hear very little on the subject.