#MahsaAmini and the Hypocrisy of Western Allyship

On September 16th 2022, a 22 year old Kurdish Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini died, reportedly as a result of injuries inflicted by the Guidance Patrol (Iran’s morality police, responsible for ensuring public compliance with Iran’s legally enshrined moral standards). In Mahsa’s case, she was arrested by the Guidance Patrol for not wearing her hijab according to the Iranian legal standard; that is, her hijab was loosely tied and some hair was visible. The specifics of her cause of death are not fully known, although it is believed she suffered catastrophic injuries which may have caused a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke, resulting in death.

The consequential global uproar regarding Mahsa’s death has been incredibly interesting to observe. On a personal level, I am in full support of the Iranian women fighting back against a regime which has forcibly ensured compliance with a legal standard in a realm where perhaps, legislative control is not the answer. I am not by any means Islamically knowledgeable enough (yes, despite being a practicing Muslim), to pontificate upon the interface between the moral versus legal and individual versus collective, when it comes to observance of religious commands. The most immediate question which comes to mind for example, is that formal ritual prayer (Salah) has been enjoined upon all Muslims, men and women, once they reach the age of puberty. If however, a man or woman does not pray or chooses to never pray yet professes to be a Muslim, is it the role of government to step in and ensure compliance via legislative control? I don’t have the answer and as I say, this is more of a personal musing than anything else.

However, as a Muslim woman residing in the UK who does wear a hijab, it is the reaction of Western, specifically non-Muslim individuals, that has given me pause. In the last few weeks I have observed a huge number of people and brands (largely on social media) posting in support of Iranian women’s right to choose whether or not they observe hijab. From celebrities and influencers to billion dollar conglomerates, everyone seems to be on the same page. That sounds great one would think. Finally! People are paying attention to ordinary, everyday Iranians who simply want to live their lives as they choose. And therein lies the hypocrisy.

Whilst Muslim women in a largely Muslim country fight for their right to choose whether or not to wear hijab, Muslim women in non-Muslim countries (I’m looking directly at you, Europe) also fight for their right to choose - this time, it’s Muslim women who do want to wear hijab but are increasingly subject to hostile governments looking to govern how Muslim women dress, and thereby how they live their lives. The outpouring of support for Iranian women is wonderful to see. The lack of outpouring of support from the same influencers, individuals, brands and conglomerates for Muslim women in Europe, is without a doubt, a gross indictment of character of those who would have us believe, are standing in support of women’s rights.

Supporting a Muslim woman’s rights when she is doing something you approve of or something which aligns with your worldview does not make you the upstanding ally that you seem to believe it does. If anything, it highlights the disingenuity between your word and your practice. The protests in Iran on behalf of Mahsa Amini and against the Iranian regime display a level of righteous anger which is not pretty, or nice to look at, or easy to swallow. But it is raw and real and a true indicator of the level of anger and frustration of a population.

I therefore cannot help but think that if the same level of anger and vitriol being directed towards the Iranian government, was to be seen in Europe - only this time, it’s Muslim women fighting against European governments for their right to choose, burning pictures of European leaders and calling for their removal or death (as is happening in Iran); would the reaction be the same? Would the reaction of these self-appointed allies of Muslim women in far flung places of the world, be the same when other Muslim women fought for the exact same rights, but on their doorstep? If teenage Muslim girls all turned up to schools wearing hijab (as opposed to cutting their hair), would there be support? Of any kind? Or would these Muslim women and girls be subjected to anti-terrorism action, their voices drowned out by those who say they know better, telling them they ‘don’t assimilate?’ What would the likes of France, Belgium, Denmark and the rest do? Because I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty. They wouldn’t sing the praises of these Muslim women. They wouldn’t call out in support of their actions and their fight. There wouldn’t be a mass social media movement in support of these women. These women would be left alone to fight, forgotten and left behind again.

So please don’t tell me you support Muslim women or the right to choose. Your support starts and ends with yourself and your worldview. Your support is not for others, it is for yourself.

Recipe: Chocolatey Granola

I absolutely love granola.

It is without a doubt, one of my most favourite breakfast and snack foods. It’s crunchy and a bit crispy, and sweet with a little bit of salty (sometimes), and the perfect amount of soft with milk or yoghurt added.

I love experimenting with flavours and combinations once I’ve perfected the basic recipe, and this one beat all my expectations considering I just started adding random things until it worked.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of gluten free (or regular) oats

• 3/4 cup of maple syrup (or other syrup that you like. Golden or butterscotch would work nicely)

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup of mixed chopped nuts

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (you can leave this out if you like)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder (you can leave this out if you like)

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 100g dairy free chocolate chips (or break a bar of chocolate into smaller pieces; use regular dairy chocolate if you prefer)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, salt and cinnamon.

2. Add the coconut oil and half of the maple syrup and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the remaining maple syrup and mix thoroughly again.

4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread out the granola, compacting it a little so it forms clumps when baking. Keep the height of the granola no higher than 1cm.

5. Bake for 15 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius until the oats are slightly golden brown. Mix the granola at least once so the oats underneath have a chance to bake too.

6. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.

7. Add the coca powder whilst the granola is still warm and mix through.

8. Add half the chocolate and mix thoroughly. Then add the other half and mix again.

9. Keep mixing to allow the chocolate to melt and coat the granola with the residual heat of the oats.

10. Let it cool and transfer to an airtight container.

Spotlight: Oliver Gal

Oliver Gal is a contemporary art and lifestyle brand that embodies haute moments, avantgarde objects and splendid living in art and lifestyle items.

I love the use of bold colours, prints, and emblazoned motifs unapologetically strewn about all over the place. In the world of haute-couture, elegance and over-the-top indulgent luxury is absolutely key. But in the world of Oliver Gal art, haute-couture is turned on its head to maximise symbols, logos and established brand identities to give an edgier look.

In the rarefied world of high-end art, it doesn’t do to have Chanel’s intertwined C’s displayed on your living room wall, or Louis Vuitton’s monogram stamped above your sofa. That’s so nouveau riche, after all.

But Oliver Gal defies established norms (as all art should), and instead happily plays up every aspect of couture brand identities in wall prints and cavases. The pop culture is real, the style is flashy and the prints are museum quality.

Some favourites below…

Gold Goddesses

Re-Imagined Duo

Dior

Natural Instinct

Balenciaga

Fahima Goddess

Chanel

Bubbles and Furs

Hermes

#IBelieveThem

Broadcast on 8th March 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a 2 hour interview. The conversation was a peek into life behind the scenes for Harry and Meghan, and to shed light on the reasons why they decided to leave the UK last year. I want to preface this by clearly stating that I believe Harry and Meghan, and their assertion that life in the UK became unbearable for them.
The Family v. The Institution

Meghan was very clear in separating the royal family from the wider institution of the monarchy - i.e. the staff, the people who ensure the monarchy operates as a well run machine. This includes the advisors, the household staff, HR, Press/PR etc. In my view, Meghan was largely very complementary about the family, and specifically the Queen. She mentioned two incidents involving family members, one of which included her directly, and the second involving Harry - interestingly, she didn’t give full details of exactly who was involved in some of this and to my mind, she did the family a huge favour that she did not owe. At no point did Meghan come across as criticising the Queen, or even most of the family. The institution on the other hand, was understandably a different story.

Racism …

Meghan spoke openly about the racism she faced although the interview didn’t particularly delve into the racism of the tabloid press, other than comparing some articles written about Kate with those written about Meghan. This deserves an entire show by itself.

…in the Family

A few things stood out to me clearly. The first is that Prince Harry said he had a conversation with a family member who wondered “how dark” their child’s (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born. The person is understood to have commented on what Archie’s skin colour “might look like” and “what this might mean.” Leaving aside the fact that Harry and Meghan are 75% Caucasian between the two of them, and therefore the chances of their children having a dark skin tone were slim to none to begin with, it does not surprise me at all that there are racists in the royal family. The point here (and why I consider this racist) is that without question, the same person who made these comments would not have questioned “how light” Archie’s skin tone might be, had his mother been 100% Caucasian. As one commentator put it, no-one was asking which shade of alabaster their child might be.

…in the Institution

The second point, which to my mind, can only be put down to racism, was the assertion by Meghan about the discussion to strip Archie of his “Prince” title. The discussion being had here was theoretical; Meghan even partly explained the George V convention laid out in the Letters Patent, which essentially states that grandchildren of the monarch will automatically gain the title of Prince or Princess, and the eldest male great-grandchild will also gain the title.

With respect to the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince WIlliam and Kate), an exception was made in 2012 by Queen Elizabeth to ensure that all of the Cambridge children inherit the title of Prince/Princess, even though they are the monarch’s great-grandchildren, not her grandchildren, and ordinarily, only Prince George would have held this title, not his siblings.

Meghan appeared to be making two points about this. The first is that the institution took a very different approach with Archie. Whilst it was understood that Archie would automatically take the title of Prince upon his grandfather ascending to the throne, the discussion in the institution was that changes would be made to the Letters Patent to ensure that Archie never took the title of Prince, and therefore, according to current institution procedures, would not be afforded security.

The question Meghan asked was ‘why?’ Why would an institution as reluctant to change as the monarchy, suddenly decide, for no explicable reason, that Archie would be unilaterally stripped of a title that would otherwise be his birthright. In the absence of any other explanation the only sensible conclusion is racism.

The second point (and I’m not sure if this was fully expressed, although it is what I gathered from the way Meghan stated it), was that, as an exception had been made for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis assumed this could be made available for Archie. A reasonable request given his parents were receiving death threats. She was told by the institution that no similar exception would be made for Archie. The problem that Meghan understandably had with this, was not Archie’s inheritance of the Prince title itself, but that being given the title meant that Archie would gain the protection of personal security. In light of the very real threats (including death threats) made against Prince Harry and his family, it is entirely reasonable that Meghan would be concerned about Archie’s personal safety and security. Unfortunately, the response from the institution appears to have been, “sorry, can’t help you.”

Lack of Support

Several points Meghan mentioned throughout the interview came across as a severe lack of support from the institution. She suggested that there was a lack of willingness to ensure that she was given the tools and information to carry out the role she had taken on. Meghan specifically mentioned that as an American, she did not know the British national anthem (nor can I think she had any reason to), but no-one in the institution seemed to recognise that she would be ‘missing’ significant parts of monarchical culture which would need to be addressed. She described having to figure out the bits she didn’t know herself and teaching herself.

The reason I find this interesting is that in the end, the job of a working royal is simply that, a job. And like any job, it is the employer’s role to ensure the employee has a smooth onboarding process, which involves giving them the tools, information, processes and procedures to carry out their role effectively. As Meghan described it, this simply did not happen. I felt that she came across as genuinely upset about having wanted to do a good job and being actively prevented from doing so.

The second point to mention here is regarding the story which most of the UK managed to hear about, courtesy of the tabloids, is that of Meghan apparently making Kate cry about something to do with the bridesmaids’ dresses ahead of the wedding. It was revealed that it was in fact Kate, who made Meghan cry but Meghan also explained that this was graciously dealt with, with Kate apologising and Meghan forgiving her. Despite this, the institution did not clarify anything with the tabloids who continued to accuse Meghan of extremely poor behaviour and of making Kate cry which was untrue. This is regardless of the fact that the Palace specifically went out of their way to deny Kate having botox treatments a few years ago. When Meghan questioned this, she was told “the Duchess [Kate] cannot be involved with idle gossip.”

Mental Health

The cumulative effect of the lack of support from the institution, being the subject of persistent and pervasive racism (largely from the tabloids), as well as continuous false and degrading stories written about her, resulted in a significant deterioration in her mental health and Meghan says, left her feeling suicidal. When she tried to get help and approached the HR department, she was apparently told that as she wasn’t a paid member of staff, they wouldn’t be able to help her. Having heard this, I am in no doubt as to why the Palace insisted that a HR investigation involving alleged accusations of bullying by Meghan was suddenly being carried out shortly before this interview aired. (Incidentally if anyone could explain the discrepancy between Meghan being a working royal but not being a paid member of staff, I’d be grateful). For any organisation to have managed to have driven one of their own to wanting to commit suicide is abhorrent. I can only hope that Meghan is getting the help and support she needs in the US.

In conclusion…

It sounded to me that the main problem throughout this entire time and really, the focus of Meghan’s interview, was the institution and departments running the Palace, rather than specific family issues. I feel that if the “work” situation had been handled appropriately, at the time, and the only real issues had been managing family relationships, Meghan would have been able to carry on. It’s useful to remember of course, that Meghan was essentially in a foreign country, away from her old sources of support including her mother and friends, taking on a colossal new role in full view of the media, not being provided the support she required, yet somehow expected to manage this without dropping anything. My sympathies lie entirely with Meghan and Harry and I hope they find what they are looking for in their next chapter.

Style Icon: Aurora Teagarden

Trust TFO to choose a fictional character as a style icon, but believe me when I say, that this lady has got it going on. She is classy, preppy, and on trend, and if I could be best friends with a TV character, it would be Ms. Teagarden.

Played by Candace Cameron Bure (of Full House fame), the Aurora Teagarden mystery movies are broadcast on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. She may be a creation of Charlaine Harris’ series of much-loved crime novels, but we can’t deny that she’s got style. 

If you’d like to incorporate the crafty detective’s regular style and fashion into your daily wardrobe, then welcome to our quick guide to dressing like Aurora Teagarden!

Office Fashionista

Looking for something to wear on regular office days?

Take a leaf out of Aurora’s book, by pairing a blue blazer and green skirt combination like a queen. The colors absolutely complement each other – both are cool and pleasing to the eyes. For the inner shirt, you can wear something floral or patterned to add a little spark of design into an otherwise simple outfit. Finish it off with your favorite pair of platform heels, and voila!

Rodeo Double-Breasted Blazer from Bloomingdales

Warehouse A-Line Mini Skirt In Green from Asos

Women's Burlington Ankle-Strap Pointed-Toe Pumps from Bloomingdales

Alternative Apparel The Tootie Faded Floral V-Neck T-Shirt In Calico Floral from Tobi

Professionally Cozy

Featuring a comfortably warm long-sleeved coat and a pair of black pants, this outfit is perfect for a cool and breezy autumn morning. The coat is thick enough to allow you to feel warm, but it’s also not so thick that you’ll feel stuck.

The choice of pants depends on what you find most comfortable but we personally prefer softer fabrics to allow you more freedom of movement. Add a pair of high-heeled ankle boots and you’re good to go.

After all, it doesn’t really matter if it’s cold outside–nothing can ever stop you from channeling your inner Aurora!.

River Island Double Breasted Military Style Coat In Khaki from Asos

Emma Super Stretch High Rise Skinny Jean from Fashion Nova

Women's Mine Suede & Stretch Stiletto Booties from Bloomingdales

Indoor Casual

If you’re more of a shy and conservative kind of girl, then this style will look absolutely perfect on you. The cardigan covers any potentially revealing areas while the pants shows not an inch of skin. The colors are also subdued, making sure that the outfit doesn’t stand out too much when you’re out in the crowd.

Honestly, if you’re going for a ‘shy bookworm’ look, we couldn’t recommend this ensemble enough!

As Per Usual Cardigan - Olive from Fashion Nova

Dorothy Perkins - Billie and Blossom White Lemon Print Viscose Shell Top from Debenhams

Tall 24/7 Stretch Slim Leg Pants with Pockets Plum from QVC

Ankle Boots Lace Up from Amazon

Effortlessly Chic

Just because you want to be stylish doesn’t mean you have to go all out! Sometimes, simplicity is key to looking elegant and well-dress. Take this outfit, for example. Aurora’s only wearing a buttoned down mock turtleneck knit shirt, but doesn’t she look stunning anyway?

This shirt would be perfect with either a pair of skinny jeans and stilettoes or a pencil skirt and heels. If this outfit is much too simple for you, you can also add some accessories like earrings.

Dondup Short Sleeved Turtleneck Sweater from Di Pierro

711 Skinny Women's Jeans from Levi’s

Date Night?

Going on a first date soon? A great outfit idea is Aurora’s yellow mustard dress. It’s not too simple, but it’s not flashy either – perfect if you want a good first impression. If you want to make it less simple, you can even accessorize it with a bejeweled necklace and a pair of earrings. For the shoes, just add in a pair of strappy low-heeled wedges and you’re good to go!

Shirred Mini Dress from Forever21

Red Agate Dragon Ball Gemstone Necklace With 26" Silver Chain from Natural Healing Gems

And there you have it. Our guide to dressing like Aurora Teagarden! Which one is your favorite outfit? Are there any other Aurora Teagarden-inspired ensembles that you like? Feel free to share it with us in the comments below!

Together: Our Community Cookbook

When I heard Meghan Markle was working with a local community project in London to put together a cook book, I had a ping moment.

Or should I say: a Tig moment. (Meghan will understand that reference even if no-one else does!)

And that’s because food, and community, and bringing people together is exactly what Meghan loves, so of course she would start somewhere familiar for her first project. For those of us who followed The Tig, this comes as no surprise.

Having pre-ordered the book, I was so excited to see it arrive yesterday morning, and needless to say, for someone who is as passionate a foodie as I am, I’ve already pored over every recipe, every hint of global culture, and every tip and trick put forward by the ladies of the Hubb Community Kitchen in Grenfell. Their stories, and the very essence of bringing a traumatised community together, echoes in these pages.

The Middle Eastern and Asian recipes are a familiar sight to me; some have been put together in ways that are new to me, and different to the methods I learnt from my mum and my grandmother, in our kitchen. Others are exactly the same.

Those little differences have already helped to open up the world a little more to me, to introduce a fresh way of thinking about my time honoured favourite dishes, and provided a little insight into someone else’s kitchen and their family table.

The other recipes, which are exactly how I’d make them at home, offer a sense of comfort in knowing that women so far away, with such different life stories, have grown up with or learnt the same ways of putting these beautiful, simple, ingredients together to create feasts for anyone who drops by.

Reading through these pages, I almost feel as though I could just wander in and grab a plate of lamb pilao and jeera chicken with a little raita on the side, and feel right at home….

The best part of any cookbook however, is the newness. The dishes I haven’t come across, the flavours I haven’t yet discovered. And as for that, the recipe I’m most excited about has got to be the beef and aubergine casserole from Intlak Al-Saiegh… a Persian dish of meatballs in tomato sauce with aubergine…frankly, it sounds like the stuff that dreams are made of and I can’t wait to try it for myself. Dee-licious! (Thank you Intlak for adding this one to the book).

The philosophy behind the Hubb Community Kitchen and bringing people together will be familiar to anyone who was raised in a South Asian home. Pakistani families like mine, as well as our Indian and Bangladeshi neighbours, have always centred around food as a focal point in our culture.

Even for second-generation immigrants like me, the kitchen is at the heart of our home, and large family gatherings with vats of samosas, pakoras and kebabs, accompanied by biryani’s and chicken, mutton or lamb dishes, vegetable handi’s and dhaals, together make for feasts fit for royals.

I have so many fond memories of watching my mum, grandmother and aunts all pitching in at Eid in my grandmother’s kitchen to make dishes that I love to this day, and feed a horde of hungry kids and adults; the kids tired from running around all day after their sugar-high’s from being fed endless morsels of mithai and jalebi’s, and the adults finally resting with cups of hot masala chai having been on their feet all day.

I own many cookbooks and I love a huge variety of cuisines, but the difference about Together is that, it’s not just a book with recipes; as Meghan says in her introduction to the book, it’s about the melting pot of so many women, from so many different walks of life, connecting through the one thing that brings all people together.

You don’t need to speak the same language as someone else to hand them a plate that will feed the body and nourish the soul; you just…do. People say that music bridges cultures; personally, I think it will always be about the food.

You can purchase Together here and here for £9.99.

How to Achieve Desk Chic

Desktop chic is one of my weaknesses. I'm pretty sure it follows on from my love of stationery which saw me all the way through school and university, before translating to my working life. Everything about a well organised desk and workspace, from complementary stationery to the accessories calls to my inner artist.

Here are my top tips to ensure your desk remains chic. Some of these might change depending on whether you work from home or in an office, but fear not, you can always pick and choose whatever you like, to suit you.

1. Furniture - Decide what you need in terms of space and seating. Don't go for anything fussy; keep it simple with clean lines and straight edges. Your best basics are a desk, chair and filing space/shelving or a bookshelf. 

2. Co-ordinate. -Think about colours and how to co-ordinate these with the rest of your room. Neutrals always work well in most spaces. Remember you can always paint furniture if you find a style you like but in the wrong colour. I'm a huge fan of whites and creams for desks and chairs. 

3. Accent - change up your colour accents. Don't go for uniformity, you want to add some personality. I love metallic tones against white and cream, so anything in rose gold, copper, bronze or even bright yellow gold works well. 

4. Accessorise - adding smaller touches will really liven up your workspace. Think about lamps, pen pots or a photo frame. Don't forget about laptop covers and mousepads as a handy way to add colour and pattern. 

5. Greenery - bring a little nature into your workspace by adding a desk plant. Don't go for anything fussy and definitely not a plant that needs watering! Think of a succulent or even a cacti. You could even go for a fake plant, although I personally love the idea of genuine nature being part of my workstation.

The Tragedy of Immoral Law

This is a lifestyle blog. When I started it, I told myself that I would leave my wider opinions on law, justice, politics and morality at the door, and instead focus on my other interests that fit neatly within the “women’s lifestyle” industry. I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.

I discovered social justice, or rather social injustice, at a young age, long before I ever developed an interest in beauty and fashion and “nice” things. I knew who all the local MP’s were when my friends were still playing with dress-up dolls and started keeping track of who the Prime Minister was, and the main political parties in the UK, when I was around 7. That’s not to say that I didn’t do other things; I loved doing “kid stuff,” but a part of me was always somewhat aware of the wider world around me to the point that I remember asking my mother at the age of 9 whether she was planning to vote Labour in the general election in 2001. (I tried to get her to vote Liberal Democrat just because I liked saying “Liberal Democrat” so much. Didn’t work.)

I think it’s fair to say that my interest in all of these areas has always been motivated by fairness or lack of fairness. I’m not sure where it came from because I don’t remember my parents ever discussing politics or the law, certainly not with me, although they always voted in every election and were very much aware of current affairs. Somewhere in the midst of all this, I developed my own code of morality, justice, fairness and crucially to my mind, the idea that the law should always be working to achieve these three things in order that citizens are able to live their lives relatively free from state interference but with the backup of help as and when they needed it, and the ability to access recompense or restitution when the system failed them.

Years later, this led me to study Law formally at university which I absolutely loved. I think it’s unlikely that I will ever practice Law but for me, the academic debates around Law and how it affects our lives was enough. Tied into the Law, not only in the UK but also abroad, was politics, and the understanding that all Law is created, amended or repealed as a result of political influence. What I understood as a result is that not all Laws are created equal and most importantly, not all Law sets out to achieve the aims that I had thought were the purpose of having Laws in the first place i.e. to achieve morality, justice and fairness for citizens. The uncomfortable conclusion I reached as a young teen was that in many cases, Law can be created to directly oppose these objectives and therefore “just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s right.”

More recently, I’ve been thinking about this again but this time in the context of US politics. Who could miss the debacle that the Trump presidency has created? Trump’s vision of the office of President as a “strongman” for his friends has caused uproar and misery to millions and the latest in a long line of actions has been to separate parents from their children at the US border. The policy of “zero tolerance” that has been touted to stamp down on immigration and those crossing the border has led to the detainment and imprisonment of parents with their children being taken away by the federal government through ICE, which has subsequently either posted these children thousands of miles away to end up goodness only knows where, or held at “tender shelters,” a euphemism for prison camps for babies, toddlers, children and young people.

In classic Trump style, he has insisted that this separation of children from their parents was as result of the Law being enforced as it should, whereas in truth, it came about as a result of an Executive Order he signed. Following the outcry in the US and abroad Trump backtracked and signed another Executive Order ending this policy of family separation but the problem is, it’s too little, too late. I understand why ICE and others acted the way they did – the issue I have is that it follows on from the principle that “just because it’s Law, doesn’t mean it’s right.” Admittedly, in this case, family separation wasn’t technically the Law, it was still an order by the leader of the nation to carry out something extremely morally reprehensible. And it was done.

Some have said, “if you ever wondered what you would have done during the Nazi regime, this is your chance,” and I have to say, so many people have failed the test. The attempted justification of “we were carrying out our orders” is literally the same justification that Nazi officers used to explain the Holocaust. It’s not good enough. There has never been a more crucial time in recent history than right now, for those on the right side of morality and justice to stand up. After all, there was a time when slavery was legal, as was human sacrifice. That didn’t make it right.

If you or someone you know is in a position to effect change, do it. Do it because it’s the right thing to do. Refuse to carry out orders, be subversive. There are times in human consciousness when simply disagreeing with the way things are is no longer enough. Get involved in your society and make a difference whether it’s immediate or long term. Stand for elections, galvanise the people around you. Hammer the point home that this is not normal, it is not okay, and you will not stand for it. If those who hold positions of power over in our societal structures are wrong, it is our job as citizens of our countries to make changes.

Coffee Table Books: Recommendations & Tips

I adore coffee tables and coffee table books. I also adore coffee which makes a gorgeous stack of coffee table books all the better. Here are just some of the books that spend their life artistically laid out on my table.

I tend to have a bit of a revolving door with these and swap them in and out with others depending on my mood. Let me know if you have any of these and what you think of them, or if you have any suggestions of other books I should get my hands on!

1. Influence by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

2. Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes

3. Irreverent by Carine Roitfeld

4. Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

5. 100 Photographs: The Most Influential Images of all Time by the Editors of Time Magazine

I have a few key tips when it comes to organising your books. Keep these in mind and you'll always have a chic table.

1. Choose varying sizes - you're not stacking shelves with identikit items; you want to catch your guest's eye.

2. Variety - this one really depends on your interests but I'd suggest having books on a few different topics. This could be anything from fashion and beauty to travel, people or art.

3. Pictures - regardless of topic, each book must have a significant amount of large, high quality imagery. Think children's books rather than novel...

4. No more than 5 - this isn't a bookshelf. You want to have a manageable number but also offer variety. I would suggest either 3 or 5 books but no more or less. 

5. Colour - as well as size variation, I always recommend varying cover colours. Your table shouldn't offer uniformity; it should be co-ordinated but original so have at least one very dark cover and one very light. The rest should fit happily in between.