Posts from Felicity Westmacott
Chinese inches For anyone puzzled as to why there are two kinds of inches, two measurements both called inches but not the same. You may have come across a tape measure with ‘inches’ that seemed a little off. These are most likely Chinese 寸 or cùn not a western inch, Though very similar a cùn...
My contribution to the gender upbringing debate: I believe the genders should have equal opportunities. I don’t believe the genders are ‘the same’, there are differences but these are differences that are evident over wide portions of the population and not to be relied on when comparing two randomly selected individuals. Therefore it is important...
If you have ever despaired of understanding sizing in the shops, rest assured, you are not alone. Why are you a size 14 in one shop and a size 18 in another? Unless, of course, you have just eaten A LOT of cake in a cafe in between the two shops my musings below may...
Until wash-fast chemical dyes were widespread (1940’s/50’s) most children were dressed largely in white, whether boys or girls, right up until the age or six or seven. Of course they did wear other colours too, but white was practical as the clothes and nappies could be bleached. As they grew up styles were chosen that...
Should we ban balaclavas because a few criminals choose to wear them? People have as much right to wear a bikini without being hassled as a burkha and I will defend their right to that choice.