Ek haal my sunglasses af om vesieke te maak ek sien reg. Daai's mos Patty wat soe innie vlak branders rol. Nogals in ‘n zebra print bikini. Ek dog sy’s 'n never-nude. Sy’s gewoonlik toegekap. Sy’s altyd gelayered met jerseys, jackets en doekies, even oppie waremste dae. Patty moet sieke my gaze gevoelet wan sy…

The menstrual cycle (or period) is a beautiful stage of life that every woman experiences. It can be quite scary at first but you are not alone. I remember my first period. It was at the end of Grade 8. Early one morning at school I felt strange cramps in my stomach. I carried on…

An unplanned pregnancy can be very overwhelming, especially if you have no intention of keeping the pregnancy full-term. If you are afraid that you may be sitting with an unwanted pregnancy and in need of an abortion... Do not worry, you have come to the right place. This can be a scary time, you may…

Many of us watched with bated breath as Imane Khelif took part in the gold medal welterweight boxing match at the French Olympics – clinching victory on 9 August, South African Women’s Day, and making her supporters proud. The Algerian 25-year-old won her first gold medal by beating China’s Yang Liu, crying excitedly and thanking…

Growing up, my mother always made me wear my brightest and boldest outfit for Women’s Day. It was as important as our “Christmas outfits.” I didn’t fully grasp why until one sunny Women’s Day, sitting on the edge of my grandma’s cosy, well-worn couch, she shared her experiences of living in apartheid South Africa. I…

August marks Women’s Month in South Africa, a time where women and their successes, plights, heroism, and tragedies ascend into the limelight and are given additional salience. This Women’s Month, I propose uniting two forces; fems (feminists) and trads (traditionalists). Fems are individuals who advocate for women's rights on the basis of equality of the…

You know how, in the fairy tale, Cinderella’s wicked stepmother makes her cook, clean and take care of everything around the house? My foster mother did the opposite, she hated having anyone else with her in the kitchen, so she never taught me how to cook. Besides doing the dishes every now and again and…

Adultification (noun): the process or fact of treating or considering a child as if they are an adult, usually in a way that is wrong or harmful. For Black women, this concept is not just a word; it’s a lived experience that begins well before they reach adulthood. Black women have a rite of passage…

The "man or bear" TikTok argument gained traction after the pop culture account Screenshot HQ posted a video in April asking eight women if they'd rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear. Seven women chose "bear," and one chose "man." Some women explained that they would choose the bear since…

Hey, let's talk about a tricky line we're all navigating: Walking the tightrope between embracing our sexuality and being sexualized? It’s tricky. Why? Because patriarchal norms - fuelled by everyone, yes, even women - often dictate how we show up in the world. Let’s dive into this battleground. I recently stumbled upon a post by…

Life doesn't come with an instruction manual; it comes with a mother. The love of a mother is enduring. Without the nurturing figures we regard as mothers—biological mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, sisters, aunts, and guardians—where and who would we be? They provide us with support, stability, and encouragement and help us realise our greatest potential at…

The opening lines, "Her gums are bleeding, her eyes are swollen. Her sheer silk, knee-length negligee is torn and stained with lots of blood," immediately drew me into Black Widow Society by Angel Makholwa, it all felt familiar - we encounter stories like this every day in 2024. As we celebrate World Book Day, I…

Have you ever found yourself calling someone a narcissist in a fit of frustration or anger? I assure you, you probably have. This can be as casual as an online retort towards a troll or banter with a friend. It is easy to do this because we've normalised the use and misuse so much that…

Scroll through your social feed, and there it is – conversation everywhere about Ozempic. It feels like the whole world is hunting for the fastest way to lose weight, and Ozempic has suddenly become the spotlight. But the big question remains – is Ozempic the answer we've been looking for, or is it a bit…

Have you ever jumped on the Gautrain and wondered why the ticket feels like it's eating your wallet? Especially during the holiday rush, when "Mind the Gap" becomes more than just a safety reminder—it's a glimpse into the wider gap we're navigating: the gender wealth gap in South Africa. Forking out R3,595 for a Gautrain…

Oh, beauty pageants, those glittering spectacles of glamour that have strutted through the decades, often getting side-eye for celebrating a pretty narrow slice of beauty - all sparkle, no substance, right? Wrong! It's time to toss that old script out the window because pageants like Miss South Africa are flipping the narrative, mixing beauty with…

"During my second year, I heard about the shortages of black females in tech, and it was always a wow factor when people heard what I was studying. I suppose it was surprising at the time to have any interest, being black and female," Nozipho, a 28-year-old Information Security Specialist, shares her empowering journey within…

I recently left a job I loved because of workplace bullying. I was the digital editor of a glossy magazine, and within three months, I managed to turn their stagnant online platforms into thriving and marketable spaces. I broke every record imaginable, the money was great, and I enjoyed my work. It’s crazy for me…

Hot Girl Summer: “Feeling confident in who you are and having fun and looking good while doing it" (Dictionary.com) Newsflash! You don't have to break your bank to have a hot girl summer. Welcome to Girl Talk's guide to a fabulous, budget-friendly Hot Girl Summer! Remember, it's all about feeling confident and having fun without…

A year back, I lost my dad. It's hard to explain, but it felt like my whole world flipped upside down, like something inside my brain just... changed. The pain hit me like a tidal wave, getting stronger each moment—from seeing him for the last time to facing the blur of his funeral. I kept…

"The realisation of his absence left me resentful. I always felt he prioritised his marriage and his wife's feelings more than mine."- That's the tough truth about fathers in South Africa. In the lives of South Africa's youth, a growing void is being experienced - the absence of fathers. This societal wound, as revealed by…

In a world that consumes the minutiae of lives on social media, Jada Pinkett-Smith's candid revelations from her book were met with backlash sharp enough to slice through the double standards that celebrate vulnerability in some but condemn it in others—especially when it comes to Black women like her. Why is that? In this blog,…

About one in every ten women who are able to have children have endometriosis, according to the World Health Organization. This is a condition in which the tissue that usually lines your uterus grows in other parts of your body. Every month, when you have your period, the tissue inside your uterus breaks apart, and…

Breast cancer is not just something that happens to older women. Many women under the age of 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer, says the Cancer Society of South Africa. As a South African woman, you have a lifetime risk of one in 27 of developing breast cancer and it is the most common cancer…

The other day, I accompanied my friend Joyce to the salon to have her hair braided into cornrows. Midway through the process, she stopped the hairdresser and asked for a hand-held mirror. I assumed it was because she was sitting in a dim shadowy corner, and she wanted to see how far along they still…

If you were told you had won R100,000 what would you do? Did you just come up with a lot of grand, exciting ideas? Maybe you thought about buying a 2-storey house, or the latest car, throwing a big party, or taking your friends on an adventure and travelling? Or, if you could do just…

A letter to a teen girl about sex. This letter was inspired by comments on the articles on sex on masturbation earlier in the year. You can read them here and here. Dear Fazeeah, Don’t be ashamed. At your age, it’s normal to ask questions about sex. Is it wrong? Is it only for married…

Are you a “Lazy girl”? And no, I don’t mean the occasional not wanting to tidy around the house, I’m talking about the current TikTok job trend. Gabrielle Judge, in 2023, coined the term “Lazy girl job” to describe more of a work-life balance. The idea is to find a job that doesn’t require too…

A visit to the gynaecologist isn’t usually a highlight for anyone, but it is part of every woman’s journey through life – and your sexual health is extremely important.  A gynaecologist is a doctor who is a specialist in the field of everything that has to do with your reproductive system: your uterus, ovaries, vagina,…

Periods have long been associated with a range of physical and emotional changes, but recent conversations have shed light on another symptom: period brain fog. Many individuals report experiencing mental cloudiness, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating during their menstrual cycle. As we embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries of this intriguing cognitive rollercoaster, we…

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and by that they mean that the beholder - the one who looks - is who determines whether the object of his/ her gaze can be considered as attractive.  This leaves the person being viewed decidedly at the mercy of those surrounding them. Of course,…

I'm not big on make-up, and I'm not very good at either, but I do know the very basics and I feel the basics is all I need to know. I would like to highlight how you really don't have to break the bank to achieve minimal makeup, with a few essentials. How I learnt…

All women have small amounts of male sex hormones, called androgens, but if you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), your ovaries produce a high amount of these hormones. Find out if this may be affecting your life. This syndrome mostly affects women during their childbearing years and can make it more difficult to fall pregnant.…

"Maybe it's time to cut my hair?" I say to myself while I stare at my bushy hair in the mirror. I’d had enough of it. All the detangling, the styling and the very expensive products were exhausting for me and my wallet. I have thick, type 3b curly hair (Learn more about hair types…

Have you ever had a crush on someone and felt too scared to confess your feelings? Trust me, we've all been there! But let me tell you a little story about how I shot my shot and landed myself the love of my life. I looked across the room, and boom, there I saw him…

Centuries ago, women were often physically isolated from others when they had their periods and thought of as ‘unclean’. Those days are over.  If you feel like, it, there’s no reason why you can’t have sex when you are menstruating, if that is what you feel like doing. It’s entirely you and your partner’s choice…

The average disposable pad is made from plastic and synthetic fibres. Up to 800 years will pass before this pad decomposes. Once it does, it will leave behind small plastic compounds, meaning that though the pad has disintegrated, it is still very much littering the earth. Even tampons, which look to be made up of…

A female orgasm is a highly pleasurable feeling during sexual activity – whether with a partner or when you masturbate (pleasure yourself). Every woman experiences an orgasm in her way, and not everyone responds to various sexual activities in the same manner. Some women prefer clitoral stimulation (the outer part of the clitoris is at…

Let's talk about the latest TikTok trend taking the internet by storm: stay-at-home girlfriends! Kendal Kay, a 25-year-old who resides in Puerto Rico, is the perfect example of this trend. She starts her day with a rigorous skincare routine and a healthy green juice before journaling and tidying up her gorgeous home. After hitting the…

Are you tired of constantly feeling like you need to shave? Well, you're not alone! Many women have started questioning whether they really need to shave. It's time to challenge societal norms and embrace our natural beauty. In recent years, there has been a growing movement of women who feel liberated and empowered by not…

There is often a stigma associated with being queer, especially for girls. Sometimes people think it’s a phase, that it's only a fantasy or that it's a sin. But, coming to accept yourself and who you are as a queer youth in South Africa, it is important to remember that there is community, love and…

“Have you ever felt like you are not smart enough to be a scientist? Is that because you believe it, or because someone told you so. Science gives structure to our curiosity about the world. Everyone is a scientist! But not all feel so welcomed in the field. This story is for the young girls…

Is it taboo? Did you know the sale and advertisement of vibrators as erotic tools can be traced back to 1903? It was an advert boldly representing a sort of vibrating electrical belt as a tool for men or women to use. But this advert wasn’t received so well, and others like it were banned…

Being a young woman in academia is no small achievement, especially in South Africa. It was in 1903 that South African activist Charlotte Maxeke became the first woman in Africa to obtain a university degree. In present-day reality, so much has changed since then. Because of progress made with gender equality in South Africa, the…

Climate change can be a big and scary idea that we run from, or we can chat about it with friends! We should all find ways to relate to climate change that make us feel safe. Luckily, we are blessed with a boatload of inspiring young African girls and non-binary folk who are leading the…

Dear Fezeka I hope my email finds you well. I have been missing you so much in the last few months. It would have been so nice to have a friend by my side. It has been a tough time. I told you when we spoke the last time that I found out that Bonginkosi…

What is Rape Culture? You may have heard the term thrown around, but what does it mean? According to Vox, rape culture is a “culture in which sexual violence is treated as the norm and victims are blamed for their assaults”. Although it refers directly to rape in the name, it also includes attitudes, behaviours…

An unexpected pregnancy can come as a big shock, especially if you are still very young. Here's more about some of your options. You've recently done a home pregnancy test and it has come back positive. It may have come as a shock, especially if you do not know the father of your baby very…

What is Safe sex? Sex is difficult to talk about. I remember when I had my first sex education talk in primary school, and there was not only curiosity but a weird feeling of feeling like it was a taboo topic. In high school, we would get talks about how if we had sex, then…

Growing up, girls are always made aware of the importance of being beautiful and acting demurely. Boys are given ships and cars as toys, while girls receive Barbie dolls to remind them of the feminine ideal. Even pop culture and the media teach us that beauty is found in the blonde, blue-eyed, thin lead actors…

Picture this: You have a friend who told you about a horrible experience with someone that made her feel uncomfortable. Although you feel sorry for her, the story of what happened starts spreading to your other friends in school and your community. They say that she asked for it because of how she dresses, so…

Period shame suppresses our human rights! Have you ever felt ashamed about asking for a tampon or a pad in public? We’ve all been there. You’re out enjoying your life, hanging out with a group of friends, or even just praying for the energy to stay awake during class, and the all too familiar stabbing…

Fitting in Growing up in Botswana, I had a lot of friends. We’d hang out at school and play at each other's houses in the afternoons. We were close, and we did not fight much. I felt happy with my friends and like I had a place there. I didn’t even have to think about…

Soon it will be that time of the year when school and work are winding down, and restlessness starts setting in as days get longer and the nights get shorter. You start swopping out the thick scarves and turtlenecks for floral dresses or crop tops; the beaches start to get busy, and the heaviness of…

Looking in the Mirror… When I was younger and would look in the mirror, I remember feeling sad. Sad that my hair was too “wild”, my nose was too wide, and that my body felt too curvy compared to what was being praised as the beauty standard. And not just what I saw around me,…

October 11th, 2022, is the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the girl child (IDG). The United Nations General Assembly declared today as the IDG to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls all around the world face daily.  Societies worldwide need to focus their resources on empowering girls, protecting them, and fulfilling…

Reaching the stage of a relationship where you are both ready to make a lasting commitment is an exciting time for any couple. Discussions about engagement, marriage, and starting a family can easily sweep you up into a magical bubble as you envision the perfect engagement ring, your dream wedding outfit, or what your first…

You and your partner have been dating for a while. You are so in love, and you have an amazing time together. Now you’d like to share your happiness with the rest of the world. The question is: when is a good time to start posting about your relationship on social media? I watched a…

Dear Diary If you could go back in time and change something, would you? If you could warn yourself against certain events that happened when you were younger, would you? What would we say to our 16-year-old selves now that we’ve seen the world as adults? From a 25-year-old It may seem like there are…

Moving from place to place sounds scary and exhilarating at the same time. At 20 years old, Tamsyn Booi has moved several times in her life. The first time was when she was 10 years old, and she came from Joburg to stay in Cape Town with her father. Her parents divorced when she was…

Imagine that you have just found out that your friend was supposedly gossiping about you to some random girl. Not only sharing things about you with a stranger, but telling lies too. How broken you’d be, right? This happened to me. When I found out about what happened, I was really heartbroken; I was so…

I didn’t realise how toxic my dynamic as first-daughter was until I was sitting chatting with my friends about their own mothers.  Since I have shared some of my journey with her, I know you won’t get me wrong - I can never fault my mom for the kind of love she has shown me…

I’m sure you’ve heard of the term, “Friends with benefits” (FWB). If you haven’t, it simply means engaging in sexual relations with a friend - so, not your official significant other, and not a stranger who you have just met. Let’s get personal here, shall we? I, for one, would never engage in sexual activity…

Being older is taking off the rose-coloured glasses we wear when we regard the people who have raised us; maturity is still being able to look up to them even after the fantasy has been shattered. I admire my mother because she is not perfect. She never claimed to be; I think the older I…

‘You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise...’ - Maya Angelou I recently read an article where, in anticipation of Women’s Day, a young blogger decided to reflect and meditate on all the women who had…

Imagine you are having the best sleep; we all know 2am sleep fest be hitting hard. Then boom! A cramp wakes you up. You turn over, squeezing your knees to your chest to ease the pain and try to go back to sleep. Then you start to feel your back is starting to ache; you…

Do you sometimes have those instances of not knowing what to do, what to think? Then you decide to pick up the phone and call a close friend, and after a few minutes you have calmed down and it seems like everything is going to be okay. Friends are everything right? Without them, who do…

Do you know that moment when you’re about to chicken out of something you’ve been wanting to do? That is the exact moment to take the leap, and that is exactly what Tshegofatso Mhlongo, stage name Eli Zaelo, 29, did in order to achieve her goals. Tshegofatso is a multilingual singer. She performs in English,…