The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Is your novel set in the ’80s as well? It’s loosely set in the ’90s. Is there any music in it? Some grunge maybe? Yeah, grunge for sure. And heyday rap. ’94 had the best rap. When I hear ‘Motownphilly’, that’s got to be like when my mother hears Carole King or some shit. My mother only likes the early Beatles. I think it’s so tasteless and weird, but it reminds her of her childhood, so who cares? I was just thinking, here in Holland feminism has turned into something to feel guilty about. I should hope Dutch women claim feminism, they’re wonderful. I lived near Nijmegen for half a year, back in 2000. All I could say was ‘dankuwel’. I sounded like an ass, but a polite ass. Is the way you look and dress part of being a feminist? For sure. 100 per cent. I believe in sexiness. I have to project what I think is sexy and that is something a bit androgynous, something that is stern and modern. What is feminism going to be like in the future? It’ll be more about an inner strength than a movement, which is wonderful and sad. So once again, it’s about going solo.
Features
Solo is the future, I’m afraid. We’re all separating. But isn’t the Internet bringing us together? No no no no. Should we all get rid of our computers? No! How else will we do our online shopping? What are your earliest memories of guilt and pleasure? I was always talking back to my mother, always getting in snips and last words. My father is dead, and she meant the world to me. So when I was cruel to her, it would feel awful. I know every once in a while my mother thinks: I gave birth to an asshole. Does your mother have any guilty pleasures? Salty foods, gossip, conservative news programmes, shoe shopping. Sounds like a very normal woman. Yes, that’s feminism at work. Embrace your inner shoe shopper. I just wish women were more unapologetic about it. Thank you for your time. Of course, thanks for yours. Dankuwel!
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