Tatler and Vanity Fair

So here's what it is.....I've been on a lovely holiday to Spain and while there read 82% (I'm a Kindle user don't you know) of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. It seems to me pretty incredible that I've never read it before as I've got a degree in English and I'm a pretty prolific reader; especially of the classics. But whatever, this one slipped through the net.

The reason I've taken to this blog about it isn't to inform you about the book. If you're read this then you can read it - and if you've got a Kindle then it's free even so there's no excuse - but I will give a short synopsis of what it's all about in case you simply don't want to. It's set in Georgian London around the battle of Waterloo. It's all about how desperate people are to rise in society; the society of that day being all about Lords and Ladies etc. It's about money troubles and relationships, and failures and families. It's great and it got me to thinking about the current state of our aristocracy. HAR HAR, I hear you shout at your screen. What on earth does bumpkin Parrock know about the Upper-Classes? May answer would be that it doesn't matter, I'm still allowed an opinion.

So anyway, off I trotted to Nottingham train station which NEVER has newspapers in the shop and makes me want to kick the bloody stand over which should hold them. But I don't. So instead today I looked at the magazine stand and what did I see.....Tatler magazine. Brilliant I thought (and instantly knew I'd have a blog to write when I arrived in London).

Now I thought I would have to delve deep to find something of interest; but no....On the front page is a beautiful woman with a dark chocolate skin tone in a red Vivienne Westwood dress (how sad is it that I can tell a VW dress just by how it's made). Underneath is written "AT LAST! BRITAIN'S FIRST BLACK MARCHIONESS". I nearly died right there in the shop.

Now you have to give props to Tatler for celebrating the fact but are our richer and betters that far behind the rest of our society? One thing I like about it is that she's mixed-race with a Nigerian father and a Caucasian mother. It makes me feel that them posh-un's are having to ease themselves in gently. I suppose now I'm writing this it doesn't seem that astonishing but it does make me giggle.

I've got to add that I'm not actually that bothered about the aristocracy either way. I think wealth should be spread a bit fairer perhaps but I don't actually care about bringing down all the titles and stuff. I suppose I don't really value them enough to take away from those people who really do. They need them, I don't.

But it's all really good fun to look at and see that this magazine is still clearly affecting that small section of our society's lives. I'll give a brief summary of what else is in Tatler....Helen Mirren's naked boobs.....adverts for stuff you and I will never be able to afford.....Made In Chelsea stars in the buff...... other half dressed models. All that nudity for £4.20. I won't be buying it again.