Comments on: Essex girl or jolly hockeysticks?

By: Phillipa Lipinski

Phillipa Lipinski — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:18:10 +0000

And what does a Polish-Russian with who has adopted an African heritage do?

By: clarus

clarus — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:26:12 +0000

I work at an international (primary) school in Shanghai. We had a ‘Flag Day’ last week, and instead of just wearing my nice white skirt with ‘rock-painting’ motif, attempted to wear clothes and accessories representing all the colours of the SA flag, and ended up looking like nothing in particular. I was most amused that my (English) boss and his half-Ghanaian daughters all looked far more African than I did in their matching outfits made in Ghana.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:03:36 +0000

This really made me chuckle…. and I think the best post was the one about going as a plain yoghurt … am posting from Australia where I identify with comments about it being easier to see myself as SA from this vantage point. SA’s gather, and suddenly it doesn’t matter what the bloodstock is. Now if only there were some black faces…

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:17:00 +0000

You have probably spent more time in Australia than in England, so why not adopt that heritage. Plenty of stereotypes to choose from there.

By: Stephen Browne

Stephen Browne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:24:12 +0000

Yes! Totally!

“Perhaps, in the end, I should stop worrying about dressing up or bringing food, and instead focus on the essence of Englishness: being polite, emotionally unavailable and filled with repressed anger, which I would then express through biting wit.”

That is English! With a capital ‘E.’ And that is rather revealing description of myself and most of my english friends … Eek!

By: Richard Catto

Richard Catto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:26:33 +0000

Go with tarty Essex girl and post pix 2 FaceBook. Kthxbai.

By: OneFlew

OneFlew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:52:31 +0000

You can’t dress to be both inoffensive to your Government audience and faithful to your “heritage”, if by your heritage you mean anything non-South African.

You would presumably need to dress according to a mythical South African heritage which you share. It will probably be colourful – riotous even – and generically African. It will involve “authentic” jewels; beads and the like.

Don’t wear a kanga.

By: Sean H

Sean H — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:57:07 +0000

Don’t underestimate the effect of that Essex short skirt and stilletos Sarah. It has the power to overcome most cultural issues. If you’re meeting with the right Gender of course…
Good luck!

By: Sarah Britten

Sarah Britten — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:36:56 +0000

Well, I have to attend a government tender briefing tomorrow. So maybe dressing as as colonial will backfire.

By: Blip

Blip — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:16:14 +0000

Dress like Queen Liz.