You can't move on social media or in an airport novel for mentions of "the boy", that mythical perfect boyfriend who gets their partner's eyes and tweets all a-flutter. "Meeting the boy for drinks later," they coo, as they skip down to whichever chichi future-dive their beau is sitting in, batting his sweet little eyes at the rest of the clientele. But who is The Boy? How do you get to be one? What does he do? Much like the "Cool Girl", "The Boy" is a fantasy of perfection. In...

I once read an interview with a recording artist in which she claimed she never went to McDonald's or read Heat because "it's so bad to be basic". Is it? Basic is an interesting word – so evocative and yet covers a lot of bases. And a lot of basics. I find it yucky, but I'm nothing if not a massive hypocrite and have, of course, used it myself here and there. Yet I still puzzle over its meaning. It does seem it's a byword for poor, or less fortunate, or less cultured...