The Things They Fancied

"The only thing that might’ve been more fun than breezing through this NSFW zine is researching it. In the early days of the pandemic, Molly Young spent two voyeuristic weeks immersed in the ridiculous obsessions of the rich. Mini chapters include countryside manors, French teeth, pineapples, pubic mist, pet squirrels, luxury fragrance. With the right social marketing, she suggests, we’ll fall for anything. Young diagnoses us as the gluttons we are: “People spend money on the dumbest s*** … rich people just spend a lot more of it.” While I – like many – was stuck inside during the bleakest of summers, Young’s wry romp into how the other half lives, today and throughout history, was a fizzy tonic. I emerged grateful for modern amenities like fresh produce, dentistry, bleach and toilets. Recommended if you fancy: Airbnb cottage getaways, JSTOR rabbitholes, Marie Antoinette, The Favourite, sneering at the 1%."