10 December 2024
Mikael Jansson
It’s been a while since I made New Year’s resolutions – or at least ones that actually stuck. There was a phase in my early 20s, for example, when I dabbled in dubious wellness trends. The Master Cleanse, also known as the lemonade diet, on which you consume a homemade brew consisting of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and nothing else for 10 days straight, became an annual tradition for a few years – hardly what you’d call a healthy start to the year. Suffice to say, I’m happy to have left that miserable ritual behind me.
That said, I was grateful to have discovered dry January when that first became a thing in the mid 2010s. Ultimately, it was the push I needed to give up drinking for good, which I did a few years ago. Aside from indulging in the occasional celebratory glass of Champagne, I’ve never looked back. It’s why I’m particularly fascinated by author Shon Faye’s experience with sex sobriety, a year-long commitment she reflects on in this issue. As a single 30-something, her decision came as a shock to her friends and family, though she’s not alone – as she explains in Great Chaste, TikTok is filled with Gen Z’ers attempting to go “boy sober”. For Faye, though, this was more than a passing fad: equal parts life-changing and life-affirming. Her beautifully written account will shake up any preconceived notions you might have about voluntary celibacy.
January also signals the start of awards season. With that in mind, I’m excited to shine our spotlight on the brilliantly talented Marianne Jean-Baptiste. She famously became the first Black British actress to be nominated for an Academy Award with Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies back in 1996. Set against the backdrop of suburban England, the powerful drama had me riveted when I first saw it as a teenager. Almost three decades on from that pivotal moment, she’s reuniting with Leigh for her latest release, Hard Truths. As film & culture editor Radhika Seth rightly posits, the actor’s enthralling performance is poised to make her an Oscar contender all over again. Meanwhile, on stage, a much anticipated new production of Oedipus is set to open at The Old Vic, starring the Olivier award-winning Indira Varma and – in his London stage debut – Oscar winner Rami Malek. The electric chemistry from our shoot with this impressive duo jumps off the page.