We’re all guilty of it. We’ve all killed time at the supermarket checkout idly eyeing up the person next to us, musing on their foibles and eccentricities.
And why is it that we British all conform to a type? Whether it’s the hipster with his artfully tousled man bun; the yoga-loving yummy mummy checking out her Instagram feed in the downward dog position; or the Joules-clad DFLs (that’s the Down From Londoners, in case you didn’t know), who are destined never to fit in, with their right-on townie ways and designer wellies.
We may live in an age which champions individualism, but we’re instinctively herd creatures at heart who, consciously or otherwise, adopt the dress and characteristics of the tribe we aspire to join.
None of this is lost on the shrewdly observant Lewes-based cartoonist Chelsea Renton, who has produced an achingly funny book celebrating the weird, loveable and inexplicable variety of beings that populate these isles, each with their own delightful quirks and oddities.
“I had an ‘a-ha!’ moment while walking in the Hebrides with a bird-spotting book two summers ago,” grins Chelsea. “And I thought, ‘Why not do one about people?’”
The idea was eagerly snapped up by The Oldie, which offered her a regular cartoon slot. This, in turn, attracted the interest of the book-publishing world. But Chelsea is well aware that as a white, middle-class female from a privileged background (she’s the daughter of the former Mid Sussex MP and Conservative chief whip Tim Renton), she’s treading a fine line.
Given her place in the social whirl, does she worry that she might come across as, well, a bit snobbish?
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
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This story is from the February 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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