The Man Repeller’s January Antics: From Goldfish Resolutions to Digital Herpes

So, the season of ‘New Year, New Me’ resolutions is back (don't pretend you haven't tried to make them). However, thankfully this year, the Man Repeller blog, run by Leandra Medine, has reminded us not to take this January so seriously. I’m certainly in admiration of Medine’s wacky antics the past few weeks, including trying to make use of an industrial headlight once a day for a week (usually wearing it, of course), to hating on oh-so-serious meditation. My ultimate favourite this month though is the Man Repeller’s ‘goldfish resolution’ invention. Sure, resolutions usually go by the way-side from around May, (or, let’s face it, sometimes even the week after we have made them), but maybe that’s because we are going about them in the wrong way. Pretty much, this type of New Year’s resolution looks at how when goldfish are put into a bigger bowl, they grow and change colour - which is freaking cool if you ask me. What we need to do is put ourselves in a slightly bigger bowl, by adapting goals into non-specific, non-structured ideas of where we want to head this year. For example, aiming to prioritise your health, rather than wanting to lose 5kgs. As usual though, Medine has kept it light, with two of her goldfish resolutions being to coin the term ‘sleepcorp’, a combination of sleep and corporate wear (to which I am 100% on board), and keeping flowers in the house all the time, because who doesn’t love flowers?! Goldfish resolutions are just goals that will make you grow and feel great, even if that means doing something small. My personal goldfish resolution, you ask? Well, in line with some nail-on-the-head MR advice, I have decided that I am in serious need of proper therapy for my ‘Blinded by Social Media’ condition. Okay Leandra, I now realise how ridiculously silly it is to buy things just because they would look good on my Instagram account (damn those splurge buys). And the rest of January? The Man Repeller has had fun taking the mickey out of a never-ending pile of emails to read by calling it ‘digital herpes,’ told us to dress up all the damn time, even if you endanger yourself with the possibility of spilling burrito sauce everywhere, and wear crazy clothes if that’s what makes you feel good, à la our beloved David Bowie. Pretty much, we can do whatever we want, so long as we don’t buy clothes for the Insta-likes! Words by Chantelle Murray