Soft Life

For once, this is not a book about 'transactional sex' or HIV. There is no moral panic over women having standards in their romantic lives, or easy cliches about women's desperation in the face of unrelenting African poverty In this book, Lebohang Masango explores how women in South Africa give meaning to aspiration, romance and love in their pursuit of the Soft Life. As demonstrated by women all over the world and all throughout history, who you date is as important for your material reality as your career path, how much you earn and where you live. The largely patriarchal social order has meant that dating and marriage are also ways women move up in the world. European luxury labels from head-to-toe, bags, expensive cars and luxury trips are social media staples. The socio-economic climate in South Africa along with rapidly evolving digital tech will ensure that the Soft Life ideal - love it or hate it - will not be a trend, even if it carries different names in the future.

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