Yes, I’ve got glasses. No, it’s nothing to do with Sarah Palin
Victoria Coren: Women worry that spectacles will make them look learned, blue-stocking, sexless or intimidatingly smart. In a trice, Palin whipped that stigma away
Give it a twirl
The retro art of hula hooping is making a comeback. And no wonder, says Lucy Atkins: as well as being a lot of fun, it will tone your body in all the right places
Break the silence
The college shooting in Finland shocked the world. But is such a tragedy only to be expected where gun ownership is so high? Hanna Backman describes the dark side of her home country
Puffing their way to glory
Is it possible, asks Peta Bee, that being super-fit lessens the risks of smoking?
Vitamin deficiency
Editorial: Libel battles can make and break reputations, but only rarely do they bear on questions of life and death
How has The Joy of Sex changed since 1972?
Stuart Jeffries: Psychologist Susan Quilliam has updated the original with 43 new sections and it offers a woman's perspective for the first time
Only the clotheshorses can buck fashion’s thin fixation
Hadley Freeman: The labels won't, and nor will the glossies. It takes the likes of Kate Moss to challenge the addiction to skinny models
Incense smoke may increase the risk of developing some cancers
A study suggests that burning joss sticks raises the risk of certain mouth, throat and lung cancers
‘My body is wrong’
Should children who believe they are transgender be helped to change sex? Viv Groskop meets the parents and doctors in favour of intervention