Dolly Alderton/Pandora Sykes

[slugella]

Hello! I didn't see a thread for either of these so thought I would do a joint one as The High Low content might come up too. I had no idea which forum to put them in. I've tried to listen to their podcast and couldnt really get into it. I find myself agreeing with a lot of what they have to say but prefer to read their writing maybe I just don't like their content in podcast format idk.

Curious what everyone thinks of them? I generally like them though am starting to find Dolly a little more irritating since her book came out, she seems pretty self obsessed especially the way she speaks on Twitter.. I also found her book really really overrated. I read it and didn't hate it but everyone acts like it's some sort of game changing piece of writing? I'm intrigued to see how Pandoras book goes down which I think is out this summer.

 

[Lanavalentine]

I feel like I am the only woman in the UK who doesn’t really like them!

I used to listen to The High Low, but became utterly sick of how so many of their opinions seemed to come from a place of being “woke” and cool rather than actually thinking logically or critically about the topic at hand. I found their idea of feminism to be feeble at many points.

Mainly though, my gripe with them both is that they’re from incredibly privileged backgrounds yet try and pretend to be some sort of everywoman.

I read Dolly’s book, and although I think it was well written, I found it so difficult to relate to - it’s as if she seemed to believe that spending her last bit of money on a taxi to see a boy was hilariously common for all girls in their early 20s on an unpaid work experience jaunt in London. Erm, no! That kind of attitude to money only comes from someone who grew up with it and doesn’t appreciate it. I found her really trying to play down her privilege in the book, actually, but her life still seems very different from the average (certainly her upbringing was very different from mine).

They’re both just typical pretty rich girls who knew the right people, although I do think Dolly is a good writer and I will give her novel a chance. Absolutely no interest in Pandora’s book, though!

 

[slugella]

Totally agree about the privilege/rich background - I had no idea Dolly was so wealthy until her book! And also the article she wrote about her time at private school/how she disagrees with them now.

Crazy that Pandora and Dolly both managed on unpaid internships for so long. A very sad side of journalism that it's filled with the people who could afford to work for free, which I think I have read them both acknowledge.

I think I started to tire of her a bit because there was a time she was literally on everyone's podcast and I started off listening to them all as I was a fan of her but after a while it just all got a bit same old. In that circle of people like Emma Gannon, Elizabeth Day etc they all seem to pop up on eachothers podcasts so it gets a bit repetitive.

I really enjoyed her Love Stories podcast though. Also her writing about her eating disorder was well written and honest, I had no idea she went through that.

I will say though that Dolly seems to have very strong friendships which I guess says a lot.

 

[Lanavalentine]

Totally agree about the privilege/rich background - I had no idea Dolly was so wealthy until her book! And also the article she wrote about her time at private school/how she disagrees with them now.

I think I started to tire of her a bit because there was a time she was literally on everyone's podcast and I started off listening to them all as I was a fan of her but after a while it just all got a bit same old. In that circle of people like Emma Gannon, Elizabeth Day etc they all seem to pop up on eachothers podcasts so it gets a bit repetitive.

I really enjoyed her Love Stories podcast though. Also her writing about her eating disorder was well written and honest, I had no idea she went through that.

I will say though that Dolly seems to have very strong friendships which I guess says a lot.

Dolly is definitely more palatable than Pandora to me. She’s got the talent to support her success, whereas I think the jury is still out with Pandora.

Still think The High Low is mostly just an exercise in following trends, being woke and contradicting themselves, though!

 

[slugella]

Dolly is definitely more palatable than Pandora to me. She’s got the talent to support her success, whereas I think the jury is still out with Pandora.

Still think The High Low is mostly just an exercise in following trends, being woke and contradicting themselves, though!

She was very honest in her book wasn't she, I don't think I could have revealed what she did! Especially the bits about therapy and all of the drama she has had with men and being celibate for a year.

 

[Coffeetrampbiatch]

I really loved Dolly’s book but haven’t gotten into the High Low at all. Dolly’s book for me fell at a perfect time in my life where I was about to move countries, was celibate and my best friend was about to move to be with a man and I completely got her talking about her friend getting into a serious relationship and her feeling sort of abandoned. Find them to be a little pretentious at times and they are definitely very privileged but then you’d be hard pressed to find someone who you aren’t more privileged than in the world so I can’t really blame them for that.
I did also love Elizabeth Day’s podcast but found that I found myself getting a bit frustrated how the only people who were getting on in the arts were rich and public schooled. I do think she tries to be balanced but I felt like all of her mates on there were posh.

 

[emm]

She was very honest in her book wasn't she, I don't think I could have revealed what she did! Especially the bits about therapy and all of the drama she has had with men and being celibate for a year.

I couldn’t finish the book this but a lot of that was already in the public domain she had a dating column in the times for quite a while..I listened to the high low a few times but listened to one ep in which dolly was laughing about having dated a domaines delivery driver.. the tone of their comments were quite snowy but pretending not to be and that was the last time I listened. Totally agree with other people’s comments about the book, nothing groundbreaking I don’t get the praise

 

[KitSnicket]

I think that they're both insanely privileged but try to ride the everywoman gravy train.

But I remember being a poor trainee journalist and working every evening in a supermarket and eating reduced food in a backpacker hostel just to learn the trade

 

[SpeakEasy]

I can’t bear the posting of glamorous photos and then dolly putting captions such as “put on eye shadow and felt like Lily Savage” - it’s just the constant humble brag. Most be exhausting to be so “woke”

They come from immense privilege and yes they do have talent (I do like Dolly’s writing) they also probably wouldn’t be where they are today if it wasn’t for their rich parents.

 

[Lumpfish]

Yep they’re very wealthy and privileged, which is ok, but they try and act like they’re not which is what grinds my gears.
I enjoyed Dolly’s book but think it’s silly she acts like every woman and girl next door when she’s run off to her parents beach house to escape lockdown lol

 

[Mercedes12]

I do really enjoy their podcast and Dollys book but I’ve seen recently that they’ve come out and started moaning about people being prejudiced against them for being “posh” - seriously duck off poor little rich girls

and there are moments on the podcast when they complain about something or describe a problem which makes their privilege sooo obvious, gives me the ick

 

[AdoraDelano]

Yep they’re very wealthy and privileged, which is ok, but they try and act like they’re not which is what grinds my gears.
I enjoyed Dolly’s book but think it’s silly she acts like every woman and girl next door when she’s run off to her parents beach house to escape lockdown lol

Interesting! Didn't realise it was her parents' beach house. She really should have come home as soon as lockdown was announced.

 

[Spilttea]

I’ve listened to the High Low for a while, although enjoyable in a superficial way I find both women terribly pretentious at times and a bit out of touch with common opinion, especially when covering mainstream topics. Dolly is definitely the more personable and likeable of the two. Pandora often goes off on a word salad tangent or goes on and on about books I neither want to or will read.

However, both women went down in my estimation when they completely bypassed the furore caused by Clemmie Hooper/Mother or Daughters being outed as a Tattler, they didn’t even mention it even though it was dominating social media/twitter and news. They had MOD on their pod previously so it isn’t as if they weren’t aware of who she is and what her spiel was.

I also find that despite the common discourse on influencers and the ever increasing backlash they rarely if ever mention it as if it’s far too lowly as a topic for them to cover.

I find their book/literary talk terribly self indulgent and fast forward all the those bits. I genuinely couldn’t give a flying fig about Pandora’s latest literary passion project. Both sound and are incredibly posh which they can’t help but it does make me eyerolly when they try and “relate” to the common, non media, London dwelling woman.

 

[Pegsypog]

I like them both... their podcast keeps me entertained.
I can’t see too much how they are posh / privileged but I am not From England so I think it may be one of these nuances as A foreigner you struggle to understand

 

[Lanavalentine]

I like them both... their podcast keeps me entertained.
I can’t see too much how they are posh / privileged but I am not From England so I think it may be one of these nuances as A foreigner you struggle to understand

That’s really interesting. Do you mind telling us where you are from?

I can see how the small signifiers of their class/background like their accents and even their names (not many working class or lower middle class women called Dolly or Pandora around!) might pass a foreigner by. I can also see how they fit into the stereotypical mould of how English people are portrayed internationally in the media, which is generally very far off the mark of an average Brit.

There are also the more obvious clues about their wealthy backgrounds - where they’re from (London suburbs), both privately educated (Pandora went to boarding school), they were both able to afford to undertake unpaid internships when they were starting out. It’s all very obvious to someone from the UK, so it’s interesting to read an international perspective!

 

[Pegsypog]

Not at all. I am italian and I’ve been here for 10 years, married to an English guy.

I believe it’s to do that in Italy we have 98% state school and they lots better than the private ones.
If you are rich you will still go to a state school as the private one and for the rich and thick.
We also don’t have such a thing as RP or posh accents.
Class system is something I am learning on the way, a good book that helped me understanding further was “watching the English” by an anthropologist but there are still many things that are obvious to my English colleagues and friends and I have no clue about. It’s fascinating though

 

[slugella]

Is Dolly's real name Hannah? I have no idea where I got this from I think maybe in her book she referred to herself as Hannah.

 

[Hubrisand]

Is Dolly's real name Hannah? I have no idea where I got this from I think maybe in her book she referred to herself as Hannah.

yes, dolly was a nickname she acquired in her school days I think

 

[Lanavalentine]

Not at all. I am italian and I’ve been here for 10 years, married to an English guy.

I believe it’s to do that in Italy we have 98% state school and they lots better than the private ones.
If you are rich you will still go to a state school as the private one and for the rich and thick.
We also don’t have such a thing as RP or posh accents.
Class system is something I am learning on the way, a good book that helped me understanding further was “watching the English” by an anthropologist but there are still many things that are obvious to my English colleagues and friends and I have no clue about. It’s fascinating though

Thanks for replying! That’s so interesting about the Italian schools.

I loved Watching The English! It taught me a lot too despite being born and bred here. It is a fascinating topic.

yes, dolly was a nickname she acquired in her school days I think

I think my point still stands though - in fact, I think that is quite an “upper classes” thing to do, to keep a school nickname as a professional name.

I’m well aware that I am now coming across on this thread as if I am obsessed with class and status! I’ll see myself out...

 

[supersceptical]

Yep they’re very wealthy and privileged, which is ok, but they try and act like they’re not which is what grinds my gears.
I enjoyed Dolly’s book but think it’s silly she acts like every woman and girl next door when she’s run off to her parents beach house to escape lockdown lol

Unless she is flat-out lying, Dolly has said that she was renting a cottage on a Holiday estate in Devon to edit her book and then when lockdown was announced didn't want to break the rules by leaving - but it was the same estate she grew up going to Holidays on with her parents, so this may be where the confusion lies. In general I really enjoy the podcast in terms of it as an information source to articles and issues I may not have come into contact with otherwise - I do completely agree with the fact that they massively downplay their privilege though.