I’m Jane and, like you, I’m a Good Housekeeping reader. I’m also – and I’m pinching myself as I write this, as it’s something I’ve been manifesting for quite a while – the new Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief. In fact, two brilliant journalists who gave me huge leg-ups in my early career are former Good Housekeeping editors. I used to gaze up at Sally O’Sullivan and Lindsay Nicholson (and not just because they’re both taller than me) and think, ‘One day, I want to be you.’ Now I am! They’re both magazine legends so, in all honesty, this is as terrifying as it is thrilling, but I’m aiming to make them, you and the incredible 102-year-old institution that is Good Housekeeping very proud.
So, to work! The first thing I did when I got this job was delve into the GH archive. The library, one floor down from our office, has every issue and book we’ve published since our launch in 1922 – the same year the BBC was formed and automatic telephone exchanges were rolled out across the UK. ‘Any keen observer of the times cannot have failed to notice that we are on the threshold of a great feminine awakening,’ began the introduction to the first issue, before going on to promise ‘no drudgery in the house’ and to address ‘the burning questions of the day reflected each month by women known for their sound grasp of their subject – by women who can lead women, and who are fearless, frank and outspoken’. Well, thank you, Alice Maud Head (who, incidentally, rose to be managing director of GH and, reportedly, the highest paid woman in Europe) – because your mission remains the same at Good Housekeeping today. I met a fair few readers at GH Live in November and can confirm that you certainly are fearless, frank and outspoken! Like that first issue, Good Housekeeping 2025 will feature women like you and cover everything you’ve told us you’re interested in, from fashion to politics, TV to food, books to beauty, health to wealth. It’s funny how many people mention to me that ‘housekeeping’ is an old-fashioned word. But I don’t think so, because I believe that maintaining relationships, seeing friends, using clever household hacks, valuing what’s important (and getting good value), speed cooking, smart shopping, satisfying sex (the first GH sex coverline was in 1924!), making money and taking time for yourself isn’t ‘self-care’, it’s not selfish – it’s just good housekeeping.
PORTRAITS OF JANE AND ANNIKI: VICTORIA ADAMSON. JANE’S HAIR: KOTRYNA ZINKEVICIUTE AT GEORGE NORTHWOOD. JANE’S MAKEUP: LINDSEY POOLE. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: LEZLI + ROSE, BETH EVANS, JULIAN BENJAMIN, JESSIE WILCOX SMITH