Dear Stylist Readers,

I haven’t written a proper letter since I was 12, when I wrote to my Spanish pen pal who I met on holidays. Her name was Sofía and she told me of her love of Enrique Inglesias, and explained how her older sister wouldn’t let her borrow her clothes. I told her about my obsession with Alanis Morrisette and combat jeans, and how nobody understood me.

Do people still have pen pals? There’s no need when the immediacy of emails and Instagram comments exist. You don’t need to tell me where you’ve been on holiday or what you’ve recently eaten: I can see from your recent posts that you’ve been living off a diet of avocado on sourdough and just got back from Mykonos. Pen pals aren’t really relevant in 2018. Maybe I’m cynical, but what’s the point? By the time you receive the letter it’s old news – much like the role of news in today’s society.

Laura Whitmore flawlessly explains why we all need to speak up