The Soft Life

Through a feminist lens, anthropologist Lebohang Masango explores the romantic lives of five black South African women who are dating wealthy men with the aim of attaining a life devoid of hardships, a.k.a. “the soft life”. Masango’s approach avoids portraying these women as gold diggers or social climbers: rather, The Soft Life provides a holistic and human perspective that makes the book a much-needed, insightful look into the dating realities of black women in South Africa.