Jessica Clark
Verified
As seen in:
MamaMia,
Daily Mail,
Perth Now,
This is Money,
NowTo Love,
School Library Journal,
The Mighty,
Marie Claire (Australia),
WhatsNew2Day,
Mogaznews En,
Express Digest
and
I write the things.
Articles by Jessica Clark
'Farmer Wants A Wife just aired the biggest girl code breach I've ever seen.'
Have you ever snooped? Farmer Wants A Wife's Rachel broke the ultimate girl code reading Eddy's diary. Here is why we're recoiling.
It turns out Sydney's cosiest winter escape was hiding in plain sight.
Blue Mountains weekend away: Need a winter reset? Inside Logan Brae Orchard's cosy Machinery Shed and the best scones in NSW.
Just 7 of the best recipes you can make with a store-bought roast chook.
Supermarket roast chicken recipes for when cooking feels offensive. Try these 7 easy dinner hacks like a cheat's Caesar to save your weeknights.
Farmer Wants A Wife has a glaring problem.
Farmer Wants a Wife: Tired of men who want you to chase them? Lily walking out on Farmer Dylan is the relatable dating moment we need.
'I'm 34 weeks pregnant. Here are the things absolutely nobody warned me about.'
Weird pregnancy symptoms like sneezing pain and wild dreams are totally normal. If your third trimester hurts, read this.
The Jessicas on Farmer Wants a Wife are giving all of us a bad name.
Farmer Wants A Wife saw every Jessica eliminate herself. As a fellow Jess, here is why this mass reality TV exodus is completely unforgivable.
Final Hours: The Best Click Frenzy Mayhem Sales To Shop Before They’re Gone
Lover via The Iconic If you’ve had your eye on something but haven’t been able to justify hitting that “process order” button (after all, the cost of living crisis is hitting us all, and hard), you’re in luck. Another massive sales event — Click Frenzy Mayhem — is here, with some of the country’s biggest retailers (think The Iconic, Adore Beauty and Lovehoney) offering huge discounts.
I Froze My Eggs. Three Months Later, I Was Pregnant.
Jess Clark has packed a lot of life into one lifetime, and this episode proves it. Now working as Mamamia’s food and travel editor, Jess takes us through the chapters that shaped her: a religious marriage in her early 20s, a full-blown identity reset, a cancer diagnosis, heartbreak, egg freezing, and a plot twist that changed everything. LINKS: The one question I wish people would stop asking me about my baby.
Tommy the Coward
by (text) & illus. by Roberto Lauciello & Andrea Piccardo . Jan. 2026. 88p. Tr $14.99. ISBN 9781545823057. Gr 3 Up COPY ISBN Gr 3 Up–Thomas “Tommy” Anderson has been given the moniker “Tommy the Coward” by his classmates because he is scared of everything, including ladybugs and sunshine. Tommy’s parents go on a trip and leave him and his older siblings on their own for a few days, which makes him very nervous.
Reese Witherspoon's theory about the death of the rom-com explains everything.
My generation grew up on Bridget Jones and 10 Things I Hate About You, where love was presented as mess, but sincere. Now dating feels like a group assignment that no one wants to lead. We are all terrified of being the one that cares first. Listen: Mamamia Out Loud's Em Vernem campaigns for less nonchalance and morechalant male energy when it comes to dating. So yes, Reese, I agree: bring back the romantic comedy.
With five words, Jennifer Aniston just blew up the Jennifer Aniston playbook.
But at 56, she is finally letting us see behind the curtain. Not because she owes us that, but because perhaps she's no longer afraid of it. Or maybe it's because she's finally happy. And maybe this is exactly what happiness looks like. The calm that comes when you no longer feel the need to convince anyone you're doing okay. It's the kind of energy that makes you unapologetically hard launch your hot hypnotist boyfriend without running it past your manager.
'We tried the viral dating app hack to get better matches. We've lost the will to swipe.'
I'm 42, a single mum and recently back from a self-imposed dating app exile after getting spectacularly stood up (you can read that disaster here). Pre-challenge, I was getting about 15 likes a day, and I would say that I would have, on average, two people a week that I would consider matching back. Not bad for someone who treats dating apps like a "build it, and they will come" situation.
These are the 8 dates you need to go on to know if you're compatible with someone.
Dating in 2025 feels less like a romantic pursuit, and more like a team-building exercise that involves a number of failed and awkward trust falls. There's an entire new vocabulary around modern dating — soft launching, hard launching, ghosting, slow fading, "talking stage", "seeing each other", "exclusive", "not exclusive but also kind of exclusive", "existing on just vibes" — and you need a linguistics degree just to understand what you are to someone. It is exhausting.
Best Restaurants Open on a Monday Night in Sydney
Let’s be honest: nobody likes Mondays. A weekend full of fun is over (and we’re all exhausted because of it), it’s time to go back to work and the harsh realities of being an adult are staring us in the face. Typically, the first business day of the week is a slow one for the food scene, with diners less likely to want to head out after a packed weekend social calendar, and hospitality workers getting a well-deserved night off.
Introverts, it turns out there's a perfect time to leave a party.
Apparently, I am not alone. According to new research from Hinge (yes, the dating app that has apparently decided to now dabble in anthropology), there is an exact window of time in a social situation before even the most socially capable among us will start to unravel. They've coined it the "social sweet spot". Hinge surveyed people about their "social energy", or how long they can be around others before they become emotionally checked out. The result?
The podcast about real therapy.
It's a pattern nearly every couple knows: we stop listening and start reacting, and suddenly the argument isn't about the original problem anymore. It's about survival. When Sarah pulls back the curtain on why people fight, she returns to an idea from renowned psychotherapist, Esther Perel: almost every argument can be traced back to one of three things. Care and closeness. Respect and recognition. Power and control. "Those are the roots. It's rarely about the dishes or the text messages," Sarah said.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have reunited: what it means.
Let me be very clear with you: it is not a sign. It is pure delusion. For those who have managed to avoid the past two decades of pop culture déjà vu: Jennifer and Ben met on the set of Gigli in 2002. They got engaged, with Ben presenting J.Lo a pink diamond that was approximately the size of a golf ball. Then, under the weight of "intense media pressure" (and, arguably the box office bomb that was Gigli), they called it off. Fast-forward to 2021.
Tilly Norwood is the biggest rising star. All of Hollywood wants her gone.
I, for one, demand Tilly's first showmance. I demand the inevitable messy breakup, and the glossy magazine cover story where she insists she's "just a normal girl who loves pasta" even though she literally does not have a digestive tract. Until then, I simply refuse to recognise her as a legitimate celebrity. And maybe that's exactly the real horror here. Tilly isn't just a new toy or a fun gimmick; she is a mirror.
OPINION: 'Everyone's saying the same thing about Nicole and Keith's divorce. They're wrong.'
Let me say it louder, for the people in the back: a relationship can end and still be a success. My divorce taught me that. For a long time, I let the "failure" narrative haunt me. It made me feel broken. Like I had wasted my twenties. Like I had to justify the years that I "lost"; to family, to friends, to potential new partners. But the truth is, I didn't lose those years; I lived them. Fully. And when it was time to walk away, I did.
'There's a new list of 125 rules "modern gentlemen" need to follow. I have feedback.'
The average person might say "no". But as someone who has spent the majority of the year dating, I can tell you that these rules are not only necessary, but should be printed out on laminated cards and handed out at birth. Still, reading through the list feels like peeking into a secret male playbook. Some of the rules are, I'll admit, genuinely solid. Others are utterly deranged. And then there are the glaring omissions — the everyday behaviours women everywhere would actually like to see corrected.
Nina Dobrev and the post-breakup blueprint we all need to follow.
And then, earlier this month, it ended. After over five years, Nina and Shaun announced their split. While the exact details are hazy and vague — as celebrity breakups always are (although there were shady TikTok posts and rumours of cheating) — the vibe was clear: another Hollywood couple had bitten the metaphorical dust. Which brought the world (okay, fine, perhaps just me) to the greatest breakup dilemma of all time: who gets to keep the friends?
'All I want to talk about is Robert Irwin on Dancing with the Stars.'
At one point, he made eye contact with the camera that was so intense I felt like I was being stalked by a saltwater crocodile. And yes, I immediately pressed "replay" because I am, it seems, a feral possum who cannot look away from danger. TikTok, it appears, agrees with me. Edits of Mini Irwin's moves have crossed the For You page border patrol into international thirst territory. Comments like, "unexpected eat" and "I am obsessed with this man" are everywhere.
The 'grandstanding' theory is the reason why most loved-up couples you know don't work.
And yet, if you've been alive for more than three business days, you know what happens next. They split. Publicly. Dramatically. Shockingly "out of nowhere". Except… it wasn't really that unexpected. Because we — the real relationship experts (by which I mean women who have been emotionally demolished and rebuilt more times than an IKEA bookcase) — have a theory. We call it grandstanding. The louder you scream "forever" online, the faster forever seems to run out of breath.
The Emmys tried something new this year. It went horribly wrong.
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. The Emmys have officially entered their Hunger Games era. I mean, fair — no one likes an acceptance speech that drags on like a weird voicemail from your long-lost aunt. But this year, instead of the usual "wrap it up" music, the Emmys producers tried something new. Something exciting.
Apparently we're all the wrong star sign. Here's why.
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. Let me begin by saying this: star signs are not just vibes. They're a personality framework, a cosmic guidance system and — if you're anything like me — a fully-fledged decision-making tool. I've ended relationships because my horoscope said a new and mysterious love was "on the horizon".
The hottest thing a man can be is comfortable with being ugly.
Of course, let's not crown Powell the patron saint of vulnerable masculinity just yet. He's still a tall, handsome, studio-anointed leading man with abs you could set a watch to. And while I would by no means call him problematic, there are things that don't sit quite right with me — namely, letting his ex front the media storm alone after those Sydney Sweeney rumours, then dismissing her side as "her own narrative" in this very interview. Vulnerable? Not exactly. Carefully curated? Absolutely.
Home Tour: Elonera House
Nestled in the charming suburb of Sandringham, Melbourne, Elonera House is the perfect balance of Edwardian charm and modern family living. Designed by Mardi Doherty of Studio Doherty, the four-bedroom home caters to the needs of a family of five while exuding style and sophistication. The project began in 2019 but took four years to complete due to a pandemic pause, resulting in a home that feels timeless, functional, and beautifully connected to nature.
'"Monkey-barring" is the new toxic dating trend and I'm officially exhausted.'
Translation: if you've ever been dumped and found that your ex has a new partner tagged in their Instagram stories three days later? Congratulations, you've been monkey-barred. And listen. If you, like me, are struggling to keep up with the endless new entries in the Dictionary of Disappointment, I've done the emotional labour of compiling a little guide. Because honestly? It's not the dating apps killing me, it's the terminology. A complete glossary of dating hell. You're welcome.
'I've officially broken up with moisturiser and this body oil is the reason why.'
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. This winter, I had one goal: for my skin to be as slippery as a freshly caught seal. I want to glisten. I want to shimmer. And I'm not talking about a little hydration. I'm talking about full-blown buttered-up, can't-hold-a-glass, someone-call-an-OH&S-officer levels of slipperiness.
The best TV show you can watch right now is Cardi B’s courtroom trial.
She says she stepped out of the elevator when Ellis blurted her name into a phone and appeared to start recording. Cardi asked her to stop and a verbal argument followed. Ellis claims Cardi cut her face with one of her nails, and while Cardi admits the exchange got heated, she has flatly denied that it ever turned physical. And now the courtroom? It has become Cardi B: Live and Unfiltered.
It sounds silly, but the 'Bird Test' can determine if your relationship will last.
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. It always starts with a bird. Or, at least, that's how TikTok has decided to package up one of the most quietly profound truths about relationships: how we respond to each other's tiny, throwaway moments.
'Taylor Swift was my ultimate single-girl companion. Now she belongs to someone else.'
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. I never thought Taylor Swift would be the person to break me open. For most of my twenties, I wasn't a Swiftie. I rolled my eyes at the fandom, convinced I wasn't "that girl". And then love — or whatever diluted, toxic knock-off version of it I kept subscribing to — came along and wrecked me.
Zoë Kravitz is having the best week of her life.
And there are now actual whispers that their chemistry isn't just for promo. The two were spotted at a Parisian bar, leaning in close, laughing like teenagers and — depending on which eyewitness you believe — sharing a very affectionate embrace. And then — just to really stick the landing — Zoë casually mentions she's already listened to Taylor's new album.
'I'm a Millennial who just discovered the Gen Z texting rules.'
Fine. Take my hair. Take my socks. Take my pants. I will, begrudgingly, adjust. But now they're coming for my texts. My little messages. My one last shred of control. My main form of connection to friends, colleagues, dates, and that one Uber driver who always replies "thanks Jessica" like we're lifelong pen pals. And apparently… I'm doing it all wrong. First, a younger coworker side-eyed the way I signed off a text with a full stop. "Why are you mad?" she asked. I wasn't mad.
'The latest wedding trend is a "singles list." Aka a laminated reminder you're alone.'
Surprise twist: I have planned a wedding. I have been peak unsingle — literally the human embodiment of 'smug couple energy' — because, yes, the bride was me. I was that person who thought very hard about the seating plan, the playlists, the linen napkin colour — but I did not, even in my most deranged spreadsheet moments, think to make a bingo card of all the single guests' faces. Now, I find myself single again.
'Margaret Qualley just shared her "dating rules", and I'm here to break every single one.'
Because I am constitutionally incapable of "playing it cool". If I like you, you will know. Not in some subtle, "oh, she might be into me" way. No. You will know. I will text you back immediately. If I have another thought, I'll text that too. If I see something in the supermarket that reminds me of you, I will send a picture. Then a meme. Then a follow-up meme about that meme.
Leonardo DiCaprio says he’s emotionally 35 — which explains a lot about men in their 30s.
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. Leonardo DiCaprio has just handed me, and every woman who's ever dated a man in his 30s, the perfect piece of evidence to explain why they are the way they are. In a new Esquire interview with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, DiCaprio is put on the spot.
'My name is being called the next 'Karen' and I am not okay with it.'
But here's the twist. I'm not being attacked by a different generation. Millennials (aka my beloved peers) are the ones doing this. The call is coming from inside the house. We are turning on ourselves in broad daylight — hungry for a scapegoat, a symbol of everything we find cringey, overly earnest, or aggressively almond-milk-coded about our own kind. Apparently, we've decided that we, too, need a Karen. But why are we so desperate to create one? Honestly, it gives... Boomer energy.
Home Tour: Art House
When a busy professional couple with two kids moved into this Bondi home in 2021, they quickly filled it with furniture — but something was still missing. While the house had gorgeous bones, it lacked the personality that would make it feel like their own. Enter Claudia Lambert, Head of Studio at Claudia Lambert Interiors, who brought the space to life. It was actually the couple’s teen daughter who encouraged them to take the leap and give the home a makeover.
We all have a 'friend-in-law'. You just might not know it yet.
Listen: Jessie, Em and Holly discuss the friends who don't make your social media grid. Post continues below. Women, on the other hand? We build entire psychological houses on the foundation of "we laughed at the same thing once." We remember everything. The vibes. The dynamics. The shared glances at brunch when someone brought up their situationship for the fifth time. We bond through repetition. Proximity. Overheard trauma. And when that closeness isn't reciprocated or formalised?
These two compliments don't empower you, they control you.
Listen: Clinical psychologist Dr. Anastasia Hronis shares the biggest mistake people make in therapy on But Are You Happy? Post continues below. 'You're the only person I can talk to.' At first? This feels like soulmate-level intimacy. Like you're the one. The safe space. The emotional landing pad. But give it a minute, because what this really means is: "You're now my emotional support human, therapist, crisis manager, and emergency contact… forever." There's no room for reciprocity. No other outlet.
Apparently, you have a distinct 'time personality' and it explains... a lot.
They're reliable, organised, and great in a crisis — but don't expect them to cope well with last-minute changes or a casual "let's just see how we feel". The Polychronics: multitasking and mildly late. Polychronic people live in a swirling soup of overlapping plans and good intentions. They're on a Zoom call, stirring risotto, texting three people and remembering a childhood betrayal — all before 10am. They don't just tolerate interruptions; they collect them like Pokémon.
Pedro Pascal's sudden downfall follows a pattern. But this time it's different.
If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE. It starts the same way every time. We fall in love. As a collective internet, we crown a new celebrity darling. We obsess. We meme. We make thirsty edits and buy the magazine covers and comment "king" on every Instagram post.
'I never thought I'd freeze my eggs. But here I am, crying in my kitchen with a needle in my hand.'
It is not glamorous. It doesn't feel empowering. It's internal ultrasounds and being told "we'll just pop this in your vagina" while making small talk about the weather. It's waiting for blood results and hoping they come back with anything other than surprise, your body hates you again. At the moment, my nights are spent standing in my kitchen. Crying. Hormonal. Exhausted beyond belief. Holding a needle in one hand and a protein bar in the other.
Jessica Biel just said the quiet thing about being 'Hollywood thin' out loud.
Listen: Mia, Jessie and Holly discuss Jessica Biel's 'confession' on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below. "I like it when [celebrities] are like, 'No, this ruins my life to look like that', because then I get to go, 'Well, I don't want my life ruined,'"said Holly Wainwright. Because let's be clear: Jessica Biel's body is not the result of a couple of Pilates classes and a protein smoothie. It is a full-time job. And she admitted that out loud to millions.
The Best Restaurants in North Hobart
Nicknamed “Restaurant Row” for good reason, North Hobart has long punched above its weight on the dining scene — and now, a fresh influx of young families and food-savvy locals has given this inner-city enclave a second wind. By day, it’s all artisan loaves, indie galleries and cult pastry shops. By night, a six-block stretch hums with restaurants hopping between sultry wine bars, pan-Asian gems and long-standing institutions.
'I'm convinced airport rules are a social experiment and I no longer consent.'
I am fully convinced that the airport is a lawless, chaotic circus and I hereby refuse to further engage in any of the following performances: The pressure to eat like a functioning adult. There is no such thing as "normal eating" at an airport. In my opinion, once you're past security, time stops, nutrition is irrelevant and shame no longer exists. It's a scientific fact* that calories don't count in Terminal 2. Fibre? Never met her.
This Is the Flexible, Stylish Sofa You’ve Been Waiting For
We’ve partnered with Lifely to share the Lifely Sofa — the game-changing modular masterpiece that will change the way you think about furniture. Sofa shopping: sounds simple, right? This is, until you find yourself stuck with a bulky, expensive piece of furniture that doesn’t quite fit your space — or your lifestyle. If you’ve ever regretted your sofa choice (don’t worry, you’re not alone), meet the game-changing sofa that’s rewriting the rulebook.
The telltale sign your skin problems are actually coming from your gut, according to an expert.
On a recent episode of You Beauty, Carla joined host Kelly McCarren to explain what's really going on when your skin flares up — and why your skin woes might have a lot more to do with last night's dinner than you think. "I think some of the signs that your gut health might be affecting your skin health [are] if you get skin and gut flare-ups simultaneously. That can be a dead giveaway," she told You Beauty. Translation?
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