NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Wendyl Nissen: The tragedy of matching couples

By Wendyl Nissen
Herald on Sunday·
1 Jul, 2012 09:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The 'you jump, I jump' appeal of partners committing the same fashion crime leaves writer, Wendyl Nissen, shuddering. Photo / Thinkstock

The 'you jump, I jump' appeal of partners committing the same fashion crime leaves writer, Wendyl Nissen, shuddering. Photo / Thinkstock

Opinion by Wendyl NissenLearn more

Wendyl Nissen shares her worst fear.

Years ago I invested in some aviator sunglasses. They're the ones made by Ray-Ban, with green lenses and gold frames.

I loved my aviators so much I promptly lost them, then forked out a couple of hundred bucks for another pair. Then I lost those, which meant I had to buy another pair. And when I lost my third pair I replaced them but said to myself: "This is absolutely the last time I am buying you those hippy sunglasses."

And then I lost those.

So it was back to the cheap glasses at the chemist for me and, to be honest, I missed the careless, Beatles-esque quality I felt they gave me. No longer did I walk down the road hearing sitars and smelling patchouli. Instead, I looked like every other middle-aged woman in plastic, bug-eyed sunglasses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Then one week I went to stay at my caravan after a long absence.

I opened the door and, for some reason, was overcome with the desire to give it a thorough clean out.

Which is when I found one pair of aviators tucked down behind a squab. Ten minutes later I found another pair at the back of a drawer. And towards the end of the day I found the third pair hanging out in the sunscreen basket.

"Awesome. I've got three pairs of aviators!" I yelled.

I've never lost them again, but having three pairs is not such a great idea. Because people like my husband see them lying around, pick them up and decide they'd quite like to wear them, too.

"Those are mine," I said as he slid into the car reeking of hippy cool.

Discover more

Opinion

Wendyl Nissen: Self-serve, or self-serving?

06 May 09:30 PM
Opinion

Wendyl Nissen: 'My fear of being single is completely at odds with my feminist leanings'

14 May 09:30 PM
Opinion

Wendyl Nissen: Barefaced cheeks can fix the world

20 May 09:30 PM
Opinion

Wendyl Nissen: Fawning over the GC's 'hot guy'

24 Jun 09:30 PM

"They were spare. I thought I'd use them. I think they look good on me, don't you?"

"No, I don't. You're the black Wayfarer guy. I wear the aviators, you wear the Wayfarers. That's how it's always been. We do not wear matching sunglasses."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Mmm, I think I'll wear the aviators anyway."

I took my aviators off.

"What are you doing that for? Does it really matter if we're wearing the same?" asked my husband.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it does."

What he didn't know was the night before I had laughed my head off watching a sitcom where a character made fun of a middle-aged couple who were both wearing aviators.

"Tragic old people trying to look cool in their aviator sunglasses," was how the script went.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And here I was, with my husband, being tragic.

Then I noticed that we were also wearing matching black hoodies.

"Why are you wearing your hoodie? I'm wearing mine!" I shrieked.

"I'm sure lots of couples wear similar clothing and sunglasses. When you look at it, there's something quite cute about it, don't you think? Stylish even," he said.

"Take it off," I said. "Now."

He refused. So I took off mine.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

We were about to leave on holiday and the last thing I wanted was to be one of those couples you see walking around Europe in matching khaki zip'n'go travel pants, shoes, backpacks and parkas.

I told my husband my fear.

"Oh dear," he said, as he reached into his shopping bag and pulled out two T-shirts. "I bought these for us.

"It's a witty take on Angry Birds except it's NZ Angry Birds. I thought we could wear them when we were in Finland where Angry Birds was invented!"

I threw mine out the window. I hope the person who finds it enjoys wearing it.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

LifestyleUpdated

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

10 Jul 07:05 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

After 45 years as a sex therapist, I know exactly what makes someone cheat

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Lifestyle

Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

10 Jul 07:05 PM

The first Birkin bag has sold to a Japanese buyer at a Paris auction.

Premium
After 45 years as a sex therapist, I know exactly what makes someone cheat

After 45 years as a sex therapist, I know exactly what makes someone cheat

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Wairarapa Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Northland Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Smokefree Rockquest Northland Regional Finals 2025 Highlights

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP