Sibonga ‘Miss Tap Tap' empowers women to rise up and thrive
The daughter of legendary boxer Tap Tap Makhathini, Sibonga 'Miss Tap Tap', is a prime example of determination and resilience.
Carving her path to success, the actress, MC and entrepreneur is working hard to build a legacy of which she can be proud.
With youth unemployment on the rise, her focus and drive are to empower women in the community by creating employment opportunities while promoting independence.
Sibonga believes the key to independence will help women break free from abusive relationships and become self-sufficient, making a tangible difference in her community.
Her story serves as an inspiration to young women that, with determination and purpose, they too can create a brighter future for themselves and those around them.
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IOL News
29-07-2025
- IOL News
What makes a person cool? Global study has some answers
The study showed that coolness is associated with the same six qualities around the world, regardless of culture. Image: Supplied Todd Pezzuti From Lagos to Cape Town, Santiago to Seoul, people want to be cool. 'Cool' is a word we hear everywhere – in music, in fashion, on social media. We use it to describe certain types of people. But what exactly makes someone cool? Is it just about being popular or trendy? Or is there something deeper going on? In a recent study I conducted with other marketing professors, we set out to answer a simple but surprisingly unexplored question. What are the personality traits and values that make someone seem cool – and do they differ across cultures? We asked nearly 6,000 people from 12 countries to think of someone they personally knew who was 'cool', 'not cool', 'good', or 'not good'. Then we asked them to describe that person's traits and values using validated psychological measures. We used this data to examine how coolness differs from general likeability or morality. The countries ranged from Australia to Turkey, the US to Germany, India to China, Nigeria to South Africa. Our data showed that coolness is uniquely associated with the same six traits around the world: cool people tend to be extroverted, hedonistic, adventurous, open, powerful, and autonomous. These findings help settle a long debate about what it means to be cool today. A brief history of cool Early writing on coolness described it as emotional restraint: being calm, composed and unbothered. This view, rooted in the metaphor of temperature and emotion, saw coolness as a sign of self-control and mastery. Some of these scholars trace this form of cool to slavery and segregation, where emotional restraint was a survival strategy among enslaved Africans and their descendants, symbolising autonomy and dignity in the face of oppression. Others propose 'cool' restraint existed long before slavery. Regardless, jazz musicians in the 1940s first helped popularise this cool persona – relaxed, emotionally contained, and stylish – an image later embraced by youth and various countercultures. Corporations like Nike, Apple and MTV commercialised cool, turning a countercultural attitude into a more commercially friendly global aesthetic. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ This is what makes someone cool Our findings suggest that the meaning of cool has changed. It's a way to identify and label people with a specific psychological profile. Cool people are outgoing and social (extroverted). They seek pleasure and enjoyment (hedonistic). They take risks and try new things (adventurous). 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The Citizen
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- The Citizen
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The Citizen
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- The Citizen
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