The Effect of Devil Wears Prada and how we are all Andy.
When one of my freelance bosses, Alice, walked out of our initial coffee meeting by saying ‘I’ve always had a thing for Devil Wears Prada, that’s the life I wanted’, I knew that was it. I needed her to hire me on the spot, and she did. I too had wanted that, which in retrospect makes no sense because Devil Wears Prada has the most horrific environment possible, on purpose.
Essentially, what was wanted was the luxury of it all. Being in charge, being your own boss, having a big home with a private driver, working in fashion or something equally or more creative, being surrounded by other likeminded individuals at large events in the big city, to reach goals you could only dream of, that feel utterly dream-like, to be surrounded by magazines and clothes and computers and coffee. There’s more to it, but that’s the surface.
I expect you to expect me to say how unsustainable that is (which it is) and how we should all strive for the opposite. But I’m not. Recently, I was asked to come into a large modelling agency. They didn’t take me on, and I hated (and always have hated) that kind of environment. I sat there thinking of Devil Wears Prada and really did feel like Andy, who they attempted to come across as frumpy and ugly (it’s fucking Anne Hathaway). Then I reflected on my actual job, the things I have done and created and realised I am Andy. You probably are too.
No, I’m not ignoring the end of Devil Wears Prada where Andy chucks her phone into the fountain and says a big fuck you to Miss Meryl Streep and the industry. That bit just isn’t what I'm talking about. Not to get deep, but DWP is a movie about finding yourself rather than a movie about people who have already found themselves. Miranda is arguably the most lost person in this movie. In my opinion, Andy is Miranda but younger, just in another universe where she doesn’t lapse in her self discovery journey.
Whilst we don’t know exactly what Andy goes on to do, you know for a fact that she will be successful. She was someone who never thrived around others above her anyway, she was creative and willing but also had strong boundaries. She learnt from her experiences, and she hated bullshit. Devil Wears Prada was created for those who would literally shut down in an office environment and go crazy, bashing their head against their old pre-mac computer. For those who dreamt, whilst in that office or nine to five job, about screaming at their boss the worst possible things they could, knowing they never would, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could?
My point is that if you too find yourself relating to Andy, you are meant for great things. I’m certain I'm not the only one that has said that to you either. In the last few weeks I’ve reached 13k on Instagram, almost 10k on tiktok, 1k subs on YouTube, got 5 new tattoos, had three therapy sessions, had many many work wins, got my ptsd diagnosed and more. That doesn’t mean I've been the happiest person in the world; I haven’t, I’m working through some of the worst trauma I could possibly work through.
But, I did that. I can say, I did that and I did allllllll of that alone. and I can say fuck you to every rejection, every bit of pain, every bit of doubt and jealousy. I know you can too. Most of the time though, just saying it means fuck all, so I imagine I’m Andy and get on with my day.
p.s quick update! as you’ve noticed, our writers change and flow, sometimes contributing sometimes not. we have a new writer with us for the next few months i’m so excited to announce soon for the next coffee corner, and Paula, our writer for fashion and beauty, will return in about six coffee corners time as she’s focusing on her novel! Whilst most of the girls have stayed, I hope you understand that this is my baby and everyone else has absolutely volunteered and taken time out of their schedule to send over some love and their voices. I can’t wait for more to come!
Sexuality with Erin
If someone asked you ‘If you could have dinner with ten people, dead or alive, who would you choose?’, what would your answer be? For me, it would have to be Natalie Clifford Barney - along with Renee Vivien, Liane de Pougy, Élisabeth de Gramont, Romaine Brooks, Radclyffe Hall, Una Troubridge, Colette and Dolly Wilde. If you’re not aware of these names, allow me to introduce to you, the vibrant and messy Parisian circle of sapphics from the 19th and 20th centuries. In my humble opinion, TikTok lesbians have nothing on these women.
Natalie Clifford Barney was a writer in the late 19th century who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris for over 60 years. In her sessions, attendees would discuss literature, art, music, and other areas of interest. Many well-known creatives visited her salon including T.S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein.
Natalie was unapologetically a lesbian, much of her writing being tied to her lesbianism and feminism. She published love poems to women, influenced by Sappho. Because of this, the salon became a focal point for lesbian writers in Paris. When you think of sapphics in this era, you might assume their sexualities were hidden. However, Paris was home to a thriving lesbian subculture. I wish I could witness just one of her sessions at her salon to see how open her guests could be in such an environment. It would be such a stark contrast to the broader society at the time. She even said so herself, ‘Paris has always seemed ... the only city where you can live and express yourself as you please.’
Maybe this is why I’ve always felt so drawn to Paris. There’s so much history in the city, and it’s crazy to think that you could walk up a random street, past a random house, not knowing who could’ve lived there. I visited Paris back in 2022. I walked the same street that she lived on, past her home - a normal looking Parisian apartment. If you asked the average person who Natalie Clifford Barney was, 9 times out of 10 they wouldn’t have a clue. I didn’t know who she was until recently. But it just makes me think, how many times have I walked through a random area, unbeknownst to me that someone with a fascinating story had once walked those streets. Someone just like me, a queer woman with a love of literature.
Natalie had many lovers, all of whom I mentioned in my introduction. She had numerous overlapping short- and long-term relationships, rejecting monogamy. Her lovers were all creatives—writers, dancers, painters. It's fascinating how intertwined Parisian sapphics were with one another—in true lesbian fashion. Some of her lovers were friends, some romantically involved with one another, and some only part of the same social and literary circles.
Romaine Brooks, one of Natalie’s lovers, often featured strong, independent women in her paintings. She painted Hannah Gluckstein (known as ‘Gluck’), a fellow artist known for her nonconformity. Radclyffe Hall, a regular in Natalie’s literary salon, wrote the novel 'The Well of Loneliness', drawing inspiration from Natalie’s life and the complexity of her love affairs. A recent edition of this book features a painting of Gluck on the cover, highlighting the interconnectedness of this vibrant community.
If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend researching the lives of Parisian sapphics from this era. The history is so rich and intricate, I would never be able to fully capture it in Coffee Corner.
Natalie Clifford Barney is one of my favourite sapphics to talk about. Despite living in a time where it was demonised, she was still so confident in her sexuality.
‘My queerness is not a vice, is not deliberate, and harms no one.’
Mental Health with Lucy J
i have been thinking a lot lately about obsessive habits, about living in the past, in the future - or anything, honestly - other than right now. i have had a lot of big shifts in my life lately, relationships that have come to an end, platonic and romantic — and some of that has left me feeling pretty helpless. i am trying to think of change without relying on it, i am trying to be the change without letting it consume me.
a piece of advice i’ve been giving out lately, to myself and to others - is to ask if it genuinely matters. at first, this might sound really harsh, rhetorical even - but honestly, it has been something that has been really helpful for me.
i’m a pretty black and white person, to quote sylia plath i am so pathetically intense, and i don’t know any other way. i’m coming to really like that about myself though, and i think i’ve spent a lot of time running away from it - or maybe just trying to hide it. but i am asking myself, “will this matter to me in 10 years? even one year?” and it helps me put things in perspective, at least it takes me out of that the- world-is-ending feeling that i so often have. it brings me back to my body and my mind — without being… too obsessive.
i don’t want to live in the past or act rashly, and i think being so intense in feeling it’s something i’ve always been afraid of, even struggled with — so i’m forcing myself to ask these hard questions. or really, these questions i’ve always known to ask, but thought i didn’t need to.
once i come to a decision on how i feel, if it truly matters or not, is how i come to figuring out how to handle it. if it does matter, if i really can’t see myself being okay with it happening again or wanting to continue worrying about it, i’ll start to think of it with a solution in mind — that it is something to be fixed and not just thought about. if it does not matter, i will just try to let it go — and yes, that is really fucking hard (btw!!!) but it is a challenge that i inevitably have to be okay with. i have to learn to let things go.
this makes me face either letting things go or learning to forgive. of course, this is not the same with all things — and maybe it is something i will add more on, possibly be more specific on what it is that i am actually talking about at a given time, but for now i will keep it simple. i will ask myself the simple question of “is it worth it?” and i will encourage you to do the same.
i want to start here because i am tired, and i think everyone is in a very similar boat. i am tired and i want things to be okay, i want to feel love and not barter for it, i want to be accepted and not think twice about it, and i think it is something everyone should lean into. i am tired of wondering if i am liked, how i am perceived, or what others think of me — i just want to like me, and i want the people i surround myself to.
Books with Eve
On “Outline” by Rachel Cusk
It’s been a while since I’ve felt so utterly entranced by writing. I've longed for the experience of being drawn into a dreamlike state by the evocative atmosphere created by the words on the paper in front of me. However, I miss this feeling no longer. Why? Because I’ve found Cusk. “She’d felt a sudden urge to know herself again, to know what she was like.” Rachel Cusk’s "Outline" is a novel that elegantly defies traditional storytelling, offering a rich tapestry of conversations and reflections that delve deeply into the “human condition.” It’s a book that is as thought-provoking as it is beautifully crafted, making it an ideal companion for long, languid summer days.
"Outline" follows Faye, a writer traveling to Greece to teach a writing course, as she encounters a series of strangers who reveal their stories to her. Through these interactions, Cusk explores themes of identity, loss, and the nature of storytelling itself (lots of treasure for budding writers in this one!). The novel’s structure is minimalist and fragmented, yet this very quality lends it a sense of intimacy and immediacy that is nothing short of compelling. One of the most striking features of "Outline" is Cusk’s prose, which is spare yet evocative. Her writing is marked by a clarity and precision that brings the characters and their stories to life in vivid detail. Each chapter offers a complete, self-contained story, yet they all weave together to form a cohesive whole. Additionally, the novel’s setting in sun-soaked Greece provides the most beautiful backdrop. Cusk’s descriptions of the Mediterranean landscape are lush and immersive, transporting readers to a place where the days are long and the pace of life is slower. This sense of place adds an extra layer of pleasure to the book, making it a perfect escape for summer readers.
But what really sets "Outline" apart is its ability to slip in bite-sized philosophy, almost like sneaking vegetables into a smoothie. You think you’re just enjoying a good story, and then—bam!—you’re pondering the nature of existence, and it’s actually delightful. Cusk’s characters have a knack for dropping these little nuggets of wisdom, leaving you nodding sagely while still comfortably reclined in your beach chair (or if you’re like me, your bed!).
Beyond its surface beauty, "Outline" offers a profound meditation on the act of listening and the power of stories to shape our understanding of ourselves and others. This exploration of narrative and self- discovery is not only something I resonated with deeply, but it is the key thing that makes this book an untraditional life guide (much like a Didion novel or “The Creative Act”) that invites other readers to reflect on their own lives and the stories they tell themselves. This one will definitely be joining my “2024 Favorites” list, as I’ve fallen head over heels for the way Cusk combines exquisite prose, compelling storytelling, and profound insights into the human experience, and I hope you will too.
Movies with Jente
SLC Punk!
Hair dyed blue in the bathroom at midnight, ripped jeans and a diy lip ring are three things I associate with the film SLC Punk! And my best friend Noa. They’re a real horror movie buff, the more gore the better, but I get scared a little too easily and always need to watch them with a friend for moral support. But SLC Punk! is anything but a horror movie. Noa and I took it upon ourselves to fill a jar with torn up paper clad with movie titles. Mostly horror, but once in a while a non-horror slips out. And that’s how Noa introduced me to SLC Punk!
They’re a massive Matthew Lillard fan (aren’t we all) and their clothing style sits somewhere on the spectrum between goth and punk. They have at least five piercings and ten tattoos and is unapologetically themself - and I look up to them for that. Their creativity and confidence always finds a way to seep into my veins as well, lifting me up out of my self-conscious hellscape I have so carefully crafted into my head over the last few (10) years.
SLC Punk! is a 1998 comedy-drama written and directed by James Merendino, the story centres around Stevo, a punk who’s recently graduated from college and is living in Salt Lake City during the mid-1980s. Stevo introduces us to the punk lifestyle by talking to the audience as if they’re watching a documentary.
We get to know Stevo and his best friend ‘Heroin Bob’ - who is afraid of needles - as they go from one party to the other, pick fights with members of other subcultures while living in a run-down flat. We quickly see that although Stevo has a rounded out view on the world; what he loves and hates about society and the kind of person he wants to be. He has no view of where his future is going.
He wants to live authentically and is disgusted by his parents, who were once part of the hippie movement and have now turned into affluent republicans. Although the outside world regards Stevo as ‘on the brink of society’, a drug addict and even a loser, Stevo is anything but. He is smart, unique, well-spoken and has excellent grades. However, when his father sends an application to Harvard Law School in Stevo’s name, and he is accepted, he rejects the offer based on his beliefs.
We are in this constant back and forth between what Stevo thinks of himself versus what he thinks of society and the group he is part of. He talks about ‘posers’ multiple times throughout the film and his disdain for them. But when tragedy befalls him, Stevo has no choice but to break down and withdraw from the lifestyle he used to live. Ultimately turning into the thing he hates most.
SLC Punk! is drenched in comedic bits and upbeat narration but it dares the viewer to dig a little deeper. It’s a story about identity and cliques and finding your true inner self in correlation with the groups we are walking with.
Society is quick to put us into boxes, and it’s the challenge to not do that to ourselves. Even though the punk lifestyle has a certain look and fashion sense to it, it doesn’t matter what you look like or what you wear, it’s all about the morals and opinions we dress our brains up in.
I’m convinced the mindset of our readers are a little, if not a lot, punk. And I invite you, just like I invite myself every day, to stop putting ourselves into boxes or try to fit into a certain standard society wants us to adhere to. Labels can be comfortable, I agree, and sometimes they are needed, but it’s a challenge to not fall in too deep and get trapped into what it means according to the people around us.
I always thought I had to act a certain way as an AFAB person, but I’ve slowly come to realise that using the right words for me, coming out as non-binary, was not limiting but freeing. It made me grow a relationship of love instead of resentment with myself, and allowed me to find community with others who identify the same way. It’s frightening but oh so rewarding, and I’ve learned that every day you step a little further out of your comfort zone, you only get closer to yourself.
Watch here.
Tarot Reading with Hannah
Saturn the planet of restrictions, rules, discipline, commitment and responsibility, has been in retrograde in Pisces since June 29th. Saturn values reality, truth and fact, compared to Pisces valuing imagination, dreaminess and creativity.
The Devil card shows two people tied up with chains, however, they have the power to slip these off from their necks. All it takes is the confidence to face their fears and put in the hard work and effort to do so. The Four of Cups presents complacency. Saturn asks us to face any restrictions in our way, and with Pisces, this could be a time to become more aware of methods of escapism you use to ignore problems in front of you, favouring to sink into your imagination.
The Devil card and Saturn are here to show you the necessary changes with escapism, and with unhealthy habits you might fall back on when pressed to make changes or take action when you’re feeling stuck. Whilst having hobbies or outlets that provide a healthy level of escapism can provide mental space and relaxation, allowing these to take over and overwhelm you to the point of not facing your reality, is not what Saturn asks for. Saturn is strict and rigid because Saturn knows this is how you achieve results. This could be a good time to analyse your relationship with discipline and find a way to make discipline work for you.
With Pisces and the Four of Cups, the answers you need to find release from what you feel stuck by, or action needed to move forward, might certainly find you in a daydream, but can only come into the world through action. The Four of Cups can represent someone who sees an opportunity in front of them but lacks the initiative to move towards it. Pair your intuition with action.
With the Full Moon in Capricorn on July 21st, these themes are being brought to light so you can free yourself from them. This Full Moon could bring up themes around success, your career ambitions, but also your personal boundaries, and an expansion around how you define work. This could be a time to view your whole life as a piece of work, with Capricorn wanting you to stand firm in your integrity, showing up in a way that aligns with your beliefs.
Saturn is here to provide structure that can turn into results. However, with Saturn, these results lean towards the long-term, not instant gratification. Learn to get comfortable with patience. Saturn Retrograde ends on November 15th, so allow yourself the gift of time, Saturn does not rush.
This is a time to recognise any habits you might have that make you lose track of time, a sense of movement, or that leave your goals dwindling in the corner. There is an emphasis on self-control with these energies, with a spotlight shining on where you shy away from action, keeping yourself stuck. Whilst Saturn might emphasise feelings of restriction, it is doing so to show you how you can free yourself.
Free Palestine
Help Sanaa.
Small Business Highlight
Meet Zoe! Founder of Astrology Circles - Zoe gathers your birth chart, organises an event, and sets you up with friends you’d astrologically get along with! Her next event is 27th of July (my birthday, cough cough) and 2nd of August, for one Tiki Bar meet up and a rooftop meet up, all in London. I’ve met Zoe and she is amazing, I love what she does and this concept is so fun. Unfortunately on both dates I’ll be in Greece, but if you go please let us know!