7 Comments

This is so interesting! The “infantilizing” attitude towards baristas and other customer service workers reminds me of conversations I’ve observed about tipping culture: I’ve heard people argue that “Baristas don’t need to be tipped, their job is so easy! All you do is stand around and push buttons.”

It demeans the amount of time, skill, and energy needed to do this job well, as well has how draining it is. Sabrina Carpenter’s photo op won’t capture the true essence of being a barista until she’s behind the bar for an hour-long rush, exhausted and covered in syrup!

Thanks for your analysis, I enjoyed it :)

Expand full comment
founding

Great idea. Free coffee and signatures.

Expand full comment

When you’re not facing this you’re facing accusations that music / film / television industry as a whole has been a Marxist conspiracy this entire time. The Fendi thing is fucking hilarious

Expand full comment

Rather, anything to say, not anything “brilliant”. Autocorrect snuck that word in; it just sputters about how little respect is paid to baristas without any deeper reading into the subtext of each part of it and the possible effect

Expand full comment

Dude…I found lots of interesting things in this post. The connections between other celebrity instances of “cosplaying” low-paying jobs were fascinating, and it was made clear that this analysis was not *just* specific to Sabrina Carpenter and Blank Street Coffee.

This article offered a critique while remaining respectful, unlike you with your rude comments :)

Expand full comment

In the end your post doesn’t even really have anything brilliant to say when she snuck one in on Blank Street and a million quotes and conversations that wouldn’t have been, because no one’s ever even heard of the fucking place (especially in a world drowning with redundant coffee shops on each street in every city), will say “did you know their workers just signed a union contract?”

Expand full comment

Carpenter’s appearance at this particular chain was likely to bring attention to the union contract they had just signed elsewhere. Way over your head, including the performance art-like aspect of all the Fendi (including shop materials!) without a Fendi co-branding

Expand full comment