Today's interviewee is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn whose work has appeared on NYMag.com, Esquire, Buzzfeed and The Awl. I first became familiar with her work thanks to her hilarious Letters to the Editors of Womens Magazines column. Now she edits the wonderful ladyblog (but don't let that stop you from checking out and enjoying it, fellas) the Hairpin. You can find out more about her here.
There
are a lot of lady-sites out there. Instead of explaining what the
Hairpin is, can you tell us what it's not, what you won't find on there
that you might on other blogs?
Hm.
It's not very long! You could read a whole day of the Hairpin as you
work, I think, depending on what you do.
What
have been some of your favorite posts on there that exemplify why it's
so great?
Some
of the more successful posts have been Ask an Abortion Provider,
Women Laughing Alone With Salad,
and What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life.
The
Scandals of Classic Hollywood
series is always terrific, and the Personal Bests series
("The Best Time I...") is funny, heartbreaking, shameless.
The Week in Estate Jewelry
is a personal favorite. And then everything else, too!
What
are your most-read sites/blogs?
I
have the New York Times, Newser, Tumblr, and Twitter as open
tabs, and then try to burn through a bunch more on Reader.
Do
you have any regulations for yourself on how much time you spend online
a day, and how much you let yourself interact in comments sections?
No,
I spend most of my time online and don't really do much else. And I
love getting into the comments! Hairpin commenters are incredible.
Do
you ever get stuck for ideas for posts? What do you do to come up with
material?
I
get stuck all the time, and I never know what to do. Mostly I groan
about the internet and how stupid I am, and then go get a coffee. I
don't know. That's not a very good answer.
What
would you say are the most incorrect assumptions people make about
blogging full-time?
I'm
pretty much a walking (sitting) stereotype, so I'm not sure. I rarely
get dressed or leave my house, and when I do it's usually to meet up
with someone I chatted with all day, and we talk about what we talked
about, and then we go home.
What
was the evolution of your GQ Chris Evans profile?
What was your original assignment and how did you work with your editor
to make it the version we see now?
The
assignment was to profile Chris Evans for the July issue!
There
are some articles online that say that confessional/first-person
celebrity profiles are a trend. Do you think that's the case now from
your perspective, and as a reader, do you prefer those to other styles
of profiles?
Oh,
I don't know! I like whichever ones have quotes that make me feel
better about them being so rich and beautiful.
Did
you read many of the comments on the story? Did they change the way you
felt about the piece at all?
Are
you trying to tell me something, Claire?
If
you at the age of 13 knew you'd be writing a profile like that, who
would you have hoped it would be about?
Thirteen
is what, 8th grade? Drew Bledsoe.
What
are some of your favorite/most memorable moments from your time as an
intern at Esquire?
Probably
when I interviewed a woman who invented (I think?) anal bleaching. She
lived in Australia, and we ended up going off script and just talking
about beauty and nutrition for an hour past when the interview was
supposed to end. Also when they called to offer me the internship in the
first place. I said yes, then leapt up and down the hall in joy for 10
minutes.
What
magazines do you subscribe to?
The
New Yorker and a lot of women's mags.
What's
some crappy music you love?
There's
no such thing as crappy music! But also Britney, Avril, Katy Perry, and
Akon. I love pop music & pop hip-hop. Wiz Khalifa and Nicki Minaj. I
listen to a lot of radio.
What
are some of your favorite thing you've found online lately?
taaz.com.
It's a makeover site where you upload your face and add all sorts of
makeup and contacts and eyebrows and hair. It's amazing.
How
does it feel to be the 287th person interviewed for Zulkey.com (and now
WBEZ?)
GOOD.
You made me tread carefully there for a sec!