Ich Bin Kentishtowner: Rhiannon and Holly, founders of The Vagenda

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett and Holly Baxter met in Kentish Town and set up The Vagenda, a humorous blog that lambasts women’s magazines, in 2012. It has had over sixteen million hits and in May they published their first book, The Vagenda: A Zero Tolerance Guide to The Media. They have also written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times and the New Statesman.

When were you happiest?
Rhiannon: When Holly and I were living in a ramshackle attic above the Lion & Unicorn pub. The conditions were atrocious but we were having fun together, going out and getting drunk and cramming all our friends into that tiny space for parties. It was by no means a sustainable lifestyle – eventually, for the sake of our livers, we had to stop, but those many nights drinking wine and reading women’s magazines is how we came up with the idea for our blog.

Holly: I’d have to agree that we spent some really amazing times in that flat, even if the stairs were crumbling and the windows didn’t shut properly. We’d make cheap pasta in our tiny kitchen, drink a bottle of wine from the corner shop then go to the Abbey for one pint and the atmosphere. We loved where we were living – it was a very welcoming and quirky area to move in to.

Where would you like to live?
R: I’ve always envied the pastel-coloured houses on Leverton Street – they’re pretty dapper and also conveniently located near the Pineapple pub, a favourite of mine.

H: I always liked the architecture on Prince of Wales Road.

What is your favourite sound or smell?
R: To me, Kentish Town smells of the flower stall on the corner, mixed with exhaust fumes and fried breakfasts.

H: It was January 2011, Rhiannon and I were poorer than we’d probably ever been before, and we were sitting around lamenting the fact when we realised that it was snowing outside. Rhiannon started shouting, “We have to go out! We have to go out!” and we just chucked on all the clothes we could find and ran out onto Gaisford Street. It was 1am, no one was there, and we were making snow angels on the path. The whole place smelt so fresh and icy, and nobody had woken up yet to see the snowstorm that had suddenly made its appearance in the middle of the night. The whole of Kentish Town Road looked magical.

What is your greatest life achievement?
R: Having our book, The Vagenda: A Zero Tolerance Guide to the Media, published.
H: I feel almost like we had a baby together.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
H: Life doesn’t owe you anything, and once you start acting like anything you get is a massive bonus, it really changes your perspective. We’ve encountered a lot of controversy in our time, especially when we decided to take on the whole British media. If we’d had anything to lose, we wouldn’t have done it. It was a baptism of fire, and we learned very early on to count your lucky stars, and try not to heed the shade being thrown at you.

What is your earliest memory of the area?
R: Probably seeing the red spotty dress in the window of Blustons. Hasn’t it been there forever? My boyfriend bought it for me for our last anniversary, because I always commented on it when I walked past.

H: I think the first time I went to Kentish Town was as a university student, having wandered accidentally up from Camden Market and suddenly found a pocket of peace and quiet. I bookmarked it as a cool place to visit in my mind that was an antidote to some of the worst parts of Camden.

What makes you unhappy?
R: Needless cynicism and negativity, and those who can’t take a joke.

H: People who come to dinner with you and then, when you order a pizza, say to the waiter: ‘No, no, sorry, I’m just going to watch her eat. I’m on a juice fast.’

What simple thing would improve your quality of life?
R: A few weeks ago I would have said a fishmonger, but one has just opened on Fortess Road. Would it be mean to say an adults-only pub? They’re becoming slightly crèche-like on the weekends now, though I’m sure I’d change my tune the minute I had kids. Those mums look like they need a jar.

H: A daily delivery of cheese to my door. That would complete me.

What is your most unappealing habit?
R: Not listening to people. I’m easily distracted and will often drift off, regardless of how fascinating the person I’m talking to is. It’s rude.

H: I pick out dirt from under my nails and flick it at people when I’m thinking. I know most people probably say something cutesy and not too gross here in order to preserve their dignity, but there you go. Mine is actually completely revolting.

What is your guilty pleasure?
R: Pizza Hut on Fortess Road. I like me a stuffed crust. I have to get my boyfriend to answer the door to them now, because it’s getting a little embarrassing. That, or a fry-up from Mamma Mia, before it closed.

H: The fry-up’s the one for me. Hash browns are my life force.

Where do you hang out?
R: The Abbey was always our pub. We’d spend hours and hours in there, drinking, and the beer garden is great, though I’m sad they no longer do moules frites. Or when I’m being healthy, the swimming pool over the road is the best in London.

H: We loved that place – sitting out the back when it was sunny, cosy pints in the winter.

Who or what do you hate and why?
R: I hate the government, because of what they are doing to people on benefits, especially those with disabilities. My brother’s disabled so I care a lot about that.

H: I hate people who can pull off yellow raincoats. I love yellow raincoats, but they clash with my blonde hair and super-pale skin and make me look like I have a permanent case of jaundice. Why should everyone else be able to pull them off so casually when I’ve coveted one all my life?

What have been your best and worst experiences here?
R: The best was finding out that our website had garnered 60,000 hits overnight. We didn’t expect it, and it’s shaped my career since. The worst was getting a very irate phone call from our landlord threatening to come round and evict us because “the noise emanating from the party you had last night is the final straw.” It had only been the two of us there, singing along to Spotify.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
R: My chin, or rather, my absence of chin.

H: We’re both challenged in the jawline area, but I have always felt better about it since Rhiannon’s mum called an absence of chin “truly aristocratic”.

What’s the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
R: I was nineteen, and heading to an interview at Vogue. My friend said: “I know people always tell you to be yourself in interviews, but in your case, absolutely do not be yourself. You’re awful.” It was my birthday as well, the tit.

H: An ex-boyfriend of mine told me that nobody cares about a girl with a successful career, he just wants her to look good in bed. Emphasis on the ex.

Tell us a secret.
H: I told everyone I had six toes when I was at sixth form so that people would pay attention to me. I still get questions about it now.

What has your career taught you?
R: Not to be overly concerned what others think of you, because otherwise you won’t get anything done. Never write purely for your critics, in other words.

H: Never to be too shy to ask for a favour. The worst that can happen is that you don’t get it, and most people actually don’t mind when you’re straightforward about what you’re asking.

What is your favourite dish and why?
R: Tartiflette. Cheese, potatoes, bacon and onions baked in the oven. Need I say more?

H: My mum’s tuna pasta bake, with extra cheese.

What did you do today?
R: I wrote a newspaper column and ate some mushroom soup. I’m still in my pyjamas.

H: Researched a trip to South America in between sending pitches to magazines. A lot of the day was spent procrastinating, which is the curse of the freelance journalist.

Describe yourself as an animal.
R: Tapeworm. I like to be cosy, and have food brought to me.

H: Definitely a cat. I suck my hair and all I eat is fish.

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