EDITOR’S LETTER, Digital Cover 06 Featuring BAILEY J MILLS
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Nobody is funny anymore. Or is it the other way around? I can’t quite tell. But what I do know is that while the world outside feels increasingly serious, TikTok keeps us amused all day, every day. largely due to its addictive nature, but also due to the characters who live inside of it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the past lately, even the parts I wasn’t around for. Britain gets slated plenty, but it’s also a gloriously unserious place, and the early 2000s still seep into every crack and corner of our culture, from what we watch to what we wear to the way we talk about media every day. When I tried to explain that to a friend recently, the best I could manage was: “Just look up Bailey J Mills on TikTok.”
If you follow queer culture and drag, you probably already know Bailey. Their work drags the past back, kicking and screaming, and it’s built from the things society usually dismisses as total rubbish, wigs that should have been binned years ago, and fake teeth.
This first year has been a process of finding our feet, and each digital cover has taken us somewhere new. YAZ brought us into London’s emerging music scene. Thomas Pacheco offered a glimpse into the modelling world. Piper Maru spoke to us about her relationship with art and the career she is building within it. Belle Christina talked about leaving fake tan behind and embracing her natural skin, and Rick Roy opened up the world of Bollywood costume design.
Now, it’s Bailey’s turn.
“One minute you’re rummaging around a charity shop looking for a ridiculous outfit, and the next you’re standing next to a piece of art worth more than a house. I absolutely love that.”
- Bailey J Mills
In our conversation, Bailey talks British nostalgia, the mechanics of taste, and the lowbrow culture we’re so quick to write off as 'trash'. They explain why they’d rather be a clown than a queen, how Datmovie took on a life of its own, and what they’d bring back from the 2000s if they could: the complete lack of shame in British celebrity culture.
As for my opening question, I’ll let you decide. Thank you for reading, and for being here while we find out what’s next.
Isabella Pettitt
Editor In Chief
