Charlotte, 23
Photos and text by Alden Mackay
Charlotte King, a second-year liberal studies student at Cap, flaunts her cloth tote bag adorned with a fingerbangin’ pin near the shoulder strap, purchased at drag queen Sasha Velour’s Nightgowns show in New York. Alongside a lonesome notebook and pen there are cosmetics, essential oils, Airpods, and a spray can of Saber’s Dog and Coyote Attack Deterrent—a gift from her father.
Her bag also includes a tub of “Purebud” CBD oil which she applies habitually. CBD oils are trending in Vancouver, praised for their ability to alleviate minor pains such as migraines and sore muscles. “I feel like shit all the time so I put it wherever it hurts. Which is everywhere,” said Charlotte. “If I could put it on my heart, I would.”
Charlotte always keeps a small tin of salt with her. “It brings out the flavour,” she explains. “It’s a staple in my life.” When she was a child she’d drink the juice out of caper jars, disregarding the capers themselves. This is where she believes the fixation originated. “I was a strange child,” she confessed.
At the bottom of her bag there’s a metal straw and a “keep cup”—a small reusable “Broadcast Coffee Roasters” thermos which was gifted to her by a visitor from Seattle. “Shit doesn’t leak,” she said. “Your tea will stay hot for days, maybe.”