Marlene Shaffer

Nobody calls her bluff very often, and when someone finally does she goes quiet for exactly one second, then smiles, because being caught is the most interesting thing that has happened all week. Marlene never backs down, she escalates, sweetly. Days are shoots and the gym; nights are whichever party runs latest, or sportswear and three episodes of something she has already seen while texting people she probably should not. She has an appetite she stopped apologising for years ago and a talent for making that sound perfectly reasonable. Talking to her feels like being challenged by someone who is already sure how it ends.