The Pleasure Lists Q&A: Clémence Polès

Pleasures, Curated by Clémence Polès

We’re back with another installment of

The Pleasure Lists

: Pleasures, Curated.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy getting to know members of the Pleasure Lists community and what makes their Pleasures tick.

Pleasures, Curated by

Clémence Polès

of

passerby

Clémence Vina Polès is a photographer and founder of passerby magazine.

Turning our gaze to the women who pass us by through intimate portraits, curated recommendations, and more, passerby is an online magazine and community that celebrates the women who pass us by.

Over 500 passersby from all over the world have welcomed Clemence into their homes, offering honest looks into their lives. She profiled influential women like actress Jameela Jamil, New York Times bestselling cookbook author Alison Roman, and acclaimed artist Laurie Simmons. She also spotlights everyday women like Parisian home aide Siraba Coulibaly, sex worker Lexii Foxx, and writer/professor McKenzie Wark who spun her NYC rave experiences into academic prose. 

Social: @clemencepoles @passerby

Location: Paris, France

Pleasures

1. That unexpected moment when you're mindlessly washing your hands, and the smell of the soap suddenly hits you — cutting through all the noise in your head. The scent follows you in brief glimpses throughout the day, like when you brush your hair back or gently touch your face.

2. Fried Chicken Sandwiches

3. When someone asks you for directions, and you actually know exactly where to guide them.

4. Plage papotage: a term my partner and I coined from people-watching in La Spezia, Italy. It's an upgraded take to the "let's meet at a café to chat' and instead takes place in the shallow part of the sea. Movement is limited to expressive hand gestures and only half of the body is covered in water at all times. 

5. Ordering pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon at my local café every Sunday morning. They usually have a few newspapers lying around that get passed among the regulars, mainly women in their late 60s. I wait until Libération is free because no one wants to read Le Figaro. Ultimate bliss if a new issue of Lux arrives in the mail and I bring it with me.

6. When a girlfriend calls me azizam

7. The sound of my camera's shutter release.

clemencepoles

A post shared by @clemencepoles

8. And the moment I see that the woman I'm photographing feels beautiful.

What does Pleasure mean to you?

The moments that connect me with the world around me.

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Who do you want to see next? Send me suggestions for who to feature in the next Q&A!

What Is “Pleasures, Curated”?

Each week, a new Pleasure-seeker will document their personal Pleasures and ruminate a bit on what Pleasure means to them. True to

The Pleasure Lists

style, I keep the list-maker’s je ne sais quoi in as much as I can — only minor editorial changes are made when necessary. I do this intentionally so that the writer’s inner world really comes through. The style of the list says as much about the writer as the list itself.

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Read Previous Q&A’s:

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Why submit a list?

Pleasure Lists are a summary of what you need, want, or have, or see at a particular moment in time. They are a survey, an overview, a summary of the crucial facts of the state of one aspect of your life. It’s a kind of blueprint that can be a guide to the future. 

Mull it over and if you’re moved to, send me a list.

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Questions? Comments? Send any recommendations or suggestions for what you’d like to see in these newsletters my way. I’d love to hear more about what you’re currently finding pleasure in.

Join the chat below to connect with other members of the Pleasure List community:

Please share this newsletter! The Pleasure Lists is meant to be a collaborative project that calls people from all over to write, read, and share their pleasures — a global community of artists, writers, and pondering minds alike.