It doesn’t get much more quintessentially American than a waitress in a diner. The everlasting pot of coffee, the no-nonsense approach to customer satisfaction and occasionally a shoulder to cry on – these women have been steadily serving eggs sunny side up for generations, without too much thanks (though they do show up in a lot of movies!) But one woman who’s made it her business to document and celebrate these angels of the formica tables is Candacy Taylor. You might have read the article she wrote for Bust a while back telling the tale of her mission to photograph as many older waitresses as she could – some of these ladies have been waiting tables for sixty years. Candacy waited tables herself to get through college, and found it pretty tough work. She wondered how older women kept going so long.
Inspired by what she discovered, Candacy created a book – Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress, a radio documentary and an exhibition all about these hard working women – and she needs your help to ensure it reaches a wider audience. She’s bidding for a pot of cash from the Pepsi Refresh fund to create a traveling exhibition which will tell these lady’s stories from coast-to-coast. She’s up against hundreds of other projects – and needs your vote. I love this project because it documents ‘ordinary’ women, who turn out to be pretty extraordinary. Their voices are rarely heard, but they are part of every day life for millions of people. Help spread the love! Vote for Candacy here.
Image courtesy Candacy Taylor
