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North West has revealed her sensible intention to get a ‘regular’ job. It could be character-building – unless the venti-sized privilege she was born with holds her back, writes Polly Hudson
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Opinion — Polly Hudson
All these years after Ab Fab, we’re regularly reminded how well observed the characters of Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and her daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha), were. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s eldest child, North West, has given a new – as in, not her first , obviously , given she’s the ripe old age of 13 – interview, in which she revealed her sensible intention to get a “regular” job .
The wide-ranging chat is as depressing (her favourite female artists are “Bktherula, Baby Osama and Babyxsosa”; me neither) as it is eye-opening (her favourite music video of all time is her own). But then she drops the Saffron-shell: “I wanna work at, like, Starbucks next year. I think I can next year ’cause I’m gonna be 14, so … I think I can. I want to have a regular job, I guess.”
Bravo. She may have to apply under a pseudonym (South East?) to swerve special treatment, but a first job like this is character-building for any teenager. For West in particular, it would be valuable and grounding. Working at Starbucks could be the closest she comes to real life.
My first Saturday job was at Poppins, a local cafe, where the uniform, including a little hat and frilly apron, was brown from head to toe. They closed down without telling me, which was laughably obvious to all who saw me rock up for work that day in my full attire to find a wall of white-washed windows. It was also testament to my waitressing skills. If I found out now that I made Poppins go out of business with the power of my mind, I wouldn’t be at all surprised, as I hated every second I spent there. However, I learned important lessons about showing up consistently anyway and sticking it out – and I discovered the validation of earning my own money.
The danger for West is something she has very little control over: her venti-sized privilege. Knowing that, if you don’t fancy going in one day, your parents can just buy the company and give you the day off while simultaneously making you CEO sounds ideal. In reality, it’s the opposite. Good luck, kid.
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The wide-ranging chat is as depressing (her favourite female artists are “Bktherula, Baby Osama and Babyxsosa”; me neither) as it is eye-opening (her favourite music video of all time is her own). But then she drops the Saffron-shell: “I wanna work at, like, Starbucks next year. I think I can next year ’cause I’m gonna be 14, so … I think I can. I want to have a regular job, I guess.”
This report is published with credit to The Guardian. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on The Guardian →
Source: The Guardian · Polly Hudson. Published 27 Aug 2026, 10:00 am.
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