If you’re a Sydneysider, there’s a hefty chance you’re following a handful of local meme accounts: There’s Newtown Affirmations, Monkey Boy, Salvosfit and Miss Double Bay, to name a few. But while many of the brains behind the Instagram-based operations have kept their identities anonymous (cowards), only one brave online solider has stepped out of the shadows to own her title as the North Shore’s most outspoken, meme-loving, online celebrity — and that’s Claudia Bursill AKA Miss Double Bay.
Claudia’s villain origin story as Miss Double Bay is anything but dull. It all started in 2016 when Claudia posted a comment on Facebook complaining about rotten avocadoes she’d purchased at a Sydney Woolies.
Although the supermarket saw through her game (they recognised the avos from a previous customer complaint two years earlier), the incredibly viral hullabaloo inspired her to launch the official Miss Double Bay account where she posts memes for the girls. Specifically, the girls from the North Shore or Eastern Suburbs.
Soon enough, the Miss Double Bay account became pretty successful and saw Claudia launch her own merch (drink bottles that say “drink some water you beautiful and capable but dehydrated bitch”) and kick off a solid micro-influencing career before she was even identified.
However, in 2023, Claudia decided the anonymous jig was up and decided to reveal herself at Sydney Fashion Week. Talk about a chic way to say yoo-hoo to the public eye!
These days, Claudia wears many hats. She’s a co-host of the podcast Certified Yappers and works closely with fellow meme-goblins The Betoota Advocate.
Claudia’s slightly unusual career path is a doozy, and a good reminder that even the strangest weirdest ideas (or viral moments) can lead to a pretty incredible creative career. That’s why for this week’s Insider Trading, sat down with the meme queen herself.
Hint: if you’re looking to break into the creative industry, check out our newly relaunched Pedestrian JOBS and craft your next move.
Insider Trading: Miss Double Bay
Hellloooo Miss Double Bay! Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Miss Double Bay here — though my alter alter ego, Stacey Oaksheaf, also makes a regular appearance at The Betoota Advocate. Like any good onion, I have layers — I juggle multiple roles as a creative consultant, social media manager, creative director, podcaster, and lifestyle coordinator. Yes, I’m very important.
How long have you been the well-known yet elusive maiden of Double Bay?
Miss Double Bay was born back in 2017 as a creative escape from the day-to-day mundanities of life in the Eastern Suburbs. For the first couple of years, I kept myself anonymous on the page, but after finally making it into the glossy pages of the Daily Mail and seeing its potential to grow beyond just a passion project, I decided to lean in and see where she could take me. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made — it’s opened doors I never expected, like being interviewed by PEDESTRIAN TV to promote their PEDESTRIAN JOBS platform.
I think a lot of people would be unsure of what your life as MDB involves. Describe your typical day.
Yes! I get asked this a lot.
Honestly, it depends on the day, but most mornings start with me raw-dogging two egg yolks, followed by a Luke Warm Girl stroll from Bondi to Bronte or a cold plunge in my makeshift ice bath — it’s great, those Kmart storage tubs only take up about 85 per cent of my balcony space. After that, it’s straight to the airport for a flight to Birdsville in Queensland, where The Betoota Advocate offices are located. It sounds hectic, but I made sure to negotiate in my contract that I strictly fly Qantas premium economy — those Frequent Flyer points aren’t going to rack up themselves.
By 5:30, I’m back in Double Bay, diving headfirst into the whirlwind of events I’m invited to: cutting ribbons, kissing babies — the usual. I somehow make it home just in time to whip up a succulent home-cooked meal for my husband and sift through the plethora of fan mail waiting for me in my home office. Quite a standard day, really.
What’s your favourite part about what you do?
Hands down, the people I get to work with — ridiculously talented, funny individuals who thrive in an office environment that actively avoids HR intervention. On top of that, I never imagined I’d make a career out of taking the piss out of the Eastern Suburbs while somehow convincing brands to pay me for it. Truly living the dream here.
What was the biggest learning curve so far?
Realising that not everyone gets satire — there’s always that awkward moment when people don’t realise you’re taking the piss.
When you were starting out in your career, what was your dream job?
I always wanted to be the Brand Power lady, helping Australians buy better. She just seemed like she had it all figured out. Whenever I’d see her pop up on my TV, she just exuded a perfect mix of power, wisdom and success, and I wanted a piece of that.
How did you end up in your current role?
I landed the gig at Betoota by making up a bunch of fake headlines, posting them on Miss Double Bay and making sure to tag them in the process (see here). Guess they were in desperate need of some office arm candy because they called me the next day. That was over a year ago now.
What’s your advice for people who want to work in your industry / type of role?
Just don’t be a Brad, Chad, a Jason or a Richard.
If you weren’t doing your current job as a meme queen, what would you be doing?
I would be the Brand Power lady, except I think she’s now been replaced with “What’s On In The Warehouse”… so redundant, I guess?
Do you have a work uniform? Even if it’s self-imposed?
I have an unhealthy obsession with wearing a striped button-up shirt — so much so that it’s now become a running joke in the office and on the pod (@certifiedyappers). Pair that with my habit of wearing clothes that are well above my pay grade, and you’ve got my work uniform in a nutshell.
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve seen at work we can legally publish? (lol)
I’ve witnessed some delightfully unhinged moments at many PR events.
One that stands out: I was hosting a Real Housewives of Sydney mid-season dinner with BINGE. Let’s just say that dinner made me realise the show’s on-screen drama is anything but scripted.
As dessert was being served, a full-blown argument erupted between two of the housewives, and of all people my mum (my +1 for the night) stepped in to break it up. Honestly, it was the greatest night of my life. We even ended up at Ivy’s Level 6 afterwards. Iconic.
Who do you admire in your industry?
I’ve got two. First, Effie Bateman from The Betoota Advocate. She’s sharp, wildly creative, and has this effortless way of making anything hilarious. Half the time, I’m just sitting there wondering how she comes up with this stuff.
Second is my podcast co-host, Roj. She’s insanely talented and probably the most grounded, no-nonsense person I’ve ever met. She’s the kind of person whose opinion you genuinely value — not to mention, she’s just cool in a way you can’t fake.
Describe your inbox in three words. Or, at least, give it a crack.
It’s a lot of “just circling back,” “hey lovely,” and “here’s some info on our latest campaign — we’d love for you to post about it for free because we think your audience would totally love it” lol.
How do you sign off your emails?
I just raw dog it with no sign-off at all.
How did the legend of MDB begin?
Here’s an explainer video I prepared earlier:
What do you want people to know about you and / or your work?
Please take everything I say with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt xx
Find your dream job with Pedestrian JOBS here.
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