Drift off to sleep with the story of Colette and Missy, a French writer and an aristocrat in a three-piece suit who built an unconventional life together in early 1900s Paris, whose love inspired art and defied every social boundary.

In this soothing LGBTQ+ history bedtime story, discover the passionate relationship between Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who would become one of France's greatest authors, and Mathilde de Morny "Missy," an aristocrat who wore men's suits, smoked cigars, and answered to "Uncle Max." Learn how they met in 1905 and built a life together at Villa Belle Plage by the sea, where Colette wrote with a bracelet engraved "I belong to Missy" on her wrist. Experience the scandal of January 3, 1907, when their onstage kiss at the Moulin Rouge caused a riot and forced them into hiding. Understand how their domestic partnership influenced Colette's groundbreaking novels about female desire and independence, and explore the complex question of Missy's gender identity, was Missy a butch lesbian or a transgender man? Witness how their love, though it eventually transformed into devoted friendship, shaped both their artistic lives.

This episode features our two-telling format: the story told once at a comfortable pace, then repeated slower with longer pauses to guide you gently into sleep.

🌙 Perfect for: Lesbian history, gender nonconforming history, Belle Époque Paris, French literature, artistic partnerships, unconventional relationships, bedtime relaxation

📚 What you'll learn in this bedtime story:

1. Colette's life (1873-1954) and escape from her fraudulent husband Willy
2. Mathilde de Morny "Missy" (1863-1944) and aristocratic background
3. Missy's masculine presentation—three-piece suits, short hair, cigars
4. Known as "Uncle Max" and "Monsieur le Marquis"
5. Meeting around 1905 in Paris lesbian circles
6. Living together at Villa Belle Plage in Le Crotoy (1906)
7. Colette's bracelet: "I belong to Missy"
8. Artistic collaboration and domestic partnership
9. January 3, 1907: "Rêve d'Égypte" scandal at Moulin Rouge
10. The kiss that caused a riot and police shutdown
11. Forced separation after the scandal
12. Buying Manor of Rozven in Brittany (June 21, 1910)
13. Same day as Colette's divorce from Willy
14. Relationship ending 1911-1912
15. Reconciliation as friends in the 1920s
16. How Missy influenced Colette's novels about female desire
17. The debate over Missy's gender identity
18. Missy's death in 1944 during WWII
19. Their lasting impact on LGBTQ+ history

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