Culture

Knock It Down:: Journalism's Barrier-Breaking Leaders of Color on the Past, Present, and Future of the Whitewashed Industry

Headshots of the three journalists featured in the article, collaged together in front of a red and blue background.
by Jenna Wortham
April 11, 2022 at 9:38am
Maria Hinojosa, Kevin Merida, and Lauren Williams talk about the future of journalism and the recent changes they’ve seen in newsroom diversity.
A white woman with freckles and big, curly reddish hair sits in front of a backstage vanity rimmed with bright lightbulbs. She is turned away from the mirror, towards the viewer, looking off camera with a concerned expression on her face.

“X” Is a Slasher Film with an Important Message about Sex Work and Pornography

by Laura LeMoon
April 11, 2022 at 5:43am
What the golden age of porn shows us is that good sex means breaking rules, not necessarily literal rules or laws that exist in our physical world, but rules or standards governing human conduct, morality, and ethics.  Read more »
An illustration shows a person with brown skin and brown hair with a pencil in their mouth, bookshelves with blue, purple, yellow, and pink book covers behind them, and a laptop in front of them.

10 Essential Books About Writing

by Nylah Burton
April 6, 2022 at 12:07pm
Must-read titles for writers include works by Elena Ferrante, Akwaeke Emezi, Meg Wolitzer, Yoko Ogawa, and more. Read more »
The covers of "Young Mungo" by Douglas Stuart, "Take My Hand" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, and "Woman, Eating: A Novel" by Claire Kohda

BitchReads: 10 Books Feminists Should Read in April

by Nylah Burton
April 1, 2022 at 2:47pm
This month, we’re reading “Young Mungo” by Douglas Stuart, “The Red Zone” by Chloe Caldwell, “Harley Quinn: Reckoning” by Rachael Allen, and more. Read more »
Sailor Moon, a girl with long blonde pigtails and a feminine sailor costume sits in a dark pool of navy water, her eyes teary. She looks into a ruby and gold heart shaped locket.

Battle Cry: Sailor Moon the Supersensitive Superhero

by Rosa Cartagena
April 1, 2022 at 12:54pm
An ode to Sailor Moon’s power of emotional vulnerability on the show’s 30th anniversary. Read more »
Two hands massage between a woman's shoulder blades. Leaves swirl around them.

In Safe Hands:: During Times of Crisis, Massage Therapy Becomes Activism

by Nicole Gordon
April 1, 2022 at 12:49pm
Nikki Gordon writes about the healing power of touch therapy during times of crisis.  Read more »
A bright pink and clear plastic megaphone in front of a blue background

Tongue-Tied: “Politically Correct” Has Always Been the Wrong Term

by s.e. smith
April 1, 2022 at 12:46pm
s.e. smith reflects on the discourse around “political correctness,” pointing out the mainstream left’s culpability in the rise of “patriotical correctness” by demonizing political correctness instead of hate speech and misinformation campaigns.  Read more »
Two faces, defined by black, empty, space and scribbled red and white lines, face each other

Graphic Design: The Uncomfortable History of Sex Onscreen

by Beatrice Loayza
April 1, 2022 at 12:44pm
Beatrice Loayza traces a history of sex in TV and movies, highlighting the important work of intimacy directors in the field today.  Read more »
A drawing of female athletes on a turf-covered conveyor belt with a giant hand grabbing them.

Sidelined:: Title IX Leveled the Playing Field. But Did it Miss the Goal?

by Britni de la Cretaz
April 1, 2022 at 12:43pm
Britni de la Cretaz discusses the missteps of Title IX, namely how it fails to address the patriarchal structures within men’s sports, creating conditions for mistreatment and abuse of women athletes.  Read more »
A surrealist illustration: two staircases lead into an ear and opened mouth, a blue woman kneels with her hands extended and her fingers curled, dismembered hands engaging in asmr occupy the two corners of the piece.

Access Denied: How ASMR Redefines Digital Intimacy

by Gianna Ferrarin
April 1, 2022 at 12:43pm
Gianna Ferrarin discusses how ASMRtists’ encounters with anti-pornography restrictions online is forcing creators to rethink what constitutes an expression of intimacy or sexuality.  Read more »
Sarone SunRaa styling a client's hair in her salon

Watch the Crown: What's Next for the Natural Hair Movement

by St. Clair Detrick-Jules
April 1, 2022 at 12:42pm
St. Clair Detrick-Jules writes about the importance of celebrating and representing Black hair in media.  Read more »

Pages

Best of Bitch

Saying Goodbye to Maria and the End of a Sesame Street Era

by Angely Mercado
August 13, 2015 at 5:52pm
Growing up, Sesame Street's Maria was one of the best Latina role models I had. Read more »

It's Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women

by Tina Vasquez
February 17, 2014 at 1:26pm
The marginalization of transgender women in feminism is not new, but the decades-long debate has taken on new dimension thanks to social media and the ease of finding strangers’ personal information online. Read more »

Tina Belcher's Sexual Revolution

​​​​​​​Tina Belcher, an animated teenaged girl. She wears glasses and has black hair with bangs.
by Gabrielle Moss
May 6, 2014 at 11:57am
Tina Belcher breaks all the rules of network sitcoms. That's why she's wonderful.  Read more »

Hot Under the Bonnet: The Cooptation of Amish Culture in Mass-Market Fiction

a blue and white illustration of a woman in Amish attire standing next to a fan and a chicken
by Audrey deCoursey
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
Dubbed “Amish romance novels,” “Amish fiction,” or the more waggish “bonnet rippers,” these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »