Culture

Lindy West, a white plus-size woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a black shirt, screams into a bullhorn

Good As Hex: Lindy West’s “The Witches Are Coming” Brews up Anger and Optimism

by Andi Zeisler
October 25, 2019 at 9:36am
Though Lindy West’s sarcasm is as extravagant as ever, it can’t be mistaken for cynicism. Read more »
Princess Carolyn a pink cat stands and looks into the camera. She is in an art gallery.

The Case for a Black Princess Carolyn

by Mary Retta
October 25, 2019 at 9:00am
For Princess Carolyn, the case for her identity as a Black woman offers a more nuanced lens through which to view her character. Read more »
two white women in Vita and Virginia stand in a room together as one takes the other one's shirt off

Finite Love: What Lesbian Period Dramas Lose When We Project Our Fears on Them

by Rachel Vorona Cote
October 24, 2019 at 2:32pm
Films and television series featuring queer characters are still relatively scarce. Read more »
Harriet A. Washington, a Black woman with long, black hair, stands in portrait

(Mis)measuring Intelligence: Environmental Racism Is Assaulting the Minds of People of Color

by Bani Amor
October 23, 2019 at 3:02pm
Harriet A. Washington argues that intelligence is malleable rather than fixed or inherited, and that it’s possible to solve the problem of poisons and pathogens attacking the nervous systems of people of color. Read more »
Kiki, a young Asian animated girl with short hair, bangs, and a red ribbon, flies on a broom in Kiki's Delivery Service

30 Years Later, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” Is Still Inspiring Young Feminists

by Christine Jean-Baptiste
October 23, 2019 at 11:05am
Kiki’s Delivery Service offers a safe space that makes you feel connected to others, but most importantly a community of powerful women. Read more »
Miley Cyrus, a thin white woman, wears a black blouse and black cowboy hat.

Miley Cyrus Might Be Pansexual, but That Doesn’t Mean She Cares about Queer People

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 22, 2019 at 2:09pm
It’s clear that Miley Cyrus’s intention of protecting the LGBTQ community only goes as far as it protects her personally.  Read more »
Lana Del Rey, a white singer with long, brown, hair stands behind a microphone

“Norman Fucking Rockwell!” Is a Case Study in Political Apathy

by Roslyn Talusan
October 22, 2019 at 1:44pm
Aside from a smattering of references to the counterculture movement of the 1960s and ’70s, Norman Fucking Rockwell! appears to have little to no meaningful connection to its namesake’s work. Read more »
Jenny Slate as Missy, left, Maya Rudolph as Connie, the female Hormone Monster, and Jessi Klein as Jessi in Big Mouth.

The Teen Girls of “Big Mouth” Are Its Saving Grace

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 22, 2019 at 11:01am
While Big Mouth is a show about teens of all genders, it shines best when it delves into the worlds and inner workings of its teen girl characters.  Read more »
Author Morgan Parker, who is a Black woman, wears a black blazer, white shirt, and an orange scarf. She leans on her hand and looks at the camera.

A Depressed Black Teen Takes Center Stage in Morgan Parker’s YA Debut

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 21, 2019 at 4:45pm
“It’s unfair to make a book that is only the dark because we know that that’s just not how life happens.” Read more »
A woman of color in a sky blue blazer, pantsuit, and bunny slippers sits with her legs up on a desk.

“A Little Late with Lilly Singh” Has a Code-switching Problem

by Sezin Koehler
October 21, 2019 at 12:50pm
Lilly Singh is trailblazing as a South Asian woman on late night TV while also dismantling that good work by continuing to perform a Blackness that isn’t hers. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens

by Zetta Elliott
December 17, 2013 at 3:19pm
What happens when two great black women fiction writers get together to talk about race in young adult literature? That's exactly what happens... Read more »

Oh Joy Sex Toy: How I Realized I'm Asexual

by Erika Moen
January 5, 2016 at 11:11am
Artist Kiku H shares her personal experiences learning what it means to be asexual. Read more »

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
May 20, 2016 at 11:28am
To imply that trans women pose a threat to cisgender women in restrooms is misinformation that preys on unfounded fears. Read more »