Culture

A meme created by @atmfiend about having a crush

The Vanilla Internet: How Instagram Is Failing Queer Sex Workers

by Erin Taylor
July 30, 2019 at 7:40am
Following FOSTA-SESTA, Instagram has increased its censorship of content that can be perceived as related to sex work—with at times devastating effects on digital queer sex worker communities. Read more »
A photo of artist Sizzy Rocket, a white woman with dark hair and many tattoos. Sizzy sits on a bed and is pouting.

Take It or Leave It: Sizzy Rocket on Creating Pop Music Just for Queer Women

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 26, 2019 at 4:34pm
“Younger queer artists definitely inspire me every day to just be truer to myself. Because I didn’t have that example.” Read more »
Samira Wiley and Uzo Aduba, two Black women, in Orange is the New Black. They both wear prison uniforms and are holding hands.

From Representation to Tragedy Porn: Did “OITNB” Fail Its Marginalized Viewers?

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 26, 2019 at 3:10pm
Did Orange is the New Black accurately represent marginalized people, or simply expose them to pain via tragedy porn? Read more »
A photo of Officer Anthony Johnson (@ohnoitsdapopo) on TikTok. He is dancing in front of his cop car while in uniform.

Social Media as Image Management: How Cops Are Using TikTok to Distract from Police Brutality

by Lillian Kalish
July 26, 2019 at 12:20pm
While in full gear, an officer tells TikTok users that he’s their new dad, he’ll tuck them into bed, and he’ll and let them stay up late playing video games. Read more »

Backtalk: A Racist by Any Other Name

by Amy Lam
July 25, 2019 at 1:48pm
This week, Dahlia and Amy agree it’s about time for mainstream media organizations to label racists as racists. Recently, Trump tweeted to four congresswomen of color that they should go back to where they came from and accused them of being un-American. While his vile tweets were unsurprising, it... Read more »
a photo of adrienne maree brown, a lightskinned Black person with a bull nose ring and shoulder-length blond, curly hair

Pleasure as Praxis: adrienne maree brown on Human Error, Longing, and the Power of Prioritizing Love

by Corinne Manning
July 25, 2019 at 9:00am
Capitalism often tricks us into functioning from a place of scarcity, where longing for pleasure is the most we can aspire to. But what if we could tap into our desires in small ways every day? Read more »
four white women and one Black woman from a girl group look puzzled together

Popaganda: 20 Years of Girl Power

by Carmen Rios
July 24, 2019 at 7:29pm
We look back on the impact of the Spice Girls as they embark on their reunion tour—and examine whether the ’90s promises of girl power have come to pass. Read more »
A white woman wears a NiteCap, a silk bonnet.

Thief in the Night: The White Brand Co-Opting the Black History of Sleep Bonnets

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 24, 2019 at 5:46am
When white people appropriate Black haircare, they reshape the conversation to prioritize the very people who called Black hair into question to begin with. Read more »
a photo of Ramy Youssef, an Egyptian American man with short, brown hair wearing a green hoodie, black shirt, and black hair

Airing Authenticity: Does “Ramy” Need to Be Real to Be Fun?

by Umber Bhatti
July 22, 2019 at 7:48pm
Ramy Youssef chooses not to adhere to a collective narrative, instead homing in on his personal experience.  Read more »
A photo of author Jenny Odell, who has brown hair and bangs and wears glasses while looking straight into the camera and not smiling.

Doing Nothing Is a Radical Idea for Marginalized People

by Izzie Ramirez
July 22, 2019 at 5:25pm
For marginalized people, doing “nothing” is the last resource we have. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

The Feminist Power of Female Ghosts

The Ring
by Andi Zeisler
October 3, 2017 at 8:21am
The female ghost is an enduringly fascinating figure. Read more »

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 »

Politically Correct Language Isn't Just About Being Polite—It's About Survival

by Leela Ginelle
February 10, 2015 at 12:23pm
Photo by Phillipe Leroyer (Creative Commons). Two weeks ago, Jonathan Chait published the lengthy essay “Not a Very P.C.... Read more »

The Dramatic History of American Sex-Ed Films

by Sarah Mirk
June 17, 2014 at 10:29am
In 1948, in a seventh grade classroom in Eugene, Oregon, a teacher dimmed the lights and flipped on 16mm projector. A film called Human... Read more »