Culture

"Sort Of" creator and star Bilal Baig in their role as Sabi Mehboob

Rare Delight: : "Sort Of" Is a Refreshingly Complex Take on Nonbinary Life

by s.e. smith
November 18, 2021 at 10:45am
What makes Sort Of work is its exploration of a nesting series of communities; one is diverse and queer, featuring people of a variety of genders and sexualities who move fluidly through each other’s lives in a way that highlights the rapid diversification of the LGBQT community... Read more »
A purple graphic featuring an cut-out image of Arya Stark smirking in leather armor with a sheathed sword at her side. Bold black text says “Episode 2 The Little Miss Badass”

Feminist-ish: The “Little Miss Badass” Trope

by Marina Watanabe
November 18, 2021 at 9:00am
The trope itself is powerful because audiences also often perceive young women as vulnerable and nonthreatening, and the reveal that a character is secretly a Little Miss Badass subverts their own expectations of the narrative. Read more »

Queen Shit: Lil’ Kim Celebrates 25 Years as Rap’s OG Doll

by Fullamusu Bangura
November 15, 2021 at 1:39pm
Lil’ Kim’s personas have long been a point of contention among many hip hop listeners concerned with women’s representation in the genre. Read more »
Taylor Swift, in a red car, gazes into the distance wearing red lipstick, an orange newsboy-style hat, a beige coat, and a silver, diamond-shaped ring that says “RED”

Taylor’s Version: How Swift Created a Roadmap for Young Women in Pop

by Elly Belle
November 12, 2021 at 4:11pm
The intentionality of her rereleased albums only further cements what fans have known for almost two decades: Taylor Swift is nothing if not strategic about how she tells her story. Read more »
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon is smiling with an embarrassed expression against a yellow background. Black letters with orange accents say “Episode 1 The Straw Feminist”

Feminist-ish : The Straw Feminist Trope

by Marina Watanabe
November 11, 2021 at 12:07pm
Welcome to Feminist-ish: a video series deconstructing the feminist-adjacent tropes that we love to hate. Read more »
Three women sit next to each other, reading three different titles with coffee mugs in front of them. The background shows stacks of books surrounding them.

BitchReads: 9 Books Feminists Should Read in November

by Rosa Cartagena
November 11, 2021 at 4:00am
Dig into these smart, irresistible new titles. Read more »
Natelegé Whaley, author of ‘Bad Fat Black Girl’, looks into the camera in a long sleeved white shirt and black tropical print dress. She stands at the bottom of stairs to apartment buildings outside, next to an image of her book's cover.

Hot Girl Shit: Trap Feminism Is Sesali Bowen’s Vision for Black Women

by Natelegé Whaley
November 10, 2021 at 2:10pm
“There are a hundred different types of hood girls in the hood,” says author Sesali Bowen. “[Look closer, there’s] an array of stories about Black resilience and Black beauty and Black excellence and creativity.” Read more »
Halsey dressed in a black crown, veil, and ornate gown with bold shoulders that leak upwards in watercolor.

Personal Parallels: Halsey’s Gothic Film Is a Gendered Journey Through Pregnancy

by Rachel Saywitz
November 9, 2021 at 3:46pm
“I am not a woman, I’m a god / I am not a martyr, I’m a problem.” Read more »
a blonde silicone sex doll sits on a bed in a purple-lit room, in front of a glowing TV screen, looking off to the side towards an open door

Silicone Sham: Will Sex-Doll Brothels Change the Future of Sex Work?

by Naseem Jamnia
November 8, 2021 at 3:47pm
Aura Dolls, advertised as a brothel, promised clients a “realistic sensual experience with a girl who is made just for you.” Read more »
Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana standing on a lawn in dense fog in front of an English country house in a yellow tailored suit and tricornered hat

Frigid Family: “Spencer” Amplifies the Horror of the Royal Family

by Grace Lavery
November 5, 2021 at 2:24pm
 At last a Diana every bit as batshit as any of the inbred remnants of House Saxe-Coburg-Goth. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

The Forgotten History of the Women Who Shaped Modern Advertising

a white woman smoking a cigarette walks through an office with a box
by Ciara Lavelle
March 21, 2019 at 9:00am
It's easy to dismiss advertising as an anti-feminist industry. 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 »

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 »

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 »