Music

Demi Lovato, a white person with short, brown hair, sits in a cream chair while wearing a cream blazer full of perfume bottles

Tight Reins: The Careful Construction of Demi Lovato’s Docuseries

by Sadaf Ahsan
May 11, 2021 at 9:00am
We love to keep our pop stars under a tight lens. Read more »
a collage of Saweetie, a lightskinned Black woman wearing a mesh shirt and gold chains, and Rihanna, a lightskinned Black woman wearing a light blue gown surrounded by imagery related to social media

Saweetie, Rihanna, and the Memeification of Domestic Violence

by Heven Haile
May 10, 2021 at 10:05am
What does it mean to live in a society where violence against women and girls is treated as comedic fodder? Read more »
Marie Ulven Ringheim wearing a hoodie holding a piece of paper that is on fire.

girl in red Wants to Follow Her Impulses

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
April 30, 2021 at 10:31am
She is ever-changing and ever-evolving. Read more »
Demi Lovato, a young white woman with brown hair, poses on album cover in a collage style

5 Feminist Albums That Got Us Through April

by DeAsia Paige
April 29, 2021 at 2:49pm
We’re all still searching for comfort and inspiration. Read more »
Beyoncé, a light-skinned Black woman wearing cornrows, poses in profile in the visual album for Lemonade

Daughters of the Resurrection: For Black Women, “Lemonade” Still Feels Like Home

by Vanessa Willoughby
April 23, 2021 at 12:41pm
Though the album delves deep into the pain of infidelity, it shouldn’t be separated from its depiction of Black womanhood as a far-reaching community forged from shared experience. Read more »
cutouts of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps” video and Beyoncé from the “Hold Up” video collaged together with three paintings: Nausicaa (1878) and Flaming June (1895) by Frederic Leighton and “Autumn Sea” (1867) by Gustave Courbet

Hold Up: When Music Treats Softness as a Superpower

by Erica Campbell
April 23, 2021 at 9:13am
“Hold Up” is a nuanced love song in which the female protagonist isn’t begging or asking for love; she’s making a clear and precise declaration. Read more »
Gwen Stefani, a white woman with blond hair, poses alongside the Harajuku Girls, a group of four Japanese women dressed in all black

Delicate Goods: The Ornamental Objectification of Asian American Women in Pop Culture

by Sarah Wang
April 22, 2021 at 9:37am
Being Gwen Stefani’s add-ons superseded their place as human beings. Read more »
Jessica Simpson, a thin white woman with curly, blond hair, holds a mop against a light-blue background while wearing a thin white t-shirt

We’ve Apologized to Britney Spears. When Is It Jessica Simpson’s Turn?

by Caitlin Hart
April 5, 2021 at 11:15am
With so many of her marital fights and throwaway comments captured, Simpson felt much closer to our reality than other stars. Read more »
Lil Nas X, a young Black man, places the devil's horns on his head and stands in hell, which is red and rocky.

Only Here to Sin: Lil Nas X Continues a Tradition of Queer Blasphemy

by Nicole Froio
March 30, 2021 at 12:34pm
“Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” unequivocally embraces queerness to the absolute despair of conservative Christians. Read more »
A young Jay-Z in black and white wears a t-shirt and a hat.

Nobody’s Savior: Jay-Z Can’t Be Our Messiah

by LaTesha Harris
March 24, 2021 at 7:55am
Jay-Z cannot deliver us into an era of racial equity. He’s nobody’s savior—not even his own. Read more »

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