Culture

Leslie Kern, a white woman with short, brown hair, poses in front of a book case in a blue cardigan

Woman-Made World: Inside the Inevitable Rise of the Feminist City

by Nicole Froio

July 21, 2020 at 9:00am

There are ways to transform the city that would advance the liberation of women and marginalized people. Read more »

Two white people wearing sunglasses relax on floats in a pool, the desert behind them.

In “Palm Springs,” Consent Is a Murky Line

by Sarah Jae Leiber

July 20, 2020 at 11:16am

While Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti turn out great rom-com performances, their characters’ soulmate bond hinges on lies and feigned ignorance. Read more »

Nile, a young Black woman with braids, and Andy, a white woman with short dark hair, lean on a car in “The Old Guard.”

Everything Must Die: Big Pharma Is the Real Villain in “The Old Guard”

by Rachel Charlene Lewis

July 17, 2020 at 11:45am

Plus, it’s wonderfully queer. Read more »

Maggie Nichols, a white, female, gymnast, bends over at the waist while bent at the waist tin Athlete A

“Athlete A” Reveals How Police Fail Sexual Assault Victims

by Amelia Merrill

July 16, 2020 at 11:03am

Athlete A neglects to mention that the police misconduct apparent in the handling of the Larry Nassar case is indicative of a disease infecting all of law enforcement. Read more »

Danielle, Este, and Alana Haim, three white sisters,

Haim’s “Women in Music Pt. III” Gets a Little Darker

by Rachel Charlene Lewis

July 16, 2020 at 10:17am

Haim is pressing pause on their sunshine-y, Fleetwood Mac aesthetic. Read more »

Reese Witherspoon plays Elena, a white woman with a short, blond bob, who is looking at a fire in a room in Little Fires Everywhere

The Fires This Time: “Little Fires Everywhere” Is an Indictment of Colorblind Whiteness

by Trimble

July 15, 2020 at 2:18pm

The show pinpoints the dissonance between white fantasies of colorblindness and the realities of white supremacy and privilege. Read more »

Laverne Cox, a Black trans woman with blond hair, smiles at the cameras in Disclosure.

Validating Hardship: Netflix’s “Disclosure” Reconciles Trans Pain and Joy

by Niko Stratis

July 15, 2020 at 2:16pm

It’s a noteworthy watch considering the way that films prior have represented trans people. Read more »

Myka Stauffer, a white woman with long blond hair, holds a baby and smiles at it in the mirror.

YouTuber Myka Stauffer Illustrates the Problem with White Adoptive Parents

by Andrea Ruggirello

July 14, 2020 at 10:39am

Adoptees have long known what it’s like to have our stories usurped by adoptive parents. Read more »

Laura and Massimo embrace, with Massimo standing behind Laura. She has an expression of ecstasy.

“365 Days” is another Abuse Story Painted as Romance

by Meggie Gates

July 14, 2020 at 10:15am

The romance genre has been dominated by dominant men for years. Read more »

Rebekah Weatherspoon, a Black woman wearing glasses, smiles at the camera

Rebekah Weatherspoon Is the Queen of Erotic Romance

by Nichole Perkins

July 14, 2020 at 9:00am

If you want to read romances with a bit more erotic heat to them, look no further than Rebekah Weatherspoon. Read more »

Best of Bitch

No Disrespect: Black Women and the Burden of Respectability

an illustration of Black women standing around together in a circle

by Tamara Winfrey-Harris

Summer 2012 • Fame + Fortune

Hollywood still filters (and distorts) the lives and histories of minorities through the eyes of the majority. 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 »

Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream

Elizabeth Gilbert, a white woman wearing a navy blue jumpsuit, leans forward and holds hand with and Oprah Winfrey, a Black woman wearing a gray cardigan and jeans

by Joshunda Sanders

Summer 2010 • Action

Even as reports on joblessness, economic recovery, and home foreclosures suggest that no one is immune to risk during this recession, the popularity of women’s wellness media has persisted and, indeed, grown stronger. Read more »