Culture

Artist Cyanca wears a light pink outfit and stands against a pink backdrop. She has her hair up and braided and her hands in her pockets.

That Timeless Feeling: Cyanca Charts Her Own Neo-Soul Course

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 20, 2020 at 12:13pm
“I just know I want everything to be about Blackness.” Read more »
A collage of two books, one middle grade, and one adult, about sexual violence.

“True Story” and “Fighting Words” Extend the Legacy of “Speak”

by Emily Cataneo
August 19, 2020 at 11:36am
Twenty-one years later, we’re still telling similar stories to Speak—and yes, 21 years later, we still need them. Read more »
Nalini Vishwakumar wears a loose-fitting green shirt, her hair dark and wavy, and sits in a therapists office looking somber.

Third Party Clarity: Therapy Is a Luxury for Pop Culture’s Troubled Mother-Daughter Pairs

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 19, 2020 at 11:30am
In film and television, few relationships are as fraught as the one between a mother and a daughter. Read more »
Tomboyland author Melissa Faliveno, who is white with short, dark hair and glasses.

Meat and Potatoes: In “Tomboyland,” Melissa Faliveno Asks Who Can Explore Queerness

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 18, 2020 at 11:55am
Given Faliveno’s commitment to honesty, there isn’t a moment in Tomboyland that feels chastising or heavy-handed. Read more »
A screenshot of Beyoncé in Black is King. Beyoncé looks regal, her expression soft and her face looking to the side. There’s a glow on the entire image.

“Black Is King” Navigates African Cultures and the Diaspora’s Imagination

by Kovie Biakolo
August 14, 2020 at 3:33pm
Black is King works because it is honest: a film of hope and belonging. Read more »
Kendra Atleework, a white woman with red hair, stands outside, seemingly in the desert

“Miracle Country” Is a New Kind of Climate Change Memoir

by Izzie Ramirez
August 14, 2020 at 12:41pm
Miracle Country shines in the moments when Atleework dives deep into her own thoughts and feelings. Read more »
black and white portrait of a Black person looking at the camera in a white tank, long necklace, and tattoos on their right shoulder.

BitchTapes: Stepping into Power

by Vanessa Newman
August 14, 2020 at 11:00am
This BitchTape highlights the women and nonbinary artists of color who wear many creative hats, from being vocalists and instrumentalists to being producers and record-label owners. Read more »
Jaideep Ahlawat plays Hathi Ram Chaudhary, an Indian man with short, black hair, sitting at a table in a green uniform

A Season in Hell: Amazon’s New Series “Paatal Lok” Is a Cop Drama for Our Times

by Nandini Balial
August 14, 2020 at 10:50am
The show is singularly unsparing in its depiction of modern Indian life. Read more »
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, both Black women, are back to back with the same styling, against a bright pink background. Their eyes are closed and their tongues are sticking out.

With “WAP,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Honor Women’s Pleasure

by Nichole Perkins
August 13, 2020 at 12:58pm
“WAP” is a reclamation. Read more »
The cover of I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch, which shows two girls, one short with light curly hair, and one tall and slim with a preppy aesthetic and dark hair, with panels from a graphic novel above.

In “I Kissed Alice,” A Fanfiction Romance Blossoms Offline

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 13, 2020 at 10:08am
Rhodes and Iliana find freedom in each other. Read more »

Pages

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 »

She-Hulk, Attorney at Law: She's Mean, She's Green, and She Believes in Due Process

by Tammy Oler
Spring 2015 • Law & Order
Avenger. Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Member of the Fantastic Four. 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 »

Where My Girls At: Meet Two of Ferguson's Black Queer Activists

by Erica Cardwell
April 27, 2015 at 3:26pm
Amid national discussions of police brutality and systemic racism, Black women have been the loudest and most consistent voices demanding change. Read more »