Culture

Fear of a Feminist Lens: How Emily Nussbaum Pioneered TV Criticism

Nussbaum provides a roadmap for how to talk about television with an openness that sheds the hand-wringing that has plagued television criticism since its conception. Read more »

From Memes to Equal Pay: How Lesbian Meme Culture Produced A New Dedicated Soccer Fandom

With their World Cup win, the United States women’s national soccer team has been extensively memed, leading to newly obsessed queer fans—and more supporters in their fight for pay equity. Read more »

BitchReads: 5 Nonfiction Books Feminists Should Read This July

We’re bringing BitchReads back! Read more »

Teardrops On My Guitar: Taylor Swift Losing Her Masters Is a Sexist Tale as Old as Time

Record labels maintain control over original recordings in exchange for investing in the artist. Read more »

In “Late Night,” Comedy’s Whiteness Is a Backdrop for a Love Story

Mindy Kaling holds onto her affinity for caustic, negging romance, focusing this energy on the creative partnership between two very different women. Read more »

BitchTapes: Heat

The power that comes from women’s rage is one of the reasons why angry women have been shamed throughout history. Read more »

Do We Need to Calm Down?: A Roundtable about Taylor Swift and Classism in Music Videos

“Did [Taylor Swift] create something groundbreaking that liberated queer and trans people of color? Did she create an era-defining gay anthem that’s universally likable? No, but why should we expect her to?” Read more »

Guilty Parties: “Big Little Lies’” Glorious Reflections on Female Penitence

There’s something aspirational about the way Big Little Lies imbues even the most dysfunctional situations with a gloss of camp-adjacent catharsis. Read more »

Beyond Martyrdom: “Tales of the City” Introduces Two Generations of Complex Trans Characters

The flawed history of our queer ancestors serves as a portal to the past. Read more »

TV Has Shifted Our Cultural Perception of Who Has Abortions

While TV shows are still learning how to tell accurate and authentic stories about marginalized people who have abortions, there have been a few examples that have had lasting impact. Read more »

Pages

No Disrespect: Black Women and the Burden of Respectability

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

It’s Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women

To imply that trans women pose a threat to cisgender women in restrooms is misinformation that preys on unfounded fears. Read more »

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

Amid national discussions of police brutality and systemic racism, Black women have been the loudest and most consistent voices demanding change. Read more »

Ms. Opinionated: I'm a Man. How Can I Help the Feminist Movement?

Welcome to Ms. Opinionated, our weekly advice column dealing with questions of life, love, feminism, and pop culture. This week, a reader... Read more »