Culture

Two white women, both with brown hair, stand by a Christmas tree.

Jane from “Happiest Season” is Autistic-Coded—And She Thrives

by Alaina Leary

December 15, 2020 at 10:31am

Whether coded or canon, Jane makes autistic viewers feel seen. Read more »

Shia LaBeouf, a white guy with brown hair and a messy beard, wears a blue suit.

Shia LaBeouf’s Abuse Confession Can’t Absolve Him

by Nicole Froio

December 15, 2020 at 10:30am

LaBeouf admitted to abusing loved ones for years. Read more »

Rachel True, a Black woman with curly brown hair, poses against a turquoise background

In the Stars: Rachel True Wades into the World of Tarot

by Vilissa Thompson

December 15, 2020 at 10:01am

The magic isn’t really in the paper, the cards, or the ink. Read more »

a light-skinned Black woman with a short afro reads a book while sitting on the couch

BitchReads: 7 Books Feminists Should Read in December

by Evette Dionne

December 14, 2020 at 3:30pm

We hope that our monthly BitchReads list has served as even a small distraction. Read more »

Ijeoma Oluo, a light-skinned Black woman with short brown hair, poses in a red shirt and a leopard-print headband

Ijeoma Oluo’s “Mediocre” Explores the Disaster of White Male Supremacy

by Shannon Weber

December 14, 2020 at 3:11pm

Mediocre resists the naive and coddling notion that simply loving white men out of their brittle rage and self-hatred will turn things around. Read more »

Playwright Josefina López smiles. Her hair is dark and curled, and she wears red lipstick and blue eyeshadow.

Enduring Legacy: Playwright Josefina Lopez Reflects on “Real Women Have Curves”

by Karen Fischer

December 14, 2020 at 9:01am

Both the play and the film had a massive impact. Read more »

Elliot Page, who is white with medium length brown hair, sits at a table in a dark room and looks serious.

Give Elliot Page—and All of Us—the Rightful “They”

by Sarah Cavar

December 11, 2020 at 1:36pm

Page’s coming out promises to further increase trans visibility in the public conversation. Read more »

A white guy with glasses and dark hair and a short white woman with messy bleach blond hair stand next to each other in fancy holiday outfits, looking shocked and upset.

Did Our New Slate of Queer Holiday Films Deliver?

by Rachel Charlene Lewis

December 11, 2020 at 10:40am

This roundtable comes in honor of 2020 very much being the year of the queer holiday film. Read more »

India Oxenberg, a thin white woman with blond hair, talks to the camera while wearing a black dress and sitting in a chair

No Question, “Seduced” Is the Superior NXIVM Cult Docuseries

by Sophia Stewart

December 11, 2020 at 10:12am

Seduced hands the reins to survivors of Keith Raniere’s abuse. Read more »

Two women have a heated discussion while standing in a grassy field.

Ceaseless Caricature: “Hillbilly Elegy” is a Spectacular Failure

by Alana Anton

December 10, 2020 at 10:10am

Despite critical acclaim, the book exasperated those of us who are of this place. Read more »

Best of Bitch

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 »

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 »