fashion

Glitter Tears: On “Euphoria,” Fashion Is (Sometimes Painfully) Symbolic

A photo of Jules from "Euphoria." Jules is crying, her eye makeup smeared, and wearing an angel costume.
by Rosa Boshier
August 13, 2019 at 8:14pm
Many have taken note of the glittery, bold makeup of Euphoria.
A photo from Beyoncé's "Spirit" music video. A large group of Black men wear pink outfits and olive-colored durags in the desert.

How We Adorn Ourselves: Jailyn Poindexter on Making 20 Durags for Beyoncé’s ”Spirit” Video

by Brooklyn White
July 31, 2019 at 10:44am
How we as Black people adorn ourselves is valid, as shown in the “Spirit” video. Read more »
A white woman wears a NiteCap, a silk bonnet.

Thief in the Night: The White Brand Co-Opting the Black History of Sleep Bonnets

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 24, 2019 at 5:46am
When white people appropriate Black haircare, they reshape the conversation to prioritize the very people who called Black hair into question to begin with. Read more »
Image of people sitting front row at a fashion show while a model walks by

From Information Superhighway to Digital Runway: The Complicated Legacy of Fashion Blogging

by Adwoa Afful
March 5, 2019 at 1:39pm
In its own way, fashion and beauty blogging is as aspirational as traditional fashion media. Read more »

Backtalk: Haute Couture Blackface

by Amy Lam
February 21, 2019 at 4:45pm
This week, Dahlia and Amy are back! They’ve got pop culture picks! They’ve got read, watch, and listen recommendations! They’ve got so many rage-induced opinions! In recent months, controversies have popped up in the news with the discovery of prominent politicians and actors donning blackface and... Read more »
Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau in American Horror Story: Coven

Flaunting Freedom: The History of Louisiana’s 18th-Century Tignon Laws

by Princess Gabbara
February 11, 2019 at 8:20am
We cannot discount how enslaved Black women used dress as a form of resistance. Read more »
eight thin, white models embracing and celebrating after a runway show

Birds of a Feather: “Vogue” and Victoria’s Secret are Both Selling a Warped Fantasy

by Mariana Viera
November 16, 2018 at 11:49am
Victoria’s Secret is unquestionably determined to remain the bastion of male-centered fantasy and traditional feminine allure. Read more »
Sharifa Easmin Kabir

Foundational Power: The Rise of Bangladeshi American Beauty Vloggers

by Tupur Chatterjee
May 16, 2018 at 2:30pm
Makeup can build, dismantle, assert, and help defy ideas of what “disciplined” bodies should look like. Read more »
Miss Black America 1969

Keep Your White Crowns: The History of America’s Identity Pageants

by Ashley Nkadi
February 1, 2018 at 2:01pm
Fifty years after the creation of Miss Black America, mainstream pageants are still failing to be inclusive. Read more »

Middle School Students Push for a Gender-Neutral Dress Code—and Win

by Sarah Mirk
August 2, 2016 at 11:55am
Policing the length of shorts and skirts takes girls out of class. But Portland Public Schools just passed a student-written dress code they hope will be a model for the nation.  Read more »

Spoken Word Duo DarkMatter Talks Race, Gender, and Imperialism

by Tammy Danan
February 12, 2016 at 12:55pm
“We didn’t consent to being underground; we were forcibly submerged.” Read more »

Pages