gender

What, like It’s Hard?: The Enduring Legacy of “Legally Blonde”

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a white woman with long blond hair who wears a pink dress and smiles.
by Erin Taylor
March 3, 2021 at 8:44am
Elle is not only harassed, but also has the harassment weaponized against her. 
Britney Spears wears a red dress. Her hair is blond and in a high ponytail.

“Framing Britney Spears” Is a Portrait of a Pop Star on Fire

by Vanessa Willoughby
February 19, 2021 at 1:04pm
Framing Britney Spears is a clear indictment of society’s stigmatization of mental illness. Read more »
screenshot of a video game where two female anime characters are embracing each other about to kiss

In It Not to Win It: Indie Game Designers Queer Time, Space, and Play

by Nina St. Pierre
February 2, 2021 at 10:01am
Queering virtual worlds goes beyond including LGBTQ characters or storylines. Read more »
Harry Styles, a white boy with a small frame, is covered in tattoos and shirtless. He wears a yellow rain hat and stands on a cliff by a river.

Slippery Soft: The Rise of the Manic Pixie Dream Boy

by Madeleine Pollard
January 28, 2021 at 11:03am
Manic Pixie Dream Boyism resists the clean-cut mold of macho masculinity. Read more »
Kathryn Newton wearing a red leather jacket, jeans, and red lipstick staring angrily in the middle of a school hallway as other students gawk at her

Switching Fears: “Freaky” Is an Empowering Body-Swap Horror Comedy

by Sezin Koehler
December 23, 2020 at 11:00am
Freaky explores gender and body horror in a captivating (and extremely funny) way. Read more »
Anna and Maya, two teen girls, lay poolside.

In Season 2, “PEN15” Gets Real About Teenage Slut-Shaming

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
September 18, 2020 at 10:19am
While the first season of PEN15 highlights teen girls’ sexuality, the second showcases the ways they’re punished for it. Read more »
A gender reveal party: a white couple holds a device that releases blue or pink smoke.

The Internet has (Literally) Accelerated Gender Reveal Parties

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
September 10, 2020 at 10:01am
Gender reveal parties are killing people. Also, they’re absurd. Read more »
an illustration of geometric shapes in different colors that feature various pronouns, including she, they, zir, and hir

Subject to Change: The Pronoun Discourse Has Always Been Versatile

by Trimble
August 26, 2020 at 12:29pm
The singular “they” is an important survival tool for those of us who struggle to fit into the world as it currently is. 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 white woman in a glittery dress smiles, confetti falling from above.

“Palm Springs” Taps into the Idea That Time Loops Fix Women

by Angie Jaime
August 5, 2020 at 10:43am
The pursuit of betterment means losing a part of themselves along the way. Read more »
a female police officer in a blue uniform stands outside, right next to stone steps

Pushing for More Women in the Police Force Is a Cop Out

by Torrey Crim
July 17, 2020 at 10:18am
Women are subsumed into the culture of policing rather than standing against it. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

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

by Andi Zeisler
February 19, 2014 at 2:29pm
Welcome to Ms. Opinionated, our weekly advice column dealing with questions of life, love, feminism, and pop culture. This week, a reader... Read more »

Mad Science: Deconstructing Bunk Reporting in 5 Easy Steps

Spring 2008 • Wired

British scientists have uncovered the truth behind one of modern culture's greatest mysteries: why little girls play with pink toys. Is it...

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