If you grew up in America, there’s a good chance that you learned that sex is, first and foremost, a reproductive act. Sure, it feels good, but that’s just a way for our bodies to trick us into breeding. Many church doctrines will inform you that any sexual experience that doesn’t stand a chance of resulting in pregnancy is sinful, perverse, and unnatural.
Making it as an artist isn’t easy. It’s even harder when you’re a woman. In Hollywood, women are outnumbered by men both onscreen and behind the camera. In the world of visual arts, just 30% of artists represented by commercial galleries in the US are women—despite the fact that women make up half of MFA graduates. Women in the literary arts are consistently underrepresented in interviews, bylines, and book reviews.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last few decades, it’s that a lot of people get mad when Hillary Clinton speaks.
In the tech community, efficiency is a top priority. Whether it’s Soylent (tagline: “Food that frees you!”), Blue Apron kits that take the decision-making out of cooking, or TaskRabbit ads that urge consumers to delegate their drudgery to someone else, the industry seems to have endless ways to free up its workers (and, presumably, give them more time to work).
Over the past few weeks, as the idea of a Trump presidency has gone from unthinkable joke to horrifying reality, I’ve heard a new term making the rounds, particularly among my friends in media. “We’re living in a post-truth era,” they tell me, citing Trump’s many lies and contradictions, the rise of fake news sites, and a growing distrust of the mainstream media as evidence that the American people are increasingly distanced from reality.
In the weeks since America elected Donald Trump president, the businessman turned president-elect has largely dominated the news cycle. But his former opponent hasn’t completely receded from the national spotlight. A day after her concession speech, Hillary Clinton was spotted hiking in the woods of upstate New York. Not long after, a supporter connected with her in a Rhode Island bookstore. And there have been more formal appearances as well, like her November 16 speech at a Children’s Defense Fund event. All of these Clinton post-election sightings, though different in circumstance, are connected by a single, important thread. In a sharp break from her decades on the national stage, Clinton is no longer wearing visible makeup.
Earlier this month, beauty brand CoverGirl made headlines for debuting its first “Cover Boy,” YouTube and Instagram star James Charles. The move was rightly hailed as progressive by many media outlets. And Charles’s CoverGirl status is also highlighting the increasing number of men who are using their make-up skills to gain social media fame. As Broadly noted earlier this year, in addition to Charles, there’s Patrick Starrr, Jeffree Star (no relation), Manny Mua, and Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen (better known as his drag persona, Miss Fame), to name a few.
Airbnb has long promoted itself as a new way to travel, encouraging users to abandon pricey hotels in favor of renting out a stranger’s extra bedroom. But lately it’s become clear that this future of hospitality isn’t actually for everyone. If you’re black, or transgender, or a sex worker, Airbnb hosts might not open their doors to you. And because they’re private individuals renting out a part of their home, there isn’t much recourse against such discrimination.
As spring fever bursts into bloom, a lot of people start to think about shaking up their lives. We end relationships, look for new jobs, and try to find ways to better our careers—like, for instance, going to grad school. After a post-recession dip, grad school enrollment is back on the rise, and you might be wondering if you, too, should pursue more education.
The first time I was laid off, I was 21 years old. A year out of college, I’d been working as a health educator at a student health center. To be perfectly honest, I hated my job. I was poorly paid and overwhelmed with responsibility. Worst of all, I despised my boss. It was the kind of work environment where getting up in the morning is physically painful, and most of your free time is spent quietly crying in the bathroom.
On January 14, 2016, the nominees for the 88th Academy Awards were announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills—and, almost across the board, those nominees were largely white and male. Again.
It’s awards season in Hollywood, that lovely time of year when entertainment’s best and brightest gather to give and receive praise. The list of Oscar nominees has been announced, to a predictable mix of cheers and jeers. But first, let’s take a few minutes to remember last weekend, when TV and film industries luminaries converged on Beverly Hills for the Golden Globes. Among the evening’s nominees (though sadly, not winners) was Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the most surprising films of 2015. (Mad Max has also been nominated for several Oscars this year, including Best Picture.)
On Dec. 30, veteran comedian and sitcom superstar Bill Cosby was charged with first-degree aggravated indecent assault in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The charges stem from a 2004 incident in which a former Temple University employee alleges that Cosby drugged and raped her at his mansion.
As fall turns to winter, the temptation to find a certain someone to cozy up with during the frosty months gets ever stronger. Yes, friends: cuffing season is officially upon us, the time of year when Tinder goes into hibernation mode and singles turn into couples (at least temporarily).
Titillation is a staple of Western television, especially premium cable. In an attempt to justify subscription fees, network executives encourage showrunners to amp up the nudity (even in relatively unsexy fare like Starz Original Party Down). Sexposition has in fact become such a regular occurrence on shows like Game of Thrones that it’s practically a running joke; and with upcoming series like HBO’s Westworld reportedly requiring extras to consent to simulated sex, it seems clear that premium cable remains committed to the prurient.
