Mary J. Blige's career arc has become synonymous with pain and heartbreak — but being a perpetual medium of despair comes with a cost.
As an adult, my pop culture passions have to serve as a brief and joyful escape instead of an all-consuming obsession.
Cher is still making headlines, after more than five decades in the spotlight, because she’s never stopped finding and mastering new outlets for her creative expression.
Even as plastic surgery becomes increasingly acceptable, old ideas about class and race continue to play outsized roles in how and on whom we’ll accept it.
-
If People Love You For Your Saddest Songs, How Can You Be Happy?
Mary J. Blige's career arc has become synonymous with pain and heartbreak — but being a perpetual medium of despair comes with a cost.
-
How Many Celebrity Fandoms Do You Know By Name?
Casual fans need not apply.
-
Aging Out Of Diehard Fandom Is Bittersweet
As an adult, my pop culture passions have to serve as a brief and joyful escape instead of an all-consuming obsession.
-
Cher Is Still Changing The Conversation In 2017
Cher is still making headlines, after more than five decades in the spotlight, because she’s never stopped finding and mastering new outlets for her creative expression.
-
Idris Elba On Survival, Romance, And Bad Reviews
The actor weighs in on the importance of trust, those Dark Tower reviews, and maybe doing a comedy. (Warning: Some spoilers ahead.)
-
The Definitive Oral History Of "Round The Twist"
How one of the weirdest shows in Australian history became a cultural icon.
-
Dana Spiotta Has Won A $50,000 Prize For Mid-Career Writers
The winner was announced at the Brooklyn Book Festival gala on Saturday night.
-
What It Takes To Go From Elite Athlete To Mother And Back Again
Four Indian athletes on the triumphs and challenges of making a comeback after childbirth.
-
Inside The Testosterone-Soaked Culture Of India’s Guys-Only WhatsApp Groups
In a time when it’s decreasingly cool to be sexist, some men are retreating to the privacy of all-male WhatsApp groups to validate their misogyny.
-
Louis C.K. Is As Close As He's Ever Gotten To Addressing The Allegations Against Him
In his new film I Love You, Daddy, Louis C.K. at the very least points to the elephant in the room.
-
How The Kardashians Reflect Changing Ideas Around Plastic Surgery
Even as plastic surgery becomes increasingly acceptable, old ideas about class and race continue to play outsized roles in how and on whom we’ll accept it.
-
How Pamela Adlon Handcrafted One of The Best Shows On TV
"It just all flows through one fun, small lady,” Adlon said on the set of Better Things Season 2, which she directed in its entirety.
-
"Mother!" Is Absolutely Not For Everyone
Jennifer Lawrence's mindblowing new movie is tough to love, but even harder to forget.
-
There's Blood In The Water In Silicon Valley
The bad new politics of big tech.
-
Poem: "Cotton Candy"
"My mother wept nightly for eight years / my living curled its hands / around her throat not choking exactly."
-
People Are Obsessed With The Tea Hillary Clinton Spilled In Her New Book
"Ted Cruz is the only man in politics wishing we were talking about Hillary Clinton's book."
-
I Couldn’t Save My Stepson’s Mother, But I Should Have Done More
I wish I had said more than I did to my husband’s ex-wife about gratitude and apologies, and what a privilege it was to raise a child with her.
-
For Muslims In The US, There’s Before 9/11 And There’s After
The distance between curiosity and fear is tragically short.
-
This Private Investigator Was The Original Most Interesting Man In The World
The story of Tom Corbally, a private investigator whose career crisscrossed continents and spanned decades, is its own secret history of the 20th century.
-
"Insecure" Star Natasha Rothwell Never Stops Hustling
Natasha Rothwell never expected how quickly opportunities would come her way after her first TV writing job, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t ready for them.
-
St. Vincent Is Telling You Everything
"I told you more than I would tell my own mother."
-
"Top Of The Lake" Is The Anti-SVU
The second season of the dark procedural, starring Elisabeth Moss, is far from perfect. But it vividly channels the fury of women who’ve been forced to navigate a misogynistic world.
-
Maria Sharapova's Rivalry With Serena Williams Is In Her Head
Sharapova's new memoir suggests that she still can't seem to accept the reality that her whiteness is not enough to compensate for her own failings.
-
Read This Excerpt From Celeste Ng's New Novel "Little Fires Everywhere"
"She was standing on the tree lawn in her robe and a pair of her son Trip’s tennis shoes, watching their house burn to the ground."
-
“The Bachelor” Is Jumping The Shark, And Found The Right Guy To Do It With
No one in Bachelor Nation was rooting for Arie Luyendyk Jr. to be the franchise’s next star. But he's actually returning to a Bachelor world shaped by a tectonic shift that he helped set off in 2012.
-
Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Antifa Network That's Trying To Solidify A Nazi-Punching Movement
Those who call themselves anti-fascists have had to wrestle with a social media ecosystem that has at once amplified their work and demonized them.
-
These Muslim DACA Recipients Feel Like The Most Unwelcome People In The US
First came the travel ban. Then, the DACA decision. That's why these young undocumented Muslims feel like walking targets — and plan to fight back.
-
Read An Exclusive Excerpt From John Green's New Book
"I’m not saying you’re good or generous or kind or whatever. I’m just saying you’re memorable."
-
"Twin Peaks" Was The Ultimate Argument Against Nostalgia
Call it frustrating, call it maddening — just don't call the ending of Twin Peaks: The Return anything other than consistent with what has always been the show's vision.
reader Masthead
-
Karolina Waclawiak
Executive Editor, Culture
-
Rachel Sanders
Deputy Editor, Culture
-
Tomi Obaro
Associate Editor
-
Bim Adewunmi
Senior Culture Writer
-
Pier Dominguez
Culture Writer
-
Scaachi Koul
Culture Writer
-
Anne Helen Petersen
Senior Culture Writer