The Brat-Ification of Kamala Harris
The post-2016 obsession with conventional beauty isn’t a coincidence. It’s a cultural reaction to far right politics, and one that conveniently furthers the movement’s goals. Think of it as the aesthetic arm of trad-wifery2 — a promise that women can find peace, ease, and fulfillment by retreating not into the traditional roles of wife and mother,
... See moreJessica DeFino • Post-Election, Beware 'Self-Care'
“Shrillness” is just a word to describe what happens when a woman, with her higher-toned voice, attempts to speak loudly. A pejorative, in other words, developed specifically to shame half of the population when they attempt to command attention in the same manner as men.
Anne Helen Petersen • Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
Invoke the brat as your muse, it seems, and she’ll dilute the politics of your book down to a mix of provocativeness and uncertainty. Something like “The system is gross, but the people who want to resist or improve it are cringe. And some aspects of the system, like online shopping and racism and fatphobia, might actually be OK? Just kidding! Unle... See more
The Temporary License of Literary Bratdom
April 14, 1964 Dear Joseph Heller: A very terrible thing happened to me. I was born a girl. It would be O.K. if I were ugly or something or even startlingly unattractive, but as luck would have it, I’m gorgeous, occasionally. Here’s the thing. I wrote this fabulous
Lili Anolik • Didion and Babitz
The two most prominent families in politics and culture—the Trumps and the Kardashians—have risen to the top of the food chain because of their keen understanding of how little substance is required to package the self as an endlessly monetizable asset.