Articles
The Gendered Labor of Being the Designated SurvivorIn many friend groups, one person becomes the emergency contact, itinerary keeper, emotional first responder and quiet fixer. They know who has allergies, who…
What Main Character Energy Gets Wrong About Oppression“Main character energy” began as a playful way to describe confidence, self-possession and the feeling that your life deserves attention. Online, the phrase…
How Bridgerton diversifies but sanitizes Regency-era powerNetflix’s Bridgerton dresses the Regency period in jewel tones, strings up pop songs, and imagines a multiracial aristocracy moving through London’s marriage…
The Hidden Class Politics Of The Clean Girl AestheticThe clean girl aesthetic presents itself as effortless: slicked-back hair, dewy skin, neutral clothing, gold jewellery and a carefully edited sense of calm. On…
Why the Manic Pixie Dream Mother Is the New Film ClichéCinema has spent years turning the “manic pixie dream girl” into a recognisable type: eccentric, magnetic and emotionally available, she disrupts a serious…
Delulu and the politics of millennial and Gen Z feminismThe word has slipped from group chats to news feeds with the speed of any TikTok verdict of women. Delulu, short for delusional, arrived as a knowing wink…
How the Strong Female Character Shortchanges Women's Inner LivesA particular kind of woman has come to dominate prestige television, the bookshop windows of Melbourne and Sydney, and the queues at places like ACMI's…
Why Swift's Heartbreak Lyrics Stopped Belonging to HerEvery time Taylor Swift releases an album, a peculiar ritual unfolds. Fans open lyric videos in one tab and Twitter in another, decoding which lines were aimed…
Why the golden age of television left female showrunners behindThe so-called golden age of television delivered sharper writing, morally complicated characters and ambitious long-form stories. It also helped turn…
What Girl Dinner Reveals About Food Guilt And Feminine PerformanceThe Girl Dinner trend turned an improvised plate into a cultural script. Crackers, cheese, olives, fruit, leftovers and whatever else is nearby became a funny,…