Gopnik's piece sent me back to John Ruskin, whom he cites as "the greatest of architectural critics." In "The Stones of Venice," Ruskin insists that buildings record not just the ideals of those who commissioned them but also the conditions of those who built them. The East Wing was grafted onto an original structure that was built in part by enslaved people. Its neoclassical form proclaimed republican ideals; its production betrayed them.
Younger people will tell you that it's embarrassing and old-fashioned - but the Miss France contest still has a prime-time Saturday night TV slot and attracts millions of viewers every year. Representatives for different regions have already been chosen and on Saturday night the new Miss France will be elected - with the contest a prime-time TV event that draws in millions of viewers. The TV show is expected to draw in around 7 million viewers and the Miss France final regularly makes it into the most-viewed TV lists.
Recently, New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat moderated a debate on the Interesting Times podcast between Helen Andrews and Leah Libresco Sargeant, two conservative critics of modern feminism. The podcast received major blowback, starting with (but not ending with) the fact that the original headline of the conversation was "Did Women Ruin the Workplace?" Quickly, after the predictable backlash hit, the headline was changed to "Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?"
This imbalance has led young men to coin the term 'hoeflation,' the grind of chasing women they might barely fancy, but will date just to escape loneliness.
A group of women sits before us completely nude, unguarded, and unashamed. They are young and old, Black and white, straight and gay. Their bodies are diverse and real. This isn't a stunt or a provocation. It's an act of defiance and vulnerability—an exercise inspired by an article in the feminist magazine Ms. that urged women to reclaim their bodies and confront the shame society taught them to feel.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of France, Senon joined the CGT union and the Communist Party. She rose up the ranks of the male-dominated trade union movement to head one of the CGT's most important women's sections in Paris. Throughout her life, Senon, who styled herself as an "eternal rebel", never gave up fighting for women's rights.
Jane Goodall's death at 91 on Wednesday marked the end of a truly extraordinary life. She made discoveries that upended her field and fundamentally changed the human understanding of our closest animal relatives. She inspired generations of conservationists and researchers, and sparked a global fascination with chimpanzees and their fragile habitats. And there is perhaps no person whose life and work was so integral to my own political development, and in particular my feminist politics.
Ula Zuhra is a Bali-based illustrator, cartoonist and writer behind the full length graphic novel, Aca & Ica: Collected Stories. In the debut piece, the artist explores themes of "feminism, class, eroticism, mythological, and esoteric practices in Indonesia through a tongue-in-cheek satirical lens," the artist says. Throughout Arca & Ica, Ula often opts for a heady balance of high contrast black-and-white, set aside moments of vibrant colour.
A menopausal assassin is a compelling character, combining a woman losing oestrogen with the lethal intrigue of a gunslinger, reflecting on empowerment amidst societal constraints.
Suzanne Cesaire co-founded a journal called Tropiques and published influential essays on politics, literature, and art, inspired by her encounter with surrealist Andre Breton.