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In a week that had us wondering again just what made Trump happen, Slate put forth a thought-provoking theory. We also read about the pushout of black girls, letting go of body positivity, and the joke that turned into a commentary on the white male domination of our literary canon. Melissa Harris-Perry and Rebecca Traister turned up on two of our favorite podcasts, and just when we needed a hilarious reprieve, Hillary turned up on Broad City and a group of superstar tap dancers gave us a new reason to love Bey’s “Formation.” All in a week!
READ: The Patronizing Questions We Ask Women Who Write
“We don’t ask male artists to consider the consequences of their work, we don’t reframe them as fathers or boyfriends or sons. We not only give them the benefit of the doubt … we operate as if their work is worth all that.” Meaghan O’Connell bracingly lays bare the gender disparity of the way we treat writers over at The Cut.
LISTEN: Call Your Girlfriend: Live from LA! with Rebecca Traister
Ann Friedman, Aminatou Sow, and Rebecca Traister talk tampon tax, Supreme Court feminists, and, of course, the brief but crucial history of single women in the U.S. during this live version of Call Your Girlfriend.
READ: The Black Girl Pushout
This interview, between The Atlantic’s Melinda D. Anderson and Monique W. Morris, author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, drives right to the heart of the good girl/bad girl dichotomy fueled by racism and misogyny, and what we can do about it.
READ: You Don’t Have to Love Your Body
“I love body positivity… I also love body neutrality.” At The Establishment, Ijeoma Oluo looks at body positivity, and the downside of feeling like it has to be forced.
WATCH: This Tap Dance Routine to Beyonce’s “Formation” Is Incredible
If you thought Bey’s “Formation” video was mesmerizing, wait till you see these tap dancing dynamos. Next level.
LISTEN: Melissa Harris-Perry On Her Split With MSNBC: “I Am Not a Civil Rights Case”
The former MSNBC host opens up about her contentious split with the network with Tracy Clayton and Heben Bigatu on BuzzFeed’s Another Round podcast.
READ: I’m Asking Men to Pay Me $5,000 to Read Jonathan Franzen
Yes, Amy Collier would like someone to pay her to read something by the man who wrote Purity. But it’s about much more than that, as she explains here at The Establishment.
WATCH: Broad City say Hello, Hillary
We’ve been anticipating Hillary Clinton’s Broad City visit for a loooong time. And it was worth the wait.
READ: How Trump Happened
Jamelle Bouie, Slate’s chief political correspondent, thinks we’ve been overlooking “the most important catalyst in Trump’s rise.” And he’s sitting in the Oval Office.