First Person Laura Bogart Jul 28, 2023

That Time Barbie and I Had an Epiphany

Laura Bogart Jul 28, 2023

The writer never imagined identifying with Barbie. But Greta Gerwig’s thought-provoking portrait of the doll’s rude awakening of experiencing misogyny in the real world mirrored the author’s own coming-out experience.

Statues of women with pink and green florals behind them.

Skirting The Issue Linnie Greene Nov 25, 2019

It’s Time to Stop Mystifying Women’s Sexuality

Linnie Greene Nov 25, 2019

Culture has consistently litigated women's desire to the point of spectacle. But it's really not that complicated.

A cover poster for the show "She's Gotta Have It" on Netflix

Skirting The Issue Heather Wood Rudúlph Dec 1, 2017

She’s Finally Having It

Heather Wood Rudúlph Dec 1, 2017

Spike Lee's Netflix serial adaptation of "She's Gotta Have It" is the latest example that pop culture is FINALLY starting to represent female sexuality on our terms.

The cover of "Earth Hates Me: True Confessions From a Teenage Girl" with a photo of its author Ruby Karp.

Adolescence Kate Tuttle Oct 10, 2017

Talking With Ruby Karp, the Upright Teen Feminist Citizen

Kate Tuttle Oct 10, 2017

Our parenting columnist sits down with the 17-year-old author of 'Earth Hates Me' and learns why some girls recoil at the word "feminist" while still embracing its principles.

A still of Alexis Bedel in the Handmaids Tail

BDSM Tina Horn Jun 13, 2017

What Can the Lesbian Handmaids Teach Us About Resistance?

Tina Horn Jun 13, 2017

There's a limit to how much the horrors exacted on the “gender traitors” of Gilead can suppress them because, as sexpert Tina Horn explains, queer sexuality inherently rejects the patriarchy.

HBO Camille Acker Dec 19, 2016

Can Issa Rae’s “Insecure” Start a Sexual Revolution?

Camille Acker Dec 19, 2016

The star and creator of the HBO series, who earned a Golden Globe last week, is blazing a trail for doing something quite simple: portraying authentic Black sexual relationships on TV.

#2016PresidentialElection Rafia Zakaria Nov 7, 2016

Did the Sexual Revolution Liberate Women?

Rafia Zakaria Nov 7, 2016

Helen Gurley Brown encouraged women to sleep their way to the top. Feminist Kate Millett warned that sex wasn't necessarily a weapon. Guess which message endured?

consent Kerry Neville Oct 25, 2016

My Year of Relearning “Yes”

Kerry Neville Oct 25, 2016

In her desire to love and be loved, Kerry Neville often felt like she had to say yes when she meant no. Until the day she discovered the true meaning of consent.

Black Girls Stacey Patton Aug 2, 2016

Why Are Some Black Moms Beating the Sexuality Out of Their Girls?

Stacey Patton Aug 2, 2016

We’ve seen the viral videos of Black parents shaming and whupping their teen daughters as a way to “protect” them. But the abuse may be putting the girls at risk for sexual harm.

Bisexuality Casey Quinlan Mar 29, 2016

Am I Ready to Share My Beloved ‘Xena’ With the Straight World?

Casey Quinlan Mar 29, 2016

For queer girls growing up in the '90s, Xena and Gabrielle were life rafts for intimating what a lesbian relationship could look like. The reboot promises to do much more. That's good, right?