The adventures of superheroes reveal a lot about the people who created them — and the marginalized communities they represent.
representation
The Untold Stories of Wes Studi
“Wes starring in films that have nothing to do with Native American heritage is something we acutely desire: to be allowed to play parts without having to authenticate our realness as Indians.”
Regarding the Pain of Oprah
She gets a mansion and she gets a boat and she gets a jet! And you get to suffer and then maybe pull yourself up by your bootstraps, if you’re lucky enough and bare enough of your private pain.
In Defense of Boris the Russki
Ayşegül Savaş calls into question a kind of racism in Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, and laments the liberal reluctance to rebuke discrimination outright, regardless of its targets.
Every One of Us Is Other: Looking Back on Representation in “Heavenly Creatures” 25 Years Later
Alex DiFrancesco reflects on Peter Jackson’s nuanced approach to representation in the critically acclaimed film.
On Representations of Disability: A Reading List
“How does pervasive ableism affect the way our society continues to be architected?”
The 19th Century Lesbian Made for 21st Century Consumption
Jeanna Kadlec considers Anne Lister, the historical figure at the center of HBO’s Gentleman Jack, and the influence of other queer women who preceded her.
The Others: Why Women Are Shut Out of Horror
Horror movies give more screen time to strong female characters and attract a large female audience. But few female filmmakers get to work on them.
Running!
This excellent ongoing series on the Teen Vogue website features a mix of essays and reporting on non-politicians stepping up and getting involved in government to make a difference.
Why Reading Sherman Alexie was Never Enough
In the wake of several women speaking out about being sexually harassed by Native American author Sherman Alexie, and/or having their careers derailed by him, writer Jacqueline Keeler interrogates the tokenism and minimal representation in publishing that gave Alexie so much power.