culture

Recently, I stumbled across an online poll cataloging the age at which women first noticed sexual attention from men. Actually, “women” might be inaccurate; the median age was 12. For me, I vividly remember my first awareness at age 10. I was walking home on the last day of school, eating a celebratory ice cream…

Because everything Beyoncé does is a thing, there’s a better-than-50-percent chance that you’re aware that she is dropping an “athleisure” clothing line called Ivy Park via Topshop and other high-end retailers, available later this month. If you don’t already have some s—t to do the yoga in—you do—you can now spend more money on something…

Disclaimer: That’s why there’s been zero discussion about Young admitting to infidelity on tape. Because someone must be blamed, the blame falls on his teammate for recording talk of cheating—not the actual, you know, cheater. The reaction is, “Well, he’s a basketball player,” which is about the same reaction Azalea gave when Young was accused…

This week’s Scandal picks up in the middle of the first Republican presidential debate, with Hollis Doyle serving us his best Donald Trump impersonation—an all-you-can-eat buffet of deep-fried racism and sexism. Sen. Mellie Grant holds her own, but Vice President Susan Ross, still reeling from her breakup with Attorney General David Rosen, performs so poorly that President…

Kunta Kinte now joins USS Enterprise Capt. James Tiberius Kirk and Sherlock Holmes in the growing worldwide popular-culture club of the 21st-century reboot. I was shocked to learn that Roots is being remade and will be broadcast Memorial Day on three different networks: History, Lifetime and A&E. A Roots redux astounds me, because the original…

Who is Wendy Bell? Before Wednesday, Wendy Bell was a lead anchor for WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate. Today, Thursday, however, she’s the white Pittsburgh female equivalent of Tommy from Martin. So she’s unemployed? Yes. What happened? A week ago, as a response to a shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pa. (a suburb of Pittsburgh), that left six…

Empire’s midseason finale featured two juicy cliffhangers: the fallout of Hakeem’s deciding vote to oust Lucious as Empire’s CEO and the fate of pregnant Rhonda, who was pushed down a staircase by a mysterious assailant. We got answers last night along with style no-nos, iffy parenting and eye-rolling moments. Let’s go! Investor Mimi Whiteman schemed…

What does a woman who grew up in Oakland, Calif.—the heart of an urban center—have in common with a woman with roots in the remote outskirts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska? More than you think. We are two determined women of color—united by our belief that human rights and social justice are…

If you follow the shenanigans of the sports world, there are two stories you are probably familiar with: the WTF-is-happening world of Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and Kehlani, the R&B singer few have ever heard of, and the Instagram photo heard round the world; and, more recently, Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell’s phone…