Gender & Sexuality

"As far as I'm concerned, being any gender is a drag." — Patti Smith

For Promising Young Women: A Smidge of Midge
Eliana Rozinov examines the figure of Midge as a mythical phenomenon, a pregnant doll, and a variation of the “promising young woman” trope.
Eliana RozinovOct 12, 2023
Work and the New Wave: On My Capricious Summer with Jiří Menzel
Emily Tamkin documents her Jiří Menzel binge and explains how and why his films hold up so well today.
Emily TamkinSep 28, 2023
- Film
- Gender & Sexuality
The Funny Thing About Misogyny
In a preview of LARB Quarterly no. 39: “Air,” Katie Kadue breaks down the misogynist history of the rape joke.
Katie KadueSep 25, 2023
Men Explain Periods to Me
Farah Ahamed on how men reacted to her book about menstruation—by explaining menstruation.
Farah AhamedSep 24, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- Memoir & Essay
An Excuse to Make Noise: On Todd Decker’s “Astaire by Numbers” and Matthew Frye Jacobson’s “Dancing Down the Barricades”
Brynn Shiovitz reviews two new books on screen dance, Todd Decker’s “Astaire by Numbers: Time & the Straight White Male Dancer” and Matthew Frye Jacobson’s “Dancing Down the Barricades: Sammy Davis Jr. and the Long Civil Rights Era.”
Brynn ShiovitzSep 22, 2023
- Film
- Gender & Sexuality
Feminism Without Borders: On Hawon Jung’s “Flowers of Fire” and Aviva Wei Xue and Kate Rose’s “Weibo Feminism”
Nina Pasquini reviews Hawon Jung’s “Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide” and Aviva Wei Xue and Kate Rose’s “Weibo Feminism: Expression, Activism, and Social Media in China.”
Nina PasquiniSep 16, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- Politics
dude I’m not dead!!! On Alissa Bennett’s “Taxidermist’s Handbook”
Ariella Garmaise reviews Alissa Bennett’s compilation of celebrity-themed zines, collectively titled “Taxidermist’s Handbook.”
Ariella GarmaiseSep 13, 2023
North Korea on the Hudson: On Alexander Stille’s “The Sullivanians”
The history of an Upper West Side sex therapy cult isn’t what you think it will be, according to Dave Mandl’s review of Alexander Stille’s “The Sullivanians.”
Dave MandlSep 9, 2023
Spooky Sexy: A Conversation with K. Patrick
Naomi Pearce talks with K. Patrick about their debut novel, “Mrs. S.”
Naomi PearceSep 8, 2023
- Fiction
- Gender & Sexuality
The Politics of Care: On Angela Garbes’s “Essential Labor” and Peggy O’Donnell Heffington’s “Without Children”
Sarah Stoller reviews Angela Garbes’s “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change” and Peggy O’Donnell Heffington’s “Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother.”
Sarah StollerSep 8, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
You Can Always Get What You Want: On “The Big Chill” and American Politics
Henry M. J. Tonks explains how Lawrence Kasdan’s “The Big Chill” gets generational politics all wrong—and why we still need to watch it.
Henry M. J. TonksSep 7, 2023
Whose Fantasy Is This? On Sally Wen Mao’s “The Kingdom of Surfaces”
Hazem Fahmy reviews “The Kingdom of Surfaces” by Sally Wen Mao.
Hazem FahmyAug 28, 2023