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Julia Métraux

Julia Métraux

Julia Métraux is a health and culture writer whose work has appeared in Narratively, The Tempest, BUST, and Briarpatch Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter at @metraux_julia and read more of her work at https://juliasmetraux.journoportfolio.com/

Poster promoting the Olympic bobsled run at Lake Placid

Antisemitism at the 1932 Winter Olympics

The 1932 Winter Olympics were a small foreshadowing of what was to come in 1936 Berlin.
Ghostface from Scream

We All “Scream” for the Metatextual

Do you like scary movies? How about movies that scare you while satirizing and paying homage to their genre?
A screenshot from Squid Game

The Gruesome Truth at the Heart of Squid Game

Would you be willing to play games to get out of debt? Would you sell your organs?
Trinity from The Matrix, 1999

Trinity: Real Hero of The Matrix?

While Neo may be the One, he’s not the character who gets the action going in the first film—that’s Trinity.
Tiger Woods of the United States plays his shot from the 15th tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 15, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia.

What Happens to Brands When Celebrity Endorsers Are ‘Canceled?’

Take the case of Tiger Woods’ whose reputation took a nosedive after his many affairs came to light in November 2009.
The cast of the new Gossip GirlThe cast of the new Gossip Girl

Gossip Girls (and Boys)

Researchers found that male and female adolescents may respond differently to gossip or other forms of social aggression.
Flag of Mohawk Warriors Society

How the Media Framed the Oka Crisis as Terrorism

For over two months in 1990, Indigenous activists defended Kanien'kehá:ka lands against encroachment. They were portrayed negatively.
Olivia Rodrigo performs onstage during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center on September 12, 2021

Thank You, Tweens, for Your Pop Music Icons

Olivia Rodrigo is only the latest star to emerge from the wonderful world of Disney.
The cover of issue #10 of Anarchist Black Dragon, Spring 1982

Prison Abolition from Behind Prison Walls

The Anarchist Black Dragon was produced inside of the Walla Walla State Penitentiary. One of their journalists was murdered. Could the paper survive?
Photograph: Still from  "Only Murders in the Building"

Source: Hulu

Why Mystery Fiction Is So Engaging

Tracking down the killer appeal of the hit show Only Murders in the Building.
A Star Wars artwork

Is Star Wars Cultural Appropriation?

Orientalism is alive and well in the wildly popular franchise, argues one scholar.
A poster image for American Horror Story: Double Feature

The Very Human Appeal of American Horror Story

The late author Joanna Russ had insights about why horror speaks to ordinary experiences and emotions.
Photograph: Charli D'Amelio attends the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, which was broadcast live on FOX on May 27, 2021. 

Source: Getty

The Real Appeal of Reality Stars

Reality shows bring "ordinary people" into our homes as entertainment, presenting celebrity to us "cafeteria-style."
Sandra Oh in The Chair

Who Looks Like a Professor?

Movie portrayals of faculty may influence the ideas about professors that students bring to the first day of class.
A slide for preventing hepatitis

These Posters from Mao’s China Taught Public Health Awareness

A series of reforms known as the Patriotic Health Campaign brought colorful posters depicting good hygiene and workplace safety practices.
I.W.W. Picnic, July 1919, Seattle, Washington.

How the IWW Grew after the Centralia Tragedy

A violent confrontation between the IWW and the American Legion put organized labor on trial, but a hostile federal government didn’t stop the IWW from growing.
"Nixon Tearing the Heart out of Indochina" by René Mederos

Anti-Imperialist Propaganda Posters from OSPAAAL

OSPAAAL, the international, pro-communist organization formed in 1966, decried American imperialism with powerful propaganda.