The Women’s Magazine That Tried to Stop the Civil War
Godey’s Lady’s Book, one of the most influential American publications of the nineteenth century, tried to halt the Civil War.
What Really Made 1950s Housewives So Miserable
Where did the image of the quietly desperate stay-at-home mother come from?
Selling the Men’s Wedding Ring
How changing mores, cultural pressures, and, yes, the jewelry industry made two-ring wedding ceremonies the norm in America.
The Gender Politics Behind Why We’re “Mammals”
Linnaeus, who described most plants and animals by their male characteristics, chose to name humans and their relatives after the female breast.
Was Christine Jorgensen the Caitlyn Jenner of the 1950s?
“What is femininity anyway?” Jenner writes in her new book, The Secrets of My Life. Perhaps the famous trans woman Christine Jorgensen knew.
The Many Different Annes of Green Gables
Anne Shirley, created almost 100 years ago, has been reimagined countless times. Why do we still love Lucy Maud Montgomery's plucky orphan?
Women Were Pirates, Too
Maybe you've never heard of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, but they were real-life women pirates who cross-dressed to get on ships.
The Ongoing Practice of Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation seems totally foreign to the U.S., but versions of the long-outlawed surgery have seen a recent resurgence.
The Early Audubon Society Helped Bridge the Gap between Men and Women Conservationists
The man who formed the first Audubon Society was educated by Audubon's widow and found a way to unite men and women in the conservation movement.
The Totally “Destructive” (Yet Oddly Instructive) Speech Patterns of… Young Women?
Two years ago, this column sprang into life by enthusiastically wading into the absurdly long-running debate about some ...