Empty hospital corridor with closed doors at the end

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.
Audubon Bald Eagle

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.
young women talking

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 ...
mens magazine

How Magazines Created a New Culture of Manhood

Middle-class American manhood changed in the mid-twentieth century. And the new ideal of masculine consumption was captured by men’s magazines.
70s Little League Player

How Little League Prepares Kids for Work

Little League baseball as we know it is result of child development theory and practices in America's heartland in the years directly after World War II.
Judith Butler

Judith Butler

The philosopher inspired a whole generation of American queer theorists.
Tiger Beat Magazine

The Sexual Lessons of 1980s Teen Magazines

Teen magazines put girls in charge by inverting the male gaze

How Mr. Coffee Made Coffee Manly

Mr. Coffee, the first electric-drip coffee machine for home use, debuted in 1972, forever changing the way Americans made coffee.
yoga studio

The False Promises of Wellness Culture

Wellness is everywhere today: juice cleanses, Soulcycle classes, self-care. The roots of the trend can be found in nineteenth-century health-consciousness.
Letter on Corpulence William Banting

When Dieting Was Only For Men

Today, we tend to assume dieting is for women, but in the 1860s, it was a masculine pursuit.