Sexes

Why Fashion Magazines Matter

A century after being ridiculed in a 1911 Atlantic article, haute couture has evolved from pretty clothes into a powerful voice of our times.

• Tanya Basu
• February 12, 2015

The Tactical Kilt Dialectic

The idea that tough men can't wear skirts is an oppression that goes back beyond recorded history to the animal kingdom itself.

• Olga Khazan
• February 12, 2015

Helen Keller Puts the Smackdown on Mansplaining

In her 1932 Atlantic article, "Put Your Husband in the Kitchen," the writer mocks people who have lost sight of the purpose of work—men, mostly.

• Emma Green
• February 11, 2015

Consent Isn’t Enough: The Troubling Sex of Fifty Shades

The blockbuster fantasy has become a big movie—and a bigger problem.

• Emma Green
• February 10, 2015

Yes, Obama Was Lying About Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

“I’m just not very good at bullshitting,” the then-presidential candidate said in 2008.

• David A. Graham
• February 10, 2015

But Seriously, ‘Ought Women to Learn the Alphabet?'

In 1859, The Atlantic published an essay asking a simple—and very, very complicated—question.

• Megan Garber
• February 9, 2015

Alabama's 'Dramatic Defiance' on Gay Marriage

A state judge is defying a federal court order allowing same-sex unions. But clearly, he's the exception.

• Conor Friedersdorf
• February 9, 2015

Who Wouldn't Want to Marry a Jew?

A tone-deaf Atlantic article from 1939 serves as a cautionary tale today.

• Olga Khazan
• February 4, 2015

Let's Talk About Sex—in English Class

High school educators often get in trouble for teaching "promiscuous" literature, but conversations about these texts come with lifelong lessons about relationships and attraction.

• Andrew Simmons
• February 4, 2015

The Decision That Could Finally Kill the Revenge-Porn Business

The Federal Trade Commission says people cannot exploit personal information shared in confidence for commercial gain.

• Danielle Citron and Woodrow Hartzog
• February 3, 2015

The Broad, Inclusive Canvas of Comics

Hollywood adaptations don't come close to the transgressive diversity of the genre.

• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• February 3, 2015

On MasterChef Junior, Innate Biases Are Hard to Beat

The charm of Gordon Ramsay's cooking contest masks the way it perpetuates certain race and gender norms among its young competitors.

• Caroline Framke
• February 3, 2015

Some Words from Sylvia Plath and Betty Friedan's Forgotten Sister

Before The Bell Jar and The Feminine Mystique, another young Smith College grad had some sharp words for the cookie-cutter lives American women were expected to lead.

• Lenika Cruz
• February 3, 2015

The Rise of the Teenage Breast Reduction

A growing number of young patients are opting for the procedure—but their age comes with its own set of medical and insurance challenges.

• Jaclyn Voran
• February 3, 2015

Why Isn't Shameless' Fiona Treated Like the 'Difficult Men' of TV?

The character, played by Emmy Rossum, is a rare example of a compelling female antihero.

• Joe Reid
• February 2, 2015

The Myth of the Gay Community

With marriage equality imminent, few social issues affect the entire group equally.

• Evan Beck
• January 30, 2015

No One Knows How to Stop Campus Alcohol Abuse

It's hard to put much faith in Dartmouth's ban on hard liquor.

• David A. Graham
• January 29, 2015

Blink-182's Beautiful, Twisted, Kind of Gay Romance

The band members are bickering, but who can doubt that they still love each other?

• Spencer Kornhaber
• January 29, 2015

On a Stanford Man Who Alleged a Sexual Assault

He insists that a female classmate is guilty of the transgression—and that she shouldn't be expelled.

• Conor Friedersdorf
• January 28, 2015

Spider-Man in Love

After an eight-year separation, Marvel seems to be hinting at a reunion for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson—who embody what a healthy, mature marriage looks like.

• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• January 27, 2015