pop culture - The Flytrap

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pop culture

A collection of 13 posts

A defeated-looking woman slouched over her computer. A tote above reads "live, laugh, shop!"

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Hate-Reading Wirecutter in the Nascent Era of AI Slop

I love the feeling of being recommended to, rather than recommended at. So-called “AI” is making that harder than ever.

Upending the Male (Film) Gaze

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Upending the Male (Film) Gaze

The Flytrap spoke to the community organizers diversifying film culture away from the whims of film bros.

A lit match, the words "DECRIM NOW" blazing in the flames.

If We Valued Sex Workers, the Outcome of the Diddy Trial Would Have Been Different

What if Diddy’s victims were protected by labor laws instead of relying on the lack of justice of a sexist trial?

s.e. on a train watching ASMR videos on their phone.

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Does It Really Matter if ASMR Is a Sex Thing?

The debate over whether ASMR is a fetish opens a can of worms about human sexuality — and workplace safety.

Illustration: Nicole listening to records, with a cat curled up on the couch.

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Dad Rock Is Our Daddy Now

Queer and trans people may seem like unlikely fans of the genre. But its essential earnestness may explain its appeal.

Illustration: A Black man and woman in formalwear gazing into each others' eyes.

'Sinners' Celebrates the Decadent Intimacy of the Black South

Ryan Coogler's latest film threads Black intimacies through time and space, all in one spiritually stirring night at Club Juke.

Illustration: An anime magical boy looking fiercely at the camera, katana sheathed on his back.

The Case for Magical Boys

If anime can subvert and complicate femininity in magical girl shows, it can do the same for masculinity with magical boys.

Illustration: A map of Brazil overlaid with a huge pink bag of money that bears the Brazilian flag.

You’ve heard of Pink Money, but have you heard of Brazil Money?

Will the global north ever love Brazilian culture as much as it loves our money?

Illustration: A red, white, and blue illustration of a pie overlaid with "Virginity is fake."

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Virginity is Fake, So Why is it Still a Rite of Passage?

Despite its reputation as a sexist film, I rewatched “American Pie” and some parts still hold up for me, more than 25 years later.

Illustration: A lush Puerto Rican landscape. In the foreground, a pair of brown hands hold up a shattered heart with the word "home."

“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is Bad Bunny’s Latest Decolonial Text

Bad Bunny’s new album places loss at the center of tropical paradise, elucidating vacation spots as colonial constructs.

Illustration in green and black: A long-haired person faces a billboard advertising "The Substance" while a syringe oozes green goo.

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The Substance Asks the Question: Can Hollywood Escape Its Own Beauty Standards?

The latest feminist film about society’s obsession with youth never answers its own question.

Illustration in blue and white: Four gorgeous fat women in lingerie posing together. One has a cane.

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Young, Fat, and Gifted

Two new streaming comedies show viewers are eager for stories about fat Black women that don’t just rewrite old, damaging scripts about our lives.

Illustration in orange and yellow: A busty housewife in pearls holds up a martini.

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Housewife Luxury Will Never Be Quiet

Get your half-baked class analysis out of my face