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Paramount PicturesPhoto Illustration: Becky JirasParamount PicturesPhoto Illustration: Becky JirasThe very first shot of the 2024 musical reimagining of “Mean Girls” is a vertical frame. Two characters, Janis (played by Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), film themselves singing a song that sets the stage for the story to follow. They’re troubadours for the TikTok set — and this is a “Mean Girls” for a new generation.The Cady Heron, Regina George, and Aaron Samuels of the original film, released in 2004, had never seen an iPhone — those wouldn’t debut for another three years. “Instagram,” “Twitter,” and “Snapchat” would have sounded…

NetflixNetflixThe Netflix movie “May December” is heavily inspired by the real-life relationship between Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, which is probably why its depiction of stereotypes of Asian men feels so close to reality, too. The morally problematic tale takes viewers on a complex journey with troubling racial implications, particularly as they relate to weaponized whiteness and the depiction of Asian masculinity as subservient and childlike.This highly publicized case, as well as its fictionalized version depicted in “May December,” raises a central question: how did the fact that she’s a white woman impact not only her ability to groom…

Greg Swales/Design by Keila GonzalezGreg Swales/Design by Keila GonzalezIn the music video for her piano-driven interlude “Bambi,” Bodine poses in the middle of a dense forest, artistically garbed in assorted animal bones as she croons over the black and white footage with an ear-catching voice that straddles mezzo and alto ranges. The visual doubled as an announcement video for her sophomore EP, “Quemo Lento,” which dropped last month. Still, if anyone got the impression the project would hinge on somber instrumentals, her other tracks quickly proved them wrong. The follow-up singles “No Me Quiere Más Na'” and “Nalgaje” present a…

Getty/ Photo by Sarah Morris/WireImageGetty/ Photo by Sarah Morris/WireImageThere’s a reason why we’re still talking about America Ferrera’s “Barbie” monologue months after the blockbuster was released. While presenting the Best Supporting Actress award during the 2024 Oscars, Rita Moreno gave an emotional speech about Ferrera, who was nominated for her role of Gloria in the pink-filled film. While Ferrera didn’t wind up taking home an Oscar — the award instead went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her role in “The Holdovers” — Moreno’s speech left folks in the audience trying to understand why. “America. Your powerful Barbie monologue is perhaps…

Getty | Tom WilliamsGetty | Tom Williams Rep. Pramila Jayapal, of Washington state, is known for being an outspoken advocate of social justice, reproductive freedoms, and immigrants’ rights. Ahead of International Women’s Day, we wanted to hear more about her own immigration story and her message to young voters in a crucial election year. Read it all, in her own words, below. It was a dream of my parents to give me the opportunity of education in the United States and everything that would provide, so they really made that ultimate sacrifice. I don’t know if any of us really…

Shelby Diaz/Design by Aly LimShelby Diaz/Design by Aly Lim Even for those who seek to be the center of attention, the spotlight often comes with a heavy price. In a world where gossip rules much of the mediasphere, even non-celebrities can end up caught up in the maelstrom of intense public attention. Especially if they’re closely associated with someone famous and recognizable. Gabriela Berlingeri experienced that, and to a degree very few can relate to, during the time she dated one of the most famous people on the planet — Bad Bunny. The story of how Berlingeri and the Latin…

Courtesy of Raymond O’BrienCourtesy of Raymond O’BrienWhen indie rock musician Neysa Blay sat down to start writing songs for her new album, “Nada es Suficiente,” she found herself in an unusual predicament. She’d been sober for nearly a decade at that point, putting considerable distance between her turbulent past and the more placid present. “I’m really good at writing when there’s chaos and noise in my head, and when things are kind of bumpy,” she says. But now she’d overcome so many of her inner demons. “How do I learn how to write from a good place?”The LP, which drops…

Getty/Jaime Nogales/Medios y MediaGetty/Jaime Nogales/Medios y MediaThe legendary Ivy Queen — often referred to as the Queen of Reggaetón or La Caballota — once said in an interview, “In the life of every woman, there’s a point when you blossom and when you flourish.” And for Ivy Queen, after decades of cementing her place as a pioneer of the genre, that time is now. Born Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, Ivy Queen first became recognized in the reggaetón scene back in the ’90s, when the genre was still considered underground. She was the first female member of the all-male rap collective…

Lorainne MedinaLorainne MedinaMany popular musicians have created fictional alter egos as a way to explore new sonic avenues that they wish to experiment with. David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, David Johansen had Buster Poindexter, Lady Gaga spent a whole season as Jo Calderone, and the less said about Garth Brooks’s Chris Gaines era the better, but it certainly happened. For them, it’s a kind of performance art — an expression of their interest in stepping out of their comfort zone and giving the endeavor a theatrical flair as well.The debate about whether these could be considered merely…

Gindalee OuskunGindalee OuskunMichelle Chubb, also known as Indigenous Baddie on social media, is a model, activist, and public speaker who brings mainstream media’s attention to the beauty of and challenges facing Indigenous communities. Chubb is a Swampy Cree member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation, and ahead of Thanksgiving, she shared how many Indigenous communities approach the holiday. “A lot of us don’t respect it as an event to celebrate because of the history,” she said, referencing the fact that the narrative of the 1621 Thanksgiving feast has long been dominated by white voices and leaves out the fact that cooperation between…