This week, six women share their stories about how income disparity affects their relationships. Read that and other essays from Pacific Standard, Racked, The Offing, and more.
"White Supremacy and Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video" — Pacific Standard
Critics slammed Taylor Swift for glamorizing colonialism and for using Africa as a backdrop in her "Wildest Dreams" music video. For Pacific Standard, Aaron Brady explains how the video — said to contain "no political agenda — is actually an embodiment of Hollywood's long-standing tradition of nostalgia for black subjugation. "The white fantasy that Swift is selling is the idea that you can play around with racism but not get your hands dirtied by it," he writes. Read his essay at Pacific Standard.
"I Gave a Speech About Race to the Publishing Industry, and No One Heard Me" — BuzzFeed Books
At an event attended by scores of young publishing professionals, Mira Jacob gave a speech about race — one that no one bothered listening to. Jacob shared that very speech with BuzzFeed Books, urging writers to create narratives that represent the world we live in and not to ignore writers or readers of color. "You will ignore us at your own peril — to the industry’s peril," she writes. Read her speech at BuzzFeed Books.
Will Varner / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
"How Money Changed My Relationship" — BuzzFeed Ideas
"More money, more problems" rings true when it comes to even the healthiest relationships. It turns out, income disparity reveals insecurities and threatens progressive gender norms. For BuzzFeed Ideas, six women share stories about how money affects their relationships. Read them at BuzzFeed Ideas.
"Are You Still Married?" — Hazlitt
After the death of Lesley Buxton's daughter made national news, strangers had no problem asking Buxton about the state of her relationship. In a heartbreaking essay for Hazlitt, Buxton writes about this perplexing recurrance, caring for and losing her daughter, and how she and her husband have grieved together. Read it at Hazlitt.
Lesley Buxton / Via hazlitt.net