Noah Berlatsky

Noah Berlatsky

Bio

Noah Berlatsky is a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He edits the online comics-and-culture website The Hooded Utilitarian and is the author of the forthcoming book Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948.

Noah Berlatsky Articles

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The Castrating Power Of The Femme Fatale: Ex Machina

Their sexuality traps and destroys male innocence, as they grad hold, by the penis- the better to lead him to castration. Make no mistake that castration is greeted with fear, terror, and disgust—but also with glee. Women as super villains allow their characters to be super powerful; a force for evil is at least a force. In a media landscape where women are often rendered secondary, invisible, and passive, the femme fatale, in her icy violence, seizes female agency along with the phallus that she so efficiently cuts off.

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The Strange Intersection Of Anti-Semitism And Anti-Blackness Racism

If you want America to relearn how to hate white Jews, the quickest way to do that is to associate them with black people.

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Taylor Swift, Beyonce And The Dreary Pedestal Of White Perfection

As a white woman, Swift can afford to celebrate carelessness. Beyoncé, though, knows that even her casualness has to be perfect.

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The Handmaid's Tale Is Overrated—Here's What You Should Read Instead

While Atwood's feminist dystopia remains our favorite nightmarish future, Marge Piercy's Woman On The Edge Of Time is far superior.

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Image: Flickr

A Love Letter To The Original Movie, The Transporter 

Action movies don't usually bother much with romance. The trailer for The Transporter: Refueled certainly doesn't. The hero is cool — sexy women, plural, throw themselves at him, or at least stand near him and things blow up; there are fights and revenge and high production values. Romance is, at best, a secondary concern.

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Pretty Woman At 25: Still A Crass, Degrading Power Fantasy

The rom-com's worshipping of power and wealth comes with a gender twist.

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The Latent Lesbianism Of Nicki Minaj's "Feeling Myself"

Female masturbation is sexy in part because it flirts with lesbianism. For male masturbation, it's a different story.

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Dawn Richard (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The Rise Of The "Alternative Black Woman R&B Left-Field Genius"

The acclaimed solo album of former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard raises questions about the very nature of "cred." Is pop antitethical to artistry?

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Credit: ABCNews

Lena Dunham's Jewish Boyfriend Quiz And The Truth About Anti-Semitism

In the U.S., anti-Semitism is universally condemned. This means that, effectively, anti-Semitism doesn't exist.

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Andre Cymnone

Why Is Everyone So Scared Of Rock Music's Mixed-Race Roots?

The founder of the brilliant fyeahblackrockmusic Tumblr talks racial politics, Kelis, and . . . the Doobie Brothers?

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