Not So Crazy After AllThe Return of the ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ Has Nothing to Do With Cats The mockery and pity is an attempt at parading the fate of these women as a cautionary tale, rather than the active choice it can be. By Hetvi Kamdar
Matching RealityHow Matrimonial Shows Like ‘Indian Matchmaking’ Use a Western Gaze for Popularity Over the last few years, Indian-origin filmmakers have exoticized and dumbed-down Indian weddings to make them palatable for a global streaming audience. By Mihika Agarwal
After the Happy EndingTMI: People Tell Us About the Post‑Sex Moments Pop Culture Doesn’t Show Them From heavy sweating to hunger pangs – here are the post-sex scenes that don’t make the cut. By The Swaddle Team
Spooked In TranslationNetflix’s Wednesday Is a Lesson in Paying Homage While Adapting to the Times Wednesday's appeal is proof that the beauty of familiarity and nostalgia can go hand-in-hand with an original story rooted in the present. By Devrupa Rakshit
Sex and SensibilityThe Media Is Oversexed. Accurate Asexual Representation Can Fix That When it comes to popular culture, it’s not just ace representation that’s needed. It’s a reckoning with sex itself. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Coming Out Of Agency‘Heartstopper’ Actor Says He Was Forced to Come Out as Bisexual The incident prompts renewed questions about the idea of "coming out" -- and whether the closet looks the same for everyone. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Forced to Keep MumHow ‘Bad Mothers’ Were the Victims All Along As Britney Spears finds herself defending her mothering skills once again, a look into her past shows how the system weaponizes motherhood against imperfect women. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Epidemic of InvisibilityMuslims Comprise Only 1% of Characters on Popular TV Series, Finds New Research "Not only is this radical erasure an insult, but it also has the potential to create real-world injury for audiences," the researchers said. By Saumya Kalia
Let There be RageWhat Women in Pop Culture Teach Us About the Many Joys of Anger Some women have good reason to be angry, and others don’t. But that doesn’t matter. By Saumya Kalia
Yaaron DostiWhy Some Songs Become Special for Friends, Partners Much like KK's "Yaaron Dosti" which defined friendship for a whole generation, "our songs" become a mental glue for people's shared identities. By Saumya Kalia
Case OpenThe Mysterious Affair of the Cultural Decline of Whodunits The whodunit only reinforces the existing political and social status quo -- a template that feels woefully out of date. By Saumya Kalia
No Expiration DateGrace and Frankie’s Record‑Breaking Run Shows People Are Willing To Watch Women Explore Sex, Romance in Their 70s The show proves that depictions of female friendships don't need to be restricted to young, airbrushed women, who discuss little other than relationships and fashion. By Devrupa Rakshit
Built On LiesHow Pop Culture Paints an Unhealthy, Unsustainable Picture of Friendships We feel guilty for not being good friends, but at the same time, we're convinced that our friendships aren’t fulfilling enough. By Devrupa Rakshit
Why This Snobbery?Overrated, Not: ‘Why This Kolaveri Di?’ This widespread popularity attracted scorn from music zealots who dismissed the song as low-brow, irritating, and lazy. But was it? By Rohitha Naraharisetty
You Gotta Live Right NowSong ‘1‑800‑273‑8255’ May Have Helped Save Lives From Suicide: US Study The findings represent the "Papageno effect," in which mass media plays a constructive role in preventing suicides. By Saumya Kalia
May the Best Dog WinWhy We Root for Underdogs in Sports From “Ted Lasso” to the women’s hockey team, social interest in underdogs comes from a desire for inspiration and relatability. By Saumya Kalia
Who Owns The NarrativeHalle Berry Should Not Play a Trans Man Until a Trans Man Can Play Halle Berry It matters who controls the narrative, and how that narrative gets showcased. By Aditi Murti
Damage ControlTV Shows Are Retrospectively Removing Blackface Scenes. It’s Not Solidarity, It’s a Ploy for Relevance. How do we deal with the problematic pop culture of the past, especially when it has entrenched itself into the nostalgic crevices of our psyche? By Rajvi Desai