WHEN COMEDIAN JABOUKIE Young-White steps into his BUST photoshoot, I clumsily exclaim, “You’re much taller than I expected!” He squeals with laughter and asks if the interview is an “exposé,” because as the social media influencer who coined the term “short king”—to challenge the height shaming of men—he’s often glorified himself in this way alongside names like Kendrick Lamar, Donald Glover, Bruno Mars, and Dr. Martin Luther “Short” King Jr. “Short kings are the enemy of body negativity,” the 25-year-old once tweeted, “and I’ll be...

For puppeteers, working for Sesame Street is the ultimate career achievement. Here, the women who bring the show’s fiery felt females to life reveal what it’s like working on the world’s most beloved block. Visitors to the midtown Manhattan offices of Sesame Workshop are greeted by colorful Muppet-themed art. It’s everywhere you look: a life-sized Big Bird, murals, giant framed photos, TV screens. Even the light fixtures feature smiling Muppet characters. The place radiates cheerful energy throughout bustling rows of cubicles and offices. Clearly, making magic...

Back in May, Netflix dropped the final season of She-Ra and the Princess of Power. The show garnered millions of fans across the globe (many of whom are clamoring for a She-Ra movie) and has firmly placed She-Ra as a feminist and a gay icon. What, exactly, has made the new She-Ra such a powerful icon? Although true that her sword, “best friend squad,” and flowing hair have made her memorable, it’s the truthful writing that brought such a beloved character to life that has made her...

One of Netflix’s newest original series stars a group of nuns who fight demons. Yes, really. Warrior Nun dropped on Netflix on July 2. Based on a comic series named Warrior Nun Areala, the show follows Ava who goes from being a dead, paraplegic orphan to a resurrected and walking orphan. She later finds out her transformation is thanks to a holy relic named The Halo embedded in her back that chose her to be the next Warrior Nun. Over the course of the season, Ava...

The CW has announced their pick for the new Batwoman: Javicia Leslie, a Black bisexual actress and former co-star of God Friended Me, where she also played a queer character. Batwoman premiered last fall with Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, making it the first superhero series to feature an LGBT+ character as the lead. After playing Batwoman in season one, Rose is exiting the role. She posted on Instagram to congratulate Leslie.           View this post on Instagram                   OMG!! This is amazing!! I am so glad Batwoman will...

I feel vulnerable admitting that as woman in her 30s, I binge-watched the new Netflix show, The Babysitter's Club, over 4th of July weekend. Twice. Normally I would blame this behavior on quarantine and boredom, but the truth is, The Babysitter's Club is iconic. My sister and I read the books growing up and the 1995 movie came out when I was in elementary school, so for nostalgia's sake, I was compelled to check it out. Surprisingly, the storylines and themes are much more powerful...

If this year has proven anything, it is that not all heroes wear capes. Actress Nicole Kang of The CW’s Batwoman has to agree. The show Batwoman premiered on The CW in October 2019 starring model and actress Ruby Rose as Kate Kane. Set after Batman mysteriously disappears, Kate takes up the Bat mantel to protect the streets of Gotham and fight for justice as Batwoman. Actress Nicole Kang plays Mary Hamilton, Kate’s stepsister and influencer-in-the-making who secretly runs an underground clinic for the marginalized of...

Asia Kate Dillon, the first ever non-binary performer to play a non-binary role on television, recently released an open letter to the SAG Awards Committee asking for the removal of the award show’s gendered acting categories. A star on the Showtime drama, Billions, Dillon first made headlines back in 2017 when they asked that the Television Academy clarify their gender distinctions. “I’d like to know if in your eyes, ‘actor’ and ‘actress’ denote anatomy or identity and why it is necessary to denote either in the first...

Dena wasn’t like the other roles May Calamawy had seen for Arab women.  When she auditioned for the role of Ramy’s sister in the eponymous Hulu series Ramy, she wasn’t playing a character that was fighting to protect her children or facing severe oppression. Instead, she was going out for the role of a 20-something law student who wants to move out of her parent’s place in Jersey. She’s annoyed by her brother and his entitlement as he explores his Muslim faith and tries to figure...

When I meet up with Barbie Ferreira in Brooklyn, she’s right at the end of a busy New York press trip. “It’s a whole new life for me,” she says. But it’s one she loves. Ferreira stars on Euphoria, HBO’s latest and grittiest hit show about an ensemble of teenagers navigating relationships, addiction, the Internet, and self-image. The show’s first season has brought us unmatched eye makeup looks, a terrifying glimpse into what Gen-Z teens are really up to, and an animated sex scene between two former members...