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

Ex Machina Promotional

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.

Read...

Domestic Violence: Not Just A Female Issue

This doesn't mean that the outcomes of domestic violence are always equal; men tend to be bigger and stronger than women, and therefore are more likely to cause serious harm, even in situations where violence is reciprocal. Still, the fact that women are frequently perpetrators of violence in domestic situations substantially undermines the typical story of domestic abuse—and helps to show just how harmful that story is.

Read...

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

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

Read...
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Michelle Rodriguez Is Right (And Wrong) About Race And Superheroes

Rodriguez is confused when she says that people want her to steal white people's superheroes. But she also has a point.

Read...
Credit: Thinkstock

What A Bad Jason Isbell Concert Taught Me About Marriage

Irritation is the way of all flesh. The question is, if you're going to be annoyed for all of eternity, who do you want to be doing the annoying?

Read...
Michael Ealy. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Misogyny, Violence and Stalking: A Review Of The Perfect Guy

The surface text of the film is that you can't trust some guys. The (barely) subtext is that you can't trust any guys.

Read...
Thinkstock

Why Progressives Need Conservatism To Save The Church

Conservative fetishization of the past is myopic, simplistic, and mean-spirited—but progressives can be too quick to cede tradition.

Read...
Billie Holiday (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Blues Music's Hidden Queer History

The history of pop music, and of black pop music in particular, has always been gay history.

Read...

Idris Elba As A Post-Racial James Bond? Not So Fast

Let's not ignore the fact that the original James Bonds wasn't just white. He was a white supremacist.

Read...
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Real Problem With Starbucks' Race Together Program? Classism 

Talking about race can get you into a lot of trouble . . . especially if you don't have a lot of class power or status.

Read...