There’s plenty to consider about Barbie, but let’s start with her feet. Perfectly arched, but not quite demi-pointe—the ideal position to fit into any pump. They’re instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever played with the iconic doll. So when the trailer for the upcoming live-action Barbie movie opened with a shot of star Margot Robbie stepping out of Barbie’s marabou stilettos, still on tiptoes, the internet exploded. On TikTok, people attempted to mimic the viral shot with their highest heels. The Wall Street Journal interviewed a podiatrist about the physical impossibility of the moment. “I need to know everything,” tweeted Chrissy Teigen.
Robbie has answers: The shot took eight takes. She had to hold onto a bar to keep her …
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Killmonger is back from the dead—sort of. Michael B. Jordan’s legendary villain from the first Black Panther film makes a surprising cameo in the sequel, Wakanda Forever, now streaming on Disney+.
When Shuri, the new Black Panther, takes a synthetic version of the heart-shaped herb that imbues the consumer with superpowers, she visits the realm of her ancestors. She expects her mother, her brother, or perhaps even her father to be waiting for her to offer some sage advice on her new leadership role. Instead she finds her mass-murdering cousin, Killmonger. Not ideal.
In retrospect, it’s not all that surprising that direc…
On the edge of Wallace Park in Portland, Ore., there is an unremarkable house with a camellia shrub out front. The house is painted a bluish gray now, but it might have been another color before. Cheryl Strayed is standing on the sidewalk in the rain with a smile on her face, conjuring a memory. This is where she took part in a yard sale in 1995, immediately after she—now quite famously—completed a 1,100-mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. At the time, she was a 27-year-old aspiring writer with 20¢ to her name. She sold whatever she could, including a pencil sharpener to a man who rode in on a bicycle. The man invited her to dinner with some friends, and later that night, Strayed met the person she would marry.
Strayed sees them everywhere: little signs, sm…