Naomi Fry
Naomi Fry became a staff writer at The New Yorker in 2018. Her writing on popular culture, books, and art has appeared in the Times Book Review, the Times Magazine, Artforum, and n+1, among other publications. She attended Tel Aviv University, holds a master’s degree in English from Johns Hopkins University, and has taught at New York University and the Rhode Island School of Design. She grew up in Israel, and now lives in Brooklyn.
The Mute Spectacle of Bianca Censori
Kanye West’s wife and muse has become known for going out in very—very—little clothing. What does her nudity reveal, and what does it hide?
Tarot, Tech, and Our Age of Magical Thinking
A fascination with mysticism has swept across the culture, cropping up in astrology apps such as Co-Star and shows like “The Curse” and “True Detective.” What does our obsession with predicting the future say about our present?
Teen-Age Alienation, on Display
In the nineteen-eighties, Andrea Modica took photos of the students at her Catholic alma mater. “I recognized something there that I had to deal with about my time in high school—something both horrible and wonderful,” she said.
The Irresistible Myth of Las Vegas
The city was designed to be an entertainment capital—and shows up across our entertainment landscape, from “Hacks” to “The Hangover.” How do such cultural overlays shape our understanding of the very real place underneath?
Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and the Unstable Hierarchy of Pop
This summer’s releases have breathed new life into the genre—and underscored the challenges of staying relevant in a cutthroat music landscape.
The Kamala Harris Vibe Shift
Her campaign has ushered in a rush of political energy, evidenced by a deluge of memes and pop-culture mashups. Can this new optimism last?
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace
Revelations about the celebrated writer have reignited debates about how to reckon with artists who do terrible things. Have the years since #MeToo yielded any answers?
The Surreal Simulations of a Reality-TV Restaurant Empire
It’s a reunion every night at the “Vanderpump” establishments in Los Angeles.
The Changing World of Nature Documentaries
The genre, long celebrated for its lush visuals and hard-won footage, is increasingly reckoning with the fact that the landscapes and the species it showcases may soon be gone forever.
The Therapy Episode
Therapy has come to shape our entertainment, our language, and even our relationships. How did we get from treatment to a life style?
Is Travel Broken?
Global tourism is projected to reach an all-time high this year. How do we square our zeal for exploration with increasingly pressing reasons to stay put?
The Many Faces of the Hit Man
The figure of the sleek, practiced killer has been a fixture of the cinematic landscape, from “Pulp Fiction” to “John Wick.” A new film from Richard Linklater pokes fun at our collective obsession with the archetype.
The New Midlife Crisis
The classic midlife crisis, with its flashy sports cars and covert affairs, has become a cliché in itself. Miranda July’s novel “All Fours” is part of a new wave of fiction that’s challenging expectations of what middle age can be.
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef
A feud between two of the biggest names in rap quickly escalated into a mutual smear campaign. How did a conflict based in craft become one that was about so much more?
Stormy Daniels’s American Dream
Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to portray the scrappy adult-film actress as a lying profiteer. Instead, she emerged as an intelligent, credible witness who is also very good at making money.
Our Collective Obsession with True Crime
Today’s audiences have a seemingly insatiable appetite for stories about people who do—or experience—terrible things. Is there a right way to turn real-life tragedy into mass entertainment?
Why the Sports Movie Always Wins
Films like Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” and last year’s “The Iron Claw” offer Zeitgeisty takes on masculinity. Do they signal a shift in the storied genre?
In Justine Kurland’s Photographs, a Mother and Son Hit the Road
Some of the portraits in “This Train” have an Edenic quality to them, as if Kurland is asking: What if my kid and I were the only two people in the world?
“Civil War” ’s Unsettling Images
Alex Garland’s latest film, in which the U.S. has collapsed into brutal internecine conflict, has polarized audiences with its depiction of violence—and its evasion of politics. In art and in life, how do such visuals change the viewer?
Culling the Kim’s Video Mother Lode
“Interview with a Vampire”? Out. Snuff compilation? In. The cinematographer Sean Price Williams sorts the dusty stock of the legendary movie-rental store in a FiDi basement.
The Mute Spectacle of Bianca Censori
Kanye West’s wife and muse has become known for going out in very—very—little clothing. What does her nudity reveal, and what does it hide?
Tarot, Tech, and Our Age of Magical Thinking
A fascination with mysticism has swept across the culture, cropping up in astrology apps such as Co-Star and shows like “The Curse” and “True Detective.” What does our obsession with predicting the future say about our present?
Teen-Age Alienation, on Display
In the nineteen-eighties, Andrea Modica took photos of the students at her Catholic alma mater. “I recognized something there that I had to deal with about my time in high school—something both horrible and wonderful,” she said.
The Irresistible Myth of Las Vegas
The city was designed to be an entertainment capital—and shows up across our entertainment landscape, from “Hacks” to “The Hangover.” How do such cultural overlays shape our understanding of the very real place underneath?
Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and the Unstable Hierarchy of Pop
This summer’s releases have breathed new life into the genre—and underscored the challenges of staying relevant in a cutthroat music landscape.
The Kamala Harris Vibe Shift
Her campaign has ushered in a rush of political energy, evidenced by a deluge of memes and pop-culture mashups. Can this new optimism last?
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace
Revelations about the celebrated writer have reignited debates about how to reckon with artists who do terrible things. Have the years since #MeToo yielded any answers?
The Surreal Simulations of a Reality-TV Restaurant Empire
It’s a reunion every night at the “Vanderpump” establishments in Los Angeles.
The Changing World of Nature Documentaries
The genre, long celebrated for its lush visuals and hard-won footage, is increasingly reckoning with the fact that the landscapes and the species it showcases may soon be gone forever.
The Therapy Episode
Therapy has come to shape our entertainment, our language, and even our relationships. How did we get from treatment to a life style?
Is Travel Broken?
Global tourism is projected to reach an all-time high this year. How do we square our zeal for exploration with increasingly pressing reasons to stay put?
The Many Faces of the Hit Man
The figure of the sleek, practiced killer has been a fixture of the cinematic landscape, from “Pulp Fiction” to “John Wick.” A new film from Richard Linklater pokes fun at our collective obsession with the archetype.
The New Midlife Crisis
The classic midlife crisis, with its flashy sports cars and covert affairs, has become a cliché in itself. Miranda July’s novel “All Fours” is part of a new wave of fiction that’s challenging expectations of what middle age can be.
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef
A feud between two of the biggest names in rap quickly escalated into a mutual smear campaign. How did a conflict based in craft become one that was about so much more?
Stormy Daniels’s American Dream
Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to portray the scrappy adult-film actress as a lying profiteer. Instead, she emerged as an intelligent, credible witness who is also very good at making money.
Our Collective Obsession with True Crime
Today’s audiences have a seemingly insatiable appetite for stories about people who do—or experience—terrible things. Is there a right way to turn real-life tragedy into mass entertainment?
Why the Sports Movie Always Wins
Films like Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” and last year’s “The Iron Claw” offer Zeitgeisty takes on masculinity. Do they signal a shift in the storied genre?
In Justine Kurland’s Photographs, a Mother and Son Hit the Road
Some of the portraits in “This Train” have an Edenic quality to them, as if Kurland is asking: What if my kid and I were the only two people in the world?
“Civil War” ’s Unsettling Images
Alex Garland’s latest film, in which the U.S. has collapsed into brutal internecine conflict, has polarized audiences with its depiction of violence—and its evasion of politics. In art and in life, how do such visuals change the viewer?
Culling the Kim’s Video Mother Lode
“Interview with a Vampire”? Out. Snuff compilation? In. The cinematographer Sean Price Williams sorts the dusty stock of the legendary movie-rental store in a FiDi basement.