Lifestyle

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The Two Faces of Substack: Creative Freedom and Toxic Speech

As traditional fashion media continues to collapse under the weight of algorithms, layoffs, and advertiser dependency, writers are turning to Substack in search of something increasingly rare: autonomy. What began as a newsletter platform has evolved into fashion journalism’s newest ecosystem — one where critics, stylists, and cultural commentators can build audiences on their own terms. But beneath the promise of creative freedom lies another reality entirely: the pressure of personal branding, creator burnout, and a platform willing to profit from reactionary voices in the name of “free speech.”

Janice Heinrich @

Afropunk Energy Meets Existential Rap — JuJu Rogers Is Done Playing by Hip-Hop’s Rules

Five years after his last release, Juju Rogers returns with Pink Guitars, Spaceships N Voodoo Dolls — a genre-blurring record shaped by questions of identity, expectations, and staying human in increasingly chaotic times.

Anna Grubauer @

Touching Bass Turns 10: How the community-based platform transformed nightlife

“When you start something like this, you’re thinking about the immediate, putting on a good night, bringing people together. But over time, you realise it becomes a public service of sorts; something people invest in emotionally and culturally.”

Alice Vyvyan-Jones @

Not Safe for the Mainstream: How Queer Club Culture Took Over Pop

Loud, messy and unapologetic. Artists like Shygirl, COBRAH and Slayyyter are transforming queer nightlife aesthetics into visible pop identities, reshaping the feeling of the dancefloor along the way. Once considered too explicit, too niche, or too unconventional for mainstream visibility, these artists are now taking underground club culture to the world's biggest stages.

Anna Haefner @

Can Porn Be Ethical and Feminist? Erotic Filmmaker Erika Lust on AI, Consent & the Future of Desire

Is ethical porn actually possible? From the rise of AI-generated content to the “loneliness epidemic” facing Gen Z, the landscape of digital intimacy is shifting rapidly. Award-winning filmmaker Erika Lust reflects on two decades of sex-positive activism, the role of intimacy coordinators, and her mission to turn pornography into a cinematic tool for empathy and education.

Avelina Tiziana @

The Two Faces of Substack: Creative Freedom and Toxic Speech

As traditional fashion media continues to collapse under the weight of algorithms, layoffs, and advertiser dependency, writers are turning to Substack in search of something increasingly rare: autonomy. What began as a newsletter platform has evolved into fashion journalism’s newest ecosystem — one where critics, stylists, and cultural commentators can build audiences on their own terms. But beneath the promise of creative freedom lies another reality entirely: the pressure of personal branding, creator burnout, and a platform willing to profit from reactionary voices in the name of “free speech.”

Janice Heinrich
Close-up of friends' legs and feet on a vintage floral rose picnic blanket, symbolizing the human connection and intimacy discussed by Erika Lust.

Can Porn Be Ethical and Feminist? Erotic Filmmaker Erika Lust on AI, Consent & the Future of Desire

Is ethical porn actually possible? From the rise of AI-generated content to the “loneliness epidemic” facing Gen Z, the landscape of digital intimacy is shifting rapidly. Award-winning filmmaker Erika Lust reflects on two decades of sex-positive activism, the role of intimacy coordinators, and her mission to turn pornography into a cinematic tool for empathy and education.

Avelina Tiziana
Three young Asian women playing a game of Mahjong and laughing together around a green felt table.

Mahjong, Chinamaxxing & The Cultural Appropriation Comeback

Mahjong’s resurgence might look like a glossy trend but beneath the surface lies a deeper story about culture and ownership. As Western companies profit from reimagined versions of the game, the traditional craftsmanship and communities that sustained mahjong for generations are being pushed to the margins. This piece explores how a nearly 200-year-old game became both a site of cultural connection and a battleground over appropriation, identity, and who gets to shape its future.

Janice Heinrich