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The Optimization Sinkhole
What if there's no such thing as the perfect coffee maker?
May 28 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
639
236
You'd Be Happier Living Closer to Friends. Why Don't You?
A few theories why
Apr 2 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
497
281
Friday Thread: Your Favorite Part About Being Queer
Amidst the protests of Pride Collections at places like Target and continued attempts to legislate trans people out of existence, I wanted to cr…
20 hr ago • 
Anne Helen Petersen
70
163
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The Millennial Vernacular of Fatphobia
May 23, 2021 • Anne Helen Petersen
198
155
The 'Capitalism is Broken' Economy
Apr 21, 2021 • Anne Helen Petersen
184
112
You'd Be Happier Living Closer to Friends. Why Don't You?
Apr 2 • Anne Helen Petersen
497
281
"Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women."
Nov 11, 2020 • Anne Helen Petersen
165
102
How an Idea Becomes a Podcast
Oct 26, 2022 • Anne Helen Petersen
73
12
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This Will Change the Way You Think About Ambition
For anyone whose self-worth is under strain
Jun 7 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
200
18
Tuesday Thread: The Unoptimizable
In line with last week’s piece on The Optimization Sinkhole and last Sunday’s piece on unoptimizable places, I’ve been thinking about other task…
Jun 6 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
75
383
Hometown's Finest
When does a place feel like a place, and when does it feel like a product?
Jun 4 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
313
134
You or Someone You Love
I don’t know what, exactly, I thought a book by an abortion doula would be like. I do know that I didn’t expect it to feel like an embrace. A call to…
May 31 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
96
15
Friday Thread: What's Essential to Your Living Space?
Today’s Friday Thread Idea comes from Steve, who asks: “What is most important in your particular living spaces - like what have you learned abo…
May 26 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
61
348
Beauty Culture is Hustle Culture
Elise Hu on K-Beauty and aesthetic self-optimization
May 24 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
263
22
Tuesday Thread: The Best Song of the Summer
Do you know about the Song of the Summer? Technically, it’s the song that dominates the music charts from about now through Labor Day. Less tech…
May 23 • 
Anne Helen Petersen
44
402
Culture Study
Culture Study
Think more about the culture that surrounds you
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Culture Study

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Culture Study

Culture Study

Think more about the culture that surrounds you

By Anne Helen Petersen
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“Anne Helen Petersen's deeply reported, beautifully written explorations of culture are almost indescribably idiosyncratic. But I always feel rewarded for the time I spend with her, because she's such a keen-eyed observer of the world around her. Some keywords: justice, work life, parenting, celebrity, religion. I also always look forward to her Sunday "just trust me," a truly unpredictable recommendation for one of the week's best stories across the web. ”
Casey Newton, Platformer
“Anne Helen's cultural deep dives on everything from Peloton, Mormon bloggers, to fatphobia are insightful and brilliant.”
Leslie Stephens, morning person
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