Kate Manne

Writer and philosophy professor at Cornell. Author of DOWN GIRL, ENTITLED, and UNSHRINKING. Writing weekly at https://t.co/U5FAzAnNv3. She/her

Articles

Beeping Nina

1 week ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

My daughter, S, who is five, has a special stuffed unicorn who she received for her third Christmas. Once white, she is now gray: the color of love—and drool. Once replete with a magnificent mane of pale pink yarn, she now boasts a tangled, grizzled, dishwater-colored ‘do. Once festively clad in a pink floral sundress, she now sports a threadbare and crumpled frock upon which flowers are not clearly discernible. Her name is Nina. And she is my daughter’s great love.
When Community is Toxic

1 week ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

Content warning: diet culture, eating disorders, and fatphobiaYou never quite unlearn what 200 calories looks like. You never quite unlearn the vestiges of pride when you can feel your jeans fitting more loosely—or falling off your hips entirely. You never quite unlearn how to ignore your hunger, and how to prize leanness above life. Or, at least, I haven’t. I make very different choices now and I see the world quite differently.
I Will Never Look Like a Professor

1 week ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

The other day, I got in an Uber. The driver picked me up from home, and remembered my whole family—we’d driven to the airport together about a year ago. We had a nice chat, and eventually he asked me whether or not my husband was a faculty member at Cornell (we live quite close to campus). “Yes,” I replied, “And so am I.” Silence. I didn’t add that I was the one who brought us here, twelve years ago, or that my husband has a spousal appointment as a lecturer.
You Do Not Write Alone

2 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

I have been called upon today to say a few words for commencement for our graduating PhD students. I hope you’ll enjoy it too—and feel free to share it. I think it applies to communities of writers, of which Substack is my favorite, just as much as within the discipline of philosophy. Twenty years ago, in 2005, I was graduating from college and applying to graduate school. I had majored in philosophy, but had only the dimmest appreciation—the faintest glimmer—of what I was in for.
Of Georgia, Where Death Offers No Escape from Misogyny

3 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

Adriana Smith, a thirty-year-old woman, was declared brain dead in February. She had been suffering from intense headaches and went to Atlanta’s Northside Hospital, where she was sent home with medication. The next morning, she was gasping for air: her boyfriend called 911. But it was too late: Emory University hospital found blood clots in her brain. It was impossible to save her. Despite being declared brain dead—and hence legally dead—Smith is still on life support.
How to Piss Off JD Vance

3 weeks ago | borowitzreport.com | Andy Borowitz |Kate Manne

The Borowitz Report PodcastAndy Borowitz hosts short interviews with notable people in the news. Andy Borowitz hosts short interviews with notable people in the news.
The Trump Administration Wants Women Out of the Workforce

3 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

This week, The New York Times broke the news that the Trump administration wants more parents—read, mothers—to stay home with their children. That desire is not exactly news to anyone paying attention. The rabid pro-natalism of J.D. Vance and Elon Musk—plus the ominous promise of Trump to be the “fertilization president” (insert shudder emojis)—was bound to result in policy proposals like these ones.
A Mother’s Day Round-up (and Flash Sale)

3 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

(Un)happy Mother’s Day! I’ve been writing a lot about motherhood for the last little while, so here’s a round-up and a flash sale. Subscribe now and get 20% off More to Hate forever! (I only do this a few times a year, so don’t sleep on this offer.) Needless to say, it makes a great gift for Moms and childless cat ladies alike. Moms Signaling ComplianceI found myself yesterday scurrying to pick up my daughter early from her first day at a new school. My mission?
The Misogyny of Mother’s Day-and How to Resist it

3 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

There’s a common perception among my crowd that Mother’s Day is sort of irritating, but ultimately benign. There’s an indulgent way we laugh at the burnt French Toast served way too late in bed, leaving behind a messy kitchen. There’s a certain looking the other way at much of the messaging: that mothers are to be celebrated, albeit only once per annum, for being giving, self-sacrificing, and caring only about their families. I am here to tell you that none of this is benign.
What You Don’t Want for Mother’s Day

4 weeks ago | katemanne.substack.com | Kate Manne

Please ‘like’ this post via the heart below and restack it on notes if you get something out of it. It’s the best way to help others find my work. Of course, the very best way to support my work is with a paid subscription. When I think about the profound joys and pleasures of parenthood, they are all about the specifics and the resulting intimacy with my child.