Vanessa Richmond
Tyee contributing editor Vanessa Richmond writes the Schlock and Awe column about popular culture and the media. She is also the former managing editor of The Tyee.
Stories by Vanessa Richmond
What Is Wrong with the Men In This Town?
Too shy? Too nice? Blame the suburbs and our collective good nature. Now get me a cat.
Why I Had to Watch The Royal Wedding
And why you did, too. We're grasping at fantasies as fairy tale traditional marriages fade away.
Christy Clark and the Woman Politician Thing
Does her Liberal leadership bid symbolize a new kind of female candidate?
America's Dirty Little Fame Secret
It explains why nine-year-old Willow Smith is the next pop 'queen' while other fame-seeking children are 'whores.'
'Teenage Paparazzo'
You may not like celebrity gossip, but you can't look away. This doc explains why.
Eat, Pray, Botox
Is standing up for a woman's right to freeze parts of her face really part of the work of contemporary feminism?
Apple Says No to Nipples on Your iPhone
The supposedly anti-big-brother company censors risqué apps. But who decides what's iPorn?
Happy or Perfect: Choose One
Self-help books like the Mars and Venus series want to help us create perfect emotions. Sorry, I don't live in that universe.
Sex with Craig's Big List
Thrill seekers using free online classifieds may get just what they pay for.
Girls Gone Mild?
Some pro-sex feminists are noticing a trend against the casual hook-up as a means to equality.
No Glove, No Olympic Love
Are athletes doing it enough to justify 100,000 condoms? Why do we even care?
The Gayest Olympics Ever
With two Pride Houses and refugee counselling for gay athletes, Vancouver may be starting a new Games tradition.
Not Your Parents' 'Reefer Madness'
'The Downside of High' calmly, rationally cautions young teens about today's potent pot.
Make Love Not Porn!
Porn may not be a "neurotoxin" but it's time to talk about how it's changing our sexual lives.
Catching a Tiger by His Hypocritical Tale
Don't think this scandal is about infidelity. It's about a public brand that may be built on lies.
Buy! Sell! Hold! Huh!?
Don't be so smug, real estate winners. Your success is based on luck more than skill.
'Wired for Sex, Lies, and Power Trips'
New doc linking teen sexual harassment to new media gets it mostly right.
Lady Mags Hit Hard Times
Blame their prettier-than-thou bullying and rise of the fashion blog, not the recession.
A Modest Proposal: Labels on Celebrities
Let's stamp the stars with their giant eco-footprints for all to see!
Digital Tears for Jacko
Famous in analog. Mourned in digital. In death he perfected 'obitutainment.'
The Parenting Obsession
It's a constructed reality and a mixed blessing for our kids and our sanity.
Is Jolie the Next Feminist Icon?
Naomi Wolf thinks so. But what would she be without the boobs and lips?
Adults Cause Teen Sex Problems
A new report shows how we're failing sex ed and putting kids at risk.
Jamie Oliver, Sweet and Sour
Brit TV chef saves working class moms from fast food! Why the bad taste in my mouth?
Return of the Scary Teen Blowjob
'Oral Sex Is the Goodnight Kiss' presses the panic button, wildly, again.
No Baby For Old Men?
If men's biological clocks tick just as loudly, does it mean we're closer to equality?
Kiss Her Fat Ass?
No, thanks. I'd rather talk about Meghan McCain's inarticulate and boring writing.
Is the Future of Journalism Goop?
Gwyneth Paltrow's popular e-newsletter seems to be working. Why the backlash?
Down with Reality! Up with the Love Drug!
In these tough times, people are choosing fantasy, love and sex over reality.
Wrestling with the Ladyboner
Recent research still considers women's arousal a problem to be solved.
Seven Things I Learned from Pop Culture in 2008
Politics is hotter than porn, pretending to be dead is a good career move, and more.
The Air Goes out of Big Fat Weddings
Eloping (like some good dates) is cheap and hot right now. But not so easy in BC.
Bring on the Real Estate Crash
My generation has been shut out of the housing market for years. Something's gotta give.
Are Viral Ads Helping to Kill Newsrooms?
VIDEO: When advertising like Toshiba's timesculpture ad are distributed via e-mail, what happens to news revenues?
Paris Hilton's Exodus an Omen for Obama's Win?
How Paris Hilton and George W. Bush's inherited, unmerited privilege is being brushed aside.
Trust Me, I'm Famous
In the topsy-turvy world of US politics, the paid-to-lie class is the most influential.
Rush of Homes on Vancouver Market: Prices to Slide?
Milestone of 20,000 homes for sale has realty blogs abuzz.
$11 Million Twins
Brangelina is in the business of making us look. Does evolutionary psychology explain why it's impossible to look away?
100-Mile Diet Goes Big
The revolution that sparked a big spring book.
Do The Local Notion
Localness is the #1 story of 2006.
'Thin' Looking
A photojournalist's close-up of women who starve themselves.
George's Next Act
Stroumboulopoulos on learning from 'The One,' relaunching 'The Hour,' and refocusing the CBC.
Bourdain Lifts His Lid
The celebrated chef's uncensored views on un-American virtues, nurses' shoes and eating well.
What? Every Candidate Agrees?
In Vancouver almost all say it's time to fix the way we finance and elect candidates.
Images From the 'Day of Action'
15,000 teachers and their supporters rally in front of the legislature.
Shopping for Fame and Fortune
What does it mean that so many girls want careers as celebrity stylists?
'Take Back the Night' Takes Back the Park
This time, fighting for women's safety includes yoga, stargazing and hip hop.
The New 'Sofcho' Man
What’s that mean? Hint: think way past 'metro.' With photo essay by Maria Coletsis.
‘School Inc.’ Seeks Drama where School Kids Meet Big Biz
Playwright Sean Cook stirs up critical thinking in the classroom, and now on stage.
Getting the Youth Vote
Want young people to vote? Try a fresh appeal, hot issues, and schooling that takes kids' decisions seriously.
