Hey Chicago! I will be teaching a pop culture criticism course in the spring through @storystudiochicago.bsky.social. If you love all things pop culture, then you’ll love learning how to write a critical essay about your favorite tv shows, film, etc. www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/clas...

"Until social platforms compensate users for their data and labor, we remain unpaid workers in a trillion-dollar industry that thrives on our attention." @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social

"The problem isn’t creation itself. It’s that the platforms and policies surrounding it reward constant exposure while offering little protection in return. Data is monetized, privacy erodes, and the line between “sharing” and “working” disappears." time.com/7332708/crea...

“Data is monetized, privacy erodes, and the line between “sharing” and “working” disappears. Until social platforms compensate users for their data and labor, we remain unpaid workers in a trillion-dollar industry that thrives on our attention.” My latest for @time.com time.com/7332708/crea...

"Yet, one should be hopeful about the ascension of worker-owned, independently-operated media outlets on the rise, whose mere existence is an act of defiance against the forces of censorship that are present in the nation’s media and journalism industry." Thank you @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social!

I think a lot about the culture publications (such as Bitch!) that were an incubator for incredible writers who went on to do all kinds of work. With dwindling opportunities for cultural criticism, it's hard for established writers to get that work (hi) and even worse for new and emerging talent.

Appreciate the @theflytrapmedia.com shoutout in this great @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social read about the loss of Teen Vogue and what Teen Vogue meant for early-career writers, especially BIPOC and disabled writers, who face significant barriers to entering the field.

"Where are young people, specifically young journalists, supposed to get their start in journalism? Where are the platforms that will sharpen and strengthen their voices?" (thx for the @theflytrapmedia.com shout out, @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social !!)

“The removal of diverse voices at any time without just cause sets a precedent for the erasure of progressive ways of thought and ideologies that contradict those in power.” I wrote about the consolidation of Teen Vogue for Missing Perspectives. missingperspectives.com/posts/teen-v...

The trend has translated into an emphasis on family-friendly benefits like parental leave and health care coverage, as well as protections against sexual harassment.

the Teen Vogue politics section's last newsy story 🥲 Rainesford knocked it out of the park

thank you for the outpouring of support! those of us laid off from Teen Vogue yesterday are now sharing our GoFundMe to help us cover our emergency expenses now that we've lost our incomes, as we get back on our feet.

Not a single Black woman works at Teen Vogue.

a generation of young digital media professionals and writers got their start at teen vogue. the news and politics section was my journalism school. the roster of editors at the publication is the reason why I have a strong editorial voice today. the news of its closure is heartbreaking.

Teen Vogue was my first editorial home. In my senior year as an undergraduate student at Abilene Christian University, the head of News and Politics section offered me the opportunity to contribute to their vertical. Nine years later, I’m a full-time culture writer. This news hurts me to my core.

Teen Vogue took young people seriously. It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.

It’s truly scary how few mainstream publications are willing to publish working class voices and perspectives (let alone leftist ones), and every one we lose is yet another blow to the fragile hope for a better world

I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day. certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.

I wrote about Cassie Ventura and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in a piece for @time.com last year. My words ring true today as he was sentenced to 50 months in prison. time.com/6992188/hip-...

“…we must abolish the very systems that encourage men like [Sean “Diddy”] Combs to perpetuate them in the first place. If hip-hop is meant to survive another 50 years, it cannot continue like this. This is the watershed moment we’ve been waiting for.” time.com/6992188/hip-...

A lot of people (him included) thought he’d get time served. This is better than that. So good

#academicsky #highered #blacksky

I wrote about the firing of @karenattiah.bsky.social from the @washingtonpost.com, the expulsion of two Black college students in Texas, and the dangerous precedent that is being set up around free speech and academic freedom in the U.S. for @thebarbedwire.com thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/26/f...

In the weeks since the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, historically Black colleges and universities have experienced terroristic threats. That’s the story @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social set out to write about for us. Except she struggled to get anyone to talk.

Can someone list off the names of the remaining Black women columnists at news publications in the United States? Because I’m trying to see something.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

“Texas isn’t just big—it’s a place with a rich history of progressives fighting an often thankless uphill battle.” Billy Begala writes about the wonderful and nonsensical nature of our state, and why independent journalism is more important than ever.

When I see people online, even in jest, suggest that people living in Republican-controlled states should be abandoned because of their politicians, I feel a deep heartache. New York CREATED Donald Trump and none of y’all are ever talk about it the way you disparage Alabama or Mississippi.

“Although the practice of witchcraft is not new—people have long turned to the occult for cosmic intervention during difficult times—this trend is unique because the practice of hiring witches to do spellwork is no longer considered taboo.” Have you read my latest piece for @time.com?

When Summer Willis was drugged and raped, a loophole in Texas law kept her from getting justice. After years of activism, including crawling 13 miles on her knees to raise awareness, she told @thebarbedwire.com, “We did the impossible.” thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/04/t...

“More than a dozen big tech companies provide five-figure subsidies to any employee who needs or wants to outsource gestational labor.”

it’s been an interesting response to my latest @time.com article on BlueSky to say the least. what folks are overlooking is that people are paying spiritual practitioners to protect their loved ones from nationwide immigration raids. time.com/7307401/rise...

Morning read by @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social

"Although the practice of witchcraft is not new—people have long turned to the occult for cosmic intervention during difficult times—this trend is unique because the practice of hiring witches to do spellwork is no longer considered taboo." my latest for @time.com time.com/7307401/rise...

I wrote about America's favorite couple, NicOlandria, specifically Olandria for @thebarbedwire.com. I went in-depth about racial fetishization and colorism that Black women experience in the pursuit of love, and interracial dating in the South. #LoveIslandUSA thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/25/n...

“Maybe seeing this 24-year-old white man love his Black partner out loud, with devotion, can heal some of our old wounds. But only if we talk about them.” @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social writes about Love Island, Nicolandria, and interracial dating in the South. thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/25/n...

Does anyone who follows me have a connection to Columbia College Chicago? If so, I have a few questions for ya.

Chicago folks! I'm trying to link up with da baddest authors, editors, critics, journalists, and writers in the chi while patio season is still in season, because I am not built for the winter. We all can't be homebodies, so where are we?

I made it to 30! Thank you God 💘

The Israeli Defense Forces surrounded, beat, and choked American labor leader Chris Smalls, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced

“This is a man-made starvation." Dr. Adil Husain, a Dallas-based emergency room doctor, returned from a volunteer mission in Gaza with a heavy heart. His story offers a rare, firsthand glimpse into the ongoing violence.

Happy Leo Season! I turn 30 in 9 days, which means I will be accepting all birthday presents via cashapp: $TaylorCrumpton

Ryan Bailey invited me on So Bad It's Good to talk about racially targeting of Chelley and Olandria by the Love Island USA fanbase, the negative impacts of Peacock's apolitical response to cyberbullying and harrassment of the Islanders, and NicOlandria. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

I wrote about the negative fan backlash and response to this season of Love Island USA, the history of cyberbullying & harassment in the dating show franchise, and what this means for the future of reality tv in my latest for @time.com #LoveIslandUSA time.com/7301911/love...

I left my to-go plate at the cookout.

I wrote about Grace Wisher, the 13 year old Black girl who participated in the creation of the American flag, and how Beyoncé venerates her legacy and spirit on the Cowboy Carter Tour for @thebarbedwire.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/04/j...

Pride is essential to American identity, but without criticism, we can’t make this place better. ⁠ Taylor Crumpton (@taylorcrumpton.bsky.social) writes about how, from the very beginning, Black Americans have celebrated this country and its ideals while also holding it accountable for its failures:

I wrote about the Fourth of July, Frederick Douglass, Beyoncé and who has the right to criticize America and her institutions for @thebarbedwire.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/04/j...