Rae Nudson is a critic, essayist, reporter, and author who focuses on popular culture and how it reflects cultural values. She explores themes of feminism and social justice. She has also worked as an interior designer and often looks at style, fashion, and design in her work. She is well known for championing works with women fans.

Refinery 29

Missy Schwartz

missy.schwartz@refinery29.com

Design Sponge
Grace Bonney, EIC
designsponge@gmail.com

The Hairpin
submissions@thehairpin.com

HelloGiggles
Rosemary Donahue
rosemary@hellogiggles.com

Previously.TV
sarah@previously.tv
tara@previously.tv

Hi,

I’d like to pitch an essay on Taylor Swift’s platinum hair as seen on her Vogue cover. My interest isn’t just in her hair color (though as a fellow platinum blonde, I’m on board), but more about how she’s controlled and maintained her image so much that going a few shades lighter causes a ruckus.

I have a lot of complicated feelings about T Swift, but my biggest daydream about her is that she will significantly change up her looks. With fashion resources I could only dream of, I ache for her to take huge risks in the style department -- I want to live through her since I’ll never get to wear what she does. Going platinum is a big change for her, but it is by no means a real departure from her signature style. It’s a calculated risk, which is what she is best at. Compare the reaction to Taylor’s new color and the reaction to someone like Kylie Jenner, who changes hair color faster than some people change clothes, and you can see two examples of women who are in serious control of their crafting their image, even though they do it in different ways.

I’m managing editor at Just About Write, where I write about fashion, TV, and other culture. I’ve been following Taylor’s style for years and would love to take a critical look at how she handles her image at ELLE.com, which knows that a woman’s hair and celebrity culture are subjects worthy of analysis. You can see my red carpet recaps here and more of my writing on raesdays.com. If you are interested, I’d love to hear of any direction that would make it work best for Elle.

Thanks,

Rae

Hi,

I’d like to pitch an essay on how I talk about books and movies that have a large female fan base. I watch the Twilight movies on the regular, but I know that to get taken seriously by the outside world, I’m supposed roll my eyes and list their flaws so no one will mistake me for someone who actually believes they are worthwhile.

Every time I disparage meek lady characters or the women who love them, it’s my way of begging to be allowed into “serious culture.” But hating on women – either the characters or the fans – doesn’t actually do me any favors.

I would love the opportunity to talk about this on the Hairpin since it prioritizes women’s interests and diving into different aspects of what women love.

Thanks for your time,

Rae

Hi,

I’d like to pitch a fashion recap of Outlander. Clothing -- wearing it, and taking it off -- has played a huge part in the worldbuilding of the show. I’d like to discuss how bonkers beautiful the costumes are, what they mean for the plot, themes, and characters, as well as interesting historical context. My recaps could use screengrabs and text, and I could talk about two to four costumes, depending on what’s in the episode. These would focus on costumes rather than plot points and could stand alone or supplement the Outlander episode reviews.

I’m managing editor at Just About Write, where I write about fashion, TV, and other culture. Here’s an example of an Outlander review I’ve written, as well as a piece on the costumes of the character Alana in Hannibal. This piece is part of a series I started that takes a closer look at characters' clothing, what it means for them, and how you can dress like them. You can see more of my writing on Just About Write and raesdays.com.

Thanks so much,
Rae

Thanks for this class! You can also reach me at rae.nudson@gmail.com

Rae Nudson

--

3