The Rise of the Star F*cker

Typecasting · by Marina Khorosh

When I was a little girl, my mother urged me to work hard and do well in school so that I would grow up and get a good job and make heaps of money and never have to depend on a man to support me. (The result? Questionable, although I can assure you that no man has ever so much as hinted at his desire to support me.) To the best of my recollection, never did she advise me to get a good job and make lots of money in order to attract a man, which goes to show that the world may have changed dramatically over the past 20+ years.

The Dbag Dating Guide to Southern Boys

Typecasting · by Marina Khorosh

Who else remembers Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, cajoling Reese Witherspoon into agreeing to marry him in front of a mass audience? “June, you’re my best friend. Marry me.” he poignantly drawled, and the crowd cheered, and our hearts skipped a beat, and Southern men were never the same again.

This vision was fresh on my mind when I headed down to Nashville, Tennessee over the Winter Break, joining some friends in the exploration of all things country, cowboys included. Always on the investigative prowl, I made it my mission to talk to as many lads as possible, mainly by forcing them into the popular local activity of playing pool. (The other option would have been the popular local activity of singing karaoke, but I usually reserve that for enemies that I want to leave deaf.) Below is my takeaway, spruced up with some notes from an anonymous southern friend!

Adonis the Architect

Misery Loves Company, Typecasting · by Flora Alexandra

This story is brought to you by Flora Alexandra, the London-based founder of Arteviste.com.

This is not a love story, but the sorry tale of l’eboueur (a fancy French word for “bin man”), who arrived on the scene during one fine Parisian summer a couple of years ago. Over my summers of living in the 10^th Arrondissement, I had the pleasure of dating a broad spectrum of Parisian hipsters, many of whom were well-acquainted with the popular national concept of ‘les pieux mensonges’ – little white lies. And yet, none proved to be as amusing as J, the bearded bachelor who emerged from the darkness of Nüba, an uncharacteristically bobo haunt on the Left Bank.

The 4 Dbags of Art Basel

Typecasting · by Marina Khorosh

It’s no secret that Art Basel, or any other art fair for that matter, now attract not only the creative classes, but every Joe Shmo seeking a quick escape that masquerades as a cultural endeavor, equipped with a bustling social calendar and a built-in pickup scene to match. By Day 3 of these shenanigans, half of South Beach starts resembling (and smelling like) Saint Patty’s Day left for two days to fester, with a dbag smog so dense that its practically blinding. Luckily, I am here to help you decipher the different douches you may have met this past weekend, with an accompanying strategic recommendation!

Paris: Shag First, Date Later

Misery Loves Company, Typecasting · Paris · by Sam Davies

Today, we ask writer Sam Davies, an Australian expat with an impressive / masochistic 8-year expat tenure in Paris, to share a much-needed male perspective on the Parisian dating scene.

Earlier this year, Time Out Magazine rated Paris as the best city for dating. Well, it certainly wasn’t going to win plaudits for business confidence, affordable rent, or its great burgers..

What constitutes as “dating” wasn’t clearly explained, which is just as well, as in France it doesn’t really exist. But let’s not let details get in the way of a good clickbait story.

In Defense of the Russian Woman

Typecasting · Paris · by Marina Khorosh

Flashback to 10 years ago. Paris Hilton is starring in porno, Britney Spears is attacking paparazzi with umbrellas and Giselle has just defiléd a Victoria’s Secret bra that costs more than most people’s homes. My friend, a New Yorker at her 21-year-old prime, slaps on an underwear set and some plastic wings and heads to Marquee for the annual Heidi Klum Halloween bash. During a smoking break, a guy in nothing more than a trench coat approaches her and asks for her number. The trench is a warning sign, but it’s also Halloween, so normal warning signs are out the door.