Beach reads are great and all, but sometimes you’re in the mood to pore over something you can start and finish before you have to reapply sunscreen. For those times, save these nine long articles (we’re partial to the Pocket app), which cover everything from the inspiration behind our favorite sneakers to the so-called “Martha Stewarting” of powerful women.
The 9 Best Articles to Read at the Beach This Summer
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Published Aug 5, 2019
Finlay Renwick for GQ
If Your Sneaker Collection Includes At Least One Pair Of Stan Smiths...
Read this profile of the former world number one tennis star. BTW, he inspired the white-on-white sneaks. (Esquire)
Oleksiy Boyko/EyeEm/getty images
If You've Ever Looked At A Celebrity's Selfie And Thought, That Has To Be Photoshopped...
Read about the technological and societal implications of Facetune, a popular photo-editing app. (Vox)
Lachlan Cunningham/Stringer/getty images
If You Want To Marvel At Sheer Athletic Power...
Read about Caster Semenya. She’s a South African runner and a two-time Olympic champion who is barred from competing in her signature race because of high testosterone levels related to being intersex. (Out)
Jason Raish for Longreads
If You Want To Learn more About The Double Standards Society Holds Women To...
Read about the “Martha Stewarting” of powerful women. Basically, it explains how when men and women bend the same rules, the man gets away with a slap on the wrist while the woman's life is ruined. *Sigh.* (Longreads)
MarinaVorontsova/getty images
If You're One Of Those People Who's Grossed-out By Mushrooms...
Read about the potential for fungi to solve some of humanity’s greatest problems. Yep, they’re actual magical mushrooms. (BBC)
Hulton Archive/Handout/Getty Images
If You're Fascinated By The 'cool, Chill Girl' Trope...
Read about a lesser-discussed scene from When Harry Met Sally (which turns 30 this year), in which Harry tells Sally she’s “the worst kind”: someone who’s high-maintenance but thinks they’re low-maintenance. (The Atlantic)
Barbara Nitke/Netflix
If You're Going To Miss The Ladies Of The Litchfield Penitentiary...
Read an oral history of Orange Is the New Black. (The Hollywood Reporter)
photoncatcher/getty images
If You've Ever Cringed At How Much You’re Paying For A Flight...
Read about what happens when you’re given a good-for-life, unlimited, go-anywhere American Airlines pass—and then it’s taken away. (Narratively)
artisteer/getty images
If You Forget What It Feels Like To Read A Physical Newspaper...
Read about the Charleston Gazette-Mail, a paper known for its no-holds-barred journalism, which was bought out by owners with ties to the very industries its reporters have been watchdogging. (Pacific Standard)
