jenduende
@jenduende.bsky.social
Senior editor, The Atlantic. New York Times + Washington Post alum.
2012-13 Nieman fellow. Occasional writer, always a dancer.
2012-13 Nieman fellow. Occasional writer, always a dancer.
Pinned
jenduende
@jenduende.bsky.social
· Nov 17
A Classic Blockbuster for a Sunday Afternoon
Culture and entertainment musts from Jen Balderama
www.theatlantic.com
Doctor Zhivago, Pina, In the Mood for Love, @ellecordova.bsky.social, Lego Masters, Ada Limón—got to write about some of my favorite culture-y things for our Sunday newsletter @theatlantic.bsky.social.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Moral of the story from @galuten.bsky.social: We could all probably use a bit more Gene Kelly...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...
The Gene Kelly School of Life
I thought I was okay, until I started watching musicals with my daughter—and couldn’t stop crying.
www.theatlantic.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Moral of the story from @galuten.bsky.social: We could all probably use a bit more Gene Kelly...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...
"This is, admittedly, not a terribly sexy topic," Stephanie H. Murray writes, but it is an intriguing one: She dives into some striking data showing how commutes affect women's employment and earnings, especially after they have kids—and thus the gender wage gap.
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
‘Commuting Is Bad’—Particularly for Women
A growing body of research shows how longer travel times affect moms’ ability to work.
www.theatlantic.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"This is, admittedly, not a terribly sexy topic," Stephanie H. Murray writes, but it is an intriguing one: She dives into some striking data showing how commutes affect women's employment and earnings, especially after they have kids—and thus the gender wage gap.
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
"The reality is that we’re all on the 'dead people' beat now." Devastating and true, from @juliettekayyem.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why the Brown Shooting Felt Different
I’m used to responding to sudden tragedies, but not ones this personal.
www.theatlantic.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:08 PM
"The reality is that we’re all on the 'dead people' beat now." Devastating and true, from @juliettekayyem.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
“Instead of learning the textbook definitions of psychological disorders,” @olgakhazan.bsky.social writes, “laypeople are absorbing the oversimplified versions, then diagnosing their spouse.” Might this sound familiar? Then you need to read this good piece:
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Why Couples Therapists Are Sick of ‘Therapy-Speak’
What happens when spouses accuse each other of gaslighting? Nothing good.
www.theatlantic.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:29 PM
“Instead of learning the textbook definitions of psychological disorders,” @olgakhazan.bsky.social writes, “laypeople are absorbing the oversimplified versions, then diagnosing their spouse.” Might this sound familiar? Then you need to read this good piece:
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
“An employer whose new hire ghosts before onboarding is inconvenienced; an applicant who’s ghosted by prospective employers over and over again can end up sleeping in their car.” Sharp analysis of the “job ghosting” phenomenon by Franklin Schneider:
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
When Did the Job Market Get So Rude?
Employer ghosting is on the rise. Now candidates are punching back.
www.theatlantic.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
“An employer whose new hire ghosts before onboarding is inconvenienced; an applicant who’s ghosted by prospective employers over and over again can end up sleeping in their car.” Sharp analysis of the “job ghosting” phenomenon by Franklin Schneider:
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Some sprout recipes "involve individually pulling all the layers of leaves off each one, which sounds like some kind of boarding-school detention." Now seriously second-guessing my Thanksgiving choices thanks to this delightful piece by @giladedelman.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Enough With the Brussels Sprouts Already
Cabbage is the better Thanksgiving option.
www.theatlantic.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Some sprout recipes "involve individually pulling all the layers of leaves off each one, which sounds like some kind of boarding-school detention." Now seriously second-guessing my Thanksgiving choices thanks to this delightful piece by @giladedelman.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Bless @sophiegilbert.bsky.social @theatlantic.com: "The past decade has been a gloomy lesson in how limited a proportion of men actually see women as equal human beings...The fish rots from the head. The pig is in the Oval Office." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
The Pig Is in the White House
This is what consequence-free misogyny looks like.
www.theatlantic.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Bless @sophiegilbert.bsky.social @theatlantic.com: "The past decade has been a gloomy lesson in how limited a proportion of men actually see women as equal human beings...The fish rots from the head. The pig is in the Oval Office." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
“The assumption behind Cluely is that letting an AI pull a Cyrano yields better interactions than relying on your own brain,” @julieebeck.bsky.social writes. Her verdict after testing it: It's horribly inefficient—and could in fact harm your relationships. www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
How to Cheat at Conversation
A new AI tool promises to improve social interactions but instead makes them worse.
www.theatlantic.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:25 PM
“The assumption behind Cluely is that letting an AI pull a Cyrano yields better interactions than relying on your own brain,” @julieebeck.bsky.social writes. Her verdict after testing it: It's horribly inefficient—and could in fact harm your relationships. www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Now you, too, can count down to Christmas, @elcush.bsky.social writes, by unboxing: tea, designer lipstick, wine, weed, chili crisp, cheese, knives, crystals...toys for children, toys for cats, toys for dogs, toys for sex (or a daily thong). www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Advent Calendars Are Totally Out of Control
What began as a form of religious expression has morphed into a brand-a-palooza.
www.theatlantic.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Now you, too, can count down to Christmas, @elcush.bsky.social writes, by unboxing: tea, designer lipstick, wine, weed, chili crisp, cheese, knives, crystals...toys for children, toys for cats, toys for dogs, toys for sex (or a daily thong). www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
“Without exposure to the normal variety of bodies, we may become less comfortable with our own.” A fun, fascinating @theatlantic.com piece by Jacob Beckert on the decline of mundane, everyday opportunities to get naked together:
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
The End of Naked Locker Rooms
What we lose when casual nudity disappears
www.theatlantic.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
“Without exposure to the normal variety of bodies, we may become less comfortable with our own.” A fun, fascinating @theatlantic.com piece by Jacob Beckert on the decline of mundane, everyday opportunities to get naked together:
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
"The political reality in 2025 is that our government is as stereotypically masculine as a dick-measuring contest in a weight room": @sophiegilbert.bsky.social @theatlantic.com wades into the "great feminization" debate and it is 🔥🔥🔥: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
No, Women Aren’t the Problem
America is rapidly becoming the manosphere, but, sure, let’s go after the “feminization” of culture.
www.theatlantic.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
"The political reality in 2025 is that our government is as stereotypically masculine as a dick-measuring contest in a weight room": @sophiegilbert.bsky.social @theatlantic.com wades into the "great feminization" debate and it is 🔥🔥🔥: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Some beautiful advice from James Parker @theatlantic.com as he wraps up his “Dear James” column: “If we can stay connected to the miraculous and fleeting fact of being here at all, we’ll have at least a chance of being—eventually—okay.”
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Dear James: So Long, Farewell
A reader keeps having to leave unsupportive support groups. And James Parker says goodbye to his column.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Some beautiful advice from James Parker @theatlantic.com as he wraps up his “Dear James” column: “If we can stay connected to the miraculous and fleeting fact of being here at all, we’ll have at least a chance of being—eventually—okay.”
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
"College is, among other things, an exercise in independence": I recommend this piece to any parents of rising freshmen who might be experiencing "an inability to let go, to allow children the gift of separation," as Russell Shaw writes: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
When Helicopter Parents Touch Down—At College
Hovering moms and dads are following their kids all the way to campus.
www.theatlantic.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:02 PM
"College is, among other things, an exercise in independence": I recommend this piece to any parents of rising freshmen who might be experiencing "an inability to let go, to allow children the gift of separation," as Russell Shaw writes: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Leni Riefenstahl’s 1938 film on the Berlin Olympics is dull in the way porn is, @sallyjenx.bsky.social writes: It has an obsession with "perfect" bodies; "monotony; repetitive floggings.” But a riveting new doc offers a better way to decipher her work—and Nazism: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
What Leni Riefenstahl’s Work Reveals About Fascism
The director’s collaborations with the Nazi government translated Hitler’s ideas to film, almost verbatim.
www.theatlantic.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Leni Riefenstahl’s 1938 film on the Berlin Olympics is dull in the way porn is, @sallyjenx.bsky.social writes: It has an obsession with "perfect" bodies; "monotony; repetitive floggings.” But a riveting new doc offers a better way to decipher her work—and Nazism: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
"Convenience is like sex: Once you’ve had it, it’s hard to forget how good it is to have it," @elcush.bsky.social writes. So it has gone with restaurants and delivery—and the results are...not great.
How Delivery Destroyed American Restaurants
We’ve become a nation of order-inners. Eating will never be the same.
www.theatlantic.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:35 PM
"Convenience is like sex: Once you’ve had it, it’s hard to forget how good it is to have it," @elcush.bsky.social writes. So it has gone with restaurants and delivery—and the results are...not great.
"How nice to read about a heist rather than a massacre"—especially when the article about that heist is by @caity.bsky.social: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Louvre Heist Is Terrific
Here was a dreamy little crime in which no one really got hurt.
www.theatlantic.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
"How nice to read about a heist rather than a massacre"—especially when the article about that heist is by @caity.bsky.social: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Many people have claimed that wealthy moms are "the most miserable and stressed." But Stephanie H. Murray, after a deep dive into the research on parental well-being, finds that in many instances, the opposite is true: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
The Rich-Mom, Poor-Mom Happiness Fallacy
Where commentary on parental satisfaction goes wrong
www.theatlantic.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Many people have claimed that wealthy moms are "the most miserable and stressed." But Stephanie H. Murray, after a deep dive into the research on parental well-being, finds that in many instances, the opposite is true: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Such a moving, powerful essay by Reem Kassis: "My grief from witnessing what has been done to my people is so vast, so relentless, that sadness over my grandmother’s death feels like something too indulgent. I am heartbroken, and I am ashamed of that heartbreak."
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
The Cruel Calculus of Palestinian Grief
In times of mass atrocity, processing personal sorrow becomes more complicated.
www.theatlantic.com
October 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Such a moving, powerful essay by Reem Kassis: "My grief from witnessing what has been done to my people is so vast, so relentless, that sadness over my grandmother’s death feels like something too indulgent. I am heartbroken, and I am ashamed of that heartbreak."
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Where the grandparents are willing: Would you pay them for child care? Marina Lopes makes a persuasive case for doing just that: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
One Obvious, Underused Child-Care Solution
Pay grandparents.
www.theatlantic.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Where the grandparents are willing: Would you pay them for child care? Marina Lopes makes a persuasive case for doing just that: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
“I am absolutely terrified that they would take away what I do have…because they took away what I did have.” @nicolechung.bsky.social on birth mothers in open adoptions and what happens when their contact with their children is curtailed: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
When Adoption Promises Are Broken
Many birth mothers hope to maintain contact with their child. But their agreements with adoptive parents can be fragile.
www.theatlantic.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
“I am absolutely terrified that they would take away what I do have…because they took away what I did have.” @nicolechung.bsky.social on birth mothers in open adoptions and what happens when their contact with their children is curtailed: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...
Parents and educators, please share with your schools: @theatlantic.com is offering U.S. public high schools FREE IP-based access to our journalism—an excellent way to improve news literacy and inspire a new generation of independent thinkers. For info, visit theatlantic.com/hsaccess.
The Atlantic
theatlantic.com
September 17, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Parents and educators, please share with your schools: @theatlantic.com is offering U.S. public high schools FREE IP-based access to our journalism—an excellent way to improve news literacy and inspire a new generation of independent thinkers. For info, visit theatlantic.com/hsaccess.
As a person who doesn't get invitations to reunions (because: didn't do normal high school), I'm fascinated by other people's—and am loving this essay by Jordan Michelman (h/t my @theatlantic.com colleague Serena Dai for shepherding) www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
What’s the Point of a High-School Reunion?
Social media should have killed them. Instead, they’re popular again.
www.theatlantic.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM
As a person who doesn't get invitations to reunions (because: didn't do normal high school), I'm fascinated by other people's—and am loving this essay by Jordan Michelman (h/t my @theatlantic.com colleague Serena Dai for shepherding) www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
The inimitable @petridishes.bsky.social, saying it all out loud. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Apologies: You Have Reached the End of Your Free-Trial Period of America!
Want rule of law? That’s premium.
www.theatlantic.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The inimitable @petridishes.bsky.social, saying it all out loud. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Loving this advice from James Parker to a 19-year-old pining for romantic attention: “You do not need to be thinner, smarter, or better. I don’t mean to be glib about the effects of generations of patriarchal damage and...consumerism, but—you’ve got to get that stuff out of your head. It’s poison.”
Dear James: I’ve Got a Bad Case of Unrequited Love
I’m 19, and I’ve fallen deeply for a colleague. But he’ll never feel the same.
www.theatlantic.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Loving this advice from James Parker to a 19-year-old pining for romantic attention: “You do not need to be thinner, smarter, or better. I don’t mean to be glib about the effects of generations of patriarchal damage and...consumerism, but—you’ve got to get that stuff out of your head. It’s poison.”