Bios
Vanessa Richmond
Tyee contributing editor Vanessa Richmond writes the Schlock and Awe column about popular culture and the media. She is also the former managing editor of The Tyee.
Stories by Vanessa Richmond
Not Your Parents' 'Reefer Madness'
'The Down Side of High' calmly, rationally cautions young teens about today's potent pot.
Make Love Not Porn!
Porn may not be a "neurotoxin" but it's time to talk about how it's changing our sexual lives.
Catching a Tiger by His Hypocritical Tale
Don't think this scandal is about infidelity. It's about a public brand that may be built on lies.
Buy! Sell! Hold! Huh!?
Don't be so smug, real estate winners. Your success is based on luck more than skill.
Dating in the Digital Age
Want sex? You got it. Want love? Well, that's a little trickier.
Mat Leave for the Self-Employed
Without it, there's no level breeding field.
Another (Yawn) Sexy Nurse. Kill Me.
Hallow'green is freakier than scarily packaged costumes.
'Wired for Sex, Lies, and Power Trips'
New doc linking teen sexual harassment to new media gets it mostly right.
Bare Naked Ladies!
When older celebrity women take it off, do we really shed worn out norms?
Do You Use the C Word?
'The most taboo term in the English language'. What's its power?
Breasts Shrink with Economy
A lot of women who invested in big busts are in deflationary mode.
Celebrate the Childfree Choice
There are more than 40 reasons to do so, including more sex.
Lady Mags Hit Hard Times
Blame their prettier-than-thou bullying and rise of the fashion blog, not the recession.
A Modest Proposal: Labels on Celebrities
Let's stamp the stars with their giant eco-footprints for all to see!
Digital Tears for Jacko
Famous in analog. Mourned in digital. In death he perfected 'obitutainment.'
Love, Tamed and Caged
If your marriage is boring, maybe you think too much.
The Parenting Obsession
It's a constructed reality and a mixed blessing for our kids and our sanity.
David Letterman's Stupid Joke Trick
Why Sarah Palin's brand of bitching is great for his ratings.
Is Jolie the Next Feminist Icon?
Naomi Wolf thinks so. But what would she be without the boobs and lips?
Adults Cause Teen Sex Problems
A new report shows how we're failing sex ed and putting kids at risk.
Jamie Oliver, Sweet and Sour
Brit TV chef saves working class moms from fast food! Why the bad taste in my mouth?
And the Other Winner Is...
Miss California! And silicone implants and 'opposite marriage.'
Educating Gordon
Why a pat on the head can be worse than a pat on the bum.
Return of the Scary Teen Blowjob
'Oral Sex Is the Goodnight Kiss' presses the panic button, wildly, again.
'Having Kids Is So Gay'
Or are childless men caught in a homosocial comfort zone?
No Baby For Old Men?
If men's biological clocks tick just as loudly, does it mean we're closer to equality?
Vancouver Now Fun, For Some
A-listers get open doors. The rest get chain-link 'fun jails.'
Canada on Top in Sex Ed
Rise in US teen pregnancies proves information beats abstinence.
Kiss Her Fat Ass?
No, thanks. I'd rather talk about Meghan McCain's inarticulate and boring writing.
The Right to Bare Arms
Why is Washington debating Michelle Obama's buff biceps?
Is the Future of Journalism Goop?
Gwyneth Paltrow's popular e-newsletter seems to be working. Why the backlash?
Fear and Murder in Vancouver
Why do some people freak out, and others treat crime like a TV show?
Down with Reality! Up with the Love Drug!
In these tough times, people are choosing fantasy, love and sex over reality.
Is Breeding a Sin?
Only if you have a litter, and happen to be poor.
Disgorge the Bastards!
Getting mad as hell at tycoon villains is the new buzz.
Wrestling with the Ladyboner
Recent research still considers women's arousal a problem to be solved.
Why I Have to Watch
Even Canadians are caught up in Obama inauguration hype, sort of.
Eating the Rich, Tasty!
Welcome to the golden age of schadenfreude.
A Complicated Fatness
As resolutions un-resolve all around us, a closer look at one of the biggest.
Seven Things I Learned from Pop Culture in 2008
Politics is hotter than porn, pretending to be dead is a good career move, and more.
Turning Social Anxiety into Clicks
'Jizz in My Pants' takes 'Dick in a Box' genre to absurd climax.
The Air Goes out of Big Fat Weddings
Eloping (like some good dates) is cheap and hot right now. But not so easy in BC.
Puritans and Fangbangers
Why the public imagination feeds so hungrily on vampires.
Bring on the Real Estate Crash
My generation has been shut out of the housing market for years. Something's gotta give.
Are Viral Ads Helping to Kill Newsrooms?
VIDEO: When advertising like Toshiba's timesculpture ad are distributed via e-mail, what happens to news revenues?
A Canadian-Style Apology to America
Sorry I sold you short. Obama has changed my views... a bit.
Shock at 'God Hates Fags'
VIDEO: US Westboro Church's gay bashing plans in Vancouver.
Paris Hilton's Exodus an Omen for Obama's Win?
How Paris Hilton and George W. Bush's inherited, unmerited privilege is being brushed aside.
How the Economy Is Affecting Your Pants
Relationship sex is down, cheating is up.
For Love or Money?
Given a devil's choice about your child's happiness, what would you choose?
Spears as Whore, Jolie as Saint
Why teen mothers keep getting shocked up by the media.
The New, Improved Cougar
But are current hots for 'older' women just skin deep?
Trust Me, I'm Famous
In the topsy-turvy world of US politics, the paid-to-lie class is the most influential.
Tina Fey for Vice President
If the election is a made-for-TV event, why not get a pro?
Style, Well Worn
Why isn't the crime of disposable fashion on the enviro radar?
Breeding Envy
The new kid and parent ideals in Gossip Girl.
Is Anybody Watching?
The Olympics seem to have lost the race... to reality TV.
Bitches Are Back
But is cruelty mandatory for feminism to prevail?
Plastic Surgery Police
Media's obsession with who risks the knife for beauty.
Rush of Homes on Vancouver Market: Prices to Slide?
Milestone of 20,000 homes for sale has realty blogs abuzz.
$11 Million Twins
Brangelina is in the business of making us look. Does evolutionary psychology explain why it's impossible to look away?
Madonna and the Power Marriage
If a wife has more oomph than her husband, can it last?
Girls Hating Girls
Why we don't cut Britney or Amy any slack.
Super, Horrific BC
Death by Taser, Pickton's evil and severed feet. That's our brand now.
Nerd Girls Are Sexy Now
That's the new media mantra. But what does it mean?
Rise of the Aristo-Brats
Fame and fortune flows to kids of the famous fortunate.
Tyra's Tyranny of Beauty
Nothing pure about the TV diva's 'self-esteem' preaching.
The 100 Celebrity Diet
One part news, three parts trash. I find it quite healthy.
Pets Hog YouTube!
Stop me before I watch again.
Eek! Nipples!
A few thoughts on Lindsay Lohan's 'threat' to moral decency.
Can Women Still Cook?
We're told now that liberated females don't inhabit kitchens.
China's Sexual Revolution
A nation's sleeping libido awakens.
From Smut to Adult Diapers
The only occasionally glamorous life of the young novelist.
Vancouver Housing Bubble to Pop?
Interest rates could change tomorrow. Then what?
The Dirtiest Sport in the World
Can F1 clean up its act?
So You Want Me to Breed?
Fertility crisis fretting misses how lots of women really think.
BC's Busy Book Season
Fests and sales are hot, but BC content is not.
Finding, Feasting and Cheating
100-Mile Diet authors on feeding a movement, and writing the book.
100-Mile Diet Goes Big
The revolution that sparked a big spring book.
Pop Goes Real Estate Bubble Blogger
'Don't go!' say fans of Vancouver Housing Blog.
Tyee Upgrades Comment System
Here are answers to some questions you may have.
Do The Local Notion
Localness is the #1 story of 2006.
The Bubble Wars
As nerves fray over home prices, a blogging doomsayer gains followers.
'Thin' Looking
A photojournalist's close-up of women who starve themselves.
George's Next Act
Stroumboulopoulos on learning from 'The One,' relaunching 'The Hour,' and refocusing the CBC.
Why Smart People Love 'Battlestar Galactica'
TV's hottest unreality show is the real thing.
My Celebrity Grad Space .com
Prom is back, with a vengeance.
Bourdain Lifts His Lid
The celebrated chef's uncensored views on un-American virtues, nurses' shoes and eating well.
Meet Thom Wong, The Tyee's Net Hunter
Our new web sleuth likes to go out on a link.
Today's 'Cheer Athletes'
What does mixing gymnastic discipline with sex appeal teach teen girls?
What? Every Candidate Agrees?
In Vancouver almost all say it's time to fix the way we finance and elect candidates.
Longboarding Hockey, Made in Vancouver
It's fast, furious and secretly practiced by its inventors.
Images From the 'Day of Action'
15,000 teachers and their supporters rally in front of the legislature.
Shopping for Fame and Fortune
What does it mean that so many girls want careers as celebrity stylists?
Slammin' Poetry: Hear it Here
Audio highlights of Sunday's Word on the Street poetry slam.
Tyee Takes the Stage at Word on the Street
With wrestlers, writers, and poets.
'Take Back the Night' Takes Back the Park
This time, fighting for women's safety includes yoga, stargazing and hip hop.
My Name is Vanessa and I'm a 'Tabber'
The problem is, I don’t want help.
The Skinny on 'Pinners'
Today's women who aim for thin, just this side of anorexia.
Placing Sarah Harmer
For her, music is about home, the outdoors and 'little moments.'
The New 'Sofcho' Man
What’s that mean? Hint: think way past 'metro.' With photo essay by Maria Coletsis.
‘School Inc.’ Seeks Drama where School Kids Meet Big Biz
Playwright Sean Cook stirs up critical thinking in the classroom, and now on stage.
Politicians as Visual Brands
How Campbell, James and Carr look to our panel of branding experts.
Getting the Youth Vote
Want young people to vote? Try a fresh appeal, hot issues, and schooling that takes kids' decisions seriously.
Knitting is Hot!
Stitch 'n' Bitch parties weave knitting, gossip, and a new take on feminism.
Bare Naked Ladies!
When older celebrity women take it off, do we really shed worn out norms?
