Masculinity on defense

Plus: VMA astronauts, 'The Perfect Couple,' a 'morbid but sexy' form of 'divorce mitigation,' and more in the weekend roundup.

Photo: Jonas Verstuyft

Happy weekend. Ahead, we’ve got burning castles, a demure divorce request, and astronaut cunnilingus.

To the links!

Some debate takes for you: Brittney Cooper on running to the center,

Amanda Montei

on “the banality of white male rage,” and

Kate Manne

on the danger of Harris’ competence.

My lingering debate thought: Donald Trump tried to convey strength and power—from avoiding a handshake to refusing to even look at Kamala Harris—but what came across instead was his fundamentally scared and defensive posture, which, regardless of whether it’s quite so visible or not, is always present with any masculinity that is constructed in opposition to femininity.

My favorite debate night moment.

“I pretend my husband is a stranger,” writes

Abigail A Mlinar Burns

. “It's a divorce mitigation practice. It's morbid but sexy.”

“No, not me, bitch,” said Chappell Roan before burning the castle down.