Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, and America's NDA era

Once for corporate secrets, NDAs now serve as a key tool for privacy and control in our oversharing era. Reeves Wiedeman investigates their evolution from governing high-profile legal battles to personal relationships and everyday activities. Read by Sean Crisden.

The Cut is the premier destination for women with sharp, stylish minds. No matter the subject, they address people's lives head-on, with generous wit, unflinching honesty and undeniable power.


The Cut

How the NDA became the defining legal document of our time

There's an existential divide between people who remember and those who forget. Katy Schneider examines how these differences affect life experiences and emotional well-being. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

I have a terrible memory. Am I better off that way?

Most millennials are negotiating grey hairs, crow’s feet and a changing body, yet little has changed in their career, home and money prospects. Amil Niazi explains how many of the old material markers of midlife, like owning a home, are now a nostalgic fantasy. Read by Deanna Anthony.

Welcome to the millennial midlife crisis

Is it time to quit therapy?

For years, we were told therapy was the key to living a good life. What if we don’t want to go anymore? Melissa Dahl spoke with therapy quitters like herself — people who have been helped by talk therapy but are in the mood for a less examined life. Read by Deanna Anthony.

Maybe you shouldn’t talk to someone

Charlotte Cowles never thought she was the kind of person to fall for a scam. Then, one day, she put $50,000 in a shoe box and handed it to a stranger. Here, she reflects on how her experience challenges the stereotype of who is vulnerable to such fraud. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

The day I put $50,000 in a shoe box and handed it to a stranger

How can parents know what goes on when the nanny is in charge? For mistrustful New York parents who can't afford to hire pricy private investigators, "bad nanny" posts in online parenting groups fill in the gaps.

Jen Wieczner goes inside the chaos that often ensues after a parent posts about a “bad nanny” on Facebook. 

Read by Sharon McCune.

I know what you did on the playground

Should children use weight-loss drugs? Parents, activists, and doctors don’t agree about what Ozempic and its competitors mean for childhood obesity. But at age 13, Maggie Ervie became one of the first teenagers to take them. Lisa Miller explores her story and reflects on its wider implications. Read by Marni Penning.

An American girlhood in the Ozempic era

The true story behind 'Take Care of Maya'

After suing Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, a Florida jury awarded Maya Kowalski’s family $211 million. Dyan Neary examines how the case highlights the controversy and potential risks associated with child abuse diagnoses and the devastating impact of false allegations on families. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

What happened to Maya

Prenuvo wants to put your mind at ease

Prenuvo - the full-body MRI scanning start-up penetrating Instagram feeds across nearly every algorithm - purports to offer its customers peace of mind. In many cases, though, it has done precisely the opposite, Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz reports. Read by Sharon McCune.

How much would you pay for peace of mind?

Caster Semenya: The Olympian fighting for her right to run

Throughout her middle-distance running career, Caster Semenya has been publicly harassed for the genetics that make her a great athlete. With her forthcoming memoir, she's finally ready to talk about it. Precious Adesina explores the Olympian's story. Read by Sharon McCune.

The Olympian fighting for her right to run

Kathryn Jezer-Morton reflects on why she’s always felt the need to be available for her children and the unintended consequence of eroding boundaries that she suddenly feels the need to reinforce. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

Why are we always on call for our kids?

A building wave of social scientists, pundits, and politicians is solemnly advising American women and men—but especially women—that the answer to their assorted ills is marriage. It is not. Rebecca Traister explores the recent resurgence of societal pressure and political rhetoric advocating marriage as a solution to various social issues. Read by Jennifer Jill Araya.

The return of the marriage plot

Are you one of the many who struggle to get out of bed in the morning? Frustrated with constantly snoozing her alarm and still feeling tired, Katja Vujić reflects on her quest to fix her sleep habits, and place rest higher on her priorities list.

Confessions of a former morning person

The man of your dreams. AI-generated for just $300.

When the AI companion app Replika launched, it was marketed toward men. Now half the app’s users are women, there for safe relationships they can control. Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz tells the story of some of the women on the app that have found solace in AI boyfriends.

The man of your dreams

Losing weight could now be easier than ever. Matthew Schneier discusses the rise of Ozempic, a diabetes drug moonlighting as an off-label appetite suppressant.

Life after food?

A world without men: the S. Korean women against the patriarchy

Is fighting the patriarchy more trouble than it's worth? Anna Louie Sussman goes inside South Korea's 4B movement and the women who decided to leave the men in their lives behind for good.

A world without men

We're so obsessed with how ageing looks, that we're often unprepared for what it feels like. Following her 40th birthday, Amil Niazi explores the privileges, pleasures and regrets of reaching middle age.

We’re getting midlife all wrong

The opulent time-telling industry is becoming more crypto-like by the second.

The rich can have pretty much anything their hearts desire unless it’s a big fancy watch. It doesn’t matter how much money you have; you need to have the right connections. Alina Dizik delves into the world of luxury watch dealing.

Not even the rich can buy fancy watches

"I want to do this for someone else."

Paid gestational surrogacy is not a new phenomenon. However, it's fraught with controversy, with one side arguing that it commodifies women's bodies, while the other believes it's essential for reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights. To provide additional perspectives, Tessa Somberg meets with three New York women who chose to carry a baby for another.

Three women on carrying pregnancies after New York legalized paid surrogacy in 2021

We're addicted to swiping. 

With Tinder turning 10 in September 2022, it's clear that online dating has shaped the majority of our romantic lives. Allison P. Davis reflects on the ever-present urge to delete and redownload over the years with her experiences on the app. 