Top Rank Magazine

For episode 46, we spoke to scholar and author Francesca Sobande, whose research focuses on the impact of digital media in shaping how we perceive, understand, and experience the world and each other. Our conversation explores Francesca's numerous books (which address topics such as the online lives of Black women in the UK, the ways that big brands manipulate, exploit, and even derail social justice movements, and the commodification of care culture in COVID-19), and the way digital media informs *and* is informed by what we think is “real life.” Our intro (“Love is Love”) and outro (“My Ace”) are courtesy of KING VISION ULTRA, 2025.

On episode 45, we welcomed scholar, community arts educator, curator, and artist Dr. Jillian Hernandez (@pastelitocookie), whose work challenges the ways racialized and working-class bodies, sexualities, and cultural practices are policed through gendered tropes of deviancy and respectability. We spoke to Jillian about her debut book “Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and Politics of Black and Latina Embodiment” (2020); the insurgent Miami-based art collective, Women on the Rise!, which she founded in 2004; her personal, lived journey into scrutinizing the cultural politics of style; and the radical possibilities of excess. Our intro (“Love is Love”) and outro (“My Ace”) are courtesy of KING VISION ULTRA, 2025.

For episode 44, we invited illustrator, author, and comedian Daisy Ruiz (@draizys) to bring us into her journey as an award-winning cartoonist and, more recently, aspiring comedian. We talked with Daisy about her highly-acclaimed, super inspiring, and hilarious first comic book—”Gordita: Built Like This” (2023)—and how she combined memory, fiction, and humor to create a parable about the body politics of girlhood. Our conversation digs into how she creates whole worlds on paper; the influence of growing up in the Bronx on her eye and style of storytelling; and how comics can capture the complexity and magic of everyday life. Our intro (“Love is Love”) and outro (“My Ace”) are courtesy of KING VISION ULTRA, 2025.

For our 43rd episode, and our first after a multi-year (and multi-child) parental leave, we sat down face to face with artist June Canedo de Souza (@junecanedodesouza) on the occasion of Deli Radio—a platform she created with Daniel Santos while in residence at Recess Art in Brooklyn—which Top Rank was delighted to be included in. We spoke to June about the enduring impacts of childhood on our perspective, obsessions, and creative expression; the thematic considerations of gender, labor, migration, and consumerism that permeate her art across painting, sculpture, and performance; and what it's like to make art (or anything, really) as a new mother. Our intro (“Love is Love”) and outro (“My Ace”) are courtesy of KING VISION ULTRA, 2025.

On episode 42 we are joined by Mims — an artist, abolitionist, and facilitator based in Los Angeles, CA. Mims is the mind behind “Uncle Ronnie's Room,” an art-driven campaign to mobilize the general public and media around the story of Ronald (Ronnie) Coleman Jr. and Carl Coleman's wrongful conviction over 20 years ago. At 29 years old, Ronald Coleman Jr. was sentenced to two life sentences plus 65 years for a murder case that he was not involved in. Ronnie is currently incarcerated at Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Georgia, where he has lost 22 years of his life and counting. Through exploring his childhood, Uncle Ronnie's Room takes us deeper into who Ronnie is as a person, information about his case, and the impact his incarceration has had on his family. The work invites attendees to imagine what he could have done with 22 years of his life, creates space to collectively tap into spiritual and ancestral guidance, and questions the system at large. Learn more about the campaign and support here: https://www.uncleronniesroom.com

This episode features our conversation with Destiny Mata, an NYC/San Antonio photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on topics pertaining to subculture and community. Her photography book "The Way We Were" documents the alternative punks of color scene in NYC. Destiny is formerly the Director of Photography Programs at the Lower East Side Girls Club and her work has been published in Vogue, Vice's Noisey, Vibe, The Source, and Mass Appeal. Her work has been exhibited on a multitude of occasions, including for the 2020 Photoville Festival, at the International Center of Photography, and at the Museum of the City of New York, to name just a few. Learn more about Destiny: http://www.destinymata.com Her book "The Way We Were" is available for purchase here https://www.theculturecrush.com/culture-crush-editions/the-way-we-were

Over the last decade, manifestation-based rhetorics to “love yourself,” “believe in yourself” and “feel good in your own skin” have become guiding social directives for people, and especially for women. We see these mantras in social media captions, advertising campaigns, and song lyrics that seem to promise that, through a confidence-based mindset, we will be able to transform our psychology, and therefore the material conditions of our lives. Though it may seem harmless, or even empowering, the tendency to emphasize individual agency over the structural conditions we exist within and through is perhaps the core component of a culture of neoliberalism that also permeates and drives almost every part of our society. We spoke with sociologists Shani Orgad and Rosalind Gill who are the minds behind "Confidence Culture," a new book that specifically examines how the entrenched social injustices of our time have been reframed as psychological blocks, and what this means for us. Shani Orgad is an associate professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Rosalind Gill is a professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at City, University of London. Purchase "Confidence Culture" here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/confidence-culture

Celebrity culture thrives on granting us vicarious access to our favorite stars. But rarely on display are the paparazzi and reporters whose hidden labor makes the story happen. In "Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood", anthropologist Dr. Vanessa Díaz brings us inside the world celebrity media production and reveals the complex racial and gendered power relations at play in the production of fame. On this episode, we are joined by Diaz, an interdisciplinary ethnographer, filmmaker, journalist & Assistant Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Learn more about Vanessa's research & book here https://manufacturingcelebritybook.com

We're honored to have had the chance to interview a scholar whose work we've appreciated for a long time—lauded sociologist Jessie Daniels, who is a professor at Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center and a faculty affiliate at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. She is an expert on racism's manifestations in the media and online, as well as the author of several books, including “White Lies”—a look at white supremacist extremist groups' printed newsletters—and “Cyber Racism,” which examines the ways in which far-right extremism has come alive on the internet. For this episode, we spoke with Jessie about her newest publication—“Nice White Ladies: The Truth about White Supremacy, Our Role in It, and How We Can Help Dismantle It” (2021)—and how the ideological constructions of gender and whiteness are detrimentally wielded within America's cultural mythology. Learn more about Jessie Daniels' work here: https://www.jessiedaniels.net

For our last episode of 2021, we shared a special conversation with artist, writer, and organizer Eilen Itzel Mena (@eilen.itzel.mena), whose interdisciplinary visual art practice synthesizes elements of Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism with spiritual frameworks of the African Diaspora. Eilen is co-director and creative collaborator for @_honeyandsmoke_—an artist community & platform that makes space for artists to meditate on the important themes of our time—and a principal member of @zealcoop, a Black artist cooperative, creative agency, and studio. We talked to Eilen about her upbringing between the Dominican Republic and NYC, the personal origins of her relationship to creativity, and the role of spirituality, ritual, and knowledge of self in how she's navigating and finding purpose in her work. Visit Eilen's website: https://www.eilenitzelmena.com

The social media influencer is one of today's most talked about and divisive figures. They represent the convergence of technology and the surveillance state with a consumer culture that encourages us to conceptualize our identities through market logic—each of us entrepreneurs within our own lifestyle brands. On our latest episode, we spoke with Anuli Akanegbu (@anuliwashere), anthropologist & NYU doctoral student, about the rise of the influencer marketing and its impact on contemporary culture. Anuli's research examines how race and desirability factor into the success of Black-identifying social media content creators and influencers in the particular creative economy of Atlanta, GA. We talked with Anuli about how racism structures the industry, and about how the power of influencer culture may effect the future of labor itself. Check out Anuli's podcast @BLKIRL where she digs into these topics even further. https://www.blkirl.com

Cosmetic surgery is one of the fastest growing medical procedures in the United States. According to 2019 figures from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the US has the highest number of cosmetic procedures conducted annually, as well as the largest number of practicing cosmetic surgeons, who are among this country's highest paid medical professionals. Cosmetic surgery is also a rapidly growing industry globally and countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea are sought after destinations for people seeking specialty procedures. Though highly variable according to context, aesthetic standards for beauty are always socially and politically constructed. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Alka Menon, a medical sociologist and assistant professor at Yale University whose research centers on the relationship between the body and social identities, especially race and ethnicity, and how these ideas manifest in the realm of cosmetic surgery. How is cosmetic surgery enmeshed in the thorny politics of race, ethnicity and gender in the US, and around the world? And, as surgical interventions become increasingly normalized, how is the virtual space of social media shaping physical aspirations about what it means to be beautiful?

For our final episode of 2020, we welcomed a personal hero of both of ours—the trailblazing designer, entrepreneur, and thinker April Walker (@iamaprilwalker), who in the past three decades has been instrumental in shaping the industry and aesthetic category we now call “streetwear.” In 1987, Walker launched her custom clothing boutique, Fashion in Effect, out of her own home. The following year, she opened her first shop on Greene Avenue in Brooklyn, paving the way for the birth of her seminal ready-to-wear label, Walker Wear, adored by the likes of Aaliyah, Mike Tyson, Tupac Shakur, and the Notorious B.I.G., to name just a few. For our 34th episode, Walker shares snapshots from her experience bearing witness to the interconnected evolutions of Hip Hop and New York fashion, and explains why collective work and cooperative economics are crucial for inventing a different and better future for the fashion industry. https://www.instagram.com/iamaprilwalker/ https://www.instagram.com/Walkerwear/

As mega media companies merge, and social media platforms siphon us into echo chambers, independent content creation remains one of the most empowering aspects of our current moment. Those with access to a computer and wifi connection can develop and distribute their own media - and point of view - with a sense of urgency, creativity and scale that was once thought to be unimaginable. @lifewithjrdn is a writer, curator of the Instagram account @true_to_us and host of the podcast “Dating in NYC. Her work spans everything from lifestyle and fashion blogging, to bold IGTV videos on sex positivity and safety. Check out Jourdan's work http://www.lifewithjrdn.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lifewithjrdn/ https://www.instagram.com/datinginnycpod/ https://www.instagram.com/true_to_us/

It is impossible to separate the workings of the art world – and what these institutions deem valuable — with the compounding racist, sexist, and classist ideas that run through American society. For artists who identify with the pan-ethnic category of Latinx, institutional marginalization in the contemporary art world brings forth urgent questions around the politics of identity, the marketing of ethnicity, and the future of arts institutions. To unpack these dynamics, we spoke to cultural anthropologist and NYU professor Dr. Arlene Davila, about her new book, "Latinx Art: Artists, Markets and Politics" from Duke University Press. Our listeners get 30% off their purchase of "Latinx Art" on the Duke University Press website by using the code "E20DVILA" at checkout https://www.dukeupress.edu/latinx-art Follow Professor Davila on Twitter @ArleneDavila1

Tech is one of the biggest, fastest changing, and most in-demand industries in terms both of services and of jobs. It is also a fraught and largely yet-to-be traversed territory, that comes with many critical and even existential questions, from AI and automation to privacy and surveillance. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the role of technology in our lives into high relief, while also forcing us to totally reimagine the workplace, as countless careers are becoming remote, perhaps indefinitely. On this episode, we spoke with Jerelyn Rodriguez (@jerelyn_r) & Joe Carrano (@joeknows718), founders of The Knowledge House—an education organization in the Bronx that offers technical training and professional development to youth and young adults. Their programming provides students with the skills to pursue of range of careers in the tech industry, from data science to web design. Check out The Knowledge House at https://www.theknowledgehouse.org/ and on social media @TheKnowledgeHouse

Over the past few weeks, starting in Minneapolis and spreading across the US and the globe, people have taken to the streets to express their fury, grief and immense collective frustration at a broken system built upon genocide, exploitation, racial capitalism and police brutality—a system that has resisted the same demands for change over generations. We are in the midst of an enormous cultural shift in the ongoing struggle for liberation for Black people, as well as all people of color, and, as always, some of the most important work is being led by young people voicing their demands for the future. For our 30th episode, we spoke with Kiara Williams, Gaya Rajesh and Cindy Kamtchoum of Warriors in the Garden—a newly-founded collective of New York activists dedicated to nonviolent protest and combating police brutality and all forms of systemic oppression—about their take on the moment. Follow @warriorsinthegarden on IG to join the movement https://www.instagram.com/warriorsinthegarden/

We are all being watched. From our phones to our Facebook activity, our data is being collected—and, in many cases, sold—to target us with ads, predict our identities and interests, determine our credit worthiness, and even evaluate our propensity for commiting crimes. In the midst of a crucial moment in conversations about surveillance and public “safety,” we talked with Sareeta Amrute, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Washington and director of research at NYC think tank Data & Society, to discuss the history of the data and surveillance economies and what’s at stake now.

“Diversity”—in particular, the lack of it—has become a buzzword in the past two decades, especially within the realms of education, entertainment, and corporate America. Companies and institutions alike are spending millions of dollars on programs to make their ranks more inclusive and reflective of ever-shifting demographics. Yet, as journalist and professor Pamela Newkirk (@ptnewkirk) argues, diversity remains “conspicuously lacking” in these contexts, both despite of and, in some ways, because of the efforts to confront it. On this episode, we speak with Professor Newkirk about her new book “Diversity, Inc: The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business,” and the paradoxes, pitfalls and potential of business-driven approaches to rectifying social inequality. Check out Pamela Newkirk's book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/pamela-newkirk/diversity-inc/9781568588230/ Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ptnewkirk

If the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has unveiled anything, it is the sheer unsustainability of our contemporary conditions. Just a few weeks ago, life as we knew it was “normal,” but that sense of normal was a world already in crisis, in which the sustainability of life on Earth was being sacrificed again and again for capital gain. On this episode, we spoke with Whitney McGuire & Dominique Drakeford, founders of Sustainable Brooklyn, about the story behind their friendship and organization, and what sustainability means in these uncertain times. Check out Sustainable Brooklyn: https://www.sustainablebk.co/ @sustainablebk @whitneymcguire @dominiquedrakeford Follow the @toprankpodcast on SoundCloud and iTunes for more episodes

After a brief hiatus as we transitioned into this new year and decade, we are back in the booth with Jessica Lynne, a writer and cultural critic from coastal Virginia and co-founder of ARTS.BLACK, an online journal that publishes art criticism from Black perspectives. We spoke with Jess about the craft of criticism, the relationship between research, love and vulnerability, and the art of finding balance. Find Jessica online at @lynne_bias. https://www.jessicalynne.co/ https://arts.black/

Who has the power to write history and how has the digital age transformed this process? On this episode, we speak with Professor Maria Cotera about her approach to grassroots community history-making with the Chicana por mi Raza Digital Memory Collective, an ongoing Chicana feminist history project documenting the oral histories and personal archives of women across the U.S. We speak with Professor Cotera about the politics of producing knowledge, the role of social media in new modes of archiving, and practical tips for independent scholars interested in pursuing their own research. Professor Cotera is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and the American Culture Department at the University of Michigan. You can learn more about Chicana Por Mi Raza here: http://chicanapormiraza.org/about

Salome Asega is a NYC based artist, educator and researcher whose work engages with the intersection of technology, design and social justice. Currently, she is the Technology Fellow at the Ford Foundation's Creativity and Free Expression program area, and a director of Powrplnt, a digital art community organization for youth in Brooklyn. On this episode, we chat with Salome about her dynamic interdisciplinary career, how her childhood has shaped her practice, and the political urgency of deploying design principles to imagine a more just present & future. Keep up with Salome here http://www.salome.zone and on IG @computers_puting

On this episode, we spoke with our friends Mia & Danielle from the new podcast "New York's Loudest" about their passion and expertise in the cannabis industry. From chatting about our first experiences with weed, to diving into the debates surrounding its legalization, our discussion highlights the deeply personal & political stakes of cannabis use. Check out "New York's Loudest" across all platforms! http://theemeraldmagazine.com/new-yorks-loudest-podcast/

Kimberly M. Jenkins is a leading expert on the intersections of race and the fashion industry. In the midst of Gucci's recent controversies, Kimberly has recently become the brand’s first in-house scholar, for which she will consult on responsible design practices that do not invoke racial stereotypes and iconography. We spoke with Kimberly on what the study of race and fashion means to her, and her plans for Gucci and beyond. Follow Kimberly here: http://kimberlymjenkins.com @kimberlymjenkins

On this episode of the Top Rank Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jonathan González — multidisciplinary performance artist, professor, farmer and dear friend of ours. We chatted about his NYC upbringing, his ever-evolving performance practice, and the politics of identity in the murky value systems of contemporary art. Follow Jonathan's work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathangonzalezetc/ Follow the Top Rank Podcast @toprankmagazine

For our 20th episode, we did something we never have done before - we interviewed each other! After three years of making this show, we realized we never properly introduced ourselves. For this episode, we chat about the story of our friendship and the ways consumerism shaped our childhoods & informed our ongoing *critical* interest in globalization, branding, and identity. For more, follow us on IG: @toprankmagazine ; @isabelflower ; @marcelrosasalas

There is no biological experience more fundamental than birth. However, the ongoing conversation in the US between medical doctors, natural-birth practitioners, researchers, and mothers about what could and should be a safe and positive birth experience has remained extraordinarily controversial. For some, midwifery & doula care are complementary methods of maternal care that are being more frequently tapped into. To understand more about these forms of care, we’ve had conversations with several guests, to learn more about their experiences in the field, and their perspectives on the current state of birthing in the U.S. Check out the mini-episodes below to learn their perspectives.

There is no biological experience more fundamental than birth. However, the ongoing conversation in the US between medical doctors, natural-birth practitioners, researchers, and mothers about what could and should be a safe and positive birth experience has remained extraordinarily controversial. For some, midwifery & doula care are complementary methods of maternal care that are being more frequently tapped into. To understand more about these forms of care, we’ve had conversations with several guests, to learn more about their experiences in the field, and their perspectives on the current state of birthing in the U.S. Check out the mini-episodes below to learn their perspectives.

There is no biological experience more fundamental than birth. However, the ongoing conversation in the US between medical doctors, natural-birth practitioners, researchers, and birthing people about what could and should be a safe and positive birth experience has remained extraordinarily controversial. For some, doula care are complementary methods of maternal care that are being more frequently tapped into. To understand more about these forms of care, we’ve had conversations with several guests, to learn more about their experiences in the field, and their perspectives on the current state of birthing in the U.S. Check out the mini-episodes below to learn their perspectives.

There is no biological experience more fundamental than birth. However, the ongoing conversation in the US between medical doctors, natural-birth practitioners, researchers, and mothers about what could and should be a safe and positive birth experience has remained extraordinarily controversial. For some, midwifery & doula care are complementary methods of maternal care that are being more frequently tapped into. To understand more about these forms of care, we’ve had conversations with several guests, to learn more about their experiences in the field, and their perspectives on the current state of birthing in the U.S. Check out the mini-episodes below to learn their perspectives.

There is no biological experience more fundamental than birth. However, the ongoing conversation in the US between medical doctors, natural-birth practitioners, researchers, and mothers about what could and should be a safe and positive birth experience has remained extraordinarily controversial. For some, midwifery & doula care are complementary methods of maternal care that are being more frequently tapped into. To understand more about these forms of care, we’ve had conversations with several guests, to learn more about their experiences in the field, and their perspectives on the current state of birthing in the U.S. Check out the mini-episodes below to learn their perspectives.

Feminism has reached new levels of mass popularity. Such a shift in public discourse and top line awareness about the daily realities of gender inequality must be acknowledged and celebrated. Yet, it begs many questions: What are the feminist ideas that are becoming popularized, circulated, and, sold today? Who does pop culture feminism benefit? Who might it foreclose and even erase? How do we harness the potential of this shift to bring about lasting social change? To talk through this and more, we are thrilled to have Dr. Sarah Banet Weiser on the show, professor of media and communications at the London School of Economics, and author of the new book Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny.

Recorded live from Abrons Arts Center in New York City, this episode of the Top Rank Podcast features Desmond Napoles, aka "Desmond is Amazing," who at just 11 years old, has made an international name for himself as a drag performer, LGBT advocate, and social media influencer with over 100K followers on Instagram. Marcel & Isabel had a lively chat with Desmond on what it is like to have such a large platform in just the 6th grade, how he balances school & career, and how he thinks children can change the world. follow Desmond on Instagram @desmondisamazing

On this episode, Marcel & Isabel chat with Zenat Begum, the owner of Playground Coffee Shop - a multidisciplinary cafe, bookstore, event space and community non profit in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. In addition to learning about Zenat's life as young, New York native and business owner in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn, she also offers insight on the challenges and triumphs of being an entrepreneur as a woman of color, and shares advice for young people seeking to start their own business. Visit Playground Coffee Shop at 1114 Bedford Ave in Brooklyn, NY Learn more about Playground Coffee Shop https://www.instagram.com/playgroundcoffeeshop/ http://playgroundcoffeeshop.com/

On episode 15 of the Top Rank Podcast, “Resource Generation” co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas spoke with Holly Fetter and Dominique Tan, representatives from the nonprofit organization Resource Generation. For two decades, Resource Generation has been advising and enabling young people with wealth and class privilege in the United States to work towards the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power. In the U.S. today, the top one percent of households own more wealth than the bottom ninety percent combined. On this episode, we spoke with Holly and Dominique about scrutinizing the idea of meritocracy, constructing comprehensible and productive definitions of wealth and class (and how these categories intersect and overlap with varying identity categories), as well as RG’s strategies for action.

On episode 14 of the Top Rank Podcast, “The New Racial Science” co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas spoke with Professor Dorothy Roberts about the politics of genetic ancestry tests. In 2017, over 12 million Americans had their DNA analyzed by genetic ancestry testing companies. This recent boom in popularity has turned “knowing your roots” into one of the biggest consumer products of the past decade. However, it is critical to the question how genetic ancestry tests are shaping societal understandings of race and ethnicity. Professor Dorothy Roberts is an acclaimed scholar of race, gender and the law, and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the Departments of Africana Studies, Sociology and the Law School. She is also founding director of the Penn Program on Race, Science & Society in the Center for Africana Studies. Her major books include Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century ; Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare, and Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty.

On episode 13 of the Top Rank Podcast, “Thick/er Black Lines,” co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas spoke with Rianna Jade Parker, Hudda Khaireh, and Aurella Yussuf founding members of the London based curatorial collective Thick/er Black Lines. Thick/er Black Lines is an interdisciplinary collective that brings together art criticism and, cultural studies, as well as archival, and activist practices to shed light on the creative production of the Black European diaspora. Their ongoing efforts to canonize Black British women and femme artistsun cluding their most recent residency at the Tate Modern— -- emerge from an urgency to highlight the multiplicities and convergences of Black identities across the globe.

On episode 12 of the Top Rank Podcast, co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas speak with Cecilia Palmeiro and Verónica Gago, founding members of Argentinian feminist movement and collective Ni Una Menos. Ni Una Menos (which translates to Not One Less) combats femicide—the intentional killing of women because they are female—as well as all gender based-violence. They are committed to changing a culture that castes women as objects to control, to consume, and to discard. To do so, Ni Una Menos examines the multiple forms of violence (economic, political, financial, state, social) that limit the autonomy of women and therefore generate the conditions that allow for physical violence, shedding light on the relationship between the most dramatic manifestations of violence against women and their structural roots. The movement’s affiliates now span numerous Latin American countries and even continents, and their work includes organizing marches, protests, strikes, and discussions to putting forward formal government demands. Cecilia and Verónica spoke with us about how to define machista violence, the relationship between neoliberalism, capitalism, and gender-based abuse, and making community activism intersectional, collaborative, and transnational.

On episode 11 of the Top Rank Podcast, “High Performance Hijabs,” co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas speak with Arshiya Kherani, founder and CEO Sukoon Active. Sukoon is a New York-based apparel company that designs inclusive activewear for women. Kherani, an active runner, launched Sukoon in 2016 after years of going without high-quality workout clothing that aligned with her Muslim faith. Sukoon offers fuller coverage and looser-fitting exercise apparel and high performance hijabs for women across backgrounds, who desire athletic wear that is not tight or revealing. From Nike to Dolce & Gabbana, global fashion brands have begun targeting the Islamic fashion consumer as their latest marketing opportunity, and some brands have started to offer modest clothing, head coverings, and special occasion wear for Muslim women. Yet, in a social climate that is rife with negative associations surrounding Islamic traditions, the recognition of Muslims as part of the American marketplace is as politically charged as it is practically necessary. Marcel and Isabel speak with Arshiya about her pursuit of inclusive marketing, the ups and downs of start-up entrepreneurship, and her experiences going toe-to-toe with Nike. You can find the Top Rank Podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes and Know Wave. A special thank you to Red Bull Arts New York. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete

This summer, an exhibition opened at the Museum of Sex in New York City titled NSFW: Female Gaze . Organized in collaboration with Vice’s Creators platform, and on view through April 2018, this show includes the work of 25 young and/or emerging female artists. The show’s two part title invokes Laura Mulvey’s canonical 1975 feminist film theory about the masculine cinematic perspective, as well as the everyday politics of internet censorship and sexual respectability. However, this exhibition’s title presents an important and timely question: What is the “female gaze” and what about it is “unsafe”? A “female gaze”—or any gaze for that matter—is cultural and learned, not innate, not universal, but intensely subjective and situated by race, class, and history. On Episode 10, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower speak with the show’s curators, Marina Garcia-Vasquez (Editor-in-Chief @ Creators) and Lissa Rivera (Associate Curator @ the Museum of Sex), about the complexities of imagining a universal female subject and audience, and the ways in which notions of beauty can be both limiting and perversely powerful. A special thank you to Red Bull Arts New York. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete.

Few would dispute the immense social, cultural, and political significance of creative production in realizing our potential as human beings and in fostering both inventive and nurturing communities. Creative labor is a critical part of our social ecosystem. Yet, artists—especially in the US—are often unable to make a living wage from their physical and/or intellectual labor or its products. The trope of the “starving artist” still pervades pop cultural notions about the sacrosanct status—and corresponding fiscal value—of artistic labor. This romanticized image of an individual whose isolation, specifically from the market economy, is the very wellspring of their creative genius continues to have vital material implications for those who desire to be professional arts workers. In a culture of unpaid internships and “paying dues” via free work in exchange for prestige and exposure, carving out a career in the creative industries is immensely precarious. On Episode 9, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower speak with curator Ali Rosa-Salas about arts labor in New York, selection and subjectivity, and kindness as a curatorial strategy. A special thank you to Red Bull Arts New York and to Ali Rosa-Salas. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete Follow us @toprankmagazine

Over the past decade, abuse of prescription opioids such as Oxycontin and Percocet has come to affect over two million Americans, precipitating a quadrupling in overdose fatalities. The spike in opioid related deaths within White communities in particular has visibly shocked and alarmed the media, the public, and policy makers. The so-called “new epidemic” has been widely and consistently framed as affecting "blameless victims” and "good people"—ostensibly those individuals who, within American public consciousness, are not associated with drug abuse. Drug epidemics in this country have historically been addressed by using harshly putative legal measures, most notably exemplified by the War on Drugs in low income communities of color. The wake of the opioid spike leads us again to the question: Whose lives matter? And, how are the media narratives and concurrent policy efforts about this issue informed by intersecting race and class biases? For Episode 8, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower invited Dr. Helena Hansen, professor of medical anthropology and psychiatry at New York University, to speak about her research on the cultural and clinical intersections of addiction and its treatment, pertaining specifically to illicit and pharmaceutical grade opiates. A social scientist, clinical practitioner, and documentary filmmaker, Professor Hansen has published widely about the politics of opioid addiction treatment. A special thank you to Red Bull Arts New York and to Helena Hansen. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete.

For Episode 7, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower spoke with three guests—Khalila Douze (Social Media Editor at The Outline), Kimberly Drew (Social Media Manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Rawiya Kameir (Culture Editor at The Outline)—about the intersections of social media and identity politics in their professional and personal lives. Within the last 30 or so years, the phrase identity politics has become a critical mechanism for self-realization and expression, as well as for political and cultural alliance building. The internet, and social media in particular, has provided a public but also highly personal platform for anyone with access to a computer and a network to distill and perform their identity, and to have an audience. We have come to see that the implications of said access and exposure hold the potential of unravelling and restructuring the way information is disseminated, the way money is made, and the way power itself is manifested. Here, we reflect on how our generation has adapted to, struggled with, and harnessed these seismic shifts. A special thank you to Red Bull Studios New York, and to each of our brilliant participants. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete.

On episode 6 co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas speak with New York-based activists Elaine Paredes and Lori Adelman about Planned Parenthood’s essential work, the current state of women’s health-related legislation (domestic and overseas), and how we might prepare for what’s to come. Paredes and Adelman lay out the implications of defunding Planned Parenthood and the repercussions of and relationship between such legislation as the Mexico City policy and the Helms Amendment. They discuss the significance—as well as the critical fault lines—of the Women’s Marches, and, perhaps most importantly, express why it is essential that our strategies for the days and years to come be intersectional at their core.

On Episode 5, co-hosts Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas speak with members of BRUJAS, a New York City-based feminist organization who use skateboarding and community activism to foster radical social change. Brujas members ARIANNA GIL, ANTONIA PÉREZ, and REBECCA STURCKEN discuss the group’s representation in mainstream media, the labor involved in producing and sustaining their program, and the challenges of using social media to incite political resistance while considering the threat of surveillance. Sharing their influences and aspirations, the Brujas members talk though the possibilities of youth-led activism in the digital age. You can find Top Rank online @toprankmagazine. You can learn more about Brujas on their website https://brujas.nyc/ and @BRUJAS A special thank you to Red Bull Studios New York, and to each of our wonderfully generous participants. This episode was produced by Sienna Fekete. Isabel and Marcel welcome input for future content. You can reach us at isabel@toprankmagazine.com and marcel@toprankmagazine.com.

On the occasion of Knockdown Center's MAMI exhibition and market, Top Rank Podcast co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower talk intersectional identity with journalists Jenna Wortham (NYT Magazine) and Doreen St. Félix (MTV News), Brujas skate crew leader Arianna Gil, and Bklyn Boihood founder Ryann Holmes. Available here as the Top Rank Podcast’s 4th episode, their conversation addresses the promises and pitfalls of digital media as a tool for social change, the importance of fostering self-affirming environments that prioritize self-care, and, more generally, how Mami Wata’s hybrid identity serves as a framework within which we can question conventional binaries and locate strength in paradox, contradiction, and multiplicity. You can find us online at toprankmagazine.com and on Instagram @toprankmagazine. A special thank you to Red Bull Studios New York, and to each of our wonderfully generous participants. Isabel and Marcel welcome input for future content. You can reach us at marcel@toprankmagazine.com and isabel@toprankmagazine.com.

In Episode 3, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower reflect on their enduring affection for Selena Quintanilla Perez, the beloved Tejana singer, and assess what it means to memorialize and perform her identity.

Our second episode, “Elements of Style,” is a post-Fashion Week reflection consisting of conversations about the politics of fashion imagery, beauty, modeling, and self-styling. Co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower ask what fashion can teach us about configurations of power in contemporary society, and discuss the industry as an institution that produces culture through collective knowledge. In conversations with each other, fashion industry professionals, and scholars, Isabel and Marcel seek some insight into this mammoth question. On this episode you'll hear from: Brandi Thompson Summers, Assistant professor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University Christelle de Castro, photographer, filmmaker, art director, and creative director for Top Rank Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Cincinnati Nafisa Kaptownwala, founder of modeling agency Lorde Inc. Paloma Elsesser, model, writer, and student Eric Darnell Pritchard, Assistant Professor of English at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Mimi Thi Nguyen, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and Asian American Studies at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign You can find us online at toprankmagazine.com and on Instagram @toprankmagazine. A special thank you to Red Bull Studios New York, and to each of our wonderfully generous participants. Isabel and Marcel welcome your feedback and pitches. You can reach us at marcel@toprankmagazine.com and isabel@toprankmagazine.com. Be sure to follow Top Rank on Instagram and Facebook for the latest podcast and magazine news.

Hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flower nerd out about nameplate jewelry, discussing the style's formal qualities, its material and social history, and its relevance in American culture today. Music Credit: "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna Original interlude by @dyani_douze