Ericka Hart is in the next phase of her lifelong sex education. Starting as a curious and resourceful teenager, looking for answers to supplement her abstinence-only sex-ed class, Hart built on her knowledge when she was diagnosed, at 28, with breast cancer. Until her diagnosis, Hart had never really thought about her breasts. “They really felt like they were in service to other people,” she says. That changed post-treatment when she went topless at a music festival in 2016, publicly displaying her mastectomy scars: “I just wanted people…to see me and my scars, and to see what breast cancer looks like in Black, queer, and trans people.” She also wanted to challenge the cultural default that desexualizes cancer survivors. People would tell Hart over and over that she was so inspiring, which was nice, but, she adds, “I’m also pretty hot.” 

That next phase of her education arrived when she got pregnant with her partner using IUI (intrauterine insemination) and gave birth. “I feel much different in my body now as a 40-year-old who is three years postpartum than I did after breast cancer,” Hart says. “I think pregnancy and childbirth truly rocked me more than anything I’ve ever experienced.” Now that she’s raising a child, Hart is aware of another change—the feeling that she wants to keep her body to herself, asking, “What’s for me?” 

Ericka Hart is a sex educator, activist, and the author of Nasty Work. 

Allure’s Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics shaping women's lives today through honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel.

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You can’t talk about breasts without talking about bras. So Jessica Cruel, Allure’s editor in chief, went to the source: Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Dr. Steele is a pioneer in the field of fashion studies and that the clothes we wear–and what we wear underneath them–merit serious attention. She’s also the author of a book tracing the cultural history of the corset and how it influenced the development of other shapewear. Cue: the bra.

Bras started to show up in the early 20th century as more women joined the workforce and pursued activities that required a broader range of movement and support. From torpedo-like bras to padded bras to more gamine bralettes, they are, according to Dr. Steele, “always in relation to the style of dress” that’s popular at the time and often attempt to balance looking “respectable” with being “sexually attractive.” Women, Dr. Steele notes, have always sought some form of shapewear, even if it's a rejection of the structure (e.g., bra-burning in the '70s). Today, as bra designers focus on balancing comfort with style, Dr. Steele highlights how there is still an impulse to nip, tuck, cinch, and lift the body.

Allure’s Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics shaping women's lives today through honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel.

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Pam sits down in an unprecedented discussion with British Vogue’s Edward Enninful to discuss his new memoir, ‘A Visible Man’. They'll talk about his journey, his favorite shoots, the lessons he learned and what advice he would give his younger self today.

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In her five years as editor in chief of Vanity Fair, Radhika Jones has dedicated the platform—and VF’s coveted covers—to highlighting the artists, writers, actors, and leaders who are moving the culture forward. Through periods of political and cultural upheaval, she’s been steadfast in her exploration of art, activism, and power in 21st century America, and VF’s audience has grown as a result. For this episode, Pam sits down with Radhika for a conversation about how VF’s aspirational coverage of Hollywood contributed to the industry’s evolution, the joy of publishing stories for a multifaceted audience, and her early Oscars favorites.

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Special Election Day episode! For so long, it seemed endless progress was afoot for women, yet the past two years have told a different narrative with women taking on so much during the pandemic and perhaps being forced out of the workforce, now punctuated by the monumental decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Where can we possibly go from here? I assure you, the women of this generation are not taking this lying down. Where is the media on raising hell?

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The coming Web3 revolution may already be upon us, yet still so many of us don’t exactly know what is going on. How does this affect our real world personas and what does this mean for the media world at large? Pam will discuss the Metaverse, Crypto and digital fashion (what we know, what we don’t and what everything we can possibly imagine about it) with Vogue Business Senior Innovation Editor Maghan McDowell and Founder and CEO Alice Delahunt. 

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When you think about it - influencers have changed the face of media over the last decade with the rise of social media. Elementary school kids now aspire to be “instafamous” as the new traditional career path…but there’s a vibe shift coming….or it could actually already be happening? So how will influencers evolve as media (social and all) evolves? Will they lead the way or follow? Pam and Phill will investigate with this riveting conversation.

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Where are we going when it comes to equality and representation? Pam will have a robust discussion about the recent victory securing equal pay for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team - how this happened and what is left to fight for in this space. How are we taking a step forward together, and at the same time, taking a step backwards? They’ll also dive into Ashlyn’s history and how she came into the sport to begin with, her family and advocacy and where she thinks she’ll go after she hangs up her cleats 

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If you want to really understand what’s happening in the U.S. (and the world) at large, there’s really one person to ask - editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick. His calm presence and firm knowledge of all things politics is simply unparalleled. Pam will speak with David in a rare conversation prior to the midterm elections in the U.S. to understand the pivotal issues at hand and where he thinks the U.S. is headed today.

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