Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Pop Culture

"How can you make someone look important in Candy Land?" wondered Will Cotton, the New York City-based artist whose sugary landscapes often lacked subjects.

Artist Will Cotton Reveals How He and Katy Perry Played an Elaborate Game of Candy Land

Artist Will Cotton’s painting Cupcake Katy goes on view at the National Portrait Galley to welcome the pop star to D.C.

New to the collections: Actor Reeve Carney's red and blue spandex bodysuit, which he wore while starring in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark’ Suit Receives a Lifetime Encore at the American History Museum

After a two-year run on Broadway, the web-slinging stage show’s iconic superhero costume is heading to the Smithsonian.

Cool Finds

Andy Warhol Probably Never Said His Celebrated “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” Line

In the interest of branding, however, it doesn’t matter who said it, only that it worked

Michael Jackson: Singer, Songwriter, American Inventor

The King of Pop invented more than just amazing dance moves

The protagonist, Tris (Shailene Woodley), and her friend Christina (Zoë Kravitz) jump from a train running through post-apocalyptic Chicago in a scene from the film Divergent.

We Asked Four Teenagers to Explain “Divergent” to Old People

The first movie in the dystopian young adult book trilogy comes out this weekend. Get ready

Even the President of the United States takes time away from work to fill out his bracket.

When Did Filling Out A March Madness Bracket Become Popular?

Millions of Americans will fill out a NCAA basketball tournament bracket this year. How did it become such an incredible social phenomenon?

Hustle through America’s Huckster History with a Smithsonian Curator as Your Guide

A blow by blow of the flimflams and tales of hustlers throughout history, art and literature

No, Goldfinger, You Can’t Kill Someone by Painting a Body With Gold

But surely you don’t expect us to talk about it

James Bond’s Martini Consumption Would Have Compromised His Physical, Mental and Sexual Abilities

The authors postulate that the spy’s preference for shaken, not stirred vodka martinis may indicate a case of shaky hands caused by alcohol-induced tremors

None

The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt

A 1920s French tennis star put the little reptilian logo onto a white polo shirt

None

Where’d You Get Those Creepers?

The platform-soled, punk-style shoes have celebrated the ‘Teddy Boy’ spirit since the late 1940s

Singer in pillbox hat, 1958

‘I Remember’: An Artist’s Chronicle of What We Wore

In the 1970s, Joe Brainard wrote a book-length poem that paid heed to fashion

Super low-slung pants

Sagging Pants Butt Up Against the Law

Yet the droopy trousers trend lives on

The Way We Wore team, from left, Jascmeen Bush, Shelly Lyn, owner Doris Raymond, Sarah Bergman, Kyle Blackmon

A Refreshing Take on Fashion Television: A Q&A with L.A. Frock Stars’ Star Doris Raymond

A new series brings high-end style to vintage wear

None

The Perils of Wearing Clothes

From toxins in textile dyes to torturous corsets, beauty has a long history of coming at a high cost

None

The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally

It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good

Actress Louise Brooks with bob and bee-stung lips, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 4: Emboldened by the Bob

New short haircuts announced the wearers’ break from tradition and boosted the hairdressing industry

None

The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Valentine’s Day can be an occasion for quirky expressions of love

Lipstick stencil, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 2: Makeup Makes a Bold Entrance

It’s the birth of the modern cosmetics business as young women look for beauty enhancers in a tube or jar

None

Why Hypercolor T-Shirts Were Just a One-Hit Wonder

Heat-sensitive color made this sportswear a hot item—but it didn’t last

Page 25 of 26