'Game of Thrones' Can Never Take Back Its Original Sin

Heading into Season Eight, a look back at the HBO show's awful treatment of female characters. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       Game of Thrones's Treatment of Women Will Tarnish Its Legacy   The rape of Sansa Stark during the fifth season of Game of Thrones was just one of the show's violent sexual assaults, from Daenerys's rape by Khal Drogo in Thrones' very first episode, to Cersei Lannister's rape by her brother Jaime in its fourth season. While the series' treatment of women has improved in the wake of the outcry over the Sansa scene amidst a media-spanning bar-raising for how fiction handles female characters, misogyny is Game of Thrones's original sin. Read More           Julian Assange's Legal Proceedings Will Do Profound Damage to the Institutions of the Free Press   Since the trenches in this particular political war were dug and reinforced months ago, the coverage and commentary on Julian Assange's arrest is not likely to be nuanced. Nevertheless, there's a lot to be concerned about in how it went down, and in what may come next. Read More           11 Pairs of Dad Jeans That Actually Look Pretty Great   Sometimes style moves are either bad—genuinely bad—or, so bad they're good. That's the exact definition one might throw at the concept of a dad jean. Dad jeans aren't meant to be stylish; they're meant to be comfortable. But the fit is also one of the most stylish looks you can wear right now. If you're just digging into the trend, here are nine pairs to get you started. Dad sneakers welcome. Read More           The Trump-Fox Symbiosis of Stupid Continues With an Extremely Wrong Poll   Living in the Dumbest Time in History, you get to learn a thing or two about polls. The most important thing to know is that Real Polls show the president Winning. Any poll that is negative towards the president—say, it shows poor ratings of his job performance, or that he may lose to a prospective election opponent—is Fake. This week, Fox News host Lou Dobbs promoted a poll that was so Real the president just had to tweet a screenshot. Turns out, those numbers are wrong. Read More           John Bonham's Son Has a Really F*cked Up Story from Led Zeppelin's Past   Led Zeppelin remains one of those bands that represent the bygone era that made sex and drugs synonymous with rock 'n' roll. Looking back in 2019, these stories of wild parties and endless consumption seem less glamorous—especially when rap, the dominant genre, is directly addressing issues of mental health and substance abuse. That's exactly what makes this story that Jason Bonham—Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son—told on Howard Stern about being with his father's band as a kid so incredibly fucked up. Read More           Russell Crowe Is Unrecognizable As Roger Ailes in the First Photos From 'The Loudest Voice in the Room'   The Loudest Voice in the Room, premiering June 30, is about Fox News honcho Roger Ailes's rise to become one of the most powerful media executives, and his subsequent fall after anchor Gretchen Carlson came forward with abuse allegations—and other women followed with their own accounts. In the first shots of the Showtime series, Russell Crowe looks appropriately ominous as the disgraced executive. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019