Lauren Duca

Lauren Duca (born February 24, 1991)[1] is an American freelance journalist, feminist,[2] and political columnist.[3] Duca formerly worked at Teen Vogue, where she had a column called "Thigh High Politics". In September 2019, she released a book on young people and the future of American politics titled How to Start a Revolution.[4]

Lauren Duca
Duca in 2017
Born (1991-02-24) February 24, 1991
New York City
NationalityAmerican
Alma materFordham University
OccupationJournalist
Years active2016–present

Early life and education

Duca was born in New York City and grew up in an affluent New Jersey suburb. Her parents live in New Jersey,[3] and she has a younger brother.[5]

In 2013, Duca graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy.[6] During this time, she was editor in chief of the alternative newspaper, the paper.[7] In 2015, Duca received her master's degree in journalism and critical theory from New York University.[8]

Career

In 2013, Duca got her start working as an online editorial intern for New York. From 2013 to 2015, Duca worked as a reporter at The Huffington Post. In 2015, she began working as a freelance reporter, often writing for Teen Vogue.

In December 2016, Duca drew attention for an op-ed in Teen Vogue titled "Donald Trump is Gaslighting America",[9][10] which argued that then President-elect Donald Trump relied on deceit to undermine the truth so his critics would question their own judgment.[2] As of December 23, 2016, the essay had been viewed 1.2 million times, becoming the magazine's most-viewed post.[11] Katie Mettler of The Washington Post said, "[T]he Internet lit up with praise for [Duca's] 'scorched-earth' op-ed."[12] The essay was widely cited as a turning point in the fashion magazine's reputation, with a newly recognized political dimension.[11][13][14]

Duca appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on December 23, 2016.[15] In the heated exchange over Duca's commentary on Ivanka Trump,[16] Duca criticized host Tucker Carlson for not allowing her to speak and called Carlson a "partisan hack"; in response, he told her that instead of political commentary, she "should stick to the thigh-high boots," referring to her earlier articles on pop-star Ariana Grande.[17] Online harassment of Duca followed, including threats of sexual assault.[18]

In response, Duca named her new column at Teen Vogue, begun in February 2017,[2] "Thigh-High Politics."[19] According to Teen Vogue, "Thigh High Politics" "breaks down the news, provides resources for the resistance, and just generally refuses to accept toxic nonsense."[20] She also designed a tee-shirt in July 2017 with the phrase "I like my politics thigh-high," and donated all of the proceeds from each $32 shirt to Planned Parenthood in Tucker Carlson's name.[21] As of December 2017, over $10,000 were raised.[22] In the face of backlash against Teen Vogue, Duca has defended the political commentary featured on the website, citing the disconnect between critics who find young women's interests as too silly for intellectual conversation and the reprimand young women face for not participating in political process.[5]

In 2017, former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli attempted to contact Duca a number of times and referenced her routinely in social media. In early January 2017, Shkreli direct-messaged Duca, tweeted her directly, edited a collage of Duca for his Twitter banner, and superimposed his face on top of an image of Duca and her then-husband to use as his profile photo.[23] Duca made her discomfort in Shkreli's advances known on her Twitter, posting a screenshot of a direct message from Shkreli inviting Duca to Donald Trump's inauguration with the caption, “I would rather eat my own organs.”[24] Duca also posted screenshots of Shkreli's Twitter profile using her appearance, asking the platform's founder and CEO Jack Dorsey how Shkreli's actions were allowed.[25] Shkreli's Twitter account was then suspended for violating the website's rules prohibiting targeted harassment.[26] On July 28, 2017, Duca released a Twitter statement on her thoughts regarding Shkreli's securities-fraud trial and the sexual comments made by Shkreli on a Facebook live stream.[27] Duca tweeted, "I would (still) rather eat my own organs. So much as touch me, and I'll gladly chop off one of yours."[28]

On 21 February 2018, Lauren responded to Billy Graham's death by tweeting: "The big news today is that Billy Graham was still alive this whole time. Anyway, have fun in hell, bitch."[29] Her post drew some backlash on the internet.[30] In response to Fox News' coverage of her tweet, Duca noted: "The Fox article and segment on my stupid tweet are really miraculous in their bad-faith consternation. Billy Graham called being gay 'a sinister form of perversion,' and floated the idea that 'AIDS is a punishment from God.' If hell is real, that's exactly where he's headed."[31]

In May 2018, it was announced that Duca would be a visiting scholar at New York University's journalism department.[32][33] In the summer of 2019, Duca taught a six-week course at New York University entitled "The Feminist Journalist." The class was taught under the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and focused on intersections of feminist ideology and the practice of journalism, and was made up of high-school and college students.[34] Four weeks after the course, students sent a collective formal complaint to New York University's journalism department regarding Duca's conduct during the class, writing, "We are disappointed at the department and NYU for hiring a professor with more interest in promoting her book than teaching a group of students eager to learn."[35] Students allege that Duca targeted an exchange student, writing that she "consistently targeted this student on the basis of a communication difficulty the student cannot change.[35][36]

In September 2019, Duca released her first book, which was called How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of American Politics.[4]

Personal life

Duca lives in Brooklyn[37] with her pet Shiba Inu, Demi.[3] Duca was married,[8] but announced on Twitter on January 13, 2019, that she was getting divorced from her husband. Since her divorce, she has identified as queer.[38]

Honors

Selected works and publications

References
  1. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (24 February 2018). "Today is my birthday. Please congratulate me on being alive" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. Sanci, Elissa (6 March 2017). "Lauren Duca On Going Viral and Standing Your Ground: BUST Interview". Bust.
  3. Dodes, Rachel (27 January 2017). "Even the Teen Vogue Writer Who Took On Trump Gets Stage Fright". The New York Times.
  4. Koul, Scaachi (17 September 2019). "How Did Lauren Duca's Revolution Backfire?". BuzzFeed.
  5. Duca, Lauren (19 June 2018). "Lauren Duca wants to change how women talk about politics" (video interview). Quartz.
  6. Loizzo-Desai, Alexandra (29 June 2017). "20 in Their 20s: Lauren Duca". Fordham Magazine. Fordham University.
  7. Micalizzi, Victoria (10 April 2017). "Grad Lauren Duca Speaks on Media and Politics". Fordham Observer. Fordham University.
  8. Dzikowski, Jennifer (8 January 2017). "Lauren Duca: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com.
  9. North, Anna (19 December 2016). "Opinion: The Teen's Guide to the Trump Presidency". The New York Times.
  10. Peterson, Lisa (27 July 2017). "Lauren Duca Talks Sexism, Trolls, and the Importance of Being "Defiantly Confident"". PopSugar.
  11. Folkenflik, David (23 December 2016). "Trump Essay Signals Shift In Approach For 'Teen Vogue'" (Audio includes transcript). All Things Considered. NPR.
  12. Mettler, Katie (12 December 2016). "In 'scorched-earth' op-ed, a Teen Vogue writer says Trump is 'gaslighting America'". The Washington Post.
  13. Stern, Mark Joseph (12 December 2016). "Teen Vogue's Fiery Trump Takedown Shouldn't Be a Surprise. Teen Vogue Rocks". Slate.
  14. Gilbert, Sophie (12 December 2016). "Teen Vogue's Political Coverage Isn't Surprising". The Atlantic.
  15. Feldman, Josh (23 December 2016). "Teen Vogue Writer Battles Tucker Carlson: 'You're Actually Being a Partisan Hack'". Mediaite.
  16. Wemple, Erik (28 December 2016). "Tucker Carlson delivers sexism for Fox News". The Washington Post.
  17. Romano, Nick (24 December 2016). "Tucker Carlson Slammed for Interview with 'Teen Vogue' Writer". Entertainment Weekly.
  18. "Teen Vogue writer who appeared on Fox News receives threats". CBS News. The Associated Press. 27 December 2016.
  19. Ellefson, Lindsey (24 February 2017). "Lauren Duca Launches Teen Vogue Column, Calls It 'Thigh-High Politics' in Honor of Tucker Carlson". Mediaite.
  20. Duca, Lauren (31 August 2018). "We Can Stop Brett Kavanaugh". Teen Vogue.
  21. Reed, Sam (17 July 2017). "Teen Vogue Writer Designs T-Shirt, Donates Profits to Planned Parenthood in Fox News Anchor's Name". The Hollywood Reporter.
  22. Klepper, Dan; Duca, Lauren (14 December 2017). "Lauren Duca - Doubting Reality After One Year of Trump" (Video interview). The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. Comedy Central.
  23. Mack, David (8 January 2017). ""Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli Suspended From Twitter After Harassing A "Teen Vogue" Writer". BuzzFeed.
  24. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (5 January 2017). "I would rather eat my own organs" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (8 January 2017). "How is this allowed @jack" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. Ohlheiser, Abby (8 January 2017). "Martin Shkreli was suspended from Twitter for 'targeted harassment' of a journalist". The Washington Post.
  27. Killelea, Eric (28 July 2019). "Martin Shkreli: 5 WTF Moments From Pharma Bro Trial". Rolling Stone.
  28. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (28 July 2017). "Here's my statement on Martin Shkreli: I would (still) rather eat my own organs. So much as touch me, and I'll gladly chop off one of yours" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (24 February 2018). "The big news today is that Billy Graham was still alive this whole time. Anyway, have fun in hell, bitch" (Tweet) – via Twitter. |date= mismatches calculated date from |number= by two or more days (help)
  30. Williams, Janice (22 February 2018). "Conservatives are furious with Teen Vogue's Lauren Duca after Billy Graham tweet". Newsweek.
  31. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (22 February 2018). "The Fox article and segment on my stupid tweet are really miraculous in their bad-faith consternation. Billy Graham called being gay "a sinister form of perversion," and floated the idea that "AIDS is a punishment from God." If hell is real, that's exactly where he's headed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. Golub, Ali (10 May 2018). "Lauren Duca to be Visiting Scholar in NYU's Journalism Program". NYU Local.
  33. Hoffman, Lindsay; Duca, Lauren (26 September 2018). "National Agenda 2018: Midterm Matters with Lauren Duca" (video interview). University of Delaware Center for Political Communication.
  34. "The Feminist Journalist (Session 2)". Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, New York University. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  35. Koul, Scaachi (September 17, 2019). "How Did Lauren Duca's Revolution Backfire?". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  36. Pilgreen, Justin. "Students of Lauren Duca's NYU Summer Class Formally Complain to the Journalism Department". NYU Local. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  37. Adams, Margaret (14 February 2017). "14 Couples Share How They Actually Met, Just in Time for Valentine's Day". New York Observer.
  38. Lauren Duca [@laurenduca] (13 January 2019). "Not that it's anyone's fucking business, but I'm getting divorced and I'm queer. Update my Wikipedia. ✌️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. "2015 Winners 8th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards" (PDF). National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. Los Angeles Press Club. 2015.
  40. Tocci, Elora (12 October 2017). "Lauren Duca: An Advocate Online and Off". CCC New York.
  41. "Lauren Duca - The Shorty Awards". Shorty Awards. 2017.
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