Louis Staples
Writer
I'm a London-based writer and editor. I mostly write about culture, TV, the internet and queer issues. If you want to say hi or commission me, it's best to email louis-staples@hotmail.com
Rolling Stone
Is the Controversial ‘White Lotus’ Hookup the End of Queerbaiting Backlash?
Just a few years ago, a plotline around gay sex between straight men would’ve earned rebukes online. But today, the discourse has evolved
The Guardian
‘He threw body piercing parties and lay on a bed of nails’: the wild life of body modification guru Fakir Musafar
A new documentary explores how the pioneer of the ‘modern primitive’ subculture used painful BDSM practices to access new spiritual planes – outraging conventional society
Rolling Stone
Meghan Markle Is Just a Girl, Standing in Front of Fans, Asking Them to Love Her
Her new lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, is the Duchess of Sussex’s latest attempt at a rebrand. But it’s full of confounding contradictions that prove she’s not ready to get real
The Daily Beast
Fans Can’t Stop Thirsting—and Arguing—Over the ‘White Lotus’ MAGA Bro
Patrick Schwarzenegger’s cocky, often-shirtless performance as Saxon had fans instantly drooling—and then shamed, given the Saxon’s personality and likely politics. Who’s right?
Harper's Bazaar
The Real Reason You're So Triggered by The White Lotus's Toxic Trio
Mike White has perfected the art of creating characters who we’re supposed to loathe — even if we’re not entirely unlike them.
Harper's Bazaar
Bridget Jones and the Women Who Refuse to Be Discarded
The beloved film franchise reflects Hollywood’s current obsession: women who are determined to survive
The Guardian
The Apprentice at 20: how Trump and Alan Sugar’s reality TV baby became little more than ritual humiliation
The entrepreneurial reality show has just turned 20 … and it’s never been worse. It’s almost impossible to believe any of the bragging, soundbite-spewing chancers are even good at business
The New York Times
Elon Musk Isn’t Trolling Britain. He’s Doing Something Much Worse.
The outspoken billionaire has become obsessed with the UK in recent months. But what does he really want?
The Guardian
‘People are still doing it, but nobody talks about it’: queer collective Duckie break the chemsex taboo
The legendary nightlife group known for their groundbreaking nights at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London are back – and restarting the conversation about the controversial subject
The New York Times
Martha, Nigella, Meghan Markle?
Will a new cooking show and a handful of hashtaggable phrases help the Duchess of Sussex to finally change the narrative?
The Guardian
‘Oh my god, I’m a psychopath!’ How The Traitors revolutionised reality TV – for the secretly evil
The wildly popular gameshow has torn up its genre’s rulebook to become one of the best things on television. Its secret? Letting us indulge our fantasies of treachery
Rolling Stone
The Kardashians’ Star Has Begun to Fade. Is It on Purpose?
The famous family has been noticeably more quiet and conflict-averse as they focus more on their business ventures and less on their reality TV fame
Prospect Magazine, London
In 2024, culture told us to grow up
Music, films and television released this year reflected that early-30s sense of not quite knowing where you belong
Harper's Bazaar
Why the older-woman, younger-man couple dominated in 2024
Babygirl dissects society’s fixation with age-gap relationships and the nuances of sex, success and control that defined the year in culture