Authored by Amanda Montell

Amanda Montell

Contributor
Amanda Montell is a writer and author whose work has been featured in Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Bustle, Byrdie, and Who What Wear, where she formerly served as the Features & Beauty Editor. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, which has earned praise from The New York Times, Time Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, and others. Amanda is currently developing Wordslut for television with FX, while working on her second book, Cultish — about the language of cults from Scientology to SoulCycle — slated for publication in June 2021. Amanda graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a degree in linguistics and lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, where she enjoys learning impractical languages, doting upon her spoiled pets, and volunteering as a crisis counselor for LGBTQ youth.
A Linguist Breaks Down the Cringey Corporate Language We Can’t Stop Meme-ing

A Linguist Breaks Down the Cringey Corporate Language We Can’t Stop Meme-ing

The author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism unpacks culty workplace buzzwords.
Gabrielle Korn, Author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect, Gets Real About the Beauty Industry

Gabrielle Korn, Author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect, Gets Real About the Beauty Industry

An interview with Nylon’s former Editor-in-Chief on her new memoir and the future of women’s media.
Language Lowdown: Why Phrases Like “I Feel Like” and “If That Makes Sense” Aren’t Actually Bad

Language Lowdown: Why Phrases Like “I Feel Like” and “If That Makes Sense” Aren’t Actually Bad

Recently, I’ve noticed a Tik Tok trend where women poke fun at their overuse of phrases like “Does that make sense?” “I feel like,” and “Sorry if that’s unclear” both in emails and in spoken workplace conversation. “Repeat after me: we are not undermining our own authority in 2021!” one feminist influencer captioned a video...
9 Compliments for Women That Actually Aren’t That Empowering — and What to Say Instead

9 Compliments for Women That Actually Aren’t That Empowering — and What to Say Instead

Giving compliments seems like a pretty simple concept, right? You say something nice, that’s all there is to it. But linguists who study compliment behavior have actually found that the practice is much more interesting and complex — and gender-specific — than you might think. As a linguist and author of Wordslut: A Feminist Guide...
How to Switch to Nontoxic Makeup According to a Celebrity Makeup Artist

How to Switch to Nontoxic Makeup According to a Celebrity Makeup Artist

Leaving toxicity behind in 2020.
10 Nail Colors Celebrities Over 40 Are Obsessed With

10 Nail Colors Celebrities Over 40 Are Obsessed With

No need for that French manicure.
A Guide to French Beauty During Les Années Folles and What Is Next in 2020

A Guide to French Beauty During Les Années Folles and What Is Next in 2020

Is the iconic effortless red-lipped look here to stay?
I Tried Full Body LED Therapy to Treat Breakouts

I Tried Full Body LED Therapy to Treat Breakouts

We went from tanning beds to LED beds.