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Good morning,
Women are the headline this week. Taylor Swift drops an album. Sarah Mullally shatters a 1,400-year glass ceiling. And Bari Weiss jumps from her Substack empire to run CBS News.
PROVOKED is making its own news—nearing 20K subscribers and growing fast. You show up in the comments and remind us this isn’t just a magazine; it’s a conversation.
And yes, we’ve got our first sponsor. Before you clutch your pearls, hear me out. Independent media doesn’t run on fairy dust and applause. We pick partners we actually use and trust. Please support them—they’re helping us keep the lights on so we can keep poking at the stories that deserve to be told.
P.S. Know a company that might be a great fit to partner with us? Hit me up at susan@provokedmagazine.com
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CULTURE
Sharp commentary on the world around us.
BY MARIAH DOUGLAS
Forget seduction. Today’s lingerie is about agency. When was the last time your underwear cheered you on? Let’s get real about pleasure, power, and buying the good stuff—no apologies, no nostalgia for scratchy thongs or sweaty Wonderbra days. Inside: a fit check for changing bodies, fabrics that feel good, and quality that lasts. One defiant bra strap can call BS on invisibility. The sexiest revolution is happening under your sweater. Click before you fold another pair of sad undies.
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LIVING OUT LOUD
Real stories of rewiring, relationships, and this messy, beautiful life.
BY ABBY ALTEN SCHWARTZ
When life gets dark, sometimes the only cure is laughter—inappropriate, horrified, glorious laughter. We tackle the topic nobody talks about: finding comedy in the chaos of illness, loss, or watching your world unravel. Is humor survival? Or rebellion? Discover why women laugh loudest when the stakes are highest—and how that defiance makes us unbreakable. Because sometimes the bravest thing we do is laugh.
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BRAIN AND BODY
Wellness, emotional fitness, and what nourishes us now.
BY MELISSA GOULD
Menopause is everywhere—on your feed, in your group chat, even on Oprah’s speed dial. But for all the expert panels, why does it feel like the more we know, the less we understand? We dive head-first into the tidal wave of info—myths, hacks, hormones, and hype—and ask: When did “the change” get so confusing and so exhausting? If you’ve ever wanted to scream in the supplement aisle, this one’s for you. Click for clarity, a little chaos, and maybe even a glimmer of hope.
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TAKE NOTE
Timely and worth your attention.
🖼️ Swift Alert: Do you know the art history behind the cover of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl? Yes—the haunting Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais at Tate Britain. You can’t escape the album drop—and honestly, why would you? The cover winks at the painting’s lore. We love the art history breadcrumbs and the Ophelia-era vibes. We’re unabashed Swifty fans, but whether you are or not, she is the female music market-maker of this era. What do you think of the new album—love, like, or leave it? Vote here and tell us; we’ll post results next week.
🙌 At 63, Sarah Mullally has just shattered a 1,400-year glass ceiling as the first woman ever named Archbishop of Canterbury—the leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide. A former cancer nurse turned bishop of London, she’s now stepping into one of the most scrutinized pulpits on earth. Why her, and why now—after centuries of waiting? Discover what makes this history-making choice both radical and right on time.
🔥 Bari Weiss just landed the top job at CBS News—fresh off shaking up media with her headline-grabbing Free Press sale to Paramount. The Free Press boasts 1.5 million Substack subscribers, including more than 170,000 paying members—a number that made legacy networks take notice. Known for her sharp elbows, and restless mission to “fix” journalism, will she shake the system—or burn it down?
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💬 Help shape PROVOKED.
We’re always tweaking the newsletter, and your opinion actually decides what stays and what goes.
It’s eight questions. Forty seconds. Talk to us here.
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READER SPOTLIGHT
What you said stopped us cold.
✒️ Here’s what one fabulous reader had to say this week:
Want to be featured next? Drop a comment on your favorite piece—we read them all.
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YOUR WALLET
Money, power, and getting what you're worth.
BY MARGIE ZABLE FISHER
Your investments keeping you up at night? Meet your no-shame, always-awake coach—AI. We’ll show you how to ask bots the right prompts—minus the “mansplain,” plus a few surprising flubs that will make you wince. Which questions are safe, and where do machines misfire? Get the best tools for women 50+—from sassy chatbots to real financial pros—with scripts, prompts, and cheat codes. Want the full download and a cautionary tale or two? Click in before your coffee’s cold.
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Love PROVOKED? Share it with a friend.
One quick click and they’ll thank you (and so will we).
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✍️ Are you a writer? Do people call you opinionated? Got an unapologetic POV? We’re looking for freelancers with a distinct voice—especially in Money and Tech.
Pitch Us, We're Ready!
📝 Missed a Thursday drop? No worries. All of our past newsletters are waiting for you right here.
⌨️ Our newsletter and articles are written by Susan and the talented writers of PROVOKED. Get to know the women behind them here.
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