Amirah Mercer

Bio

Amirah is a film and entertainment writer, who frequently focuses on the intersection of gender, race, and identity. She has been published on Salon.com and in "The Fader" and "Vibe" magazines. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Sociology.
6 Inspiring Fashion Lessons From Women Over 60
By Amirah Mercer
"Excuse me, ma'am," photographer Ari Seth Cohen says as he attempts to stop a fashionable stranger for a photograph. "You look so gorgeous and elegant —" "That's funny, I think just the opposite," she interjects, unaware of her stylish presence. The…
For Those Who Won't Read 'Gone Girl' Before the Movie, at Least Read This Passage
By Amirah Mercer
When the David Fincher-directed Gone Girl hits theaters Friday, moviegoers will be staunchly divided between the reads and the read-nots. The know-it-alls versus the uninitiated. From the trailer, everyone (nonreaders included) can get a relatively…
Why 'Shonda Rhimes Night' Is an Enormous Triumph for Television
By Amirah Mercer
If aliens visited Earth on Thursday nights and watched prime-time television to study the human experience, they'd believe the best TV shows were written, created or produced by black women, specifically one woman named Shonda Rhimes. They'd assume…
It's Time to Dispel the Biggest Myth About 'Black Movies' Once and For All
By Amirah Mercer
No Good Deed topped the box office earlier this month, earning $24.5 million its opening weekend. The thriller, starring Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba, was expected to open in the mid teens, and it far exceeded those expectations. Yet No Good…
11 Extreme Instagrammers Taking Pictures From the World's Most Unbelievable Places
By Amirah Mercer
Instagram is the place to post the most saturated, picturesque version of your life. In the case of the daring photographers below, their Instagrams surpass the most over-the-top autobiography and enter wildest dreams territory. Posing atop the…
Kim Kardashian's Wildly Successful Mobile Game Proves What Nobody Wants to Admit
By Amirah Mercer
"Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," the mobile game created by the reality star and gaming company Glu Mobile, is projected to gross $200 million this quarter, with $85 million expected to pad Kardashian's luxuriously lined pockets. For a celebrity video…
25 Incredible Photographers You Should Follow on Instagram Right Now
By Amirah Mercer
In the art, design and fashion worlds, Instagram has cornered the market as the social media must-have. While photography purists initially criticized the "cheapening" effect of the app's filters, it seems those voices have been quieted by the…
How 20-Something Women Dressed in America, in Every Decade
By Amirah Mercer
Women's fashion mirrors social change. The pared-down simplicity of dresses in the early 1940s reflected the austerity of wartime; the shiny sparkle of the 1980s mirrored the opulence of Wall Street and the flash of MTV. A look back at what women…
Hollywood's Problem With Women of Color Is Even Worse Than You Realize
By Amirah Mercer
Hollywood is playing with fire. American films have a significant global cultural impact on how, what and why people think the way they do, yet Hollywood has repeatedly supported the telling of one story, and one story only: that of being white and…
How NYC's 'Slow Fashion' Movement Is Revolutionizing the Industry
By Amirah Mercer
In the last year, New York fashion has taken a hearty turn. The industry has begun to see increased support for local design, production and manufacturing through initiatives like the CFDA's Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, Manufacture New York and…