Takes On Identity

Are your neighbors willing to believe you own your own home?  Journalist and essayist Roxane Gay explores the micro-aggressions that plague the daily lives of Black Americans.  For her, acknowledging and confronting the history of the United States is a crucial first step if things are to change.

Why did one of the world's most beautiful women grow up believing she was ugly? Former model and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi talks about the ideals of beauty that she absorbed both in India and in the USA, which taught her that white is right and how that made her feel.

Is it an insult to be told you write like a woman? Norwegian novelist and literary sensation Karl Ove Knausgaard tells us how he coped as a young boy who couldn't stop crying.  Recalling a poignant childhood memory, he questions what it means to be "masculine."

Would Rembrandt and Van Gogh have posted selfies on social media? World famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei argues that the selfie is the oil painting of our times. Reflecting on his own body of work, he explains how the internet changed his artistic practice.

When you see an image of your baby at your first pregnancy scan, how do you picture the future?  Probably not as the parent of a child with a severe mental illness.  Author and journalist Caitlin Moran tells us why she’s determined to talk about her experiences to help other parents and teenagers who are struggling with mental illness.

How did the seminal rap group Public Enemy try to start a revolution of the mind?  Leader of the group Chuck D talks about what it means to be Black and tells the story behind the name of the world famous hip hop group.

How would you react if a porn star whipped out her breasts?  Iconic British filmmaker Louis Theroux has made numerous documentaries exploring the sex industry in the US and the UK.  Here he reflects on the challenges of handling sex on TV and reminisces on his early experiences of working with porn stars.