Request Pending

During this time of social isolation, The Drag explores all the ways people are finding community and comfort online.

Coming: Summer 2020

Vampires don’t suck: ‘Request Pending’ explores the reclamation of the Twilight Saga fandom

There’s nothing quite like watching a teenage girl engage in a love triangle between a vampire and a werewolf. Thanks to Kristen Stewart’s elongated pauses between sentences and Robert Pattinson’s extra-pale skin and swooshed hair, the Twilight Saga has earned itself a special place in cinematic history, regardless of whether you enjoy the series or…

Read More

‘Request Pending’ host reflects on end of season one

For the past three months, “Request Pending” host Sara Schleede cultivated a weekly podcast exploring the internet’s most unique communities. With the single click of a button on Friday afternoon, it all came to an end. The last episode of season one was finally published.  “I’m really excited for this episode,” Schleede said. “I think…

Read More

Interns produce OnlyFans podcast episode 100% online

All summer long, interns Maya Fawaz, Mikayla Mondragon and Kadija Baldé worked on their very own episode of “Request Pending.” The episode aired on Aug. 18 for the world to hear. Fawaz and Mondragon told their friends and family about the episode, a culmination of their hard work. Baldé only told her friends. Her family…

Read More

A new age of sex work

They say sex work is the oldest profession, and as over generations, it has evolved and taken on new forms. Its latest iteration: Onlyfans. On Onlyfans, creators sell and users pay for access to original, independently made pornographic content. Sex workers are making big money from behind a computer or phone screen and often find…

Read More

Minisode: Deep sea of deep space?

This week, the Request Pending crew explores a very big question: deep sea or deep space? Executive producer Haley Butler offers her stance and explains why her love for the deep sea goes deeper than a fascination with octopi and submarines.

Read More

Not your average yard sale site

How can you help the environment, make friends and furnish your house without spending any money? Join your local Buy Nothing Facebook group. The Buy Nothing Project is a global network of hyper-local gift economies. All you have to do is find a group near you and start posting.

Read More

Why does everyone love true crime?

Look at the trending podcasts on any streaming app, and odds are there is at least one true crime series topping the charts. These tales of horrifying violence, conniving killers, and kindhearted victims who didn’t see it coming inspire shock and interest across the internet, and the audience is notably female. Podcasts like Crime Junkie…

Read More

How Money Diaries empower women

Common etiquette bans three topics at the dinner table: politics, religion, and money. But women on the internet are breaking one of those rules in a big way, with Refinery29’s Money Diaries. Women post weekly journals documenting their salary, monthly expenses and daily expenditures. It’s a great way to empower women with finance knowledge, but…

Read More

5 ASMR videos we love

“Request Pending” host Sara Schleede shares her favorite videos to fall asleep to The second episode of “Request Pending” is all about ASMR — a slight euphoric sensation triggered by different auditory and visual stimuli that has taken over the internet. In honor of this episode, I have decided to share my top five favorite…

Read More

The comforts of ASMR

ASMR? Is that when people eat with their mouths open on YouTube? Sometimes, but not really. ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is the euphoric sensation that arises from certain relaxing sounds or visuals, and an entire online world has risen from it. Viewers and creators use ASMR to relieve anxiety, fall asleep and feel…

Read More