Amid all the horrifying developments of the past week—coronavirus, the death of Kobe Bryant, the Kushner-Trump “peace plan” for the Middle East—there was one especially chilling bit of news. Harvey Weinstein, on trial in New York for rape, disgraced, disgusting, and undoubtedly near broke, has a girlfriend.
Or may have. The New York Post’s Page Six seems pretty confident that Alexandra Vino, a 30-year-old actress, is romantically involved with the toppled 67-year-old movie mogul and reportedly even shared pot and ice-cream sundaes with him at the Molly Pitcher Inn, in Red Bank, New Jersey—ordered from room service. (O.K., the man’s on a walker … )
This can mean only one thing. There truly is a man shortage in New York. (And in most major cities and world capitals.)
A man shortage explains why really beautiful, intelligent women dated Charlie Rose. It explains why Melania hasn’t bolted. And why Alice Mendell, who converted to Christianity to marry Ken Starr 50 years ago, stood by him, even through his psycho-erotic fixation on Bill Clinton’s affair. What else but a man shortage can explain how Alan Dershowitz has been married twice, or that three women have married Rudy Giuliani? (And how, now that he is single again, perfectly normal women are still taking his calls.)
What else but a man shortage can explain how Alan Dershowitz has been married twice, or that three women have married Rudy Giuliani?
In a serious man shortage, some of the worst men in the world are able to attract great women, a situation that underscores just how disgraceful the current administration’s immigration policy is. If they really wanted reform, the Immigration and Naturalization Service would waive all visa restrictions for men over 30 with a medical degree or a sports car.
The man shortage also helps explain why so many talented, successful women bury themselves in work. So, in this issue, we give a lot of attention to those business leaders. In “For-Profit Feminism,” Amy Odell takes a look at how some of the more enterprising ones have monetized women’s rights and turned empowerment into a thriving industry. Our style editor, Ashley Baker, sizes up Misha Nonoo, a fashion designer who is best friends with the Duchess of Sussex, née Meghan Markle. Our woman in Havana, Gail Sheehy, discovers that in post-Fidel Cuba, a Catholic seminary has gone into the seminar business, and the most entrepreneurial trainees are women.
And if you think the man shortage is something new, take a look at our story on a new history of sex—this book tells us about medieval “witches” who were accused of keeping penises in trees. As pets.
So, there is some good news. For more of it, read on.