It's been 10,512,000 minutes since "Rent" debuted 👫 👬 👭

Culture Shift is a weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors. This week we're talking about the 20th anniversary of "Rent," a stunning project tackling the reality of sexual assault, the choreographer who shook up ballet in France, why powerful women wear heels on TV, Afrofuturism and Frida Kahlo. Thank You, 'Rent,' From Suburban Teenagers Everywhere The New York City-centric musical "Rent" premiered in Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. It's been 10,512,000 minutes since then. And still, as the best musicals do, the story of a bunch of ragtag artists grappling with a changing urban landscape amid drug addiction, the AIDS crisis, creative urges and falling in love lingers in my mind. I was only 8 when Mark, Mimi, Maureen and co. took the stage that first night, but it felt like I came of age as the production (loosely based on "La Bohème") gained its notoriety over the years. Jump forward to 2004, where I sat in a cheap-seat row, studying the playbill in my hands before the curtain rose, ready for Jonathan Larson's creation to allow me to imagine a life bigger and more interesting than my own. (Read more here) Photographer Documents What Students Wore When They Were Sexually Assaulted By now, the offensive question has become so familiar it's basically routine. A woman is sexually assaulted; her agency, body, and selfhood violated. Yet, time and time again, the response to such an obtrusive act of physical or psychological violence often uttered by friends, family, university administrators or others who should know better, is: "Well, what were you wearing?" For her thesis project at Arcadia University, photography major Katherine Cambareri decided to challenge the ease with which people resort to victim blaming. "Over the summer I read Missoula written by Jon Krakauer, which really got me heated about how unfairly sexual assault cases are handled," the artist explained to The Huffington Post. "This book really opened my eyes to victim blaming and the questions victims are asked, such as if they were drinking and what they were wearing at the time the assault occurred." "Questions like this are asked to protect the perpetrator rather than the victim," she continued. "I find it asinine that survivors are sometimes blamed before they even have the chance to tell their stories. I wanted to do something to prove how unnecessary these victim-blaming-type questions are." For her photo series, Cambareri reached out to survivors of sexual assault on Facebook, asking them to bravely share instances in which they experienced sexual advances without their consent. Only female college students responded to the request, thus narrowing the scope of the project. Cambareri then asked the women if she could photograph the clothes they were wearing when they were assaulted. The items of clothing Cambareri photographed include a white V-neck T-shirt, grey sweatpants, a plaid button-down, white Converse sneakers, and a floral camisole. Placed eerily against a black backdrop, the lightly rumpled garments scream silently of the injustices approximately 23 percent of female students at American universities are not only forced to endure, but sometimes held accountable for. (Read more here) Benjamin Millepied Is So Much More Than Natalie Portman's Husband In the Tribeca Film Festival documentary "Reset" (also known as "Relevé"), filmmakers Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai follow the Paris Opera Ballet's new director of dance, Benjamin Millepied, as he gets ready to stage his first piece, "Clear, Loud, Bright, Forward," at the Palais Garnier. It's visually magnetic, swirling alongside the movements of the trained troupe of dancers as the music of composer Nico Muhly takes viewers through the ebbs and flows of pre-production, as well as the final product. Millepied, for his part, is laser-focused from the beginning, never stepping away from the preparation and pressures that have engulfed his life. His goal as the director of dance is to bring a contemporary twist to the over 300-year-old company but stay true to the art form of ballet — nix the all-Caucasian cast of dancers, switch up the too-precise technique, and establish a new, less rigid teaching style. A renewal was what he was after. (Read more here) Why Are Powerful Women Icons Always Wearing High Heels? You needn't look beyond Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign to understand this paradox: the more powerful a woman is, the more we pay attention to her outfits. In January, The New York Times wrote that Clinton "ended the clothing conversation" by opting for practical, inoffensive looks: black slacks, thigh-length blazers, scoop-necked blouses, and nearly flat shoes. The fact that the piece was considered newsworthy at all indicates that the conversation had not ended, and indeed it hasn't; pantsuit digs and pantsuit think pieces are slung in equal measure. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders's unremarkable sartorial decisions remain, well, un-remarked upon. Although her shoes aren't the topic of as much discussion as the rest of her wardrobe, Clinton's choice to wear flats is a bold assertion of her unbending confidence. The decision to don practical footwear may seem like common sense for someone whose job demands thinking on her feet, but it's a step away from the rules outlined by power women in pop culture, and on the covers of magazines — that is, the women who are often perceived of as role models. If Clinton followed the lead of the power women portrayed in political dramas and sitcoms like "House of Cards" or "Veep," she would know that elevated heels are still linked with elevated status, comfort be damned. (Read more here) A Project Lets Men, Women And Children Become Frida Kahlo For 15 Minutes Many of us have imagined what it would be like to channel the spirit of Frida Kahlo. And I'm not just talking about donning flower crowns and perfectly draped fabrics, perhaps sporting an unabashedly contiguous line of hair above your eyes or lips. I mean transmitting the strength the Mexican artist embodied, the fearless attitude with which she approached her art, and the enduring power that led her to overcome illness, injury and heartbreak. Brazilian photographer Camila Fontenele de Miranda has certainly thought this concept through. For her project "Todos Podem Ser Frida (All Can Be Frida)," she's inviting men, women and children to stand in front of her lens as Kahlo incarnate, dressed as the fashionable icon. Most importantly, though, she asks her subjects to conduct Kahlo's electric intensity through their poses, gazes and moments of self-reflection. (Read more here) Your Brief And Far-Out Guide To Afrofuturism In anticipation of her "Black Magic" exhibition, curator Niama Safia Sandy shares some of her favorite writers, artists and musicians contributing to the Afrofuturist vision. (Read more here) The Native Plot On 'Kimmy Schmidt' Makes Us Cringe, But Is It All Bad? To many viewers, seeing this less-than-surefooted racial plot led through in Season 2 was discomfiting and confusing. For some Native viewers, however, watching Jackie Lynn's story develop mixed plenty of sweet with the bitter. Jacqueline Keeler, a Navajo/Yankton Dakota Sioux writer, told The Huffington Post in a phone conversation that she was conflicted about Krakowski's casting as a Lakota woman. "On the one hand it would be great to have an actual Native actress playing that role," she said. "On the other hand, the reveal was so unexpected in the first season that it made the commentary sort of ... interesting." (Read more here) Follow HuffPost Arts and Books on Facebook and Twitter Unsubscribe | Forward | Manage your notification preferences 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Obama vs. Bibi

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By Lauren Weber

Friday April 29th, 2016

TOP STORIES

OBAMA VS. BIBI "President [Barack] Obama has proposed granting Israel the largest package of military aid ever provided by the United States to another nation, but he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain deeply at odds over a figure for the assistance despite months of negotiations." [NYT]

U.S. CORPORATE PROFITS CONTINUE THEIR SLIDE They dropped for the third straight quarter, which is "the longest slide in earnings since the financial crisis." [WSJ | Paywall]

JOHN BOEHNER TOOK OFF THE GLOVES He called Ted Cruz, "Lucifer in the flesh." [Igor Bobic, HuffPost]

THIS TWITTER HACK COST AN NFL DRAFT PICK MILLIONS Someone posted a video of Laremy Tunsil smoking a bong in a gas mask as the draft unfolded, dropping his pick from a top slot to number 13. [Peter Andrew Hart, HuffPost]

WOMEN AND THE DRAFT "The push for gender equality in the military just moved one step closer. The House Armed Services Committee approved a measure Wednesday that would require women to register for the military draft." [Willa Frej, HuffPost]

ZIKA'S BRAIN DAMAGE IN INFANTS WORSE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT The virus eats away at parts of their brains and prevents other areas from growing. [WSJ | Paywall]

COULD AN OVERDOSE BE TO BLAME FOR PRINCE'S DEATH? "Investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before he was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday." [AP]

For more video news from The Huffington Post, check out this morning's newsbrief.

WHAT’S BREWING

WE HAVE A NEW LARA CROFT And she's an Oscar winner to boot. [Variety]

ELON MUSK WANTS TO BE ON MARS In two years. [Vanity Fair]

HOW WE FEELING ABOUT THE OLYMPIC UNIFORMS? Maybe it's just us, but we would have gone with something a bit more zippy. [Racked]

THIS WOMAN TURNED 100 AT HER GRANDDAUGHTER'S WEDDING And she killed it at her bridesmaid duties. [HuffPost]

'IT IS WAY MORE EXPENSIVE TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND THAN IT IS TO BE ME' "By our unscientific experiment, it’s nearly 50 percent more expensive to be Jessica, a normal woman in the United States, than it is to be James, a pretentious perma-groomed city twerp." [HuffPost]

YOU SHOULD BE CLEANING YOUR TOILET ONCE A WEEK Break out those scrubbing gloves. [HuffPost]

For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android.

WHAT'S WORKING

THESE COLLEGE KIDS ARE MOWING LAWNS FOR FREE "At no cost to homeowners, the lawn care service mows lawns for the disabled, seniors and single moms in the area." [HuffPost]

For more, sign up for the What's Working newsletter.

BEFORE YOU GO

~ The Pentagon has disciplined 16 involved in the air strike that hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan last fall.

~ Could this be the end of Dr. Torres on "Grey's Anatomy?"

~ The Reagan family is not happy about Will Ferrell's new movie, and they have a point.

~ The national teen birth rate is at an all-time low.

~ Congrats to Kesha on her musical return on Zedd's "True Colors."

~ Kenya is set to light a $100 million ivory bonfire -- all to save the elephants.

~ North Korea just sentenced a Korean-American to 10 years of hard labor.

~ We're big fans of Ezekiel Elliott's NFL draft style.

~ And happy fifth anniversary to Prince William and Kate!

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All eyes turn to Indiana

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By Lauren Weber

Thursday April 28th, 2016

TOP STORIES

FOLLOWING SHELLACKING, ALL FOCUS ON INDIANA Ted Cruz has doubled down, picking Carly Fiorina as his running mate and heading to Indiana to make a last stand against Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders plans to cut hundreds of staff after his major losses to Hillary Clinton Tuesday. [NYT]

THIS MAP OF ZIKA'S POTENTIAL SPREAD IN THE U.S. IS TERRIFYING Thanks NASA for the nightmares. [CNN]

AN AIR STRIKE ON A SYRIAN HOSPITAL KILLS DOZENS Including Doctors Without Borders staff. [Reuters]

FROZEN VEGETABLES RECALLED IN 35 STATES True Goodness by Meijer, Wellsley Farms Organic, Organic by Nature, and Schwan’s products have been recalled over listeria concerns. [Suzy Strutner, HuffPost]

AFTER THE CRIME TAPE COMES DOWN Looking at the "landscapes of murder" in Baltimore. [Julia Craven, HuffPost]

LOOK FOR A NEW WHITE HOUSE FENCE It could be over 11 feet tall. [CNN]

WHEN HACKERS CAN ACCESS NUCLEAR PLANTS "A nuclear power plant in Germany has been found to be infected with computer viruses, but they appear not to have posed a threat to the facility's operations because it is isolated from the Internet, the station's operator said on Tuesday." [Reuters]

For more video news from The Huffington Post, check out this morning's newsbrief.

WHAT’S BREWING

WILL FERRELL JUST SIGNED ON TO PLAY ANOTHER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT Ronald Reagan. [Variety]

'COULD FACEBOOK SWING AN ELECTION?' "Could Facebook help prevent President Trump? Not through lobbying or donations or political action committees, but simply by exploiting the enormous reach and power of its core products?" [New York Magazine]

DON'T KNOW WHO EZRA EDELMAN IS? You will soon. [HuffPost]

WE ALWAYS WANTED ALEXIS BLEDEL'S LIFE And now we want her Brooklyn apartment. [HuffPost]

MEET THE FIRST FEMALE INFANTRY OFFICER Army Capt. Kristen Griest graduates today! [HuffPost]

WE'RE JEALOUS OF CANADA FOR THEIR AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM "Flying over the U.S.-Canadian border is like time travel for pilots. Going north to south, you leave a modern air-traffic control system run by a company and enter one run by the government struggling to catch up." [WSJ | Paywall]

For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android.

WHAT'S WORKING

A NEW GREETING CARD MARKET "The former spouses created Xcards, a line of greeting cards for divorced couples who want to get back on the same page for their kids’ sake." [HuffPost]

For more, sign up for the What's Working newsletter.

BEFORE YOU GO

~ North Korea failed another missile test.

~ Cleveland is very, very worried about the protests that could surround the GOP convention.

~ National Geographic has graced us with a bear's eye view of Yellowstone.

~ President Barack Obama talks to The New York Times about his economic legacy.

~ This profile confirms all the love we have for comedic powerhouse Rose Byrne.

~ Don't watch this video if you're afraid about roller coaster safety.

~ When you're stuck in the start-up trap.

~ A first-hand look at what it's like to fight for ISIS.

~ And the Beyonce drama continues: the superstar thanked her husband on stage last night as her tour kicked off in Miami.

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