B-Ball and the Gender Flex: Then & Now

Join us, will you, and take a trip down memory lane with Samantha and Remoy...back to 2018... 

• Follow along as our two hosts listen back to a season two episode where former guests Halston Bruce and Julie Henderson bring their A-game — sharing their experiences navigating gender's very blurry lines in and out of the gym

• Julie's court dominance sparks an eye-opening discussion on the importance of male allyship

• Remoy's tells story after story... first how he failed his and Julie's favorite movie Love and Basketball

• Next, an anecdote about how venturing into some "femme" craftiness cracked open a deeper discussion on what it looks like to break free from the performance of MASKulinity

• Halston's vulnerability about the muscle stigma she endured has Samantha and Remoy parsing through all the strengths women have to continually flex

• Julie and Remoy's banter on the lack of infrastructural support for girls' sports in 2018 now seems hilariously outdated in the face of the current women's basketball revolution

Referenced in this episode:

• The OG MASKulinity episode starring one Julie Henderson and Halston Bruce: Women Athletes: performing masculinity (and femininity) on and off the court

• Another episode referenced from the (recent) past: Don't Let Them Play ⚽️⚾ Lest the MASK Fall Away

• NCAA coach and champ Dawn Staley advocates for trans athletes, both on and off the court

• Boston Celtics' Jason Tatum reveals the female athletes who inspire him

• NBA star Trae Young champions women's sports with his vocal support

• The 2024 Women's NCAA tournament final breaks records and redefines the future of the game’s relationship with the networks

• Explore Iceland's fishing industry through Halston Bruce's stunning documentary, Blood Memory

• Step into the vibrant world of Reunion Los Angeles, Halston Bruce's curated creative space

COMPANION PIECES:

• Travel back to the first live MASKulinity Podcast episode at Halston Bruce’s co-curated art Salon: MASKulinity Live at First Person Plural!

• Julie Henderson and Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey talk about Black Women’s Fashion and Sports

• Julie Henderson's godson talks through his appreciation for women's athletes… NBA rising star Jaden Ivey

• Women athletes flex on muscle stigma, breaking free from stereotypes

• Girls are finding their strength through powerlifting

• The comeuppance of girls basketball is now

• An oral history 20 years after the premiere of Love and Basketball

FEATURED GUESTS:

Halston Bruce, Reunion Creative Director and Former Powerlifter

I am a multidisciplinary producer, creative strategist, cultural programming expert, director and executive producer of Blood Memory, and creator of one of a kind events and experiences. With a degree in Art History from The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU coupled with over 15 years of expertise in curating diverse events, exhibitions, and programs, I am committed to leveraging my skills to create transformative and thought-provoking experiences.  

My passion is supporting artists by way of crafting and producing captivating experiences and building organic communities. REUNION is my offering to cultural workers and the intellectually curious. I take great pride in bringing people together through radical hospitality, what I consider an active role in taking care. I love what I do.

My hope for this project is to build it into an artist residency to support artists directly.

Julie Henderson, Model, Writer, Author, Former Ballplayer

In 2010, Vogue Italia called multitalented model Julie Henderson ('00) “a spirited American beauty.” Henderson has appeared in numerous print and television advertising campaigns for L’Oreal, Avenue, Evans, Lane Bryant, Talbots and H&M, in addition to Catherine’s, Just My Size, Kohl’s, Belks, La Redoute, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Ulla Popken, and Target.

A lifelong athlete, Henderson received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Notre Dame in Marketing on a basketball scholarship, and was a member of ROTC—the highly-selective pilot-training program—prior to joining the high-achieving, well-heeled ranks of successful multi-hyphenate models.

A classically trained actor, Henderson starred in the Off-Broadway play, Sex, Relationships and Sometimes Love. She also appeared in the feature film, August, opposite Josh Harnett, and on an episode of America’s Next Top Model alongside photographer and cohost Nigel Barker.

Julie Henderson model picture walking in black high heals, stone background, black long waving jacket, a black skirt with a white stripe, hair in pony tail

Henderson is devoted to promoting diversity, and cofounded Curves For Change, a nonprofit organization for models to collectively engage in philanthropic efforts.