On the Cover: Can Parents and Childless People Be Friends?

Read the cover story, features, and more from New York Magazine’s September 11 issue. [vulture logo](   Photo: Hugo Yu This week's issue features a flip cover: Erykah Badu graces the cover of the Cut’s annual “Fall Fashion” issue [with a profile by Casey Gerald.]( For the cover of New York, [Allison P. Davis explores](the ways that friendships change when one person has kids and the other doesn't. At first it's a slow shift that neither party might notice — or that they might anticipate will be a series of small, tolerable changes — but the divergence can be stark. Friendships are delicate. If you're not careful, occasional pettiness and impatience can reduce friends to their worst stereotypes. On the one hand, there are the People With Kids (PWIKS) known for being distracted, scattered, boring, and rigid. On the other hand, there are the People Without Kids (PWOKS), grumpy, self-absorbed attention whores who get mad at life's inconveniences. "Some days, I look at my friends who have had children and am awash in gratitude and admiration. It’s nice to witness them parenting," Davis writes. "Other days, I have two tickets to Shucked, and nobody can get a sitter, and my remaining childless friends have already booked themselves with three dinners and two concerts and, like, an orgy." [READ THE NEW YORK COVER STORY »]( [READ THE CUT COVER STORY »](   What to Read Now [The Journalist and the Billionaire Why Elon Musk gave Walter Isaacson, the ultimate insider biographer, unvarnished access into his world.](   [Encounter](Volunteer firefighter and senatorial spouse Gisele Barreto Fetterman. [New York Magazine]( [STAY IN THE KNOW.]( [Subscribe for $1 a week.]( [The National InterestWhy are Democrats too polite to challenge Biden?](   [The Decomposition of Rotten Tomatoes How a faulty ratings system holds Hollywood captive.](   [The Restaurant Review Libertine’s high prices clash with its bistro ambitions. Plus: Meet Our Restaurant Critic, Matthew Schneier.](   [They Put a Bow On ItThe world’s awash in ribbons, and it’s costing us.](   [How Zadie Smith Lost Her Teeth In her latest novel, the writer’s many voices amount to noise.](   [Flirt School What happens when you put down your phone and meet people face-to-face?](   [The Look Book Chatting with tennis goers at the U.S. Open.](   [Led Around By It](Are noses to Bradley Cooper what feet are to Quentin Tarantino?   [The Office Ten Workplace hotties are born from a combination of scarcity and proximity.](   From Our Critics Photo: Olivia Rodrigo - [Album Review:]( On sophomore set Guts, Olivia Rodrigo gets more personal and less restrained. By Craig Jenkins - Theater Review:]( Public Works’s Tempest in the park is (mostly) no thoughts, just vibes. By Sara Holdren - [TV Review:]( Netflix somehow pulled off a skillful live-action anime adaptation with One Piece. By Angelica Jade Bastién   Reader Favorites Photo: New York Magazine - [Approval Matrix:]( All of Us Doppelgängers.   Still to Come From This Issue On Curbed - The best cake shops in New York. (Online Friday) On the Cut - Dylan Mulvaney is pretty sure she can win everyone over. Well, most everyone. (Online Wednesday) - Body and shine came at a high toll for some women who relied on relaxers. (Online Thursday)   [Vulture]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. View this email in your browser.]( Opt out of marketing emails [here](. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on e-mail newsletters please contact AdOps@nymag.com [unsubscribe](param=daily) | [privacy notice]( Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.