Sat, May 9, 2026

[ Yesterday Evening ]: Dayton Daily News

Decoding the Jogging Man Challenge: The Rise of Internet Absurdism

The Jogging Man Challenge uses a looping jogging man motif to create absurdist humor by placing the figure in surreal, unexpected video backgrounds.

[ Yesterday Morning ]: Sports Illustrated

The Rise of the "Let's Get This Place Humid" Meme

Pokopia's 'Let's get this place humid' meme uses post-ironic absurdity and audio reuse on platforms like TikTok to create viral digital trends.

[ Yesterday Morning ]: YourTango

Decoding Feline Behaviors: The Science Behind Cat Quirks

Cats use head bunting to mark territory with pheromones and slow blinking to signal trust, reflecting evolutionary instincts like predatory drives and nursing behaviors.
Thu, May 7, 2026

[ Last Thursday ]: Psychology Today

The Mechanics of Narcissistic Humor: Undermining Self-Esteem via 'Jokes'

Narcissistic humor uses targeted insults masked as jokes to undermine self-esteem and assert dominance while avoiding accountability through gaslighting.

[ Last Thursday ]: Knoxville News Sentinel

The Strategic Use of Comedy in Modern Religious Outreach

Using strategic humor, a Knoxville church aims to attract younger demographics by fostering an approachable, inclusive environment.
Wed, May 6, 2026

[ Last Wednesday ]: Columbus Dispatch

The 2026 Thurber Prize Finalists: Honoring the Legacy of American Humor

The 2026 Thurber Prize finalists celebrate American humor, using satire and irony to reflect contemporary culture and the legacy of James Thurber.

[ Last Wednesday ]: Psychology Today

The Linguistic Mechanics of Humor

Humor arises from flouting Gricean Maxims, creating an implicature that resolves incongruity between literal meaning and context.
Mon, May 4, 2026

[ Last Monday ]: MSN

Decoding the Dog Meme Phenomenon

Dog memes achieve popularity through relatability and anthropomorphism, utilizing canine quirks to provide emotional comfort and universal humor.
Sun, May 3, 2026

[ Sun, May 03rd ]: YourTango

The Cognitive Mechanics of Humor

Humor utilizes incongruity resolution, where high-complexity humor reflects advanced cognitive functions like pattern recognition and mental flexibility.
Thu, April 30, 2026

[ Thu, Apr 30th ]: MSN

The Art and Logic of Feline Humor

[ Thu, Apr 30th ]: EURweb

Finding Comedy in the Co-Parenting Chaos

Tue, April 28, 2026

[ Tue, Apr 28th ]: MSN

The 'One Orange Brain Cell' Phenomenon

[ Tue, Apr 28th ]: The Tech Edvocate

The Rise of Performative Luxury and the Power of Digital Satire

Mon, April 27, 2026

[ Mon, Apr 27th ]: Reader's Digest

The Strategy and Mechanics of Humorous Church Signage

Sun, April 26, 2026

[ Sun, Apr 26th ]: Deadline

Decoding the Mechanics of Brain Rot Humor

[ Sun, Apr 26th ]: Observer-Reporter

Trey Kennedy Brings Relatable Comedy to Greensburg's Palace Theatre

Sat, April 25, 2026

[ Sat, Apr 25th ]: Chowhound

The Psychology of Dark Humor

Fri, April 24, 2026

[ Fri, Apr 24th ]: The Telegraph

Gardening with Deadpan Wit: Embracing the Chaos of Growth

Thu, April 23, 2026

[ Thu, Apr 23rd ]: NJ.com

The Philosophy of the 'Gap': Finding Comedy in Cognitive Dissonance

Wed, April 22, 2026

[ Wed, Apr 22nd ]: Reader's Digest

Bridging the Gap: How Humor Drives Environmental Awareness

[ Wed, Apr 22nd ]: Dog Time

Surprising Car Seat Dog Goes Viral

Mon, April 20, 2026

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: HELLO! Magazine

Ryan Reynolds' Humorous Take on Expanding the Reynolds-Lively Family

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: Deadline

The Fragility of Class and Connection in 'Got Money Troubles'

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: YourTango

Understanding High-IQ Behavioral Patterns

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: Columbus Dispatch

R.L. Stine: From Columbus Roots to Global Horror Icon

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: Her Campus

Decoding the DWTS Casting Formula

[ Mon, Apr 20th ]: Fox News

From Prestige to Punchline: Lyonne's Subversion of Luxury

Sun, April 19, 2026

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Salon

Motherhood as Body Horror: Reclaiming the Visceral Reality

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: BGR

Beyond Programming: The True Value of Underrated Droids

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Business Insider

The Sacred Traditions of Augusta National

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: MSN

The Power of Playfulness in Romantic Partnerships

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: AOL

The Anatomy of Observational Humor in 'Yes' Comics

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Looper

Reimagining The Powerpuff Girls: The Challenge of Live-Action Realism

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: The News-Gazette

The Menu: A Culinary Descent into Terror

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Golf Monthly

From Teasing to Triumph: The Art of the PGA Payback

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: MLB

Austin Hedges' 2026 Offensive Evolution

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: NOLA.com

Tragic Lightning Strike Claims Life of James Garfield in Peabody

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Forbes

The Evolutionary Origins of Fear in the Dark

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Eagle-Tribune

Archaeology: Uncovering the Hidden Layers of Tennessee's History

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Upworthy

The Depluralization Trend: AI, Linguistic Play, and Cinematic Absurdity

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: Backyard Garden Lover

The Gen Z Revolution: Redefining Work, Consumption, and Society

[ Sun, Apr 19th ]: The Mirror

Identifying the Signs of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

Sat, April 18, 2026

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: Her Campus

The Power of Personal Quirks

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: Looper

Tragedy Hits Stranger Things Cast Following Loss of Performer

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: The Motley Fool

Navigating the New Social Security Landscape: Longevity, Solvency, and Strategy

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: BGR

Why Certain Star Wars Films Are Underrated

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: Business Insider

The Power of Intergenerational Connection

[ Sat, Apr 18th ]: People

Cutting the Digital Tether: Why Teachers Should Remove Work Email from Personal Phones

Motherhood as Body Horror: Reclaiming the Visceral Reality

Key Dimensions of Motherhood as Body Horror

  • Biological Alienation: The sensation of the body being hijacked by another entity, leading to a disconnect between the mind and the physical form.
  • The Failure of the "Glow": A critique of the idealized image of pregnancy, replacing it with the reality of swelling, nausea, and physical degradation.
  • Loss of Autonomy: The transition of the body from a private vessel to a public subject of medical scrutiny and societal expectation.
  • Visceral Fluidity: The confrontation with the various fluids and biological excretions that accompany childbirth and lactation, which often clash with societal standards of cleanliness.
  • Humor as Survival: The use of dark comedy to process the psychological impact of physical trauma and the absurdity of the maternal experience.

This perspective highlights a significant gap in how society discusses maternal health. While medical professionals focus on the clinical and psychologists focus on the emotional, there is little room for the raw, visceral experience of the body as a site of horror. The pressure to perform "happiness" can lead to a secondary layer of trauma--the feeling that one's disgust or fear regarding their own bodily changes is abnormal or shameful.

Wertz's exploration suggests that by naming the horror, women can find a community of shared experience. The laughter found in the grotesque is a form of solidarity. It transforms the isolated experience of a mutating body into a collective narrative of resilience. Instead of hiding the blood, the sweat, and the unexpected physical failures, this approach places them center stage, asserting that the "horror" is a legitimate and integral part of the human experience.

Ultimately, the intersection of comedy and body horror in the context of motherhood serves as a corrective. It strips away the romanticized veneer and replaces it with a gritty, honest accounting of what it means to inhabit a body in transition. By embracing the absurd and the grotesque, Wertz encourages a move toward a more authentic understanding of maternal identity--one where the joy of parenthood can coexist with the acknowledgement that the process is, in many ways, a terrifying biological odyssey.


Read the Full Salon Article at:
https://www.salon.com/2026/04/15/julia-wertz-finds-the-humor-in-motherhoods-body-horror/