9 Feature Stories You Can't Miss This Week: Havoc, History, And High-Tech Fashion

This week for BuzzFeed News, Anne Helen Petersen fixates on the ever-expanding world of "fashion tech" companies. Read that and these other great stories from BuzzFeed and around the web.

1. Can Silicon Valley Fix Women’s Fashion? — BuzzFeed News

Illustration by Jack Hughes for BuzzFeed News

“Fashion tech” companies like Stitch Fix are using algorithms and personal stylists to sell women the priceless commodity of confidence. But for all their innovation, what if the glamour of a personal stylist and the celebration of data science merely distract from, rather than actually fix, the problems of women’s fashion? Read it at BuzzFeed News.

2. The Agency — The New York Times Magazine

Photograph by James Hill for The New York Times

Adrian Chen travels to St. Petersburg to find out how hundreds of trained "trolls" are spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda and wreaking havoc across the web. "Russia’s information war might be thought of as the biggest trolling operation in history, and its target is nothing less than the utility of the Internet as a democratic space." Read it at The New York Times Magazine.

3. The Man Who Was Caged in a Zoo — The Guardian

University of South Carolina

Pamela Newkirk chronicles the devastating life of Ota Benga, a young Congolese man who was kidnapped in the early 20th century and brought to the US, where he was displayed for the entertainment of hundreds of thousands. "His captivity garnered national and global headlines – most of them inured to his plight. For [black] clergymen, the sight of one of their own housed with monkeys was startling evidence that in the eyes of their fellow Americans, their lives didn’t matter." Read it at The Guardian.

4. The Robby Mook Playbook — BuzzFeed News

Courtesy of David Boyle

Ruby Cramer profiles Robby Mook, the young operative who, in 2008, took the campaign philosophy of “organizing” to win Nevada for Hillary Clinton. Now, he is her campaign manager, bringing his big win, big risk system and all it entails, including his band of loyal followers, to the biggest stage possible. Read it at BuzzFeed News.

5. Welcome to Dog World! — The Atavist Magazine

Blair Braverman, Kevin Ellis/Metro DC Photography

Blair Braverman recounts her summers leading luxury dog sledding tours and coping with an unhealthy relationship, all atop a remote Alaskan glacier. "I told them the food was great and the mushers and dogs were like family and I had the best job in the world. Then I’d go back to my tent and cry." Read it at The Atavist Magazine.

6. How “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” Went From D.O.A. To Beloved Cult Classic — BuzzFeed News

HBO / Via Justine Zwiebel for BuzzFeed

It's been nearly 25 years since Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead was unceremoniously released, only to become a cult success. Now, the stars and the creative minds behind the dark comedy talk to Jarett Wieselman about hating the title, the stars who backed out (like Jennifer Love Hewitt), the franchise that almost was, and the loss of one of their own. Read it at BuzzFeed News.

7. One Night at Kachka — Eater

Photograph by Dina Avila for Eater

Erin DeJesus and the staff of Eater offer a fascinating and interactive lens into a single night at a lively Russian restaurant in Portland, Oregon. This multimedia piece features video demonstrating the making of plump dumplings, audio of waiters listing off the night's specials, a dynamic running tally of shots poured and dollars earned, a visual menu, and much more. Experience it at Eater.

8. How Paul Feig Escaped Movie Jail and Conquered Hollywood — BuzzFeed News

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

The hit comedy director of Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy gets candid with Adam B. Vary about the many times he considered walking away from his career for good, and what brought him back. “Once you’ve been in movie jail, all you can think of is like, Fuck, they’re going to send me back. I’m going to blow it.” Read it at BuzzFeed News.

9. After Water — Longreads

Susie Cagle

In this beautifully written and illustrated piece, Susie Cagle visits her family's hometown of East Porterville, California, where the drought has forced residents to rely on an ever-dwindling supply of water from private wells. "In a community that prides itself on self-reliance, how do you live off the land when the land turns on you?" Read it at Longreads.

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