Big City

A weekly column devoted to life, culture, politics and policy in New York City. More

Ginia Bellafante has served as a reporter, critic and, since 2011, as the paper's Big City columnist. She began her career at the Times as a fashion critic, examining the way that clothes and the art of making them reflected broader societal trends.

For several years, before she joined the Metropolitan section, she was a television critic. Her work has appeared throughout the paper, including on A1 where, a decade ago, she wrote about how gay parents divide domestic labor; she has also written for the culture and styles pages as well as the magazine and the book review. Prior to joining The Times, Ms. Bellafante was a senior writer at Time magazine.

She is a native of Long Island and currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, a professor at Brown University, and her son.

What Columbia Should Have Learned From the Protests of 1968
Sending in the police to arrest students only inflamed tensions on campus then. Why would this time be different?
By Ginia Bellafante
This Therapy Helps Victims of Violent Crime. Who Will Pay for It?
“Trauma recovery centers” are favored by law-and-order officials and progressive activists alike for one big reason: They work. But to stay open in New York, they need more funding.
By Ginia Bellafante
Sexism, Hate, Mental Illness: Why Are Men Randomly Punching Women?
Conversation about the attacks on the streets of New York have centered on mental illness, but the offenses seem to have their roots in hatred of women.
By Ginia Bellafante
‘Stormy’ Reveals the Flawed Feminist Icon Looming Over Trump’s Trial
A documentary about Stormy Daniels explores the life of a woman whose silence former President Donald J. Trump is charged with trying to buy.
By Ginia Bellafante
Why the National Guard Can’t Ease All Fears About Riding the Subway
More bag checks will not calm the nerves of New Yorkers worried about being shoved onto the tracks by someone with mental illness.
By Ginia Bellafante
Why a $1 Billion Gift to a Medical School Moved So Many People
The gift to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx was notable not only for its size but also for the humility of the philanthropist.
By Ginia Bellafante
Has Starbucks Surpassed Amazon as the Villain of Big Labor?
New York has stood at the vanguard of progressive workplace legislation. Is Starbucks ignoring the law?
By Ginia Bellafante
Can a New Law Force Airbnb Hosts to Become Landlords?
It’s too early to tell if Local Law 18 will help ease the housing crisis in New York City. But homeowners with vacant rooms aren’t eager to open them up for long-term rentals.
By Ginia Bellafante
She Took a Picture of the Man Who Attacked Her. It Didn’t Matter.
In an age of widespread surveillance, why was a police lineup, a method known to be unreliable, treated as the gold standard?
By Ginia Bellafante
Truman Capote Cashed In on His Friends’ Secrets. It Cost Him Everything.
The rarefied social circle that embraced Capote, and eventually banished him, is up for re-evaluation in the new television series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”
By Ginia Bellafante