This week on Binchtopia, Eliza returns from her off-grid era to dive into the history and evolution of body technology, from ancient tracking rituals to Silicon Valley’s quantified self movement. The girlies break down Fitbits, Oura Rings, Prenuvo scans, and sleep apps to examine how our obsession with optimizing the body blurs the line between health, surveillance, and control. Digressions include Taylor Swift’s public clowning, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B beefing with each other’s kids, and the biological necessity of annihilation anxiety.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and edited by Livi Burdette.

SOURCES

A Panopticon on My Wrist: The Biopower of Big Data Visualization for Wearables

Beyond Human: Lifelogging and Life Extension 

Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

Effectiveness of wearable activity trackers to increase physical activity and improve health: a systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses 

Exploring the impact of commercial wearable activity trackers on body awareness and body representations: A mixed-methods study on self-tracking 

Full-body MRIs: Peace of mind for some, "bane of my existence" for others 

Health Wearables, Gamification, and Healthful Activity 

I covered my body in health trackers for 6 months. It ruined my life. 

Interventions Using Wearable Activity Trackers to Improve Patient Physical Activity and Other Outcomes in Adults Who Are Hospitalized 

Know Thyself: Tracking Every Facet of Life, from Sleep to Mood to Pain, 24/7/365 

Memex: A Romantic Theoretical Tool for Thought 

Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far? 

Perceptions of Wearable Health Tools Post the COVID-19 Emergency in Low-Income Latin Communities: Qualitative Study 

Prevalence of Orthosomnia in a General Population Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study 

Ring of power: Oura will soon be worth $11b 

Self-Tracking by Gina Neff & Dawn Nafus

Terror Management Theory

The double-edged sword of self-tracking: investigating factors of technostress in performance-oriented cycling and triathlon 

The Quantified Self by Deborah Lupton The Rise of Wearable Devices during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review  

Wearable Devices Can Increase Health Anxiety. Could They Adversely Affect Health? 

Wearable Devices to Improve Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviour: An Umbrella Review 

Wearable systems without experiential disruptions: exploring the impact of device feedback changes on explicit awareness, physiological synchrony, sense of agency, and device-body ownership 

White Noise by Don Delillo

Will a Full-Body MRI Scan Help You or Hurt You?

Venture forth with Julia and beautiful Lady Garros on their noble quest to the Renaissance Faire, where Nick donned a full chest plate and even the turkey legs demanded a tithe. After ranting about ye olde ATM’s and how capitalism ruins everything, the binchies travel back in history to the first Ren Faire of the 1960’s to understand how a radical gathering for communists and hippies turned into the multi-million dollar business of today. Plus, an eye-opening interview with two iconic Ladies of the Faire, Olivia and Lev, who provide the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a Rennie.

Digressions include Nick healing his East Coast trauma with DIY, A tragic yet colorful incident at Lowes , and a much-needed bead update. You can find our beautiful braidstresses, Olivia Rose on Instagram @viastvincent and her ceramics Instagram @ohroseceramics and Lev Leveau on Facebook<3

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

Julia is joined by genius mind P.E. Moskowitz for a conversation about their new memoir Breaking Awake, which chronicles the mental breakdown that drove them to experiment with drugs, reckon with trauma, and draw meaning from suffering. From Klonopin and SSRIs to ketamine and LSD, they consider what our reliance on substances reveals about our modern world. Are drugs soothing us, transforming us, or just reflecting our pain? Digressions include P.E.’s commandment to “go out and get weird with it,” the dark headspace where internet mantras start to feel profound, and the unfortunate but honest truth that the only way out is through.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and edited by Livi Burdette. 

Check out P.E.’s book Breaking Awake: A Reporter’s Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs and their Substack Mental Hellth.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

Julia is joined by Binchtopia favorite Allegra Chapman to explore the delightful world of DOLLS! From Sonny Angels to Blythe, Madame Alexander to Barbie, Allegra lends her expertise to tell us what dolls reveal about history, their practical and symbolic purposes, and even the “misdollgyny” behind why haunted dolls always seem to be women.

Plus, Allegra’s thoughts on those infamous American Girls, the childhood pastime of torturing your dolls, and the uncanny world of reborns. Digressions include the bonding experience of having curly hair, Allegra’s new Julia-approved boyfriend, and finally addressing tintypegate…

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

Find Allegra at @severedlegs on all socials!

Julia is joined by bestie of the pod Michaela Okland to explore the practice of chosen celibacy, from its ancient history to its resurgence in modern culture. The girlies share their own celibacy journeys, revisit iconic historical figures who opted out of sex and marriage, and discuss the radical 4B movement gaining attention in South Korea, where women are walking away from men entirely. Digressions include the karmic power of The Melting Pot, graduating from Men Are Trash discourse, and dating after grief and loss. 

This episode was produced and researched by Julia Hava and edited by Livi Burdette. 

Find Michaela Okland (@michaelaokland) on Twitter and IG!

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

SOURCES:

4B movement: what is it and how did it start? | The Week

After Trump’s win, some women are considering the 4B movement | CNN

Are antidepressants making you asexual? | The Spectator

Book of the 10th Muse: Love and Marriage

Boston Marriages

Boston Marriages: Romantic but Asexual Relationships Among Contemporary Lesbians

Chaste Marriage In The Middle Ages

Going boysober: the women who turned to celibacy in 2024

How Celibate Women Became a Threat | TIME

“I Don't Miss It”: Celibacy Is Bringing Some Women Peace

Less Is More: Welcome To The Rise Of #Celibacy

Neither ‘incel’ nor ‘volcel’: Relational accounts of UK women's sexual abstinence

Re-reading (Vestal) virginity

Sex-positive feminism had its moment – and now it has been replaced by voluntary celibacy | Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian

SWORN VIRGINS OF THE BALKAN HIGHLANDS

The 4B movement: envisioning a feminist future uwith/in a non-reproductive future in Korea

The last of Albania's 'sworn virgins'

The rise of voluntary celibacy: ‘Most of the sex I’ve had, I wish I hadn’t bothered’ | Sex | The Guardian

Women’s Agency Through Spinsterhood and Celibacy – Childfree History Museum.

Women's rights and the rise of the 4B movement - University of Birmingham

Why Gen Zers Are Choosing Celibacy

Join Julia and beautiful Nick as they recap their arduous journey to Medieval Times, unpacking the show’s unintelligible plot, the vibeless knights of dubious talents and the disgraceful shortage of jesters and wenches. Digressions include Benson Boone’s Gower Gulch, Jane Goodall’s sneaky link in the jungle and the abominable flop of boomers.

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

This week, the girlies get nostalgic, looking back on the years of Binchtopia and sharing a few updates. Digressions include the memes that shaped us, our truly out of pocket episode titles, and Ozzy Osbourne’s forgotten impact on our very first live show.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Livi Burdette. 

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

This week, the girlies slip into the dreamworld to decode the binchie subconscious. Between prophetic triplet births, missing teeth, doomed flights, and Scrappy Doo lurking in the shadows, they ask: what does it all mean? Digressions include our favorite unconventional influencer, AI psychosis, and the girlies’ own cursed dream cycles.

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

This week, the girlies log on to discuss the strange and somewhat evil journey of content streaming. They track the rise from radio to Napster to Netflix, expose how labels teamed up with platforms to rob artists blind, and unpack how mood playlists and background noise culture encourage you to passively consume your music, not listen to it. They also hear from binchies who have done away with streaming entirely, and talk about hopeful alternatives for finding and interacting with art you love. Digressions include: Matt Rife’s new haunting business venture, Katy Perry’s stay at the Khia Asylum, and unfortunately, hitting the Sydney Sweeney button.

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Livi Burdette. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.

To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.

SOURCES

A cultural lineage of streaming 

Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age: Facts, Fears and Future Directions

be your own algorithm (video)

Binge Watching as a Young Adult Linked to Cognitive Impairment: Study

Mood Machine by Liz Pelly

Netflix Reveals the Shows That You Binge Watched the Fastest 

Netflix’s 'Skip Intro' Button Makes TV Ever More Like an App

Stream a Little Dream: How Netflix Turned Our Culture into Content  

Streaming Culture by David Arditi

Swedish composer becomes Spotify’s most-famous musician you’ve never heard of

The Algorithm Killed the Radio Star by Eliza McLamb

The Best Streaming Services For 2025  

The Death of the Artist by William Deresiewicz

The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur 

The Evolution and Impact of Streaming Services: Changing the Media Landscape 

The Ghosts in the Machine 

The Oxford Handbook of Radio and Podcasting 

The Right to Art by Eliza McLamb

The Telephonoscope (1879)

This ‘secret’ composer is behind 650 fake artists on Spotify. His music has been streamed 15bn times on the platform (report) 

83% of U.S. adults use streaming services, far fewer subscribe to cable or satellite TV  

This week, the girlies are in a place of tour, reporting live from Binchicago! From the technical difficulties and gonjus gowns of live shows to meeting all the insanely impressive binchies (and their radicalized family members), they reflect on whether or not alcohol is poison, the beauty of Zanies, and the haunting image of a backpack hiked to the TOP! Digressions include: twin ethics, binchie-submitted icks, and the emotional significance of a backyard.

We’re on tour!!!! Find tickets at (https://linktr.ee/binchtopia)

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.