After some positive feedback from last year's ep, we've brought back our yearly book reviews. 

We debrief about the best, worst and most unexpected books we've read in 2024. Huuuuge disclaimer that these are just our own opinions and we hope this doesn't deter you from any titles or authors!

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle.

Email us at [email protected], find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod, or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz.

Jas & Mags xo

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Concetta Caristo is one of Australia’s most exciting media stars. 

From hosting the coveted Triple J Breakfast slot with co-host Luka Muller to her impressive comedy chops and work on TV screens across the country, we sat down with Concetta in the DM Sydney studio to learn more about her journey. 

In this chat, we take a behind-the-scenes look at the world of comedy (plus the graft it took Concetta to get to where she is) and touch on her lived experience with domestic violence, including how she's using her story to help others. 

You can listen to Concetta on Triple J Breakfast and follow her on Instagram. 

This episode contains reference to domestic violence.

If you have experienced violence and need immediate or ongoing help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) to talk to a counsellor from the national domestic violence hotline. 

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our last pop culture episode for 2024, we debrief on the Internet's new hyperfixation: Luigi Mangione. Is the alleged murderer a flash-in-the-pan meme? Or will this American antihero spark meaningful change in the US social systems? 

We reference a piece in the New Yorker titled Luigi Mangione And The Making Of A Modern Antihero by Jessica Winter. 

Next, Matilda Djerf, founder of fashion label Djerf Avenue and the prototype for Scandi Clean Girls worldwide, is under fire this week after Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet spoke with 11 current and former Djerf Avenue employees who accuse Djerf of fat shaming, favouritism, and bullying. 

We share the accusations and ask if influencers can lead healthy businesses. We reference videos by creators Elena Tea, Barefaced Media, and Carmen Azzopardi. 

In recommendations, Jas enjoyed Who’s That Girl, a world-first interview with influencer Anna Paul for In Style by Courtney Thompson. Maggie loved the podcast How To Be a Good Ancestor w/ Roman Krysnaric by Upstream.

Thank you for listening. <3 Jas & Mags xo 

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There’s no denying that Shameless Media has been taking over our podcast apps and socials since 2018. After years of growing the business, Shameless has recently launched Inherited, an open and honest interview show that asks guests about their recipes, rituals, relics and rules for life. 

Described as an "anti-small talk" podcast, the show is hosted by Everybody Has A Secret's producer, Ruby Hall. 

Ruby’s career journey has been anything but linear, from being a child actor in a beloved Australian kids TV show to moving from Perth to Melbourne to pursue her media dreams. 

We sat down with Ruby in our Melbourne studio to ask her how she nabbed a dream job at one of Australia's most coveted media empires and why her Saturn return has shown Ruby just how good things can get. 

Listen to Inherited here and follow Ruby's socials here. 

Jas & Mags xoxo

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Hi friends, 

Maggie went to a naked dinner party and we saw the Wicked film at the Melbourne premiere. 

Next, what the hell happened on night two of the Melbourne Dolly Alderton show? Hugh van Cuylenburg, known for his work on healthy masculinity, vulnerability and motivational speaking through The Resilience Project, apparently “hijacked” the conversation with Dolly sparking disappointment from attendees. 

We reached out to the Culture Club listeners who were there to hear their first-hand thoughts and discuss why it's sparked such a local conversation on gender. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write and voicemail. 

Post-US election, the internet is ablaze with cultural conversations around the fashion of the past few years and how it indicated a Republican landslide. From old money to coquette to Americana, the trend cycle has been perpetuating conservatism for a while. 

We quote a TikTok by Elysia Berman, reference the substack Fashion's Alt-Right Flirtation from I Heart Mess and read from a 2018 VICE article titled Learn To Spot The Secret Signals Of Far-Right Fashion. 

For recommendations, Maggie continues the US politics theme with the podcast America’s Young Men Are Falling Behind – And Shifting Right by Plain English with Derek Thompson. Jas enjoyed a newsletter from The Foreword titled So You’re In A Comparison Spiral by Lilith Hardie Lupica for the career newsletter The Foreword.

Thank you to Australian period brand Scarlet and their new rae heat pad for sponsoring this episode. 

Chat next time!! Jas & Mags xo

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Carmen Azzopardi (Zigs Mom) is one of Australia’s most exciting content creators. Having worked in PR, fashion, writing and social media spaces, Carmen is a modern-day multi-hyphenate with an enviable career.

From her outfit inspo for people with bigger busts to her advocacy work for those with Type 1 Diabetes, Carmen is using her platform to share her story and advocate for others.

We were lucky enough to have the Sydney-based creator drop by our Melbourne studio so we could chat all things freelance, fashion, and what it's like to share your life on the internet. 

For more of Carmen's content, you can follow her on TikTok or Instagram. 

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi pals, 

In today's ep we start off with a quick chat about our fashion weeks and the latest Kardashian PR nightmare (will they ever end?). 

Next, a Dazed article has us asking if we're in an irony epidemic. With every big moment being meme-ified, can we actually take anything seriously anymore? We reference an article by Halima Jibril titled Ethel Cain Says We Are In An Irony Epidemic – Is She Right?

We also reference an interview with Amyl and The Sniffers for Triple J.

Since the Barbie movie was announced we've seen a huge revival of girlhood as adult women try to find the comforts of their childhoods. One writer, Jade Hurley, believes this cultural movement's implications have inklings of alt-right pipelines.

We discuss Jade's substack article titled Your Fave Is Selling A Pedophilic Fantasy and ask if Sabrina Carpenter is perpetuating this regression into girlhood. 

In recommendations, Maggie loved The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters while Jas shares her thoughts on The Substance. 

We're on a break next week but see you next time! Jas & Mags xo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi friends, 

Before we get into it, a disclaimer that this episode was recorded on Friday 18 October. 

Former One Direction member, Liam Payne, was found dead in a hotel in Buenos Aires last week. We recount the news and tributes that poured in, discuss our own complex emotions toward the event and share our thoughts on the community aspect of fandom that we've seen in recent days.

We also touch on the allegations that were being brought forward by Liam's ex Maya Henry in the weeks before his death.

In this segment, we reference an article on Vox titled The Chaos, Conspiracy Theories, and Controversy Surrounding Liam Payne’s Death by Kyndall Cunningham and Aja Romano. We read from How To Grieve Liam Payne by Lucy Blakiston for Shit You Should Care About and reference a 2016 article titled There Is No Right Way To Mourn Celebrities On The Internet by Ariel Bogle for Mashable. We also reference Jas' TikTok which you can watch here. 

Next, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show has returned after a six-year hiatus—to mixed reviews. We discuss what the internet is saying and share some thoughts from Australian-American creator Annika Neilson on the lack of size diversity.

We also read from a New York Times article The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns. It Shouldn’t. by Vanessa Friedman.

In recommendations, Jas has been loving The Design Files' new print magazine while Maggie loved Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker.

Take care - Jas and Mags xo

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Martina Calvi is a creative entrepreneur and Australia’s very own ‘sentimental crafty girl’.

Her signature scrapbooking projects, tactile approach to content creation, and crafty supplies on Martina’s Tiny Store has led to her 300,000-strong following. 

Martina’s book, The Art of Memory Collecting, is being released later this month and features 15 scrapbook, collage, trinket and zine projects. Ahead of its launch, we sat down with Martina to discuss her career journey, social media in the creative space, and how to practise your craftiness. 

If you're Sydney or New York-based, RSVP to Martina's book launch at the Ace Hotel. 

You can follow Martina on Instagram here, pre-buy her book The Art Of Memory Collecting here and shop Martina's Tiny Store here. 

Speak soon! Jas & Mags xoxo

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start off today's episode with some bite-sized culture bits: ​​MONA has won an appeal in the state’s supreme court in a bid to continue barring men from entering the Ladies Lounge, and Lana Del Rey and Millie Bobby Brown tie the knot. 

Australian trend forecaster Lucinda Pikkat has us asking if everyone is dressing the same nowadays. Maggie shares how fast fashion hurt her sense of personal style and spills a savage garment game she plays in public. 

Sherry Ning's writing has sparked discourse on friendships in the internet era. We share our own takes on the conversation and reference Laura Pitcher's Dazed article, Does Anyone Have Time To Be A Good Friend Anymore?

In recommendations, Jas enjoyed Woo Woo by Ella Baxter while Maggie loved The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue. 

Speak soon! Jas & Mags xoxo

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.