Culture Club

WE'RE BACK!

After a delicious summer break, we give you some updates on our lives and then jump into the world of pop culture. Melbourne Fashion Festival is beginning in a couple of weeks and while they champion small brands and slow fashion, they've decided to partner with Kmart, including hosting a runway. We read from this opinion piece and ask why they've made this choice.

Last week, Harry Styles won Album of The Year for Harry’s House at the 2023 Grammy awards. While he was saying his acceptance speech, however, one phrase he used got the internet talking: “This doesn’t happen to people like me.” We debate what he meant by that and read from this piece for VICE titled American Nepo Babies Have Nothing On The British by Elle Hunt. 48-year-old Leonardo Dicaprio is rumoured to be dating 19-year-old model, Eden Polani. Gross. We discuss this phenomenon and the discourse around it.

TikTok has introduced a lot of vocab into our lives, some more confusing or coded than others. One currently trending is referring to 'mascara' when talking about another topic entirely. We reference this piece from The Conversation. Julia Fox has come under fire for walking in alleged abuser, Alexander Wang's, runway show at NYFW which is... an interesting choice.

Next up, from the truly viral Dyson AirWrap to the Bella Hadid-endorsed Ugg Minis, it seems there’s always an onslaught of products that are a “must-have”. What's come in its place is "deinfluencing". We ask if this will really stop rampant consumerism or if it's a way to make people feel better about not being able to afford luxury goods.

We share these TikToks: here, here & here.

In recommendations, Maggie shares her love of the new Speilberg film 'The Fablemans' while Jas loved 'Lessons In Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus.

Chat next time! Love ya - Jas and Mags xo

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Hi, dear listeners!

We have a very special (and belated) episode here today. Here’s our LIVE Beyond The Valley Festival recording from New Year’s Eve 2022. 

Here, we dive into the biggest and wildest stories of 2022 (think Julia Fox’s rising star, Doja Cat and Noah Schnapp’s feud, and the Don’t Worry Darling tea). We then take a good look at the saga that was Fitzroy Garage Sesh. We reference this Guardian article and this Fast Company article.

After a chat about the dire state of microtrends, we get into our recommendations. Jas recommends Glass Onion and this article on why murder mysteries are so hot right now. Maggie recommends the film The Menu. 

Then, it’s onto our piping hot 2023 predictions… what will come true? We’ll just have to wait and see.

We’ll be back in your ears soon,

Mags & Jas x

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Hi friends, 

After a short break last week, we’re back with your pop culture chats. 

First of all, Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to 11 years in jail. 

We discuss scammers in pop culture as well as Elizabeth’s impact in the media. We reference this article for the Sydney Morning Herald by Thomas Mitchell.

Pete Davidson is back on his BS after he was recently seen with Emily Ratajkowski. Is this legit? Just some fun? Or a clever marketing tool for them both? 

Jennifer Aniston has been featured on the front cover of Allure magazine. We discuss the key takeaways from the interview as well as how important infertility conversations are to people. 

It’s been a rollercoaster of a month for Taylor Swift. After her album Midnights broke (and is still breaking) multiple records, Taylor announced a 52-date US tour. 

But after a chaotic presale. Ticketmaster has ended up cancelling general sale of tickets for the rest of the tour. We discuss the fall-out and what it means for Ticketmaster.

If there’s one thing nepotism babies love, it’s denying that their success is a result of nepotism. Not one, but three of them, have spoken out about their nepo baby labels this week — Lily Rose-Depp, Willow Smith & Zoe Kravitz

We chat about the discourse and model Vittoria Ceretti’s response to nepotism babies. 

In recommendations, Maggie recommends the podcast, Celebrity Memoir Book Club and Jas recommends The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane.

Chat next week! x

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Hi! This week we start with some pop culture popcorn: Selena Gomez has released her new documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me on Apple TV. Jas shares her thoughts and recommends this review by Adrian Horton for The Guardian. Next, news came out that Rihanna has invited Johnny Depp to be a part of the new Savage X Fenty show. We ask why Rihanna would do this to the brand and what it says after the infamous Johnny Depp x Amber Hear trial.

18-year-old Heartstopper actor, Kit Connor has been forced to come out as bisexual after so-called fans accused him of queerbating. We share our thoughts on this toxic fandom trend and writer Patrick Lenton reads from his piece “Whether it’s Kit Connor or Harry Styles, forcing a celebrity to come out is not progress” for The Guardian.

Drake and 21 Savage have released a joint album with one song gaslighting Megan Thee Stallion after being shot by Tory Lanez in 2020. We discuss Drake's 'feminist' lyrics while he simultaneously tears down a Black woman.

Next, in an era of aesthetics and endless ‘core’ subcultures, are trends dead? There have been talks on the Internet about not being able to pinpoint 2022’s aesthetic and pointing to the rise of microtrends as a major reason why it feels like we’re in a ‘trend-less’ era. We have an open conversation on the media's part to play in this, our own opinions on the matter and hear from two authors. Beccy Hill reads out her piece, 'Good and bad taste no longer exists—here’s why' for Stylist UK and Crystal Andrews reads from 'NPCs & Main Characters: We’re Straight Up Dehumanising Ourselves Online Now' for her publication, Zee Feed.

In recommendation land, Jas loved Enola Holmes 2 on Netflix while Maggie read Dolly Alderton's advice book, Dear Dolly, On Love, Life, And Friendship.

See ya next week! xo

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Hi friends!

In this episode of Culture Club Chats we sit down with Diana Reid, a rising voice in the Australian literary landscape and someone who has been compared to voice-of-a-generation writer, Sally Rooney. 

Diana is the author of Love and Virtue, her 2021 debut novel that tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of feminism, rape culture, privilege and prestige. This debut saw Diana win the ABIA Book of the Year Award and the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Novelist award.

Now, she’s back with Seeing Other People, a summer novel that follows a love triangle and the relationship of sisters who are more alike than they may think... 

Get your own copy of Seeing Other People here.

Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful producer and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected], find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod, or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yemagz. 

Until next time, angels.

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We start off today in the only way we can: discussing Taylor Swift’s new album, Midnights. We discuss the album’s Easter eggs and the discourse around fatphobia that has emerged from the Anti-Hero music video. We also refrain from talking about Midnights for the whole episode.

Talk show host, James Corden has made headlines this week after a New York restaurant owner called him out for his rude behaviour. We go through the allegations and discuss why this probably won’t affect his career. In this segment, we reference this piece titled James Corden May Be The ‘male Ellen’ But That Means His Career Will Likely Be Fine by Arwa Mahdawi for The Guardian. 

The messiest love triangle in recent times is the pop culture gift that keeps on giving. In huge news this week, Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde’s former nanny sat down with the Daily Mail for a tell-all interview on the couple. We chart the drama and ask if the drama is overshadowing both Olivia and Harry’s careers. 

In recommendations, we both have light comedy films to share. Maggie recommends Look Both Ways, a Netflix drama starring Lili Reinhart and Jas loved Rosaline, a Disney + movie based of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

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

Email us at [email protected], find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod.

See ya next time! xo

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Hello! 

Victoria’s Secret has unveiled a new campaign… a campaign with the slogan “Nothing can define us. Not your standards. Not your stereotypes. Not your fantasies. Not anymore.”

We discuss this new era for the lingerie giant and read from this “Inside Victoria’s Secret Self-Assured Comeback” ELLE US article by Faran Krentcil. We also share a TikTok by user, Sophie Wood. 

In other pop culture news, Khloe Kardashian has had a skin cancer scare and Rex Orange County has been charged with six counts of sexual assault. We discuss the fandom’s reaction to this news and reference this article by Kaitlyn Huamani titled “No Longer Your ‘Best Friend’: Rex Orange County’s Sexual Assault Allegations Betray Fans”. 

This week, two climate activists in London threw a can of soup over Vincent Van Goh’s Sunflower painting. We chat about TikTok’s conspiracy theories around this and who Just Stop Oil actually is. 

In recommendations, Jas loved Seeing Other People by Diana Reid while Maggie is listening to the Everyone Has A Secret podcast.

Chat next week!

Jas and Mags xo

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Hi friends. 

Today’s ep begins with a breakdown of the Met Gala theme, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. We go over the designer’s problematic past and whether celebs will boycott the event.

Next, we discuss the allegations against Brad Pitt from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie as well as Kanye West’s headline-making Paris Fashion Week show. In this segment we reference Let’s Ignore Kanye West & Put Some Respect On Gabriella Karefa-Johnson’s Name by Venesa Coger and “A Plea to Fashion Media: Stop Covering Kanye West Uncritically” by Teen Vogue’s editor-in-chief by Versha Sharma.

Next, the Taylor Swift fandom is imploding! We discuss why her album Midnights is sending fans into a frenzy and whether it’s ethical to debate people’s sexuality. We reference this Jezebel article titled, The Enduring Fervor of Gaylor. 

In recommendations, Maggie shares the book Marshmallow by Victoria Hannan while Jas doesn’t have a rec this week! Get ready for a double rec next time. 

Bye pals xo.

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Hi pals, 

We get right into it today with our thoughts on Emma Chamberlain’s Arch Digest Tour. Next, Bella Hadid broke the internet as the supermodel had a dress spray-painted on her at the Coperni SS23 at PFW. We go into the science behind the tech and ask if fashion houses are engaging in stunts for our entertainment and algorithms.

While we spoke about Marilyn Monroe last week, we're back with an update as sex toy brand Womanizer has released a vibrator in "collaboration" with the icon. We discuss the ethics behind this as well as the reviews of Blonde that have come out. We reference Katherine Singh's piece for Refinery29 titled Leave Marilyn Monroe Alone. This chat causes us to discuss what we ask of celebrities after their death and how we take and take. VICE AU's editor, Brad Esposito references this question in a piece titled Death Is Real for his Substack newsletter, Very Fine Day.

Another week, another cheating scandal! This week, instead of a major musician caught in the act of infidelity, we’ve seen Ned Fulmer of the Try Guys be called out online. We break down the drama and ask if this is the death of the 'Wife Guy'. We read from The Sydney Morning Herald article by Angus Dalton titled Unpacking The Try Guys Schism: YouTube’s Wholesome Foursome Split By Scandal as well as Melissa Mason's Why You Should Never Trust A Hollywood Wife Guy and The World Is Done with Wife Guys. Thank Goodness For That by Arwa Mahdawi for The Guardian.

For recommendations, Jas loved Hocus Pocus 2 for all you Halloween-lovers out there while Maggie is loving the podcast Normal Gossip. She also side recommends this piece for The New York Times by Kelsey McKinney on why we shouldn't demonise gossiping. This causes Jas to share an excerpt from Silvia Federici’s book, Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women.

Katie Zhou created our cover art & India Raine is our wonderful producer and composer of our jingle. Email us at [email protected], find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod.

See you next week pals! xo

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Hi friends! 

We start today’s ep with our HONEST and spoiler-free review of Don’t Worry Darling. Then, it’s into pop culture popcorn; Kourtney Kardashian is Boohoo’s “Sustainability Ambassador” and the internet has been praising her for slamming body-shaming comments… but should they be? We reference this opinion piece by Niloufar Haidari titled Kourtney Kardashian Wants To Make Boohoo’s Fast-Fashion Sustainable. Spoiler Alert: She Can’t for The Guardian.

Marilyn Monroe (who died 60 years ago) is CR Fashion Book China’s cover star. We discuss the ethics of CGI-ifying the dead, Marilyn’s impact on pop culture, and why we won’t let her rest. We reference this article for The Cut titled Let The Woman Rest by Emily Kirkpatrick.

In one of the biggest celebrity scandals of the year (so far), Adam Levine has supposedly cheated on wife Behati Prinsloo. We go through the drama but also discuss the impacts of internet feminism and mob mentality toward young women. We reference Internet culture writer and analyst Rayne Fisher-Quann. Follow her TikTok here. 

In recommendations, Maggie loved the TV show, The Bear on Disney+ while Jas loved Do Revenge on Netflix. 

Chat next week besties xo

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