Hi friends,

In today's episode, we chit chat about Kendall Jenner's mountain Architectural Digest video, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's A24 movie, and Melbourne's new DIVA exhibition. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson have been confirmed to make an appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping confirming Jas' theory of a Josh Hutcherson renaissance. We reference a New York Times interview and the Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast Dinner's On Me.

Disney, the company that's famously staunch on copyright, have made a huge deal with OpenAI. We reference an article by Crikey and the Search Engine podcast. Analysis has found that Taylor Swift was the victim of a targeted online bot attack that aimed to align her and Life of a Showgirl to Nazi and rightwing imagery and values. We discuss the report findings and the headlines coming out of the first two episodes of Disney+'s Taylor Swift documentary series, The End of an Era.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommend the HBO show I Love LA and references a substack by Whitney Friedlander on Gen Z's new era of TV shows. Maggie recommends Zootopia 2.

Talk to you next time, and take care. <3

Jas and Mags

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Hi friends!

Miley Cyrus has confirmed her engagement to musician Maxx Morando, and the new Sunrise On The Reaping trailer is here. In Culture Shock, James Charles discovered the deep Australian lore of the Bunnings sausage sizzle.

From the 10th of December, anyone under 16 in Australia won’t be able to keep or make accounts on social media apps. We discuss the pros and cons of the law and what it's like living in one of the first countries in the world to implement restrictions for kids on social media.

Spotify Wrapped dropped last week to slightly less fanfare than years previous. We share our personal thoughts on the hallowed pop culture tradition, and Maggie shares the op-ed she wrote for Cheek Media titled 'Why I opted out of this year's Spotify Wrapped'. We also reference the new podcast, Fan To Fan podcast by Bridget Hustwaite and Alex Pearce.

In Bookmarked, Jas enjoyed the new A24 rom-com, Eternity, while Maggie loved Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley.

Talk to you soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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Hi pals!

In this episode, we recap some of the internet's reactions to our Wicked Instagram post, and writer Soaliha Iqbal reads from her Substack essay titled: 'Can women's bodies ever be apolitical?' Next, we have a quick chat about the TikTok Awards. Please note: this episode was recorded before the allegations of racism against the awards show came to light. We highly recommend Zee Feed's break down of the topic.

In Culture Quickie, we ask why Americans love the Irwins so much and ask if Timothee Chalamet is moonlighting as a rapper. In our main topic, we discuss the discourse around Chante Joseph's mega viral Vogue article, 'Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?' and the callback articles that have been published in response, including this one from Dazed and Vogue UK.

In recommendations, Jas throws it all the way back to the eighties with her staycation film pick, 'Moonstruck' while Maggie shares the non-fiction book, 'Cult Bride' by Liz Cameron.

Chat soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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Hi friends!

We're back from a little wedding break as Jas got hitched. After a quick debrief, we're straight into Culture Quickies.

Charli XCX has published her first two Substack posts: one on creativity and one about being a pop star. We chat about Charli's emergence on the newsletter platform and break down her musings. Next, Sydney Sweeney has been having a tough year after her indie biopic flopped at the box office this month. We discuss Sydney's 2025 controversies (including recent comments with GQ) and why she's being portrayed as a right wing celebrity.

Wicked: For Good the second part of the Wicked franchise, was released earlier this month. But it's not the movie musical that has people talking. Main actresses Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh all looked noticeably thinner at press junkets and premieres. But should we even be discussing women's bodies in the post-body positivity movement era? In this segment, we discuss the eating disorder allegations and reference a piece for The Free Press titled 'In ‘Wicked,’ There’s a Very Thin Elephant in the Room' by Kara Kennedy. This segment references disordered eating and body image. If you need help with this, you're not alone. There are resources available on the Butterfly Foundation.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends a short romance novel by debut author and Substack writer, Erika Veurink titled Exit Lane while Maggie shares her love for Apple TV sci-fi series, Pluribus.

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Hi!

We missed you. We have a catch up on mic, FINALLY share our thoughts on Life of a Showgirl and discuss all things wedding and travel.

Lily Allen has released the divorce album of the decade and we break down its major tracks. Hailey Bieber has shared on the In Your Dreams podcast that she's not considering botox until her 30s. Why is this so refreshing to hear?

FRESHLY 20 year old pop star, Sombr, has been at the centre of controversy this week after creating a video response to a negative concert review. A 25-year-old woman named Meg posted an eight-minute review of her experience at Sombr’s show in D.C to her TikTok. Sombr responded to the accusations of vulgarity toward his teenaged crowd and made a point to bring up both his and Meg's ages. Why is Gen Z so obsessed with age?

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the new Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere while Maggie read Liane Moriarty's 2024 book, Here One Moment.

Talk to you soon! Jas & Mags xo

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Bridget Hustwaite is an author, presenter, chronic illness advocate, and host. You might know Bridget from her seven years on Triple J, or from her books How to Endo and the recently released Figuring Out Thirty. In this episode of Culture Club, we sat down with Bridget in the studio to reflect on life in her 30s, what it means to grow into yourself, and why the “dream job” isn’t always what it seems.

We talk about Bridget’s early days at Triple J, the hustle behind the scenes, and the personal turning point that led her to step away from the country's most popular broadcaster. In this open and honest chat, Bridget shares what it’s like to live publicly with endometriosis, how it shaped her career, and what she’s learned about balancing ambition with chronic illness.

For more of Bridget's content, you can follow her on TikTok and 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. 

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Mona Awad is one of the most influential authors of our time. She's the bestselling author of the novels 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, All’s Well, Rouge, and the cult classic, Bunny, which took off in book clubs around the world and became a BookTok phenomenon. Bunny was named a Best Book of 2019 by Time, Vogue and the New York Public Library. Bunny and Rouge are also being adapted into films. 

After the success of Bunny, Mona has decided to revisit the world in the 2025 hybrid prequel and sequel, We Love You Bunny. Described as Frankenstein meets Heathers, We Love You, Bunny follows Bunny’s protagonist, Samantha, after she’s published her first novel to critical acclaim. But the Bunnies, unhappy with how they’ve been portrayed, find and kidnap her, taking it in turns to retell their side of the story.

With Margaret Atwood naming Mona her “literary heir,” we were so excited to speak with the US author. In this chat, we discuss why she chose to revisit her cult classic novel Bunny, learning to fail as a writer, the shadow selves that can be found in female friendships, and more.

Speak soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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Hi friends!

We have another pop culture episode for you–delicious.

The pop girlies are in their marriage eras. Charli XCX threw her second wedding last week while Selena Gomez tied the knot with Benny Blanco. With a number of main pop girls getting married, will their music change? It's a question writer Catherine Shannon asks in her Substack essay, 'Pop Enters Its Wife Era'.

Matilda Djerf has returned to the press for the first time since her bullying and toxic workplace allegations last year. Speaking with Stephanie McNeal for Glamour US, Matilda shares that she’s keen to get back to her brand and community. Listen to our 2024 episode What The Djerf for a breakdown of the allegations.

Wearable AI device Friend is back in the news cycle after the company spent $1 million USD on subway ads to tell people to have robot friends. We discuss the news and read from a piece in The Atlantic by Yair Rosenberg titled Have You Considered Not Polluting the Water?

14-year-old Australian influencer, Deja Clark, daughter of influencer Kat Clarke, has launched a collaboration with Supre under her swimwear label, Sunny De. To launch, the brand and Deja held an event – a mix of Deja’s friends and influencers. Online, there’s been some heated commentary about influencer diversity as the attendees were almost all thin, white girls. We break down the online commentary from Kristine Achayo, Brooke (ewwitsbrooke), and Sinderella (@asinderellastory).

Next, why does it feel SO HARD to make decisions right now? An article for Dazed magazine by Maybelle Morgan interrogates our relationship with decisions and ChatGPT. We share our thoughts on the article and our own experience with decision fatigue.

In Bookmarked, Jas loved Good Hang with Amy Poehler and Olivia Colman while Maggie has been devouring Stinkbug by Australian writer Sinead Stubbins.

Thanks for listening!! <3 Jas & Mags xo

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Hi friends,

Some popcorn pop culture bits to warm us up today including TSITP finale, Chris Briney's new venture, Robert Irwin is Maggie's new white boy of the month, Jimmy Kimmel is cancelled and are Ben & Jerry going through a break-up?

In other news, 2022 called and it wants its scandal back. Ned Fulmer, former YouTube Try Guys member, is back in the spotlight. The Buzzfeed-turned-YouTube content group gained a following for their viral videos “trying” new things. Three years ago, Ned made headlines. The self-proclaimed “wife guy” was caught cheating on his wife, Ariel, in a “consensual workplace relationship”.

We chat about Ned's return to the media world and ask why Ariel was his first guest on his new podcast, Rock Bottom.

Earlier this month, VOGUE US announced that there would be a new head of editorial content: Chloe Malle. We find out who Chloe is, the nepo baby allegations against her, and break down the gossip-y TikToks and headlines about her style. We also chat about the blurring lines between influencers and editors, and why fashion fans think writers owe them entertainment. In this segment, we reference TikToks from editors Tyler McCall and Brodie Lancaster.

In recommendations, Maggie enjoyed Panic World Podcast while Jas can't stop listening to Wolf Alice's album, The Clearing.

Chat to you soon!

Jas & Mags xoxo

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Hi friends,

Maggie has been travelling again, so we have a lot to catch up on! From the Wuthering Heights adaptation trailer (and ensuing literature discourse) to another celebrity engagement, we start with some popcorn-pop culture bites.

Next, the news that dominated the media last week: the assassination of political podcaster Charlie Kirk. We share our thoughts on the divisive right wing figure and reference an article from The Cut by writer E.J Dickson. Titled Why Young Conservative Women Loved Charlie Kirk, the feature tells the story of Charlie Kirk's Turning Point conferences specifically targeted toward young women of high school and college age. We analyse the piece and discuss the increase of young people moving to the right side of politics.

Have you heard that all the girlies are doing the “Great Lock In” challenge? The new social media trend is billed as a way to laser-focus on self-improvement before December 31 rolls around. The premise: Get a head start on New Year’s resolutions or restart an abandoned goal for side hustles, diet, fitness, sleep, or creative hobbies. We ask if the "Great Lock In" is helpful to a generation that's already obsessed with productivity.

In recommendations, Jas loved Death Cap Murders on Stan Australia while Maggie shares her thoughts on Australian band, Folk Bitch Trio's album Now Would Be A Good Time.

Chat to you soon!

Jas & Mags xoxo

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