Culture Study Podcast

Maybe you’ve seen it happen, or maybe you’ve just heard it whispered: divorce is contagious. One person in a friend group gets divorced, and suddenly it seems like EVERYONE is. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but we wanted to have divorce aficionado Lyz Lenz on the pod to answer all your questions about the way we pathologize divorce.

• Pre-order Lyz Lenz’s book, This American Ex-Wife: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life (out February 20th!!)

• Lyz also has a fantastic podcast (focused on divorce) and newsletter

• Here’s the study from Brown University on contagious divorce, in case reading studies is your thing

• Lyz references The Tragedy of Heterosexuality by Jane Ward

• Read Lyz’s OG essays in Glamour that made her a Professional Ex-Wife: “I’m a Great Cook. Now That I'm Divorced, I'm Never Making Dinner for a Man Again” and “It Took Divorce to Make My Marriage Equal”

• Watch the absolute time capsule that is the original trailer for The First Wives Club

• Online shopping culture, including but not limited to people’s reliance on reviews and/or compulsion to leave reviews

• Student loans— how we talk about them, think about them, take this wherever you want

• The romance novel boom

• Anything you need advice on!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, there are coaches for everything. Business, fitness, careers, breastfeeding, parenting, ADHD, MLMs, divorce… even death. Is it bullshit? Or is it offering a valuable service? And how can you tell the difference in a totally unregulated space? Jane Marie, host of The Dream, joins me to delve into the world of personal coaching.

• Listen to The Dream! Season 1 is about MLMs; Season 2 is about the wellness industry; Season 3 is about coaching.

• I’ll also recommend this great conversation with Meg Conley re: LulaRoe

• An explainer on NXIVM and the criminal investigation around it

• Re: the settlement against Gwyneth Platrow/GOOP/jade eggs

• I wrote a bit about the research around the surge in interest in productivity books and apps here

• Re: inbox zero — You’re Wrong About Email

• John Cougar Mellancamp’s LIFE COACH DAUGHTER Teddi

• Pre-order Jane’s book on MLMs: Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans (out March 12th!!!!)

• Follow Jane Marie on Instagram

• Online shopping culture, including but not limited to people’s reliance on reviews and/or compulsion to leave reviews

• Student loans— how we talk about them, think about them, take this wherever you want

• All things ACOTAR

• Anything you need advice on!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Philanthropy is so weird. Celebrities: also weird. When the two collide, you get something even more bizarre. Why should we believe what Ashton Kutcher has to say about human trafficking? How did Bill Gates change the very core of his image? What does The Gilded Age teach us about philanthropy and social position? And why does giving feel more and more like shopping? Amy Schiller joins the pod to work through the tangled knot of modern philanthropy.

• The RED celebrity-filled video Amy and I watch at the very beginning of the episode

• My interview with Amy Schiller over on Culture Study

• Amy’s book, The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong — And How to Fix It

• Ashton Kutcher testifying before congress re: human trafficking

• Kutcher’s anti-trafficking software company THORN, which “defends children from sexual abuse”

• The Eagles Autism Challenge and the jacket bidding war

• The Gilded Age Season Two (and using philanthropy as a means to achieve social status)

• The Heritage Brick Locator at Gateway Plaza, home of the Cleveland Guardians

• The “GrantLove” Project from Alexandra Grant

• In case you needed a refresher on KONY 2012

• The exquisite (and free to all!) Cleveland Museum of Art

• Follow Amy on Instagram

• And don’t forget to follow the show on Instagram!

• The romance novel boom

• Student loans— how we talk about them, think about them, take this wherever you want

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• Anything you need advice on!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At some point in the last year I looked around and realized… 2000s music was EVERYWHERE. Nelly Furtado. Timbaland. Eminem. 50 Cent. MGMT. In Bama Rush videos. At sports games. In the background of TikToks of teens plaintively yearning to be 2000s teens. In weird animation videos meant for seven-year-old boys. Why THIS music, and why RIGHT NOW? Musicologist Nate Sloan— co-host of one of my favorite podcasts, Switched on Pop— has all the answers, or at least most of them.

• THE ONE, THE ONLY, SKIBIDI TOILET:

• A frankly hilarious Guardian article on the moral panic over Skibidi Toilet

• Switched on Pop’s “Listening 2 Britney” series is a must (I am also a huge fan of this ep on Seal’s Kissed By a Rose, FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST SEAL!!!)

• The original music video for Hey Ya!, and Obadiah Parker’s cover

• Mentally, I’m at the Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (and Slate’s oral history on how and why it was made)

• One of my absolute favorite music podcasts: 60 Songs That Explain the 90s (I have so many favorite episodes but “Return of the Mack” is a great place to start)

• Nate recommends Laufey as an upcoming artist— check out her Tiny Desk Concert

• Just a very popular TikTok compilation of Timbaland’s 2000s hits

• “2000s music just hits different”

• “2000s hip hop > >”

• If you want a whole bunch more in this vein — I’ll be posting them in my IG Stories starting Wednesday morning (check in Saved Stories for ‘2000s Toks’ if they’re not showing up in my normal stories)

• Follow the show on Instagram!

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• Anything you need advice on!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week I get my “cold plunge curious” partner Charlie Warzel to come on the pod and talk about how cold plunging suddenly feels like it’s everywhere, the science (some interesting, some junk) behind it, whether it’s been “bro-ified,” who’s buying those $6000 cold plunge tubs… and how to actually start doing it, if that’s your thing.

• The Huberman Lab Podcast (I also like this Jess Grose piece on “Huberman Husbands”)

• The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, founded in 1903

• The Tiktok guy who plunges every day:

• The $6000+ cold plunge tub:

• Charlie at The Atlantic and Charlie on Instagram

• Follow Melody on Instagram and follow the show on Instagram!

• SITTING. Is it that bad? How do you feel about how much you sit? Do you do anything to sit more or less?

• The cultural force that is/was Contemporary Christian Music

• Moms for Liberty

• Goodreads (what has made it so bad, a particular trend you’ve observed, should you go to Storygraph, you can take this anywhere you want)

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• Anything you need advice on!

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week I’m joined by Michelle Cyca to talk about the trailer for the Mean Girls reboot. You might think: wow, that’s a very small thing to focus on, what could you possibly talk about for 45 minutes… but just you wait. WHY are they hiding that it’s a musical? WHO do they think is the actual audience for this movie? What happens when millennial content is rebooted for Gen-Z audiences without context? And why is Tina Fey apparently uncancellable? We cover it all.

• THE TRAILER IN QUESTION:

• Some context about studios shying away from marketing musicals as such

• Revisiting Queen Bees and Wannabes

• I misremembered how Drive Me Crazy is integrated into the movie — it’s more like the movie is integrated into the video for the Britney song???

• Julia Stiles’ unforgettable modern dance routine at the end of Save the Last Dance:

• Mean Girls 2 did in fact exist

• Just in case you forgot Laura Dern’s style from Jurassic Park

• Re: the Barbie Marketing Campaign (via Variety)

• The piece I wrote back at BuzzFeed News after seeing Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: “It’s Time to Stop Apologizing for Tina Fey”

• All about Michelle Cyca!!!

• Follow Melody on Instagram and follow the show on Instagram!

• SITTING. Is it that bad? How do you feel about how much you sit? Do you do anything to sit more or less?

• The cultural force that is/was Contemporary Christian Music

• Moms for Liberty

• The appeal of the ACOTAR series

• Goodreads (what has made it so bad, a particular trend you’ve observed, should you go to Storygraph, you can take this anywhere you want)

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the fifth episode of the Culture Study podcast I’m joined by Nicole Washington to talk about all things F1: what’s behind the recent rise, is it in fact Real Housewives of Monaco, what’s the current drama, and so much more. Because this is a conversation between someone with very little knowledge about F1 (me) and someone with an abundance of knowledge about F1 (Nicole) it’s accessible to all levels of fandom. If you’re utterly mystified by the newfound popularity, this episode’s for you. If you have a text thread dedicated to F1 memes, this episode is also for you.

• The trailer for Drive to Survive on Netflix

• A pretty hilarious Quora thread attempting to answer the question “how did Red Bull get into racing”

• “Actual Florida Man” Logan Sargeant

• Kathryn VanArendonk making the compelling case for F1 as a secret Housewives franchise

• Lewis Hamilton

• Two Girls 1 Formula

• Lily Herman’s F1 Newsletter, Engine Failure

• The Fan Behavior F1 Podcast

• If you need some help following the Max Verstappen/Kelly Piquet relationship, bless People

• View of the Vegas Grand Prix Route (Side note, we recorded this episode before the Vegas race happened— here’s an NPR piece on how it all unfolded in the end)

• What Nicole sent us when we asked for an iconic F1 meme

• Follow Nicole on Instagram for many reasons including a bunch of F1 gossip on stories during the season

• Goodreads (what has made it so bad, a particular trend you’ve observed, should you go to Storygraph, you can take this anywhere you want)

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• ONLINE PURCHASE REVIEWS (as in: what motivates people to leave reviews? With photos? What makes a good review, what makes a worthless one?)

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the fourth episode of the Culture Study podcast I’m joined by Philip Maciak — who manages to be a professor, the television critic for The New Republic, and an avid consumer of children’s television — to talk about Paw Patrol.

We talk about copaganda, plot laziness, why 90% of the characters are boys, how Paw Patrol gets “in the water” at most kids’ schools even if they don’t actually watch the show, and take arguably too deep of a dive into the theme song. If you hate Paw Patrol, this episode is for you. If you’re annoyed by its banality, this episode is for you. Even if you’ve never heard of it, it’s a really fascinating exploration into why so much kids media turns out the way it does.

• Phil on the glory of Bluey

• The Problem With Cop Storylines in Children’s Media — and you can find Amanda Hess’s overview of the critique here

• This poster is the best representation of the Paw Patrol ‘universe’

• The Paw Patrol Theme Song (if you really want to subject yourself to that again)

• The DuckTales Theme Song!!!!

• Just a good Paw Patrol Meme:

• You can read my previous interviews with Phil here (on Reservation Dogs) and here (on screentime) and find Avidly Read: Screentime here.

• Goodreads (what has made it so bad, a particular trend you’ve observed, should you go to Storygraph, you can take this anywhere you want)

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Cold Plunge Culture

• Whatever Bradley Cooper’s deal is

• ONLINE PURCHASE REVIEWS (as in: what motivates people to leave reviews? With photos? What makes a good review, what makes a worthless one?)

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the third episode of the Culture Study podcast

Like: How did Taylor make the transition from big time pop star to BIGGEST POP STAR? How do we feel about the Matty Healy of it all? Is Travis Kelce interesting or is their relationship just interesting? Why do I feel so ambivalent about the prospect of Taylor getting married (and/or having kids)??

• The TikTok from the intro:

• All about Leah Litman!!!

• What It Takes To Be in the 1% — of Taylor Swift Fans

• Talk to Me About Taylor Swift Sweatshirt

• Follow Stevie the Mini Goldendoodle

• Melody’s Instagram where she posts honest book reviews in her stories

• “You’re Losing Me”

• The video for “White Horse”

The 2014 era of “Taylor stepping out of her apartment” photos I reference

• The imagery of Folklore/Evermore:

• Some of Melody’s favorite SwiftTok influencers include:

  • @tessdear is THE PLACE to go for Eras Tour livestreams

  • @bryanlicious2 for an unhinged kind of humor

  • @cowboy.han makes hilarious mash-ups of Taylor songs

  • @mikael.arellano, creator of the Bejeweled dance, all-around wholesome fan

  • I have a low tolerance for the “men react to Taylor Swift lyrics” genre, but the two exceptions are @hthaze and Darriel and Ashton

  • @pokemonmasterzo’s hilarious videos are a great example of why I love this dumb app

  • @invisibletheme for smart and well-researched queer analysis

• A primer on Gaylor

• Easter Eggs on the Eras Tour

• Video for “You Need To Calm Down”

• A 2020 primer on Tree Paine (Swift’s publicist); Tree Paine vs. Deux Moi

• Swift’s bisexual pride flag wig

• A recap of Swift + Emily Dickinson

• “Why didn’t Jason bring jeans for Jason?”

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’) and/or wtf is going on with Chip & Joanna Gaines these days, why is their new show so banal

• Huberman Husbands

• Booktok (think expansively here)

• ONLINE PURCHASE REVIEW CULTURE (as in: what motivates people to leave reviews? With photos? What makes a good review, what makes a worthless one?)

• Athleisure (also think expansively here)

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here (and here’s the subscriber-only priority form)

• What’s your investment in Gaylor?

• Is Travis Kelce ACTUALLY INTERESTING?

• Is Leah right about Harry Styles?

• What do we do with these end game vibes?

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the second episode of the Culture Study podcast, we’re diving into the nerdy and awesome and frustrating world of the infrastructure that surrounds us. Why are sidewalks so bad in so many places? How do we undo car dependencies? What’s the deal with a power company in Vermont distributing a huge battery to every customer? What are we going to do about all these ready-to-fail water treatment plants? If we can have air conditioners in our STEERING WHEELS why can’t we have good trains?

Deb Chachra, author of How Infrastructure Works, joins the pod to talk about the wild and fascinating systems that shape our world. Also: septic systems.

This is the podcast version of a "just trust me," so even if you don’t think you’re an infrastructure nerd, you’re going to love it. I love it enough to release it ahead of next week’s Taylor Swift deep dive and the following week’s deeply funny episode about Paw Patrol, so that’s saying something.

• Deb’s book How Infrastructure Works!!!!

• Deb’s colleague Dr. Allison Wood, who did her PhD work on neighborhood scale septic systems

• Just a neat engraving of 19th century sewage treatment construction (via Getty, exact date unknown)

• Henry Graber’s book on sidewalks and parking, Paved Paradise

• The “term of art” Deb and I were looking for re: wide roads with tons of lanes that are the deadliest in the U.S.: STROADS

• The problem with curb cuts & accessibility

• The “micro metro” system in Los Angeles (like an Uber bus, sort of)

• The cool Vermont utility program to distribute big batteries

• The new Lummi Island electric ferry!!!!

• Amartya Sen’s canonical lecture “Equality of What?” and the argument, as Deb puts it, that “wealth is a way of providing us the freedom to live the kinds of lives that we have reason to value”

• Here’s a link to Deb’s newsletter, METAFOUNDRY

• My introduction to Deb’s writing: “Care at Scale: Bodies, Agency, Infrastructure,” from Comment (a past Culture Study just trust me!)

• We could still use a few questions re: The Mean Girls Trailer!!!

• Celebrity Philanthropies (weird ones, good ones, why do they exist, etc.)

• “Little treat” culture

• Cold Plunging

• Moms for Liberty

• Very Contemporary Architecture Trends (like ‘modern farmhouse’)

• You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here.

• What’s an impressive piece of infrastructure from your daily life?

• What piece of infrastructure (in your daily life or just generally) do you think is totally underrated and deserves daily celebration?

• Just a thought experiment in line with Deb’s thinking… I’m often pretty pessimistic about our ability to accomplish big infrastructure projects in the U.S. Take one that usually makes you say “that’ll never happen”… what would be possible if it COULD and DID happen? What would it allow?

• What infrastructure questions do you STILL have?

• OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT FROM THIS EPISODE!!

• Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.
• Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.
• Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.
• Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.