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June is Pride Month – a chance for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate the progress that's been made, and this season on High Low Brow, we are dedicating the month of June to all Pride-related content! 🌈✨🌈

For our very first Pride-related episode, we're exploring how corporations prioritize profit over the LGBTQ+ community in our exploring Rainbow Capitalism with Toronto-based sober trans journalist Niko Stratis, who also just recently launched their own podcast V/A Club. 

As Pride month rolls around each June, big brands put out Pride merchandise seemingly as a sign of solidarity, so we use the episode to unpack with Niko how brands and individuals approach marketing during Pride month. We use this episode to unpack the following with Niko: 

• Why is rainbow capitalism so harmful to the queer community?
• Since we all know it's pandering, how exactly can brands/corporates show up for marginalized communities throughout the year (or ever)?
• Reminding people that Pride Month was originally about progress and protest.
• Who gets left out when brands and corporations control the narrative of Pride Month.
• Then we take a quick break for a segment where Ama chats with Muslim queer artist and writer Hana Shafi aka Frizz Kid about how individuals need to support queer artists 365 days a year, rather than one month.
• Finally, we play a game and we use an AI Generator to make our own Pride "merch" - you'll die laughing hearing the results and you need to check out what they look like on our Instagram.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

1.  How Marketers Mess Up Pride Month - Fast Company
2. The Best Part Of Pride Is Making Fun Of Rainbow Capitalism - Refinery 29
3. After Pride, corporations will "ditch these gays" but the harm will already be done - Salon
4. How LGBTQ Pride Month became a branded holiday - VOX
5. What Is Rainbow Capitalism, And Why Is It Bad - Defiant

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The summer is here and things are starting to get hot 💦 For our seventh episode of the season, we were so happy to chat with Toronto-based writer, performer, and sex worker advocate Andrea Werhun about the art of thirst traps. These sexually suggestive selfies are posted on social media by celebs and everyday folks to attract attention. We use this episode to unpack the following with Andrea: 

• How empowering taking a thirst trap can be
• Is there anything that can be risky when sending these photos, such as revenge porn?
• How are celebs currently weaponizing or capitalizing off thirst traps for their own gain?
• Can thirst traps be feminist or are they all rooted in misogyny?
• Then we take a quick break for a segment where Ama chats with Gwen Adora, 2022 PornHub Top BBW Model, to give their best tips on taking thirst traps, gaining confidence in your body, and posting images that won't get you banned.
• Finally, we wrap up the episode by playing a game rating some of the best of the worst thirst traps on the Internet from celebs

Please purchase Andrea Werhun's brand new memoir, Modern Whore, out now at local bookshops! 

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Further Reading on this Topic!

Thirst Traps are Body Positive, Too - The Root
Quit Worrying and Embrace the Thirst Trap - The Cut
Thirst Trapping: The Good, the Bad, and the Likes - Greatist
11 Ways to Take the Perfect Thirst Trap Photo - Cosmopolitan

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Not only has another two weeks gone by (so quick!) but we're happy to be celebrating our 1 year anniversary of podcasting! 🥳 For our sixth episode of the season (and our mid-way point of season two), we're happy to bring on two guests we've been looking forward to all season: Natalie Franklin of everyone's favourite Instagram parody account, Nori's Black Book. But if we were getting into who is behind the curtain of these parody accounts and making a living from living and having a blast living the life of these "celebs", we had to ask the one and only Jordan Ross Meyers behind the Twitter handles of Donn Gunvalson and Lee Radziwill and co-host of the Pretty Corrupt podcast.

To take us through all the twists and turns and social media wizardry of being a parody account, both Natalie and Jordan walk Ameema and Ama through the good, bad, and ugly of parody life.  Throughout the episode we also discuss: 

• What research and time go into maintaining their accounts?
• How often do people confuse their accounts with real individuals?
• Are there any risks involved when portraying celebs or have they had any celebrity encounters?
• Do they have to step back to realize how powerful their voice can be sometimes - why or why not?
• Then during our very first segment, Ama took a minute to interview Jill Krajewski, a freelance journalist based out of Toronto, who started the Kids in the Hall No Context Twitter account during the pandemic. The account just recently hit 12k followers, and Jill talks to us about how the show has found a new audience via the No Context account, how KITH is super queer and why accounts like these matter! 
• Then Jordan and Natalie give us their tales of legal woes, celebrity encounters, and what boundaries they've had to make while maintaining these accounts. 
• We then wrap the episode up to where Ama, Ameema, Natalie, and Jordan play a game discussing what parody accounts they would have loved to make.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

Nori’s Black Book creator opens up about Kim Kardashian sliding into her DMs and getting blocked by KUWTK stars - Metro
The parody accounts that make Twitter bearable in the era of Trump - Mashable
Why Twitter parody accounts should stay anonymous - The New Yorker
Spoofs, lies, and re-tweets: is it safe to make parodies online? - BBC
Parody accounts cause laughs but have a shady side - Desert News

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Oh hi, we're so happy to see you're back! We are dropping episode 5 of S2 today, and it's a fun one! For this week's episode, we are exploring the gay history of wrestling and how it's really a form of athletic storytelling or heck, performance art akin to drag. To take us through the history and make a case for why this matters, Nova-Scotia-based winner of Masterchef Canada and pro wrestler Jennifer E. Crawford talks us through everything and shares with us their story of how they developed Moon Miss, their wrestling persona. Throughout the episode we also discuss: 

• How wrestling is the purest iteration of camp
• How wrestling can foster a deep curiosity about our bodies and their relationship to them
• OK, but are drag and wrestling really that similar?
• Then to follow up with that, Ama has a segment with Eric Shorey aka DJ Accident Report, a Brooklyn-based freelance pop culture journalist who is one-third of The Nobodies, a supergroup with a penchant for pro-wrestling, and we discuss how wrestling has become queerer
• Just how safe can the wrestling community be for queer folks?
• Finally, all three of us play a game where Ama and Ameema try to create their own wrestling personas and Jennifer helps them create a backstory

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us!  You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. Heck, if you want - leave us a voicemail. We love to answer questions from our listeners or take suggestions about what you'd like us to cover. Maybe we'll even feature it in a future show!  Hell, if you even want to support us (we're a small team and a lot of work goes into what you hear today) then we would love it if you send us a few bucks via our Ko-Fi! All the money helps us with production costs and creating the podcast you hear today.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

1. Pro Wrestling Is Super Gay Now - them
2. Queer Performers Making Space in Wrestling - KALW
3. What Do Drag and Wrestling Have in Common? More Than You Think! - VICE
4. Wrestling's Gay History and Optimistic Future - Pro Wrestling Stories

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We're back for our fourth full-length episode of S2! For this week's episode, we get into one of the hottest trends of 2021: parasocial relationships. No matter where you go on the Internet, it's all everyone is talking about. From the social and entertainment-kind, intense-personal, and borderline-pathological. 

Between us and our special guest for the week,  Toronto-based arts and culture writer and editor Sadaf Ahsan, Ameema, and Ama analyze everything to do with parasocial relationships and even make a case for why some might even be healthy! So many people, from influencers to celebs,  broadcast all the mundane aspects of their lives. From their new outfits to the latest restaurants they've tried and even the packages they open, practically nothing is off-limits.  So we explore:

• What exactly is a parasocial relationship?
• The power dynamics in fandom culture 
• How we grew up in fandoms ourselves and participated in fan culture
• Why do fans have such high expectations of the people they are in relationships with 
• Whose boundaries and mental health matter here?
• Finally, Sadaf names our official podcast fandom
• Finally, all three of us play a game where Sadaf and Ameema try to guess the names of certain fandoms. Shout out to our listeners in the Navy ;) 

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us!  You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. Heck, if you want - leave us a voicemail. We love to answer questions from our listeners or take suggestions about what you'd like us to cover. Maybe we'll even feature it in a future show!  Hell, if you even want to support us (we're a small team and a lot of work goes into what you hear today) then we would love it if you send us a few bucks via our Ko-Fi! All the money helps us with production costs and creating the podcast you hear today.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

1. YouTubers Are Not Your Friends - The Verge
2. Too close for comfort: the pitfalls of parasocial relationships - The Guardian
3. Meet the stans who DM their faves about their day - Mashable
4. When Grown-Ups Have Imaginary Friends - The New York Times
5. Bo Burnham’s Inside begs for our parasocial awareness - Polygon

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We're back for our third full-length episode of S2! For our very first Low Brow Takes on High Brow Culture takedown episode, Ama and Ameema have invited on former co-host and fellow podcaster from the show We Really Like Her, Danita Steinberg to discuss all things Oscars 2022.

Between the three of us, we analyze everything that has to do with the Oscars 2022 show that we hope hasn't already been discussed to death already (cough, The Slap, cough) including: 

• How brand new producer Will Packer made the executive decision to present eight of the 23 awards before the live broadcast began and totally fumbled the bag
• How diversity is still so lacking with The Oscars and what they could learn from independent awards shows
• How influencers and content creators were invited to this year's Oscars to help appeal to a younger demographic
• Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has such a grip on cinema worldwide (no, but really)
• In our first segment, Danita Steinberg walks us through her top 10 snubs of the 2022 Oscars and if anyone disagrees, we will fight you.
• Making a case for why the Oscars are still relevant 
• Discussing the fashion and why we miss Joan Rivers
• Finally, all three of us decide to award our own Oscars! Some of the awards include Celeb with the Most Audacity (here's looking at you, Judd Apatow!) and the Celeb Who Was the Most Wholesome (yep, it was obviously Youn Yuh-jung and Troy Kotsur!) but that's just the tip of the iceberg!

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us!  You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. Heck, if you want - leave us a voicemail. We love to answer questions from our listeners or take suggestions about what you'd like us to cover. Maybe we'll even feature it in a future show!  Hell, if you even want to support us (we're a small team and a lot of work goes into what you hear today) then we would love it if you send us a few bucks via our Ko-Fi! All the money helps us with production costs and creating the podcast you hear today.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

1. Diversity at the Oscars: ‘CODA,’ ‘Encanto,’ ‘West Side Story’ Wins Show Breadth of Inclusion - The Hollywood Reporter
2. We Aren’t Just Watching the Decline of the Oscars. We’re Watching the End of the Movies - The New York Times
3. Will Smith's slap after Chris Rock's joke dominated the Oscars. But how does inherited racial trauma fit into the story? - ABC
4. Can TikTok Help Save the Oscars?  - Vanity Fair
5. The Oscars is a show fighting for its life, but should we even care? - CBC

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In the second full-length episode of season two, Ama & Ameema invite the iconic writer/director of LGBTQ+ reality shows such as Hot Haus and Slag Wars, our favourite sex-positive daddy (and soon to be yours!) Topher Cusumano.  

The three of us chat with Topher about why queer reality TV sucks so much and why mainstream media struggles with queer representation. We also dive deep into what it means to produce queer media and talk about what pleasure and desire look like. Because heh, who doesn't read a little erotica on their days off.  So cozy up, and get ready to laugh because this episode is a journey from start to finish!

Throughout the next hour, you'll hear the following: 

• Topher tells us why it's harmful to pigeonhole marginalized creators
• OK, but why is queer reality TV so bad?
• What exactly goes into creating a reality TV show and how hard is it to make GOOD queer reality TV?
• Representation is a nuanced topic, so what exactly does it look like?
• In our first segment, Ama sits down with Kiara from Canada's Drag Race season one to discuss what it's like to appear on a reality TV and how the fandom can be (answer: not great, bob!) 
• Then we wrap it all up by playing a game of #HeatOrTrash with Topher, where he ranks some of the top queer reality television shows in the last decade from god-tier to homophobic. 

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us!  You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. Heck, if you want - leave us a voicemail. We love to answer questions from our listeners or take suggestions about what you'd like us to cover. Maybe we'll even feature it in a future show!  Hell, if you even want to support us (we're a small team and a lot of work goes into what you hear today) then we would love it if you send us a few bucks via our Ko-Fi! All the money helps us with production costs and creating the podcast you hear today.

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Further Reading on this Topic!

Queer representation in media: the good, the bad, and the ugly - Heckin' Unicorn
Queer Baiting: What is it and Why is it harmful for the LGBTQ+ Community - HYPEBAE
Why Can’t Every Reality Show Be Season 8 of Are You the One? - VOGUE
'Top Chef' Gave Queer Women a Platform Before It Was Cool - Shondaland
Is Slag Wars TV's most inclusive reality show yet? - iD

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In the first full-length episode of season two, Ama & Ameema invite educator and YA author Tanya Boteju on to the show to chat with them about a topic that has been bothering the two of them for a while: why society seems to enjoy mocking teen girls and young women for their interests.  Has this been bothering you as well? Oh buds, then get your earbuds ready because this is the episode for you.

Throughout the next hour, you'll hear the following: 

• Tanya shares her experience of writing her books
• Why the fuck are we so hard on teen girls 
• Why don't we take teen girls seriously?
• What makes a good example of teen friendship in media?
• In our first segment, Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling and award-winning YA author shares the advice on teen friendship she wishes she was given sooner in life
• In our second segment, Tanya shares some of her fave pieces of media that represent teen girls and friendship
• Then we wrap it all up by playing a game of Pop Culture Yearbook to decide who would start their own MLM or lipsync on SNL.

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us!  You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. Heck, if you want - leave us a voicemail. We love to answer questions from our listeners or take suggestions about what you'd like us to cover. Maybe we'll even feature it in a future show!

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Further Reading

• 5 Harmful Ways We Fail Teenage Girls as a Society - Everyday Feminism
• Stop Indiscriminately Hating Things Teenage Girls Like - Medium
• Society Hates Teen Girls - The Foreword
• There’s a culture of hating teenage girls and no one’s talking about it - The Southerner

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Want to support us?  Then send us a few bucks on Ko-Fi! All the money helps us with production costs and creating the podcast you hear today.

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After a nearly four-month hiatus, we're back and so excited for season two! And trust us: it's going to be bigger, and better than ever! Plus, we have a brand new co-host!!! Say hello to the wonderful and talented Ameema Saeed. 

In this short mini-episode, Ama and Ameema reminisce about life during the pandemic, how their own friendship blossomed, how TikTok sounds are taking over their minds, ask the question everyone wants to know: are vampires really gay and play a few High Low Brow games with one another to get you excited for season two.

Plus, if that was enough for one single episode, we give y'all a sneak peek of some of the guests and topics we'll be exploring for season two including parasocial relationships, why is all queer reality TV bad, the thirst trap, and why parody accounts rule - just to name a few!

If you liked what you heard, maybe think about rating us! You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page and hell, if you have a question about an episode or any of our work... leave a voicemail. Maybe we'll feature it in a future show!

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Happy Halloween to our ghouls & gals!

To end the first season, Ama & Danita chat all things spooky, from Kyle Richards in Halloween Kills to their very own childhood ghost stories. Plus, horror movie recos and a tangent about television psychic & expert grifter Sylvia Browne.

If you enjoyed listening over the past several months, maybe think about rating us! You can also find all our social links by visiting our Lnk.Bio page. 

Stay tuned for Season 2, coming in 2022! 

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