Have you ever been to a Tupperware party? Or perhaps a Pure Romance party? Avon? Then you may be familiar with pyramid schemes! In this episode, Marcelle guides Hannah through the history of Tupperware parties and their rising popularity post WWII. She then offers some Lauren Berlant theory (which always makes for a good episode!!); specifically, their concept of "cruel optimism." If that sounds familiar, it's because we first visited this theory in our Queer Eye episode. Enjoy the episode and become a Patreon supporter today to attend our LIVE episode recording on July 12th at 5 pm EST!

You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is HOW WE PAY OUR TEAM! We need your support to make the show. Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon.

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We continue our summer slowdown with a new Material Concerns episode featuring answers to YOUR questions. As a reminder, we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. In this episode, they talk about how Dirty Dancing, summer camp, Bridgerton, the female gaze and so much more. If you enjoy the episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll get to hear Marcelle and Hannah discuss a bit more about Bridgerton.

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're talking about the HBO series The Last of Us, which was adapted from the popular video game of the same name! If you like the show, zombie content, playing video games, or thinking about how art gets transcoded across mediums, then this episode is for you! AND if you don't know what transcoding means, then this episode will really knock your socks off because Marcelle does a great job defining the word — as well as adaptation itself! Together, Hannah and Marcelle consider the process of adaptation and the intertextuality between original content and its adaptation(s). Of course, for all you Last of Us fans, they also talk about Long, Long Time — aka the Bill and Frank episode. And without spoilers!

You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is HOW WE PAY OUR TEAM! We need your support to make the show. Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon.

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starting a summer slowdown! That means we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. They'll talk about how they're doing, what they're up to, research they didn't get to in "regular" episodes, content they're consuming and more! In this Material Concerns episode they give personal updates and chat about the other shows we have going on at Witch, Please Productions. If you enjoy the episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll get to hear Marcelle and Hannah discuss The Tortured Poets Department. If you want to read Marcelle's hot take about Taylor's newest album, head to ohwitchplease.substack.com!

***

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah are joined by Andrea Warner (she/her), the author of The Time of My Life, an exploration of Dirty Dancing as a deeply feminist film. We begin with a conversation about sexy films that made our younger selves all hot and bothered before heading into the segment "Why This? Why Now?" Hannah guides us through the difficulty that writer and producer Eleanor Bergstein faced in getting this movie made and distributed. We talk Reagan, Roe v. Wade, and nostalgia for the 1960s. Hannah then introduces us to American literary critic Fredric Jameson, cultural historian Bill Osgerby, and Russian-American cultural critic Svetlana Boym. Together, Hannah, Marcelle and Andrea parse through their respective work about postmodernism, nostalgia, late capitalism and the construction of history to get a better understanding of why Dirty Dancing is such a compelling film. We end the episode with a discussion of the appropriation of Black music in the movie, the power dynamics within Baby and Johnny's romance and the unique representations of mutual aid.

If you love Dirty Dancing, join the club (with Hannah and Andrea)! If you haven't seen it, you get to be in a club with Marcelle. FOR NOW (we will get her to watch it!).

You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Witch Please Productions is on Spring Break, so we're taking the opportunity to re-introduce you to Gender Playground, a podcast co-hosted by Marcelle Kosman and Raimi Marx about the joys of gender-affirming care for kids. This show launched to our Patreon last year and through patron support, we were able to launch it to the public in February of this year! We're dropping Episode 5 into your feed: Plans, Trans, and Autonomy.

In this episode, Marcelle and Raimi discuss “transition.” We begin with an anecdote from Marcelle about the discomfort she feels labelling her daughter Billie as trans, given Billie started using she/her pronouns soon after becoming verbal. Together, Marcelle and Raimi think through the shortcomings and utility of labels, gender as a social construct, and the importance of affirming the gender and gender expression of people of all ages. 

Raimi then explains “transition” as an umbrella term that includes a range of actions pertaining to internal, social, legal and physical changes and choices folks may make. Marcelle asks some questions and there’s a fair amount of giggling! 

As always, we end with a couple recommendations and a promise to continue our discussion of transition in coming episodes.

We’re continuing to find our audience for this podcast and we need your help! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends — and leave an Apple Review! 

If you’d like to directly support production of this show, head to ohwitchplease.com/sponsorships. For just $250 USD, you can become a Gender Playground sponsor, run an ad on our show and get a shoutout. 

We'll be back in two weeks with a new episode of Material Girls. :)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Material Girls is on Spring Break! But don't fret! We unlocked an episode of Making Worlds, our Patreon-exclusive video podcast hosted by Hannah McGregor.

Making Worlds is dedicated to the liberatory possibilities of other worlds! In each episode Hannah speaks with a guest (or two) about a sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, or magical realism text that has changed the way they view the world.

In this episode, Hannah talks with scholars (and friends) Lucia Lorenzi (she/they), and Clare Mulcahy (she/her) about Dimension 20! They explore the intimacy of collaborative world-making and the magical possibilities of pretending together. Then Lucia and Clare share what they take from Dimension 20 into their own lives. It’s a heartfelt discussion between three friends who really love Dimension 20, so get cozy and enjoy!

If you want more Making Worlds, become a Patreon supporter at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. If you want more Witch, Please Productions, head to ohwitchplease.com for transcripts, reading lists, and merch! You can follow us on Instagram @ohwitchplease for reels and other fun content! And you can follow our Substack which features a monthly newsletter called The Monthly Hoot where you get access to an assortment of recommendations, podcast updates, and monthly playlists. We also release behind-the-episode newsletters that delve into the research process for our public scholarship. Go to ohwitchplease.substack.com to subscribe for free.

Music Credits: Special thanks to Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle who wrote our theme song! Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like the serious academics they are, Hannah and Marcelle not only researched Disney in academic journals, they also went to the happiest place on earth! They made custom Theodor Adorno t-shirts, scooped Marcelle's eight-year-old and Gender Playground co-host, Raimi Marx, and wen on their way! In this bonus episode, they answer your questions about the experience. Sharing one mic, Raimi, Marcelle and Hannah talk about managing expectations, capitalism's hold on joy, the relationship between surrealist world-making and psychedelics and so much more! If you enjoy this episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll have access to the rest of this conversation (including the story about Robbie — the Disney employee who made a bad day better), all the bonus perks we've already released, and Hannah's new video podcast, Making Worlds.

And, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends! Word-of-mouth is the primary way we reach new listeners who are interested in feminist materialist critique, pop culture and laughing at and from within *the discourse.* Share the show today!

***

Material Girls is a new show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

We'll be back in one week for a regular episode!

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What drove Hannah and Marcelle to go to Disneyland? And what is with all the rainbow Mickey ears? And where does pinkwashing end and real change begin? Tune into this episode about the happiest place on earth to find out! In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through a history of the term pinkwashing. She then draws on an article by Karine Duplan called “Pinkwashing Policies or Insider Activism? Allyship in the LGBTIQ+ Governance–Activism Nexus,” to better understand what leads to making public spaces inclusive for queer and trans folks. Together, Hannah and Marcelle think through their own pleasure in experiencing Disneyland, while dissecting the tension between corporations' bottom lines and the value of representation and inclusivity. Ultimately, Marcelle and Hannah consider: if pinkwashing is by necessity surface-level public image campaigning that masks ongoing harm, is Disney doing something different?

You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're thrilled to be joined by Anne Helen Petersen for this episode about the popularity of athleisure! If you don't already know, Anne Helen Petersen (she/her) is the incredible writer, journalist and recovering academic behind the beloved newsletter Culture Study. She is the host of a brand new podcast of the same name and the author of four books, most recently Out of the Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home (co-written with Charlie Warzel) and Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.

Together we begin with a history lesson from Hannah about WWII's effect on the fashion industry, particular women's clothing and the rise of spandex. Hannah offers some insight from cultural critic Jia Tolentino and her essay, "Athleisure, barre and kale: the tyranny of the ideal woman." We then move on to some helpful framing from theorist Michelle Foucault, sociologists Daniel Nehring and Anja Röcke, and feminist scholars Julie Brice and Holly Thorpe. We talk neoliberalism, fatphobia, and, of course, our culture's obsession with optimization.

We end with an honest discussion about the role of pop culture analysis in helping us navigate the murky waters of ideology. We loved having Anne on the show and if you like this episode, we recommend heading to patreon.com/ohwitchplease for more! Anne joins us for two perks you DO NOT want to miss. And of course, you can find more of Anne's specific, timely and thoughtful writing all over the internet @annehelenpetersen!

You can learn more about the show at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks for another episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!

***

Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

Music Credits:

“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020

Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.