Relationscapes: Exploring Identity and Belonging

MINI EPISODE: How More Young Women Are Hitting the Alt-Right Pipeline (with Jess Britvich)

Listen Later

Here's a frightening statistic: More young women age 18 to 29 voted for Donald Trump in 2024 than in 2016 or 2020. Why? Jess Britvich argues that TikTok and Instagram have been moving some young women rightward, without making it obvious. 

Trends like clean beauty, natural living, tradwife aesthetics, or even yoga and wellness communities might look harmless on the surface—but many of them are pipelines to right-wing politics. The former social worker and content creator Jess Britvich explains how social media pipelines—from “SkinnyTok” to "clean" beauty products—pull people into conspiracy thinking and reactionary movements, and how we can stem the tide by becoming more media literate. 

Full transcript available here at relationscapes.org. 

 

Show Notes
  • Young women trended slightly up toward Trump in 2024 according to the Center for American Women in Politics, "Gender Differences in 2024 Vote Choice Are Similar to Most Recent Presidential Elections," December 28, 2024.
  • But also, "Gen Z Women Have Most Unfavorable View of Donald Trump: Poll," Newsweek, Sept. 9, 2025.
  • The National Alliance for Eating Disorders has a helpful overview of #skinnytok, "What’s the Deal with #SkinnyTok?"
  • The Conspirituality podcast was ahead of the curve covering RFK, Jr., so they were more than prepared for the rise of MAHA. For a more recent overview, see episode 259: "MAHA is Project 2025’s Trojan Horse," May 29, 2025. 
  • See also the Diabolical Lies podcast, "MAHA Moms & the Politics of 'Wellness',” March 23, 2025.
  • Brief overview of Charlie Kirk's greatest hits is available at "Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric inspired supporters, enraged foes," by Helen Coster and Maria Tsvetkova, Reuters. 
    •  
    About the Guest

    Jess Britvich is a content creator in Pittsburgh. Formerly a social worker, she turned her attention to online education in the wake of the global pandemic and the rise of MAGA influencers. Her Substack is substack.com/@jessbritvich. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram @jessbritvich. 

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Relationscapes: Exploring Identity and BelongingBy Blair Hodges
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    73 ratings

    More shows like Relationscapes: Exploring Identity and Belonging

    View all
    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,768 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,693 Listeners

    Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

    Reveal

    8,444 Listeners

    RadioWest by KUER

    RadioWest

    781 Listeners

    Maxwell Institute Podcast by Maxwell Institute Podcast

    Maxwell Institute Podcast

    815 Listeners

    Mormon Land by The Salt Lake Tribune

    Mormon Land

    328 Listeners

    Faith Matters by Faith Matters Foundation

    Faith Matters

    1,747 Listeners

    Conversations with Dr. Jennifer by Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

    Conversations with Dr. Jennifer

    1,067 Listeners

    All Out in the Open by All Out in the Open, Questions from the Closet

    All Out in the Open

    1,192 Listeners

    At Last She Said It by Cynthia Winward, Susan Hinckley

    At Last She Said It

    1,038 Listeners

    Unbiased Science by @unbiasedscipod

    Unbiased Science

    636 Listeners

    Breaking Down Patriarchy by Amy McPhie Allebest

    Breaking Down Patriarchy

    609 Listeners

    Fireside with Blair Hodges by Blair Hodges

    Fireside with Blair Hodges

    289 Listeners

    Latter Day Struggles by Valerie Hamaker

    Latter Day Struggles

    839 Listeners

    Data Over Dogma by Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher

    Data Over Dogma

    1,449 Listeners