For centuries, c*nt has been widely seen as the most degrading, the most vile, the most uncouth word of the English language. But in recent years, that has changed. On TV shows, movies and all over the internet, people are proudly serving c*nt. How did that happen? Maria tells you the very enlightening history of the word c*nt. We travel back to pre-historic times, to the Middle Ages, to the 1960s and ‘70s ‘80s. All in search for the origins of c*nt and the people who defended it —most notably Black trans women and dolls at balls. 

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The release of an adaptation of Beyoncé’s song “Irreplaceable” in Spanish, “Irreemplazable,” sampling Selena Quintanilla’s hit “Como la flor” recently sparked an uproar. In this episode, Maria digs deeper, by exploring how Selena’s musical and aesthetic style was heavily informed by Black artists and how Beyoncé has shown her love for Latine music for more than 20 years. 

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Why is Meryl Streep called the greatest living actor? Today, Maria walks us through Meryl’s wide range of career phases. From her accent phase, to her controversial rom-com phase and her “mean-mommy” era. Because before becoming a “BILF” (Boss I’d Like to Fuck) in “The Devil Wears Prada,” Meryl had to endure Hollywood’s sexism and ageism. In this episode, Maria reveals how Meryl’s success wasn’t guided mostly by strategy, but by something quieter, something deeper — an instinctual compass.  

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More than 25 years after its release, “Love & Basketball” (2000) still redefines what a love story can be. It’s not just a movie about basketball. It’s about a girl and her dreams, and what it means to believe in yourself against the odds. Today, producer and WNBA superfan Brittany Cronin joins Maria to talk all things “Love & Basketball” – behind-the-scenes romance, girls in sports, the lesbian lore surrounding the film and professional women’s basketball, and why this movie is straight-up film canon.

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They were glamour, talent, beauty – captured in a duo. They were the darling of American Pop and R&B Mariah Carey and the sun of Mexico, Luis Miguel. Two world-dominating artists at the top of their game, successful, rich, gorgeous who belonged to different universes.Until they went on a blind date and fell in love. Maria explores the fairytale love story between Mariah and Luis Miguel, and how movie-worthy romantic gestures can’t make up for finding a partner who understands and accepts where you come from.

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Maria asked: why are there no divas anymore? Her friend Paris Alston said, “society traded divas for baddies.” When Maria thinks of the artist that embodies the baddie spirit in her mind most of all, it’s the princess of R&B Aaliyah. A young girl who became a woman as she made music history, transforming R&B and redefining pop and hip hop. Her style was a key part of her personality as well. Aaliyah carried her femininity with an edge. She was an independent thinker, a music visionary, a fashion icon. Today, Maria makes the case of why Aaliyah is the inspiration for the modern baddie era.

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When Maria discovered Shakira’s album “Pies Descalzos” at 12 years old, her brain chemistry got altered. Shakira was a revelation: her alternative leather pants, her messy makeup, and that blackest of black hair. Shakira was the antidote to the different shades of blonde that dominated MTV in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the bastion of hope for brunette Latinas. Until the year 2000. The year the world changed. The year Shakira… went blonde! In this episode, Maria analyzes how Shakira’s hair reveals something about an entire generation’s relationship to beauty, assimilation and longing. 

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In a relationship, are you a golden retriever or a black cat? Maria is… neither. She’s a human chihuahua. Because they’re fierce, protective of their loved ones, ancient and some might say magical. Today, the story of the chihuahua like you haven’t heard it before. From spirit guides of the great Toltecs and Mexica to their near extermination during colonization, from their TV star role in food advertising to the objectification by Hollywood. You’ll never look at a chihuahua the same way after you listen to this episode. 

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Maria was watching the Benito Bowl when an unexpected artist came on: the one and only Ricky Martin. He sang one of Bad Bunny’s most political, anti-colonial anthems. Maria knew this was a touchstone moment — the artist who most represented the ‘90s Latin Boom wasn’t performing to a white audience for recognition or acceptance; he was singing a song of resistance, in Spanish. And then Maria’s 11-year-old son said, “Who’s that???” 

Today, Maria revisits the importance of the queer icon’s career and life, and how he had to live “La vida loca” so that Bad Bunny could do “Lo que le da la gana.” 

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Video of Ricky Martin performing his first solo album.

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Attention pop culture lovers! Maria Garcia is back with a fun video podcast in which she picks a piece of nostalgic or contemporary culture—an event, an album, a movie—and unpacks what it reveals about ourselves. Expect divas, drama and lots of humor. Maria explores topics like: Why did the power couple of Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel break up? What does Ricky Martin’s evolution reveal about Latino belonging in the U.S.? Why was the world so unfair to our girl Britney Spears?
Tune in every week for a fun deep dive of pop culture stories from the present and the past.
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