Turning to Kennedy Ryan’s Reel, Amile & Phoebe discuss romantasy & the male romantic leads who populate these worlds. Alongside the fantasy of emotionally intelligent billionaires and artistically gfted providers, they discuss the blackness of Reel & the importance of specificity and lived experience in storytelling.

Through Neevah’s health battles and Dessi Blue's adventures, they delight in the ways in which the characters are written with texture, vulnerability, and interiority. They ask whether the fantasy of the “perfect man” is really about romance at all or whether it’s simply about being seen.

This episode pairs well with:

• Reel by Kennedy Ryan
• Score by Kennedy Ryan
• The 40 Days of Dating Social Experiment
• Men wearing slutty little reading glasses non-ironically
• A lychee martini with a single rose petal floating on top

Happy listening,

A&P

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

Set between Martha’s Vineyard and New York’s Upper East Side, Strangers by Belle Burden initially feels worlds away. But as Amile & Phoebe unpack its themes of marriage, compromise, and reinvention…familiar pressures emerge.

Alongside the practical realities of divorce and prenups, they interrogate the public response to Belle’s story, and the tendency to dismiss certain experiences. They discuss the pursuit of becoming “wifey” & whether it's ever worth losing yourself for love.

This episode pairs well with:

• Strangers by Belle Burden
• BEEF, Season 2 (2026, Netflix)
• Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing? Chanté Joseph, British Vogue.
• Knowing Klay Thompson because of Megan Thee Stallion
• Looking in the mirror and saying, “Stand up, girl!”
• A glass of Provençal rosé, grown the same year you got married.

Happy listening,

A&P

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

Amile and Phoebe continue their deep dive into Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear. Spoilers included this time!

Using the novel as a springboard, they explore the tension between modern femininity and masculinity.

Beginning with the backlash surrounding Emma Grede’s promo tour for Start With Yourself, they consider the pulls (pitfalls!) of girlboss messaging. As the conversation unfolds, they turn to the pressures placed on men to perform a version of “traditional” masculinity that may not come naturally to them, and the consequences of building family life around rigid ideals.

This episode pairs well with:

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey (2026, Netflix)
• Watching someone slowly rebrand their entire life online.
• Searching for tinctures instead of antibiotics.

Leave us a 5 star rating (and a comment) please!

A&P

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

For their first foray into fiction this season, Amile and Phoebe turn to Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear. Through the character of Natalie, a self-styled tradwife, they explore what it means to perform the role of the “perfect” woman, and why some versions of femininity are so addictive to consume online.

As they unpack her story, they revisit themes from earlier episodes through a refreshed lens...from the second shift to motherhood and of course, the manosphere.

This episode pairs well with:

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• Unchosen (2026 TV series)
• Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke (2025, Hulu)
• Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025, Netflix)

• Swapping your wholemeal loaf for sourdough.
• Praying that your raw milk is free from listeria.

Make sure to read the book!

A&P

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

In the second of their Pixel Flesh deep dive, Amile and Phoebe turn to the idea of beauty maintenance. Comparing their TikTok algorithms, they discuss the shift towards more intensive, expensive and invasive forms of upkeep.

They reflect on the ever-growing rejection of ageing and fatness, and the pressures that sustain these insecurities. Moving between viral advice, personal dilemmas, and cultural expectation, they consider what it means to invest in the face and body over time. From skincare and fitness to medications and injectables, how far are we willing to go?

This episode pairs well with:

• Warning (poem) by Jenny Joseph
• The Year All My Friends Got Botox by E.Clein (The Cut, April 2026)
• The Substance (2024), dir. Coralie Fargeat
• Getting a blepharoplasty without telling anyone
• An iced matcha with added collagen

Happy listening,

A&P

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

In the first of a two-part series inspired by Ellen Atlanta’s Pixel Flesh, Amile and Phoebe explore the evolving landscape of beauty in the digital age. From size zero to “slim-thick”, and video vixens to the Kardashian era, they trace how beauty standards have intensified online.

Reflecting on their different experiences growing up and what they thought of the Olsen Twins. Most apparent is the tension between critique and participation. How does one resist beauty ideals while still engaging in the rituals that sustain them? From filters and fitness to neurotoxins and aesthetic treatments, the list is endless. Join them as they discuss what it means to perform beauty in a world where being seen has never mattered more.

This episode pairs well with:

• Pixel Flesh by Ellen Atlanta
• "Pretty Hurts" (2013) by Beyonce
• "Unpretty" (1999) by TLC
• Checking your reflection in the front-facing camera.
• Saying “it’s just maintenance” and half-believing it.
• A Belvedere vodka soda with three lemons

Happy listening,

A&P

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

This episode explores grooming in childhood. Drawing on cultural touchpoints from My Dark Vanessa to Lolita and Cat Person, they examine the archetype of the “inappropriate adult” and the subtle ways in which boundaries are pushed.

Alongside this, they consider the idea of the “imperfect victim”. Who do we protect? And who do we turn a blind eye to? With a focus on British and Western culture, they reflect on how narratives are shaped, mobilised, and oftentimes, weaponised to serve wider agendas.

This episode pairs well with:

• My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
• Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy
• “Cat Person” (2017), The New Yorker
• Charlene (The Crime Desk podcast)
• Lucky Boy (Tortoise Media podcast)

• Pandering to power instead of trusting your gut.
• A cup of tea gone cold.

Happy listening!

A&P

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

In the second part of their Chums deep dive, Amile and Phoebe turn to the figures and cultural touchpoints that continue to shape Britain’s class system. From Jacob Rees-Mogg to Princess Diana and The Crown, they reflect on how class remains deeply embedded in British life, and why access to its upper echelons is rarely as fluid as it first appears.

Phoebe shares why Brexit was the worst referendum of all time. Amile explains why she’s never read the Metro. They end by reflecting on the tension between disillusionment and hope & what it might mean to stay engaged in a system that doesn’t always feel built for you.

This episode pairs well with:

• Chums by Simon Kuper
• The Crown (TV series)
• A Gin & Dubbonet served over ice à la the late Queen Elizabeth II
• Remembering where you were when Princess Dianna died
• Skipping past eh newspaper headlines to get to the crossword

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

In a special two-parter, Amile and Phoebe turn to Simon Kuper’s Chums to explore the networks shaping Britains political elite. They trace the shared paths of those in power, asking why our last 6 prime ministers were Oxford educated. From the college dorm rooms to Downing Street, they reflect on how belonging is signalled, and why entry to these spaces is rarely accidental. Along the way, they discuss the enduring question of who the system is really built for.

This episode pairs well with:

• Chums by Simon Kuper
• Engines of Privilege by David Kynaston & Francis Green
• Saltburn (2023), dir. Emerald Fennell
• A cup of Early Grey, with a splash of milk. No sugar.
• Pretending not to care which college people attended.
• Realising the same surnames keep reappearing.

Happy listening,

A&P

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

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