Straighten that tie, lower that hemline, and cover your shoulders listeners because this week we're being very strict about what is proper attire and we even asked Queen Elizabeth I to weigh in.

Join Andrew and Alicia alongside our special guest Dr. Christia Spears Brown for this medieval adventure through the dangerous dynamics of uniforms and dress codes including questions like:

Are school uniforms just for poor people? How long does it take for gender roles to settle into a child's mind? What Emo song best represents the lament of having to wear the same boring outfit every single day?

Plus, our guest interview manages to recreate the conversation we have on the podcast with chilling accuracy despite never being able to hear it.

Check your school regs and don't step out of line or else...this week on Seemingly Unrelated.

Bibliography:

BBC News. “Islamic Headscarf Debate Rekindled in France.” Europe. April 1, 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21997089.

BBC News. “School Uniforms: A History of ‘Rebellion and Conformity.’” England. September 5, 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29047752.

“Beyond the Suit: Contemporary Menswear from the Collection of Alexandre Marr and Dominic Iudiciani | Kent State University Museum.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.kent.edu/museum/event/beyond-suit-contemporary-menswear-collection-alexandre-marr-and-dominic-iudiciani.

Breward C, Lemire B, and Riello G, eds. The Cambridge Global History of Fashion: From the Nineteenth Century to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2023.

EBSCO. “Dress Codes and Uniforms in Public Schools | Education | Research Starters | EBSCO Research.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.ebsco.com.

Great Britain. The Statutes of the Realm: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third, in Pursuance of an Address of the House of Commons of Great Britain. From Original Records and Authentic Manuscripts. Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1810. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012297566.

King’s Printer of Acts of Parliament. “Elementary Education Act 1880.” Https://Www.Legislation.Gov.Uk/Projects/Controllers-Library#item_651859. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/43-44/23/contents/enacted.

Lewis, Ramon. “Preparing Students for Democratic Citizenship: Codes of Conduct in Victoria’s ‘Schools of the Future.’” Educational Research and Evaluation 5, no. 1 (1999): 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1076/edre.5.1.41.3886.

Office, U. S. Government Accountability. “K-12 Education: Department of Education Should Provide Information on Equity and Safety in School Dress Codes | U.S. GAO.” August 16, 2023. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105348.

OHCHR. “Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Commend Mauritius on Intercontinental Slavery Museum, Raise Questions on Mandatory HIV Testing for Migrant Workers and the Treatment of the Chagossian People.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/meeting-summaries/2025/04/experts-committee-elimination-racial-discrimination-commend-mauritius.

“Polite, Well-Dressed and on Time: Secondary School Conduct Codes and the Production of Docile Citizens *. - Document - Gale Academic OneFile.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://go-gale-com.ezproxy1.lib.gla.ac.uk/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=glasuni&id=GALE%7CA131235584&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&asid=eb9c3118.

Pomerantz, Shauna. “Cleavage in a Tank Top: Bodily Prohibition and the Discourses of School Dress Codes.” Alberta Journal of Educational Research 53, no. 4 (2007). https://doi.org/10.55016/ojs/ajer.v53i4.55303.

Raby, Rebecca. “‘Tank Tops Are Ok but I Don’t Want to See Her Thong’: Girls’ Engagements With Secondary School Dress Codes.” Youth & Society 41, no. 3 (2010): 333–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X09333663.

Ribeiro, Aileen. Dress and Morality. With Internet Archive. London : Batsford, 1990. http://archive.org/details/dressmorality0000ribe.

Riello G, Rublack U,. The Right to Dress: Sumptuary Laws in a Global Perspective, c.1200–1800. Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Shakespeare’s Globe. “Elizabethan Sumptuary Laws: Fashion Policing in Shakespeare’s England | Blogs & Features.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2019/04/16/elizabethan-sumptuary-laws-fashion-policing-in-shakespeares-england/.

“The Time Traveler’s School Uniform.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.museumoflearning.org/stories/the-time-travelers-school-uniform/.

That's right dedicated Patreon subscribers for this month's bonus episode we are going back in time to the Podcast Squared archives to take a look at how the conversation around gender has evolved in the last 13 years. This seems fitting for our bonus ep that overlaps with season 3 and the conversation around gender.

Is it cringe inducing for me, Andrew, to listen to this? You bet. I really really hate it. BUT that's just the level of embarrassment I am willing to experience in exchange for your hard earned money.

This episode is a panel of three women who were (and still are) involved in podcasting in March 2013 when it premiered. The first panelist is an outspoken activist in favour of sex worker rights as well as a very vocal supporter of Trans rights in the US she still hosts a podcast called The Whorecast it's Siouxsie Q. Next is the founding producer of the Nerdist suite of podcasts and ongoing freelance podcast producer Katie Levine . Last but not least is one of the great Midwesterners of all time, Emily Reese has been the long time creator of Level a podcast about video game music and continues to be a regular newscaster for Minnesota Public Radio's Minnesota Today.

Some notes:

• Past Andrew, you should talk less and listen more

• Catch all the social constructs that are treated by me as just...normal

• Progress and growth are good...very good.

No. Neither is Gaia.

Welcome back to Seemingly Unrelated the podcast that makes you wonder if World War II is responsible for you having a food processor (kind of, yeah)

This season we are tackling the topic of 'social constructs' because it seems like a lot of people have heard the phrase but maybe aren't too familiar with why it matters at all. To find out we will plumb the depths of gender traits, stereotypes, and common conceptions to get to the heart of why all our conversations about gender are the way they are.

To help breath life into this season we are joined by co-host and puppeteer extraordinaire Alicia Britt for the whole season starting with today's most pervasive and unassuming gender trope of them all: the pink/blue gender divide.

Is it true that women and girls love the colour pink because of the shapes and sizes of their cornea? Were boys dressed in pink hats and culottes once the height of masculine dress? Is Barbie associated with pink because girls like pink OR do girls like pink because Barbie does? Maybe our special interview guest Dr. Jo Paoletti will help us find out.

We'll be checking our swatches very closely to answer these questions plus examining the early modern colour-coded burial practices for Russian children on the season 3 premier of Seemingly Unrelated.

#blueisforboys #pinkisforgirls #Barbie #Barbenheimer #gender #history #podcast

Bibliography:

“1000 Things a Mother Should Know with Reference to Tiny Babies and Growiing Children | Jpaoletti’s Library | Zotero.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.zotero.org/jpaoletti/collections/AN5GRUJ8/items/9TUJE6TT/item-list.

Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. “Why Is the Virgin Mary Always Wearing Blue?” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://aleteia.org/2017/06/24/why-is-the-blessed-virgin-mary-always-wearing-blue/.

AP News. “Exhibit Spotlights 50 Years of Fab Fashion from FIT Archives.” February 7, 2019. https://apnews.com/arts-and-entertainment-travel-general-news-fashion-c4d4a6a62670406bba319aa3724ce21b.

Brown, Evan. “The Transformation of the Barbie Logo: 1959 to 2024.” DesignMantic, July 4, 2024. https://www.designmantic.com/blog/barbie-logo-transformation/.

“Clothing and Gender in America: Children’s Fashions, 1890-1920 on JSTOR.” Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy1.lib.gla.ac.uk/stable/3174031?seq=1.

Del Giudice, Marco. “The Twentieth Century Reversal of Pink-Blue Gender Coding: A Scientific Urban Legend?” Archives of Sexual Behavior 41, no. 6 (2012): 1321–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0002-z.

Eschner, Kat. “Why Coco Chanel Created the Little Black Dress.” Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-coco-chanel-created-lbd-180965024/.

Groyecka, Agata, Christoph Witzel, Marina Butovskaya, and Piotr Sorokowski. “Similarities in Color Preferences Between Women and Men: The Case of Hadza, the Hunter-Gatherers From Tanzania.” Perception 48, no. 5 (2019): 428–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006619840937.

Kershaw, Sarah. “Ruth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves, Dies at 85.” Arts. The New York Times, April 29, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/29/arts/ruth-handler-whose-barbie-gave-dolls-curves-dies-at-85.html.

Kohl, Johann Georg. Russia: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kharkoff, Riga, Odessa, the German Provinces on the Baltic, the Steppes, the Crimea, and the Interior of the Empire. Chapman and Hall, 1842.

Mattel #1 - 8 Barbie Vintage Dolls 1959+ Ponytail, Bubble Cut Dolls Identified USA. August 25, 2022. https://www.dollreference.com/barbie-vintage-dolls-identified-1959-62/.

Paoletti, Jo B. Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America. Indiana University Press, 2012. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gh7c4.

Phan, Karena, and The Associated Press. “Beyond the Summer of ‘Barbie Pink’: How the Color Went from an 18th Century Fashion Breakthrough to ‘the Most Controversial Color in Fashion.’” Fortune. Accessed June 12, 2026. https://fortune.com/2023/07/21/what-is-barbie-pink-history-of-color-fashion-mattel-trademark/.

The New York Times. “Opinion | Goodbye to Barbie’s Maker.” Opinion. April 30, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/30/opinion/goodbye-to-barbie-s-maker.html.

TIME. “Fashions: Baby’s Clothes.” TIME, November 14, 1927. https://time.com/archive/6742587/fashions-babys-clothes/.

If you've ever wondered what 'social construct' means and what mini-golfing Barbie dolls eating fish tacos has to do with gender, this is the season for you.

We are rapidly approaching the launch of season 3 for Seemingly Unrelated so it's time we give you a little preview to tantalise the senses.

New episodes start June 23rd and they come out weekly after that. But if you subscribe to the premium tiers on Patreon you can get the whole season in your feed ready to binge on day 1 plus exclusive access to bonus episodes and full length interviews conducted for this season.

Or was it invented in Paris to fight a rat infestation? Or was it accidentally made in India when they ran out of tonic to serve with gin?

This month on the bonus episode of Seemingly Unrelated we are travelling all around the world to find out exactly who invented that sweet, bubbly, bev popular at all the Japanese vending machines but not with people who have arthritis.

Joining this month is our resident beverage expert and owner of Walkie Talky Brewing it is Michael Johnstone and the co-host of the upcoming 3rd season of Seemingly Unrelated due to premiere June 23rd as well as a legendary puppeteer and overall good hang Alicia Britt.

Bibliography:

“Alexander Cameron Sim (1840-1900) - Find a Grave...” Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24018772/alexander_cameron-sim.

Ashcraft, Brian. “The History Of Ramune, Japan’s National Soda.” Japan. Kotaku, May 20, 2020. https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-ramune-japans-national-soda-1843559594.

Auslin, Michael R. Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the Culture of Japanese Diplomacy. Harvard University Press, 2004. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv322v49n.

Danovich, Tove. “How Lemonade Helped Paris Fend Off Plague And Other Surprising ‘Food Fights.’” Food History & Culture. NPR, March 12, 2017. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/12/519460915/how-lemonade-helped-paris-fend-off-plague-and-other-surprising-food-fights.

Imperial War Museums. “Soft Drinks : Their Origins and History.” Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500049544.

Mainichi Daily News. “Ramune: A Japanese Traditional Summer Soft Drink Is Making Waves Worldwide.” July 11, 2024. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240711/p2a/00m/0li/005000c.

Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. “Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Business Enhancement Act.” Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.chusho.meti.go.jp/sme_english/law/002.html.

“Soft Drinks - Bottled by Design - Hull Museums Collections.” Accessed May 28, 2026. http://museumcollections.hullcc.gov.uk/collections/storydetail.php?irn=134&master=452.

Spary, E. C. Eating the Enlightenment: Food and the Sciences in Paris, 1670-1760. University of Chicago Press, 2014. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo13412962.html.

Watanabe, Hideo. Foreign Settlements and Modernization: The Cases of Yokohama and Kobe. 8, no. 4 (2018).

Welford, Mark, and Brian Bossak. “Body Lice, Yersinia Pestis Orientalis, and Black Death.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 16, no. 10 (2010): 1649–51. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1610.100683.

紀伊國屋書店ウェブストア｜オンライン書店｜本、雑誌の通販、電子書籍ストア. “のじぎく文庫 使徒たちよ眠れ―神戸外国人墓地物語.” Nojigiku Bunko: Sleep, O Apostles—The Story of the Kobe Foreigners’ Cemetery. Kinokuniya Bookstore Online, Magazine Subscriptions. Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/f/dsg-01-9784875214472.

What if Nessie helped discover the influenza virus? Or if Bigfoot was a willing test subject on the futile quest to cure the common cold? It's a shame that mythical creatures can't really help us cure diseases...or can they?

On this month's bonus Seemingly Unrelated, guest presenter Phil W. Bayles will take us to the moon and back on the quest to find one cryptid that may have already saved your life...

Bibliography:

• Branch, M.P. (2022). On the Trail of the Jackalope. Simon and Schuster.

• ‌Mythology.net. (2017). Jackalope - Description, History, Myths & Interpretations. [online] Available at: https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/jackalope/.

• Native-languages.org. (2020). Native American Indian Rabbit Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes. [online] Available at: https://www.native-languages.org/legends-rabbit.htm [Accessed 29 Apr. 2026].

• Shope, R.E. (1937). IMMUNIZATION OF RABBITS TO INFECTIOUS PAPILLOMATOSIS. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 65(2), pp.219–231. doi:https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.65.2.219.

• Simon, M. (2014). Fantastically Wrong: The Disturbing Reality That Spawned the Mythical Jackalope. [online] Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/05/fantastically-wrong-jackalope/. 

World Health Organization (2024). Human papillomavirus and cancer. [online] World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer.

What if Nessie helped discover the influenza virus? Or if Bigfoot was a willing test subject on the futile quest to cure the common cold? It's a shame that mythical creatures can't really help us cure diseases...or can they?

On this month's bonus Seemingly Unrelated, guest presenter Phil W. Bayles will take us to the moon and back on the quest to find one cryptid that may have already saved your life...

Bibliography:

• Branch, M.P. (2022). On the Trail of the Jackalope. Simon and Schuster.
• ‌Mythology.net. (2017). Jackalope - Description, History, Myths & Interpretations. [online] Available at: https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/jackalope/.
• Native-languages.org. (2020). Native American Indian Rabbit Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes. [online] Available at: https://www.native-languages.org/legends-rabbit.htm [Accessed 29 Apr. 2026].
• Shope, R.E. (1937). IMMUNIZATION OF RABBITS TO INFECTIOUS PAPILLOMATOSIS. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 65(2), pp.219–231. doi:https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.65.2.219.
• Simon, M. (2014). Fantastically Wrong: The Disturbing Reality That Spawned the Mythical Jackalope. [online] Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/05/fantastically-wrong-jackalope/. 

World Health Organization (2024). Human papillomavirus and cancer. [online] World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer.

Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture.

🎵 Subscribe to the show everywhere

📽️ Find the videos on Youtube

🎰 Want even more? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month and a list of sources for this episode on our Patreon

Follow us on Substack Instagram TikTok

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

We are tackling two, yes TWO unrelateds that have to do with the very unexpected connects of popular food stuffs.

Joining Andrew this month is the season 3 crew fresh off of recording it is of course Alicia Britt and Producer Naomi!

Up first we tackle the outsized influence that Scotch whiskey had on the establishment of the NHS. Along the way we get to the bottom of why Johnnie Walker has multi-coloured labels and how to best deal with snake oil salesmen...Red Dead Redemption style.

Then we head over to Japan in the 70s to seek out the truly disturbing event that took instant ramen from obscurity to global dominance. The mystery has a lot to do with left wing radicals and once again the Mitsubishi corporation

Bibliography:

Brickman, Sophie. “The History of the Ramen Noodle.” Culture Desk. The New Yorker, May 21, 2014. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-history-of-the-ramen-noodle.

Bruce-Gardyne, Tom. “Dewar’s: A Brand History.” The Spirits Business, February 20, 2018. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2018/02/dewars-a-brand-history/.

“Full Record for ‘HIGHLAND DOCTOR’ (0033) - Moving Image Archive - Catalogue.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0033.

Master Of Malt. “Dewar’s Whisky.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://www.masterofmalt.com/distilleries/dewars-branded-whisky/.

McCrae, Morice. The National Health Service in Scotland: Origins and Ideals, 1900-1950. Tuckwell Press, 2003.

McQueen, Craig. “Campaign to Celebrate Scot Who Laid Foundations of NHS 100 Years Ago.” Daily Record, July 2, 2012. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/campaign-to-celebrate-scot-who-laid-1115508.

Murai, Shusuke. “Cup Noodles Slurping Strong, 45 Years On.” The Japan Times, August 22, 2016. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/22/reference/cup-noodles-slurping-strong-45-years/.

“NRS Web Continuity Service.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20230324104912/http://www.ournhsscotland.com/.

South China Morning Post. “What’s the Story behind Instant Ramen Noodles?” April 1, 2020. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3077785/whats-story-behind-instant-ramen-noodles-and-how-did.

Seemingly Unrelated is a podcast all about exploring how everyday things connect to major movements in history, politics and culture.

🎵 Subscribe to the show everywhere

📽️ Find the videos on Youtube

🎰 Want even more? Get bonus episodes for as little as $2/month and a list of sources for this episode on our Patreon

Follow us on Substack Instagram TikTok

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

And on the third day, the podcast rose again!

Apologies for the delay and also welcome to the belated March bonus episode of Seemingly Unrelated!

We are tackling two, yes TWO unrelateds that have to do with the very unexpected connects of popular food stuffs.

Joining Andrew this month is the season 3 crew fresh off of recording it is of course Alicia Britt and Producer Naomi!

Up first we tackle the outsized influence that Scotch whiskey had on the establishment of the NHS. Along the way we get to the bottom of why Johnnie Walker has multi-coloured labels and how to best deal with snake oil salesmen...Red Dead Redemption style.

Then we head over to Japan in the 70s to seek out the truly disturbing event that took instant ramen from obscurity to global dominance. The mystery has a lot to do with left wing radicals and once again the Mitsubishi corporation

Thanks for being our awesome Patreon subscribers and let people know how lovely our bonus episodes are at the low low price of just 2 units of western currency.

Bibliography:

Brickman, Sophie. “The History of the Ramen Noodle.” Culture Desk. The New Yorker, May 21, 2014. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-history-of-the-ramen-noodle.

Bruce-Gardyne, Tom. “Dewar’s: A Brand History.” The Spirits Business, February 20, 2018. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2018/02/dewars-a-brand-history/.

“Full Record for ‘HIGHLAND DOCTOR’ (0033) - Moving Image Archive - Catalogue.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0033.

Master Of Malt. “Dewar’s Whisky.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://www.masterofmalt.com/distilleries/dewars-branded-whisky/.

McCrae, Morice. The National Health Service in Scotland: Origins and Ideals, 1900-1950. Tuckwell Press, 2003.

McQueen, Craig. “Campaign to Celebrate Scot Who Laid Foundations of NHS 100 Years Ago.” Daily Record, July 2, 2012. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/campaign-to-celebrate-scot-who-laid-1115508.

Murai, Shusuke. “Cup Noodles Slurping Strong, 45 Years On.” The Japan Times, August 22, 2016. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/22/reference/cup-noodles-slurping-strong-45-years/.

“NRS Web Continuity Service.” Accessed April 5, 2026. https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20230324104912/http://www.ournhsscotland.com/.

South China Morning Post. “What’s the Story behind Instant Ramen Noodles?” April 1, 2020. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3077785/whats-story-behind-instant-ramen-noodles-and-how-did.