This week we welcome Miss Biz Sherbert and traverse the personal and cultural impact of Scarlett Johansson, perhaps the greatest sex symbol of the 21st century. We discuss the allure of pre-cultural fragmentation Hollywood, the coveted spot of Box Office Megastar X Indie Darling, and how the earthiness and wit that ScarJo pioneered got transmuted into a sarcastic hyper-relatability a la Jennifer Lawrence (shiver). 

We also explore what makes ScarJo distinct among the hoards of perky blondes we roll our eyes at (Reese Witherspoon, Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz, etc.), and question if a ScarJo “lineage” is even possible.

Biz Sherbert is a writer with a focus on image-making, the internet, and identity. Follow Biz on Instagram and listen to Nymphet Alumni!

Discussed:

• Ariana Grande and Michelle Yeoh being weird af at the 2024 Oscars

• ScarJo on Letterman at age 13 

• Anywhere I Lay My Head, ScarJo’s musical debut (2008)

• Scarlett Johansson Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, Esquire (2006)

• Scarlett Johansson Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, Esquire (2013)

• scarlett johansson shutting down sexist comments for 5 min straight

• ScarJo on the Goop podcast

• Scarlett Johansson Summons Her Superpowers, Gentlewoman (2021)
  Isaac Mizrahi Groped Scarlett Johansson at the Golden Globes in 2006  

Happy Thanksgiving! This week we investigate the Queen of Home Arts, Martha Stewart herself. We get inside the late ‘80s suburban decadence of Martha Stewart Living, and examine the Dream / Threat of Northeastern WASP-y frigidity. We also situate Martha in a lineage of STARGIRL domestic goddesses (Gwyneth Paltrow, Alison Roman, Ballerina Farm), explore the weirdness of transforming the Home into a stage, and reflect on who we “inherit” domesticity from in our modern era. 

Discussed:

Announcements:

The Body Series returns this week with my dear friend Molly, a licensed social worker, who shares her experience working as a therapist in NYC. We discuss the cultural fatigue around therapy speak and “trauma,” how CBT, DBT, Attachment Theory, etc. got subsumed into (and weaponized by?) mainstream discourse, and the current trend toward somatic healing practices. We also explore the downsides of overidentifying with diagnoses, and put Molly’s expertise in conversation with past Body Series guests, Emmeline Clein, Eloise Skinner, and Sloane Elizabeth.

Discussed:

Am I a Nicki fan? This week I’m joined by my friend Enzo Escober for a proper nostalgia trip. We reminisce about the ways that Nicki’s unprecedented, cartoonish female aggression served as real catharsis during our hormonal teenage years, and why her mode of pure id is so endlessly appealing. We also discuss Nicki’s contributions to 2010s Plasticity, the “Black Gaga” comparison (incorrect), and how it feels to watch her kick, bite, and scream to avoid passing the torch. 

Enzo Escober is a writer and critic from Manila. He has been published in Guernica, Slate, The Drift, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. He is the co-host of Diva Discourse, a podcast about Beyoncé, and lives in Brooklyn. 

Discussed: 

*Full episode on Patreon*

In this month's letter, we look at a handful of digital assets that have caught my attention this week (and affirm the STARGIRL worldview): Zendaya for On Running, Livvy Dunne's first arty editorial, and our first BTS look at Sydney Sweeney beefed up as a boxer. I also discuss Ariana Grande on SNL and explain why none of the Pop Princess contenders (Charli, Chappell, Sabrina, Tate, Camila) are Stargirls.

Plus, an emo recap on my wedding, which was maybe the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.

Discussed:

This week, I chat with Kristen Lynch, a business and mindset coach (and my former yoga teacher!) who helped me take STARGIRL to the next level. Through mindset and marketing support, Kristen helps her clients turn their “passion project” into a real deal business — we discuss the importance of investing in yourself and why you have to legitimize yourself to yourself first. For Kristen (and now for me), this all ties into larger self-concept work: how you treat and relate to your body, move through the world, and co-create with the universe to step into your gifts and provide real service to the people who need your work.

Kristen is a business coach for early-stage, soulful women entrepreneurs. She’s had dozens of raving testimonials, been featured on global brands, & become internationally-charted as the host of the Lead Her podcast.

Follow Kristen on Instagram

Subscribe to her podcast, Lead Her

Sign up for her free Legiz Biz email series

Learn more about 1:1 coaching

To those who make contact. . . This week we tackle the original New Age spiritual guru, our beloved Marianne Williamson. We delve into her decades-long search for Maximum Aliveness, and discuss the principles that have most profoundly affected me in her work: personal responsibility, surrender, inner peace, and a belief in the miraculous. 

Discussed:

*Full episode on Patreon*

Felt called to share how I’m thinking about the election and, more existentially, about the value of “patriotism” and how I show up in my tiny corner of the Garden. 

Discussed:

*Full episode on Patreon*

*Announcement*

Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!

Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class.

Reserve your spot here!

2. Intro to Strength Training Series

Every Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!

Sign up on ClassPass here!

Show notes:

Welcome back to the next episode of The Body Series! Today we have Dr. Julia Morgan, a sports chiropractor and fitness coach, and a huge inspiration for me as I’ve stepped into a new career as a personal trainer. Julia talks about her path from chiropractic work to strength training, and offers some expertise about the unique value of training with kettlebells. She also shares her experience as a fitness influencer, joining business forces with her husband, and building confidence through movement.

Follow @drjuliamorgan on Instagram

Check out Kettlebell Coach University (signups for their next Level 1 certification open 9/9!)

Download Julia’s 6-week Bridal Bootcamp program

*Announcement*

Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!

Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class.

Reserve your spot here

2.Intro to Strength Training Series

Every Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!
Sign up on ClassPass here

Show notes:

This week we tackle Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and social media star. Dunne is currently the highest-earning female college athlete (valued at $3.9M in NIL sponsorships alone) and has a chokehold on young men in America. We unpack the skepticism about her athletic abilities vs. sex appeal, fit her into a lineage of Buoyant Blondes (Kate Upton let’s go!), and feel out a new spectrum: fashion intellectualism vs. Feeling Good Naked. Omg!

Discussed: