Today we go long on Miss Dasha Nekrasova, a podcaster/actress/director and the poster of our time 🫡 We discuss the genius of Red Scare, the tedious bleedout of Dimes Square discourse, and how Dasha's playfulness elevates her above the rotten lot of disaffected e-girls.

S/o to Ella @ellasimoneee for all of the help on this one!

Mentioned:

Girl Online, Joanna Walsh

"Red Scare Leans Into Nothing," Noreen Malone in the Cut

"Inside the New Right, Where Peter Thiel Is Placing His Biggest Bets" James Pogue in Vanity Fair

"Escape from Dimes Square" Will Harrison in The Baffler

MovieMaker Magazine shoot by Richard Kern

Welcome to my fitness manifesto! Today we explore the rise and reign of Lauren Kanski, a strength and fat loss coach (and my own personal guiding light regarding all things body, nutrition, movement, and longevity). We discuss the social status of fitness chicks, the grifter vibes of protein discourse, and how supreme interest in physical fitness is viewed as villainous.

Mentioned:

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia MD

RFK, Jr. on Rogan

Lauren on Strongest Self Podcast

⁠Lauren on Fuel You! Podcast⁠

Lauren on TripleFFFM Podcast

Lauren on Train With the Best Podcast

👉 FOLLOW (Instagram):

@lauren_kanski

@ash_lucy_wang

@drjuliamorgan

@hunter_crine

@lizplosser

@drgabriellelyon

@drjamesdinic

@dr.andychen

@thealanaragon

@jeana.aragon

@whitneyysimmons

@nikkiblackketter

@jazminegarcia

@cynthialeu

@jessglistening

Welcome back to STARGIRL, a show about girls who stand out! Today we ride the wave of Caroline Calloway's latest publicity cycle, centered on the long-awaited debut of her book, Scammer. We discuss CC's unwavering belief in her own destiny, the power/limits of villain/victim narratives, and how we never got to witness the magnetic, popular-girl character we were told to fear. We also explore the agony of watching someone try to extend their own messaging, and our waning interest in the forever-deferred payoff of her supposed narrative potential.

Discussed:

The Shift: Change Your Perspective, Not Yourself, Tinx's NYT best-selling book!

The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazzard

"I Was Caroline Calloway," Natalie Beach in The Cut

"Caroline Calloway Survived Cancellation. Now She's Doubling Down" Lili Anolik in Vanity Fair

"She Got Famous Calling Herself a Scammer. Is She Finally Making Good?" Olivia Messer in Rolling Stone

"The Essay That Started It All" excerpt from Natalie Beach's forthcoming book, Adult Drama

"The Death of the Muse: Emily Ratajkowski and the Right to One's Lens" my essay on the fusing of the artist&muse

Today we welcome Nisa Neza, the host of CAN'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE, to tackle Lana: Part I/ ! We explore: Lana's meandering, sun-flared world, the various sexual tropes she plays with, and how her music and look have evolved (/deteriorated) over the past decade. We also discuss how she foretold our collective Americana nostalgia moment, how patriotism plays out in her music and reception, and how she seized authority as *the* chronicler of Los Angeles. Plus! The threat of women whose self-destructive behavior leads to Great Art vs. Looking Bad :/

Follow Nisa @this.albanian.life

Listen to CAN'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE

This week we use TikTok star Alix Earle as a vessel to tackle one of my favorite topics: Blondeness! I discuss what it "means" to be/go blonde, the sorry state of blonde discourse, and how blondeness is deployed as a device in art vs. real life. I also pose the big-kahuna question: What is the beauty standard in 2023? and argue that our collective quest to "transform beauty standards" is less about changing on-the-ground sexual preferences and more about increasing access to commodification. Scary....

Discussed:

"Does Parade Underwear Make You Feel Good About Yourself?" Brock Colyar in The Cut

"Spiritual Bimboism" Nymphet Alumni episode

"What Does It Mean To Choose to Dye Your Hair Blonde?" Interview with Claudia Rankine on NPR

"Why So Many Asian-American Women Are Bleaching Their Hair Blond" Andrea Cheng in the Times

"The Enduring, Invisible Power of Blond" Tressie McMillan Cottom in the Times

"The Age of Instagram Face" Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker

"Botoxic Masculinity" Red Scare episode

"The Class Politics of Instagram Face" Grazie Sophia Christie in Tablet

"Hozempic" Red Scare episode

"Will the Ozempic Era Change How We Think About Being Fat and Being Thin?" Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker

This week we are joined by a real-life Stargirl, the writer Katie Roiphe, to discuss Mary McCarthy, one of the best and most controversial writers of the 20th century. We talk about the sharpness and brutality of her voice, her rejection of political movements in favor of a more intimate, material investigation of people's behavior, how her mass appeal violated the norms of her intellectual circle, and why she's been written out of certain feminist literary histories. Plus, Katie shares a handful of quotes about the myth of McCarthy's unnerving smile.

Discussed:

Stories in The Company She Keeps: A Cruel and Barbarous Treatment, The Genial Host, The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt

This week we tackle the backlog of "are they or aren't they" potential-Stargirls, revisit the Too-Too-ness, and talk about the importance of meaningfully alienating people with your ideas. Come play in my world! 🤸

Discussed:

Also discussed:

This week we delve deep into the uncanny, insidious world of the D2C underwear brand Parade and its CEO, Cami Téllez. I talk about the downsides of bridging art and editorial, the botched AI-ness of everything we're forced to look at, and the tendency for powerful, beautiful women to reject their normie power for the sake of 'relatability.' 

My essay "Late to the Parade: The Self-Own of Influencer Marketing in 2021"

This week we go long on Azealia Banks, the American rapper who can't STFU to save her life. I talk witchiness, how evil women problematize fourth-wave "Do You" feminism, and the thin line between being an aesthete and being a bully. 

Discussed:

"Perpetual Childhood: The Rise of Cute Feminism" by Mikaela Dery in Soft Punk

Lena Dunham's Girls is my favorite piece of art that's been created in my lifetime. I talk about why writing off the show as "narcissistic" is a massive missed opportunity, Lena's compulsion toward self-exposure and body horror, and her acute (unmatched?) understanding of how people behave. Happy Holidays y'all, and see you in the new year! 🌠

Discussed: