This week, Coco and Ashby close out the summer with pop music’s most literary It Girl: Dua Lipa.

Coco takes Ashby on a journey through her algorithm and her AirPods as they ask: what is it about Dua Lipa that feels so captivating? From the ongoing “Dua Lipa is always on vacation” joke to her recent marriage to Callum Turner, Mr. Dua Lipa if you ask them, they dig into how her glamorous Instagram presence has captured the internet without quite alienating it.

They explore how Lipa’s Kosovar-Albanian background informs her worldview, from her politics and activism to the books she highlights through her editorial platform, Service95. They also pop in the earbuds to get a feel for Dua as a podcast host, and come away with a clearer understanding of why she has earned a reputation as a surprisingly thoughtful book-club guide.

Coco and Ashby remain appropriately skeptical of celebrity culture, but they ultimately decide that if having a “Dua Lipa summer” means reading moving books, eating great food, connecting with friends, and dancing the night away, there are worse aspirations.

Just don’t make the mistake of ordering too many dirty martinis. You are not, in fact, Dua Lipa.

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode. Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod, and send ideas or feedback to [email protected].

This week, Ashby and Coco decide to give themselves nightmares by watching Backrooms and Obsession. Note: this episode contains SPOILERS. 

They briefly touch on the industry buzz around these high-grossing films, but focus mainly on why these stories seem to be connecting with audiences right now. From the uneasy, dread-inducing setting of Backrooms to the “red pill” Gen-Z masculinity at the center of Obsession, they unpack what these films might reveal about current cultural anxieties. They delve into how misogyny is portrayed in both films and raise bigger questions about Obsession: the point of view it chooses, its treatment of female characters, and the director’s own comments.

Ashby and Coco also highlight the standout performances that make these films so effective, especially Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve in Backrooms, and Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston in Obsession. They can’t wait to see what Navarrette does next! 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode. Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod, and send ideas or feedback to [email protected].

This week, Ashby and Coco ask: can Shaboozey explain America? 

While that’s too much pressure to put on one (very talented and very likeable) artist, they use his incredible popularity as an entry point to discuss country music, genre policing, Western iconography, and who gets to be a part of America’s story about itself. 

Along the way, Ashby shares her journey with country music, including how an artist like Shaboozey can help heal some of the alienation many left-leaning fans have experienced since the early-2000s “civil war” in the genre. 

Of course, Ashby and Coco also revisit their favorite film of 2025, Sinners, exploring how it complicates and illuminates the origin story of music in America. They also discuss the fast-paced, adventurous, and eerie novel Lone Women by Victor LaValle, which similarly expands our understanding of who belongs in the story of “the West.”

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode (including some of Ashby’s favorite ‘90s country music videos!). Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod, and send ideas or feedback to [email protected].

This week, Ashby and Coco, along with the entirety of the Bravoverse, tune in to Part 1 of the Summer House reunion. In this episode, we get into Lindsay Hubbard’s ascendance to Evil Queen (complimentary) of Summer House, why everyone needs to learn about codependency, the true value of female friendships, and what they hope to see from the show in the future (spoiler: it does not include West!) Oh, and Jesse’s crying and Kyle Cooke is a Real Housewife? 

Join us for this winding, unfiltered conversation. We can’t wait for Part 2! 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode! 

Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

They discuss:

• Lindsay Hubbard’s Evil Queen role (and how well she plays it)
• The difference between romcom fantasies and real life 
• Jesse is crying!!!! 
• Codependency
• Kyle Cooke as Real Housewife  
• Why friendship really matters 

And, of course, the immaculate Ciara Miller  

This week, Coco shares reflections on being a childfree woman in this current moment: at the intersection of far-right pronatalism and declining birthrate panic. We tease out the various stereotypes about women* without children and explore the role they play in our culture. Coco shares some of her favorite childfree representation – from essays to film to people on the internet – and why they are so close to her heart. 

While we don’t have any definitive answers, we explore the best-yet hypothesis for the global phenomenon of declining birthrates. And, you guessed it, we take aim at the billionaires and elites who are making it increasingly difficult to envision a stable future. But don’t despair!! We also discuss how, together, we can fight for a better future for all of us. 

Oh, and Coco brings up Children of Men, because of course! 

*Of course, not only women can get pregnant. On that note, this episode primarily focuses on heterosexual experiences and the cultural expectations placed on cis women in (seemingly) heterosexual relationships. We recognize that people of all identities experience the pressures, fears, hopes, confusion, and joy involved in deciding whether to become parents. If you have great resources that explore this from a queer perspective, we’d love for you to share them with us. 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode. Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

Ashby and Coco continue their reading journey with spring’s hottest novel, Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke, who also co-hosts the incredible Diabolical Lies podcast. 

Burke’s novel dives into the world of one “tradwife” influencer’s journey – and boy is it a journey!! – tracing how her early perceptions of other women, her experiences of marriage and motherhood, and her family origin story shape her psychology and choices. Ashby and Coco dig into the intersection of gender and right-wing politics, along with questions of mental health, internet personas, agency, and more. 

There are spoilers in this episode, but we flag any major reveals ahead of time! To fully enjoy the conversation, pick up Yesteryear at your local bookstore or at bookshop.org! 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode. Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

First off, a quick apology: this week’s episode was recorded on slightly different equipment than usual, which led to some audio issues. Thank you for your patience!

Ashby and Coco read Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West. Like, actually read the book! And only after that do they dive into the surrounding discourse, arriving at a central question: how can women share their experiences of marriage without falling into a trap? (The trap being: either have the perfect feminist marriage or blow up your life.)

They step back and walk through three key critiques that have emerged around Lindy and her relationships: (1) she’s lying to herself, (2) she’s lying to us, and/or (3) she’s a pathetic liberal martyr, none of which holds up.

Ashby takes us on a journey into the past to better understand the present, interrogating marriage as an institution and the historical forces that have separated women from one another. In the end, they arrive at a place of openness and optimism—not just for Lindy, but for all of us. They hope you enjoy!

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode! 

Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

Scandal

This week, Coco takes Ashby on a two-part journey through Summer House, introducing her to her friends (and frenemies) who love to party in the Hamptons. Though Ashby hasn’t seen the show, she’s a quick study when it comes to cultural discourse and brings a fresh perspective to the house and its many players.

In full transparency, we recorded the first episode – focused on Kyle’s toxic behavior toward Amanda – just hours before the West-Amanda scandal broke. So, naturally, we had to crack open a Loverboy* and fire up the mics again to unpack how this new information adds even more layers to the drama (and why, honestly, we’re kind of sad about it!). We want to live in a world of loyal female friendship and meaningful allyship…and maybe one with fewer DJs? 

*lol, we definitely didn’t

In this episode:

• Ciara Miller, West Wilson, and Amanda Batula: it’s much deeper than a love triangle 
• Female friendship, race, and betrayal 
• Anti-Black behavior in reality TV (and reality!)
• Scandal and discourse 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode! 

Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

Kyle & Amanda 

This week, Coco takes Ashby on a two-part journey through Summer House, introducing her to her friends (and frenemies) who love to party in the Hamptons. Though Ashby hasn’t seen the show, she’s a quick study when it comes to cultural discourse and brings a fresh perspective to the house and its many players.

In full transparency, we recorded the first episode – focused on Kyle’s toxic behavior toward Amanda – just hours before the West-Amanda scandal broke. So, naturally, we had to crack open a Loverboy* and fire up the mics again to unpack how this new information adds even more layers to the drama (and why, honestly, we’re kind of sad about it!). We want to live in a world of loyal female friendship and meaningful allyship…and maybe one with fewer DJs? 

*lol, we definitely didn’t

In this episode:

• Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula’s relationship arc 
• Patterns of misogyny in reality TV 
• Evolving fan relationships to reality TV
• Who gets to get away with bad behavior in reality TV 

As always, join us at syllabuspod.substack.com for all of the references made in this episode! 

Stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]

In this special Women’s History Month episode, Ashby and Coco dive into the work of three transformative women: Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Greta Thunberg.

They unpack their complicated feelings about Feminism™ and look to the ideas of women so often branded “radical” to find something genuinely powerful.

Using quotes from three books: Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis, Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur, and The Climate Book created by Greta Thunberg, they explore concepts and themes that have helped them stay sane, find hope, and take action.

We hope you enjoy!

As always, all references we make in the episode can be found at syllabuspod.substack.com. Don’t forget to stay in the loop on Instagram @syllabusthepod. 

Want to send an idea or feedback our way? Email us at [email protected]