Talks in Class

We're traveling back to 2017 (yes, it's already been 8 years since 2017) to talk about 2010s millennial core, internet culture, Instagram aesthetics, the influencer economy, and parasocial relationships through the lens of one of my favorite movies ever, Ingrid Goes West. I share some of my own experiences as a content creator, discuss the evolution of millennial internet and & influencer culture, and share some of my favorite memories and trends from 2017.

This week we're traveling back to the '90s to explore one of the craziest cultural phenomenons I remember from childhood: the Beanie Baby craze. I overview the history of these floppy, stuffed toys and discuss how the Ty company was able to successfully manipulate the market to drive up the perceived value of the toys, share some of the craziest Beanie Baby moments I remember, and of course, talk about their downfall that left so many people with piles of nearly-worthless Beanie Babies.

This week we're looking back at cultural and fashion icons Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie and their rise to fame on 2003's "The Simple Life". I talk about some of the most memorable moments from the show, the outfits I desperately tried to copy, why I think the show was so popular and how Paris and Nicole changed our cultural understanding of what it meant to be a "celebrity".

Welcome back to the podcast, and happy holiday season! We're throwing it back to the year I graduated high school - 2005 - to talk about what I think is the most underrated holiday movie of the 2000s (and one of the most underrated movies of the decade in general). I share what makes me love this Christmas romcom so much, which parts hit home the most, and offer my thoughts on the mid-2000s fashion on display in this holiday classic.

Happy Halloween! This week I'm answering listener questions all about nostalgic Halloween memories. Topics range from homemade Halloween costumes, to trick or treating memories, to UNICEF boxes, to my personal favorite Halloween-themed sitcom episodes of the '90s.

Spooky season continues, and this week we're covering the massive popularity of witches, witchy aesthetics, and witch media in the 1990s. I discuss why I think witches were so popular at that particular point in time, some of the most influential witchy media for me as a kid, witches as feminist icons, and I count down my top 5 favorite media portrayals of witches.

It's about time I pay tribute and devote an entire episode to one the most iconic and influential brands of the McBling fashion era: Juicy Couture. In this episode, I talk about the history of the brand and how the founders successfully leveraged influencer marketing before that was even a thing to build a massively popular celebrity brand. I reminisce on some of the most memorable celebrities who wore Juicy, my earliest memories of the brand, how the 2008 recession changed the landscape of fashion, and ultimately, what led to the downfall of Juicy's popularity.

This week I'm talking about perhaps my very favorite toy growing up in the '90s: Barbie dolls. I cover a brief history of Barbie, talk about some of the iconic dolls I remember from the '90s, and discuss Barbie's legacy as a cultural icon. From her dream houses to her careers to her clothes, she's always reflected the current trends and values of society. I also share some fun facts about Barbie that you may not know!

Welcome back to the final episode in our nostalgic summer movies series! This week we're covering a hugely influential movie for me as a kid, 1995's Now and Then. I talk about some of the most memorable scenes in the movie (yes, including *that* scene with Devon Sawa), the ways this movie influenced my friends and in the '90s, and how its portray of girlhood and the adolescent experience differed from many movies aimed at young girls at the time. I also share some fun trivia facts I discovered about the movie and of course, talk about its amazing retro fashion and aesthetics.

This week we're talking about one of the most nostalgic summer time experiences for me: summer camp! I talk about my summer camp inspo (Bug Juice and The Parent Trap, obviously), my favorite parts of camp (like the pre-camp shopping trip), some of my best and worst camp memories, and unlock some Girl Scout camp memories with my top 5 favorite camp songs.