This Is Critical

How we handle our body hair says as much about us as how we dress. Rebecca Herzig, professor and author of Plucked: A History of Hair Removal, explores the culture of shaving, waxing, plucking—and just letting it be.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can have a decent marriage, and also think your husband is a "snoring heap of meat". Virginia talks with Heather Havrilesky, author of Foreverland: The Divine Tedium of Marriage.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"Brands aren't really real," argues author and brand savant Debbie Millman. At the same time, Coca-Cola once promised to teach the world to sing and neolibs around the world now consider themselves personal brands. So, what's in a brand — and is there any use left in them? 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Don’t worry, we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming next Thursday.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fifteen years ago, Bill Browder became Putin's sworn enemy for fighting corruption in the Moscow business world. Now the author, activist, and Magnitsky Act advocate is here to explain how sanctioning Russian oligarchs can help stop Putin.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We have to stop. Ragen Chastain, the prominent Health at Every Size advocate, explains what we get wrong about weight loss, size stigma, and inclusive healthcare.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses, Virginia’s dad and James Joyce scholar James Heffernan shares his love of the notoriously difficult novel. Open to all, no pre-reqs needed.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The namaste folks are just about downward dog and world peace, right? Maybe not. Conspirituality podcast host and former cult member Matthew Remski reveals the sinister rightward lurch of yoga and the wellness industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We've all heard that following our passions will lead to a career we love, but labor journalist Sarah Jaffe contends that emotional fulfillment will never come from our corporate overlords, no matter how hard we work for them.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world of sports is filled with pointless supplements and miracle cures but what happens when the disinformation—about everything from nutrition to Covid—influences the rest of us? Dr. Nicholas Tiller tells us why we’re so attracted to bad science, and how to avoid it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.