Culture Club

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, the myths and taboos of menstruation, and what happens when a mood becomes an illness, with author Emma Hardy.A few weeks ago on the podcast, you may have heard Jas' tears as she struggled to cope in the midst of a hard premenstrual dysphoric disorder (or PMDD) week. PMDD is a severe, chronic medical condition similar to PMS, causing debilitating mood and physical symptoms in the 1–2 weeks before menstruation.In perfect timing, Melbourne author Emma Hardy published Periodic B*tch, a narrative memoir exploring the myths and culture surrounding the cyclical mood disorder. In this vulnerable chat, Emma shares her experience with the illness that led her to write the literary memoir and why PMDD is shrouded in cultural stigma.Buy Periodic B*tch here. You can follow Emma's work here. And, if you are also struggling with PMDD, you're not alone.Thank you for listening! Jas & Mags xo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harry Styles’ taxi cab engagement theory, the latest on Rebel Wilson’s lawsuits, and Meryl Streep’s pay rise energy. Hi friends! One of the biggest engagement stories of 2026 has landed: Harry Styles and Zoe Kravitz are betrothed after just eight months of dating. We break down the details and ask if the Sex & the City Taxi Cab Theory has anything to do with it. We reference the Harry Styles and Zane Lowe interview from earlier this year. This week, Taylor Swift was featured in The New York Times Magazine as one of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters. The NYT polled more than 250 music insiders and gathered six Times critics to select the songwriters. We question some contradicting statements. Never has an Australian film been faced with this much controversy. After first speaking about this in 2025, we have more to unpack about the messy lawsuits around Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, which has bombed its Australian cinematic release. While doing press for Devil Wears Prada 2, Meryl Streep revealed on the US Today Show that she asked to double her salary in 2006 for the first film. We discuss our own thoughts around pay transparency and advocating for your worth. We reference Anna Mackenzie's substack, and her Shoot Your Shot Wednesday initiative. In Bookmarked, Maggie shares a recent Modern Love x NYT episode (and shares a hack), and Jas recommends The Pitt on HBO Max. Thanks for listening! Jas and Mags xo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.