Culture Study Podcast

This one's a classic Culture Study ep. We've got a return Culture Study guest, Sara Petersen, talking about a recurring Culture Study topic: WTF is going on with the momfluencers? Because when we talk about momfluencers, we're obviously also always talking about the ways we want motherhood to be performed in public... and how we also want/crave/need to police that performance. How are today's up-and-coming (and old school and tired) momfluencers managing politics, MAHA, privacy, and the constant demand for more reels? What is it about these accounts that always make "family" feel like a conservative project? And what's going on with the Canva-style checklists for "how to visit my newborn baby"??? We have SO much to talk about. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode! Get 15% off your first order of cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTURE Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at Tumbleliving.com/CULTURE Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD Ollie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get 70% off your first box! Show Notes: Definitely subscribe to Sara Petersen's newsletter (I read every issue) and check out her new podcast with Emily J. Smith, Clean Countertops  Like..... read her latest missive on Mr. Ballerina Farm The Ballerina Farm pregnancy announcement/Protein Powder promotion short film Like Sara, I am now obsessed with BROOKE RAYBOULD (pictured above) SO MUCH HAPPENING I reference MTPromiseLand Read Sara's interview with Fortesa Latifi, author of the book about the kids of influencers Brooklyn and Bailey (whom I call the Baylor Influencer Twins)   We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: SUMMER CAMP, SPECIFICALLY THE SUMMER CAMPS LIKE CAMP MYSTIC — camp-as-society-funnel, what counts and doesn't count as safety — with Kerry Howley, the author of this deep dive feature into the aftermath of the Mystic tragedy WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today's BIG MARGARET ANNOUNCEMENT, we mentioned that we'll be doing (consistent) monthly bonus episodes from here on out — and here's the first one! It's part of an ongoing series that we're either calling 1) Late to the Party or 2) Cool Takes, in which we arrive a few weeks late to whatever cultural text is dominating the discourse (because that's when most of us have actually found the time to watch/listen/read/whatever). This month, we're talking about Season Two of The Pitt, which also means we're talking about melodrama, medical procedurals, the hottest doctor, what it was like for Margaret to binge both seasons to prep for this ep, whether the show knows Dr. Robby is a dick (yes) and whether the show is also teeing us up for the Night Shift in Season Three (yes). There's obviously a lot here for anyone who watches the show — but we purposefully crafted this ep to focus on larger questions of what makes a television show effective right now. Can't wait for alllllll your thoughts on this one. If you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weddings are such a rich text. Maybe the richest text? At least how they're performed today, at the intersection of conspicuous consumption and cultural capital. What do your wedding favors say about you? What about your cell-phone policy? The number of times you post your wedding photos? If you have three separate wedding outfits, is that extra? But is just one... not enough? And if people talk so much shit about weddings (going to them, paying for them, planning them) why don't we just get married like it's 1962? Amanda Montell — author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and architect of an extremely extra wedding — joins the pod to unpack wedding culture's turn towards content creation (with a bunch of bonus talk about how to do what actually feels right for you). What a wacky, joyful, yet still classically Culture Study ep! Via Pinterest, of course Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode! Take the Hormonal Life Stage Quiz and get 32% off your first purchase at Biologica.com/CULTURE Treat yourself to the most advanced bras on the market and get 20% off at honeylove.com/CULTURE Go to wildalaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first order of premium, wild-caught seafood Get $25 off the best-selling Carver Mat frame at AuraFrames.com with promo code CULTURE Show Notes: Follow Amanda Montell on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/?hl=en We talk a lot about Amanda's wedding/wedding photos — a peek here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DK2R0NzsruX/?hl=en&img_index=1 Buy The Age of Magical Overthinking here: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9781668007983 Buy Cultish here: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9780062993168 Listen to Amanda's podcast, Sounds Like a Cult: https://www.soundslikeacult.com/ And her other podcast, Magical Overthinkers: https://bio.site/magicaloverthinkers We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: BOOK CONCIERGE... BUT FOR IRISH LITERATURE. We're so thrilled to have Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) on the pod to do an Irish version of our book concierge: tell us what books you love, and Maggie and I will suggest Irish books to check out (or ask us Maggie O'Farrell-related questions! Her new book, Land, is set in Ireland before and after 'The Great Hunger') HEARTTHROBS with return guest Adib Khorram! Who are the heartthrobs in 2026, where did they come from, who gets to be one, etc etc WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment. As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: How have you observed the content-ification of weddings in your world... and how have you seen people resist it? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When we wax poetic about the wonders of 2007 and 2008... what are we actually yearning for? Serendipity? Hope? The as-yet uncompromised belief that the arc of history bends toward justice? Or maybe just... a world without smartphones? Atlantic writer and bestselling novelist Xochitl Gonzalez joins the pod to talk about what it felt like to be at the epicenter of 2007/2008 nostalgia, and how it created the perfect backdrop for her take on very Brooklyn Great Gatsby. This was such a dynamic discussion, filled with tangents and joy and trying to parse the contradiction of feeling nostalgia for an era that objectively sucked... but also generated a feeling of optimism and possibility that many of us have not felt since. I can't wait for the discussion on this one. Brooklyn October 2008 (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode! Get $25 off the best-selling Carver Mat frame with code CULTURE at auraframes.com/culture If you're in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, or bed, head over to Article.com Start your dog's obsession with 70% off your Welcome Kit by using code CULTURE at Ollie.com/CULTURE Show Notes: Buy Xochitl's Last Night in Brooklyn here Follow Xochitl on Instagram here More on the YOUTHQUAKE A solid overview from Marketplace on the housing affects (and ramifications of) the recession — including the stat referenced by Xochitl that nearly 10 million people lost their homes Xochitl's first novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, is about a Sunset Park wedding planner (something Xochitl talks about extensively in this conversation) Our episode re: "Are Millennials the Most Nostalgic Generation?" Michelle Obama in J.Crew (and why it mattered) Photo evidence (from my FACEBOOK ALBUM) that the scene I describe re: Brooklyn with my brother on Fourth of July did occur   We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: BOOK CONCIERGE....BUT FOR IRISH LITERATURE. We're so thrilled to have Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) on the pod to do an Irish version of our book concierge: tell us what books you love, and Maggie and I will suggest Irish books to check out (or ask us Maggie O'Farrell-related questions! Her new book, Land, is set in Ireland before and after 'The Great Hunger') HEARTTHROBS with return guest Adib Khorram! Who are the heartthrobs in 2026, where did they come from, who gets to be one, etc etc WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment. As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: Tell us about your 2007/2008 — and your feelings about it (and how it relates to this larger nostalgia for this era). Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Did you see the stat from last week that the U.S. could've fully funded universal daycare for two million children... using the money spent on the War on Iran (only leading up to the ceasefire)? Do you look at the billions spent on ICE enforcement and think: my federal taxes are funding this? Are you super annoyed that only the rich get praised for "tax loopholes" — while the poor get told they're freeloaders? And what about billionaires bragging about not paying taxes? So many of you have asked for a sharp conversation about the morality and civic duty of taxes and money, and I'm thrilled to have sociologist Ruth Braunstein — whose new book is about these very questions — on the show to answer all of your deep and difficult questions. This one's a just trust me: you might not think you're that interested in the morality of taxes, but this conversation will stick with you for days. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode! Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD For a limited time, try OneSkin with 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.co/CULTURE. That’s 15% off oneskin.co with code CULTURE Get 40% off select Lola Blankets products at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout. Experience the world’s #1 blanket with Lola Blankets Show Notes: Learn more about Ruth's work: https://www.ruthbraunstein.com/ Subscribe to Ruth's newsletter: https://ruthbraunstein.substack.com/ Order Ruth's book, My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9780691254999 Also check out Ruth's documentary podcast: https://www.ruthbraunstein.com/podcast Just a very straightforward representation of the history of the marginal tax rate: https://taxpolicycenter.org/statistics/historical-highest-marginal-income-tax-rates I promised links to War Tax Resistance Sites — War Tax Resistors League: https://www.warresisters.org/war-tax-resistance/ National War Tax Committee Resistance Coordinating Committee: https://nwtrcc.org/ We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: BOOK CONCIERGE....BUT FOR IRISH LITERATURE. We're so thrilled to have Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) on the pod to do an Irish version of our book concierge: tell us what books you love, and Maggie and I will suggest Irish books to check out (or ask us Maggie O'Farrell-related questions! Her new book, Land, is set in Ireland before and after 'The Great Hunger') HEARTTHROBS with return guest Adib Khorram! Who are the heartthrobs in 2026, where did they come from, who gets to be one, etc etc WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment. As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: How are you thinking about tax protesting right now? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When we recorded this episode two weeks ago, we knew that the Supreme Court was planning on releasing a judgment in Chiles v. Salazar — to decide whether Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy (which is similar to laws in 22 other states) likely violated the First Amendment. We thought the decision might come in June. But it fell last week like a hammer, and has the potential to undo years of advocacy to ban treatments that have tried to "ungay" thousands of kids, teens, and adults. The judgment is devastating. But it also reminds us that just because a treatment is "legal" doesn't mean it's ethical — or even that it works. (It doesn't!) Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez endured years of conversion therapy, and joins the pod to talk about the real psychological harms it inflicts, and answer all of your excellent questions about how to spot a therapist using low-key conversion tactics, how to make sure kids growing up in high-control anti-gay environments know you're a safe person, and why this therapy persists despite so much evidence that it doesn't work. This is a hard episode — but an important one. GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREOllie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code culture to get 60% off your first box!Thanks to Article for sponsoring this podcast! If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to https://www.article.com/Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.Show Notes:Pre-order Conversion Therapy Dropout here: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9798889835431 Follow Timothy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/timothy.s.rodriguez/Subscribe to Timothy's newsletter here: https://timothysrodriguez.substack.comThe Center for American Progress report on the Trump administration's efforts to rebrand conversion therapy: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-campaign-to-rebrand-conversion-practices-puts-lgbtqi-communities-at-risk/A solid overview of some of the ramifications of deeming therapy as protected free speech: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2026/03/chiles-salazar-therapy-free-speechExodus International disbanded in 2013 and released a statement that conversion therapy doesn't actually work: https://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193965227/group-that-claimed-to-cure-gays-disbands-leader-apologizesFor anyone who needs it, Tim recommends the Q Christian Fellowship, which provides resources for LGBTQ+ Christians - https://www.qchristian.orgMelody's other podcast, Strict Scrutiny, recorded an emergency episode about the opinion, its complications, and its ramifications: https://crooked.com/podcast/scotus-not-cool-with-colorado-ban-on-conversion-therapy/We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. EMILY BLUNT! (and secondary characters becoming primary ones!) with Xochitl Gonzalez — obvi we're gonna talk a lot about Devil Wears Prada and 2000s-era striving but you can take this in so many directions BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: If you have additional advice on how to highlight that you're a safe person for kids who are growing up in repressive/anti-gay homes, we'd love to hear it. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The future of the chain restaurant is... chicken? I learned so much from this conversation with food systems (and chain restaurant) expert Austin Frerick — from how Sysco maintains its restaurant supremacy (and what Sysco "tastes" like) to which chain restaurants have significantly changed in quality (Wendy's) and are on the verge of extinction (also Wendy's). Did you know what makes a chain restaurant resistant to suckage? The answer will and will not surprise you! This was such a fun, enlightening conversation — the sort that you'll think about every time you eat in or drive past a chain restaurant — and does exactly what we always hope for a Culture Study episode: it'll make you think a lot more about the (very everyday, very unassuming) world around you. Enjoy! GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Shimmer Face Oil with your first purchase!Go to  https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Get an additional 20% off better plants and better growing at FastGrowingTrees.com using the code CULTURE at checkout.Get 15% off your first order of cleaning products by going to Blueland.com/CULTUREShow Notes:Learn more about Austin Frerick's work here: https://www.austinfrerick.com/Buy Barons (and get links to a whole bunch of excerpts) here: https://www.austinfrerick.com/baronsThe episode of Odd Lots with Austin as the guest (it's so good) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mega-corporations-that-control-what-americans-eat/id1056200096?i=1000650703441The Top 250 US Chain Restaurants (as of 2025): https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/top-500-2025-rankingThis is a very fawning look at the history of Simplot (which we mention briefly) but you'll get the larger Baron moves: https://www.readtrung.com/p/jr-simplot-became-a-billionaire-sellingA history of frozen food in America: Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in AmericaRevisit our episode from last year on how private equity ruins everythingWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. EMILY BLUNT! (and secondary characters becoming primary ones!) with Xochitl Gonzalez — obvi we're gonna talk a lot about Devil Wears Prada and 2000s-era striving but you can take this in so many directions BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: We want to hear all your contemporary fast food observations — what's thriving, what's struggling, and what are your (additional) theories about why? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Did you get into gaming as an adult? Did you come back to gaming as an adult? Or, like me, did you savage people on Bubble Bobble in the early '90s... and are trying to figure out how to reproduce that feeling as an adult? Or maybe you're gaming-curious... but can't shake the feeling that gaming is a waste of time (and/or associate it with POS ex-boyfriends). Keza MacDonald, gaming critic for The Guardian and author of a stunning new book on the history of Nintendo, is here to field all your questions: about those dude-gaming stereotypes, about gaming as "unproductive"... but also what sort of new games you should be playing (based on what you already play and love). Melody came to gaming as an adult and says THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD, and I'm still trying to figure out my way there and also say THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD. Wherever you are in your gaming journey, you're gonna love Keza and love this conversation. And if you want Keza's expert recommendations for games, you'll definitely want to become a paid subscriber so you can access this week's Ask Anne Anything!GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Ollie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code culture to get 60% off your first box!Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTUREGet 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTUREShow Notes:Go buy Keza Macdonald's Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play ( I mean, it made Melody cry!) Read Keza's treasure trove of columns at The Guardian here Make sure to check out the much longer conversation I had with Keza about the history of Nintendo over in the newsletter! A nice write-up of "cozy games" (and refusing to let that label delegitimize them) Same Face Syndrome or Why Scruffy-White-Dude Protagonists Don’t Help Anyone (look for the image on the right of all the protagonists) Stats on LGBTQ representation in game development: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/feb/19/video-games-industry-diversity-women-people-of-colour Keza references The Score: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/Thinky Games! https://thinkygames.com/We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world historical gossip (and how gossip works today). We really want to make this episode happen but we need your questions! WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. EMILY BLUNT! (and secondary characters becoming primary ones!) with Xochitl Gonzalez — obvi we're gonna talk a lot about Devil Wears Prada and 2000s-era striving but you can take this in so many directions BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: We'd love to hear all your thoughts about your successes (and struggles) getting into gaming as an adult. Take this in whatever direction you'd like! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the second coming of Hilary Duff... but real ones know she never went anywhere. This week we're so lucky to have Allie Jones — author of the superb Gossip Time newsletter and Hilary Duff superfan — on the show to answer all your questions about how Duff managed to avoid her peers' timeline, her professionalism, her relatable lack of stage presence, and the crafting of her millennial mom image. (Melody fans will also appreciate her appearances in this episode touting bottomless Duff knowledge). If you want the podcast equivalent of going to the mall in 2005 and walking around doing nothing but somehow having a great time, this ep is for you. GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Take your food to the next level with Graza. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY today for 10% off your first order of olive oil!Get 40% off select Lola Blankets products at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout.Thanks to Article for sponsoring this podcast! If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to https://www.article.com/Go to  https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Show Notes:Go subscribe to Gossip Time! https://gossiptime.substack.com/Allie's breakdown of the mom drama: https://gossiptime.substack.com/p/ashley-tisdale-mom-group-drama-mandy-mooreAllie's breakdown of Haylie vs. Hilary: https://gossiptime.substack.com/p/hilary-duff-haylie-duff-feud-explainerThe original With Love choreography from The Today ShowHilary doing the 'With Love' choreography on the new tourThe That's So Gay PSA for those who'd like to re-liveThe problematic sexy pilgrim costume from 2016The music video for Roommates, from Hilary's new album luck... or somethingWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world historical gossip (and how gossip works today). We really want to make this episode happen but we need your questions! WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. EMILY BLUNT! (and secondary characters becoming primary ones!) with Xochitl Gonzalez — obvi we're gonna talk a lot about Devil Wears Prada and 2000s-era striving but you can take this in so many directions BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Gonna make it easy this week... just give us more of your Hilary Duff thoughts!! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Free Yourself from the Tyranny of the Automobile!! That's the subtitle of the new book Life After Cars, written by the hosts of the popular podcast "War On Cars." And listen, I am 100% on board: this quasi-hippy spent most of her 20s trekking around college towns on a crappy commuter bike. But like a lot of you, I also live in a place where the infrastructure has refused to catch up to my desire to have fewer cars on the road. So here's what I absolutely loved about this conversation: we talked at length about all the ways that cars make our lives worse... and also talked about the ways that we need them (particularly in rural areas) and the movement they afford people whose freedoms are otherwise circumscribed. There is absolutely nothing fixed about our current car-contingent culture, and Sarah and Doug were so good at fostering a funny (and super smart) conversation about what sucks, what doesn't have to suck, and places that are working to make it suck less. This was one of those eps were Melody and I finished recording and couldn't stop texting about how good they were — so let's keep the conversation going in the comments. GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/CULTURE Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODFeed the obsession by going to ollie.com/culture and using code CULTURE to get 60% off your first box!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREShow Notes:Buy Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile here!Listen to the War on Cars podcast (and if you love it, subscribe to their Patreon)You can also sign up for their newsletter hereFollow War on Cars on IG hereOh and check out all of the great War on Cars merch hereFor more on the creative traffic solutions in Ghent, watch this YouTube videoWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world of Black gossip columns during the golden era of Black newspapers (1930 to 1960). What do you want to know about how the Black press worked during this era — and how gossip in particular worked (both about stars, local celebrities, and normal people?) There's so much here!!!Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc — we're talking to Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez about his new book, Conversion Therapy Dropout, and there are so many connections to the ways the current administration is currently trying to "de-trans" people in custody) Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: How would your life change with fewer cars on the road? If you have a car, what infrastructure improvement would make it easier to let it go? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I first came up for the idea for the Culture Study Romance Book Club back in January, I knew I wanted every edition to have two books: one contemporary, and one historical. Part of this desire was selfish (I personally gravitate towards historicals) but I also wanted to explore the contrast between what you can do with a romance set in the past (with its particular confines) and one set in the present (with seemingly none, but actually so many). I also knew that I wanted to start with M/M romances (hi, Heated Rivalry) and that Melody had sung the very loud praises of renowned historical queer romance author Cat Sebastian's mid-century queer romance — particularly You Should Be So Lucky, which managed to combine baseball (one of Melody's true loves) with romance (Melody's secondary love). And listeners, I hope this is clear: when it comes to so many things, but romance in particular, I listen to Melody! And when Melody asked if we should try and get Cat on the pod, I said "obvi please try." AND THEN SHE MADE IT HAPPEN. This remains a total marvel of hosting a podcast: sometimes the people you admire so deeply... can also come on your pod. This is a long preamble to the overarching point: Cat Sebastian isn't just an absurdly talented (and successful) author of queer historical romance. She's also whipsmart when it comes to the crafting of these romances, the idea of vibes vs. plot (and third act break-ups in particular), how she translates the historical record, and so much more. This pod is for you if you're at all interested in romance, obviously, but also if you're at all interested in how we think about the past as a narrative playground. Final note: We had such a good time recording this episode and laughed one billion times — I hope that joy translates when you listen! GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, bed, or classy full-length mirror, head over to Article.com.Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY to get 15% off your first order when you use CULTURESTUDY at checkout.Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Shimmer Face Oil with your first purchase!Show Notes:As Cat suggested, the best way to keep up with her is by subscribing to her intermittent newsletter hereYou can find a breakdown of all of Cat's books and their time periods here (I found this very helpful) You can buy Cat's new book, Star Shipped, HERE!!!!A great AMA with Cat here Cat mentions the book Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II, by Allan BérubéA listener mentions The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, and Cat and Anna enthusiastically co-sign the recommendationCat recommends: The Duke by Anna Cowan (out April 28); A Gentleman's Gentleman by T.J. Alexander; When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley; and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana HerreraWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world of Black gossip columns during the golden era of Black newspapers (1930 to 1960). What do you want to know about how the Black press worked during this era — and how gossip in particular worked (both about stars, local celebrities, and normal people?) There's so much here!!!HILARY DUFF!!! The comeback, the new album, let's talk about all of it — with Hilary Duff expert/forever-fan ALLIE JONES (also Melody loves Hilary Duff so much and will be very sad if we don't get enough questions for this episode) Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc — we're talking to Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez about his new book, Conversion Therapy Dropout, and there are so many connections to the ways the current administration is currently trying to "de-trans" people in custody) KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? We're talking with the author of a new book about the ramifications of growing up within these worlds — it's gonna be so good. Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: OH MY GOD WE COULD TALK FOREVER! If you could set a queer romance at any time, when would it be? What would your characters be doing, and how would they fill their days? Also who wants to be best friends with Cat (me) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Baby names are in inexhaustible cultural text. They're a way to talk about class, race, and gender, of course — but also the way we perform familial respect and coherence. In this episode, sociologist Hannah Emery — who wrote her dissertation on baby names — joins us to talk about the history of baby names, how naming conventions and aspirations have changed over the last century, and the broad and specific requests parents bring to her as a naming consultant. It's all fascinating — and I can't wait to continue the conversation (about our names and the names of the children in our lives) in the comments. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTUREGet 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURETreat your dog with Ollie! Go to ollie.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your first boxHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packShow Notes:You can find Hannah's fascinating name newsletter here (Try starting with this piece on middle names)I put Melody's name graph up top but here's mine (you can find yours for the U.S. here)The Top U.S. Names of 2025 According to BabyCenter: This made me laugh We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:HILARY DUFF!!! The comeback, the new album, let's talk about all of it — with Hilary Duff expert/forever-fan ALLIE JONES (also Melody loves Hilary Duff so much and will be very sad if we don't get enough questions for this episode) Dark academia — the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you want (for an episode with R.F. Kuang!) Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc.) Your Parent(s) Died — How Do You Deal with All This PAPERWORK and bureaucracy??? (with death doula Becky Robison) KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? We're talking with the author of a new book about the ramifications of growing up within these worlds — it's gonna be so good. Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What names still bewilder you? Let's talk about them! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Unstructured conversation! Teenage Feelings! Flesh walls! Abjection! Jacob Elordi's Jacob Elordi-ness! Arguments about the purpose of adaptation! THE GREAT AND VERY SMART MARGARET WILLISON! This bonus episode's got it all. So listen on as three English Majors with various levels of affection for the source text talk about horny aspic, the melodramatic imagination, Romeo + Juliet, pseudo race-blind casting, the 2005 Pride & Prejudice, and whether director Emerald Fennell is enough of a perv (no). Even if you haven't seen Wuthering Heights, this is a much larger conversation about adaptation, contemporary film, casting, the feelings we're looking for when we go to the movies, and much more. And if you have seen it, wow do we have more to talk about in the comments. So enjoy this bonus episode — and tell us what bonus episodes (with similar, loose-but-text-based-focus) you'd like to see in the future! (And if you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here. If you have any issues, just email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail) ! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I've written a bunch of mildly serious stuff about having BIG NO-KIDS ENERGY. I've talked with so many others — and published interviews with them! — about how they've negotiated conversations with others about not having kids, leaned in to the expansiveness of their no-kids lives, and figured out their own life priorities when they're not what society tells you they should be. But all of these conversations have been pretty, well, serious. But not having kids can be many things. More specifically, not having kids can be hilarious. Today, comedian (and not-kid-haver) Natasha Vaynblat joins the pod to answer all your questions about the awkward, unconsciously ridiculous, and straight-up offensive questions that people ask when you don't have kids — and how to figure out how to answer (sometimes seriously, sometimes with a sense of humor). I don't think any Culture Study guest has made me spit out my water as much as Natasha, so regardless of whether you don't have kids and relate immediately or DO have kids and just relate to the idea of strangers and/or supposedly beloved family members asking you inappropriate shit... I hope you almost spit out your water, too. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Thanks to Article for sponsoring this podcast! If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to https://www.article.com/Go to Graza.co and use CULTURESTUDY to get 10% off your first order of olive oil, and be sure to look for Graza Mayo the next time you're at your local grocery store!For a custom-fit night guard, go to shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE  at checkout for 50% off.Get 40% off select Lola Blankets products at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout.Show Notes:Follow Natasha Vaynblat on Instagram here (worth it I promise) BUY A TICKET TO SEE NATASHA ON APRIL 28TH IN NEW YORK!!!!Visit Natasha's website for links to alllll of her stuff, including her stand-up special We're All Dads Here If you want to read the previous posts in the BIG NO-KIDS ENERGY series, they're all collected here! We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS (with Sara Petersen, of course) Dark academia — the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you want (for an episode with R.F. Kuang!) Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc.) Your Parent(s) Died — How Do You Deal with All This PAPERWORK and bureaucracy??? (with death doula Becky Robison) What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Natasha offered so many possibilities for how you could respond to various weird questions... do you have more? Or: let's hear the most awkward (having kids or not having kids) question someone has asked you about your reproductive future!!!! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why is weird spelled like that? Why is yacht pronounced like that? Why is a firefighter a person who fights fires... but a pickpocket is neither a pick nor a pocket? We're so lucky to have linguist Colin Gorrie on the pod to talk about the "disaster" of English spelling and the history you can unearth in pretty much every English word. This one's such a nerdy delight — if you found yourself enraptured by our episode on accents, you're gonna love this one, too. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Celebrate your number one valentine, your greatest love, your dog! Head to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit.Go to wildalaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood.Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD.Get 15% off your first order at Blueland.com/CULTUREShow Notes:Subscribe to Colin Gorrie's newsletter, Dead Language Society, hereI personally really love 'Dog' is a Weird Word (you can find all the Weird Word editions collected here)Listen to our episode on The Ridiculously Interesting World of American Accents! I reference Wound Man — here's my interview with the art historian on the historical representations of him A very weird 1818 illustration of a pickpocket Just for fun, a map of Europe with place names in the dominant language of the placeWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS (with Sara Petersen, of course) Dark academia — the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you want (for an episode with R.F. Kuang!) Getting into Gaming as AN ADULT (and especially as a woman or non-binary person) (with Keza Macdonald, author of the new history Super Nintendo) Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc.) Your Parent(s) Died — How Do You Deal with All This PAPERWORK and bureaucracy??? (with death doula Becky Robison) What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Just gonna be real basic here and ask... What did you learn from this episode? So many tidbits and delightful explanations! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when the "move fast and break things" start-up philosophy comes for infertility treatments? Exactly what you'd expect: cut corners, bad service, aesthetically pleasing offices that can't seem to stop churning staff, upsells backed by dubious science, and more. This week, journalist Jackie Davalos joins the pod to talk about her reporting on IVF start-up Kindbody, breaking down why so many of these women's health start-ups give us the ick... and also answer all your questions about sketchy IVF business practices. I cannot tell you how much I learned from this episode — and how wild it is to have this corner of health care remain this unregulated. If you're not in the right place to listen to other people's complications with IVF, feel free to skip this episode — but if you want to get pissed about how difficult, weird, and opaque the process can be, definitely listen to this episode. Finally, a special thanks to Culture Study reader & listener Shawn Wen for making this episode happen. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Get 50% off your purchase of a new night guard at shopREMI.com/CULTUREHead to ZBiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use the code CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% offIf you’re in the market for a new sofa, dining table, or bed, check out the beautiful options at Article.comStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love todayShow Notes:Go listen to IVF Disrupted You can find in-depth descriptions of all the episodes here [IN GENERAL, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SOURCING, THEY'RE ALLLLLLLL RIGHT THERE IN THE PODCAST] You can follow host Jackie Davalos (in her new French bakery era) on IG hereWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS (with Sara Petersen, of course) Dark academia — the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you want (for an episode with R.F. Kuang!) Writing Queer Historical Romance (with Cat Sebastian) Getting into Gaming as AN ADULT (and especially as a woman or non-binary person) (with Keza Macdonald, author of the new history Super Nintendo) Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc.) Your Parent(s) Died — How Do You Deal with All This PAPERWORK and bureaucracy??? (with death doula Becky Robison) What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: This is a space to share how the more unregulated (or business-minded) components of IVF manifested in your own experience — or just to talk about what pissed you off the most from this episode. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How does an audiobook narrator know how to pronounce everything? Do they have editors? How many books can they do a year? What differentiates the live voice from AI — and how do they get paid (vs. how should they get paid)? And why are so many beloved books read by Julia Whelan? WELP, FRIENDS, GOOD NEWS, WE GOT JULIA WHELAN TO COME ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS. This is a conversation about mechanics and production flows and vocal health... but it's also a conversation about how we conceive of and compensate artistic labor. This one's gonna stick with you — it's certainly stuck with me. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packCozy up with your pup this season! Go to ollie.com/culture and use code culture to get 60% off your first boxTake your food to the next level with Graza Olive Oil. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY today for 10% off your first orderOneSkin is making it even easier to stay consistent with your skincare routine with 15% off when you use code CULTURE at oneskin.co/CULTUREShow Notes:Follow Julia Whelan on Instagram here and find out more about Audiobrary hereAn interview with Julia about the Audiobrary modelThe episode of romance podcast Fated Mates featuring Julia Julia Whelan named Spotify's Top Audiobook Narrator for 2026To give you a sense of how many books Julia has narrated, you can see 432 of them listed over at Audible (she's narrated more than 500) We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS Dark academia-- the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you wantHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What did you learn about audiobook production from this ep — and how are you going to think differently about audiobooks moving forward? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you don't make your living creating content online, you probably think of yourself as the furthest thing from an influencer — a designation that has developed the same slightly dirty connotation as being a celebrity, especially a celebrity like Paris Hilton, back in the 1990s. But influencers have cultivated and refined a mode of existing online that has filtered down into the way so many of us navigate online spaces: in the way you craft your profile on LinkedIn, in your font choice for a pic of your houseplant on IG, in the TikTok your coworker cajoles you into making on a slow day at work. The subtle way that influencer vernacular has entered our lives.....that's INFLUENCER CREEP. Sophie Bishop coined the term to talk about the ways that influencer behaviors (specifically: self-branding, performance of authenticity, constant optimization) were codifying and re-setting online norms, and joins me to answer all your typically excellent (and complicated) questions about the performance of self and work online. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!Get 40% OFF select Lola Blankets products by going to LolaBlankets.com and using code CULTURE at checkoutGo to shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE  at checkout for 50% offSave 20% off Honeylove at honeylove.com/CULTUREIf you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, or bed, head over to Article.comShow Notes:Find out more about Dr. Sophie Bishop's work here Buy Influencer Creep: How Optimization, Authenticity, and Self-Branding Transform Creative Culture hereJust another example of a weird workplace tok where everyone's awkwardThe Atlantic piece about getting bullied for adopting dogs onlineSophie references Brooke Erin Duffy's work on authenticitySophie references Jodie Dean's work on communicative capitalismIn case you don't know who Bama Morgan is (and here's her TikTok)Silly Pink Shoes on Instagram! We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS For our next Culture Of Place: Puerto Rico! How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one)What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What sort of influencer creep have you noticed in your feeds... or in your own behavior? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"Family-friendly society" sounds SO BORING but listen: it's what we all want. It's what singles and elders want, it's what parents and partnered people without kids want, it's what KIDS WANT. A society that takes all of us — and our needs and capacities — seriously?? That considers all of us, in whatever scenario we find ourselves, AS A FAMILY? When we announced that we were doing this episode, we got a ton of questions asking us to also consider people who weren't parents in their 30s and 40s, and yes, of course, team, I would never approach this topic without thinking expansively about it — as in, expansively enough to include me, and our beloved co-producer Melody, and all of our various family configurations. I would only do an episode with expansive questions like yours with someone (with tremendously policy experience) who understands "family-friendly" expansively. So listen in as Elliot Haspel and I imagine a better (and possible!) family-friendly world.AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Get 15% off your first order of high-quality, refillable cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTUREWake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODCozy up with your pup this season! Go to ollie.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your first box!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREShow Notes:Find out more about Elliot's work here — and buy Raising a Nation: 10 Reasons Every American Has a Stake in Child Care for All hereSubscribe to Elliot's truly excellent newsletter, The Family Frontier, hereA pretty fantastic write-up of the 1971 Comprehensive Childhood Development Act (and its failure) by the Institute for Research on PovertyMore on "the curb-cut effect"Elliot cites a now famous maxim from the former mayor of Bogotá mayor, Enrique Peñalosa: "children are a kind of indicator species, if we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for everyone.”"70% of children under the age of 6 have all available parents in the workforce" Elliot cites Elissa Strauss's book When You Care — here's my interview with herOnly 13.9% of US workers were part-time in December 2024 — compare to the EU numbers here!!!Chamber of Mothers! The AMAZING coconut-miso-ginger curry I mention in the Wild Alaskan ad! We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one)Wedding culture (especially the more, uh, cult-like or obligatory components) What would LIFE AFTER CARS look like?? (With the hosts of the War on Cars pod!) For our next Culture Of Place: Puerto Rico!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What did this conversation make you want the MOST? What feels like it could be possible in our lifetimes, and what still feels intractable? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is the result of years of listener requests: how did dating get SO bad, and how can we possibly make it better? Melody and I have been out of the dating game for a hot minute, but we knew that the combination of your excellent questions + an excellent co-host [Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox's Explain It All who is, importantly, currently dating] + sociological discussion of how dating has historically functioned (and why it no longer functions that way) could lead us to something that manages to be at once cathartic and hopeful (and educational for anyone who hasn't tried to date in the last decade). We answer your questions on "informational intimacy," how long is too long to chat (before setting an actual date), optimization culture, and whether or not it's weird for someone to run your Hinge account (I LOVE THIS QUESTION).....plus bonus content on how to actually meet people off the apps. You don't have to be dating to love this episode, but if you are — let's go after it in the comments. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love todayIf you're in the market for a new sofa, dining table, bed, or filing cabinet, peruse the beautiful and long-lasting offerings at Article.comGet 15% off your first order of Pre-Alcohol at zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY using code CULTURESTUDY at checkoutGet 50% off your purchase of a new night guard at shopremi.com/CULTURE, using code CULTUREShow Notes:Follow Jonquilyn on Instagram hereYou can find all episodes of Explain It To Me hereListen to Jonquilyn's episode of Explain It To Me on Cuffing SeasonMelody found this super-interesting article: Men Are Just As Picky As Women About Who They’d Date—If They’re the Ones Being PursuedJonquilyn mentions the Netflix show THE LATER DATERSI mention my interview with sociologist Corinne Low re: figuring out what you actually want in terms of a future life (before finding a partner) We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one)Wedding culture!!For our next Culture Of Place: Puerto Rico!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Tell us your dating frustrations! What's changed, what annoys you, what strategies have worked? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is there something in your life that you do — with some sort of regularity, and without direct compensation — that you find tremendously satisfying? Something you do just because you like it? CONGRATS, YOU HAVE A HOBBY. And here at Culture Study, we love to talk about hobbies — how to find them, how to keep them, and how to deal with the seemingly ceaseless push to monetize them. Listeners have been asking for a hobby episode for years, so for the New Year, we asked two great hobbyists — Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu, of the beloved podcast Forever35 — to come on and answer all your hobby questions, including: How do I find time to hobby when I'm a parent? How do I figure out my hobbies now that I finally have time to myself? How do I keep myself from BUYING ALL THE STUFF every time I find a new hobby? How do I keep a hobby from becoming a chore? We can't wait to hear your own thoughts on these questions in the comments. ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to.And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to Article.com and explore the optionsGo to wildalaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafoodSave 20% on comfortable, supportive undergarments at honeylove.com/CULTUREGive the gift of softness this holiday season with Lola Blankets. For a limited time, our listeners are getting a huge 40% OFF their entire order at LolaBlankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkoutShow Notes:Go listen to Forever35!! And follow Doree on Instagram and Elise on InstagramRead Doree's tennis newsletter, CourtdateI love Doree's celebration post from nationals: Listen to Elise's previous appearance on the podcast talking all about "Sephora Teens" Read my post about The Unexpected Benefits of Starting a Small-Scale Dahlia Farm with Your FriendsDoree's IVF podcastWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie SoundtracksHow incel culture and slang pops up in the mainstreamHow we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOBBY! Or tell us how you've made your hobby a joyful part of your life. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's BONUS EPISODE TIME! While everyone else is listing their favorite movies and albums and television shows in their end-of-year wrap-ups, Melody and I opted to make up random (but wonderful) categories and force the other person to come up answers. Favorite Internet Dog! TikTok that made you cry! Best Practical Thing You Bought Yourself + Best Extravagant Thing! There's a lot more but I won't spoil them for you other than to say if you need a little very low stakes delight in your life right now, this episode is for you. And free subscribers — I realize sending this to you is a total tease, but maybe also incentive to become a paid subscriber and join in the deeper levels of weirdness. You get ad-free episodes, the bonus advice-time segment every week, and these bonus episodes, which come out every 2-3 months. Just click here to become a paid subscriber.And a reminder, we're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie SoundtracksHow we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!)The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I don't remember when I first noticed Eldest Daughter content popping up in my various social media feeds, but like so many millennials, I loved a meme that seemed to REALLY SEE ME. Why yes, I am a consummate planner who somehow holds at least six people's yearly calendars in my head at once! Why yes, I am a perfectionist! WHY YES, I AM AN ELDEST DAUGHTER!Does Eldest Daughter discourse give Eldest Daughters a means to communicate their (sometimes contradictory) feelings about their familial and societal roles? Or is it a way for Eldest Daughters to lean into their own martyrdom complexes? And how does being the immigrant eldest daughter compound your Eldest Daughter-ness? We got Eldest Daughter Ifeoma Ozoma to come on the show and help me (Eldest Daughter) and Melody (also Eldest Daughter, duh) answer all your questions — and work through our own changing relationship to the Eldest Daughter Discourse. (And yes, there's a reason this one's coming out during the holidays, the best/worst time to be an Eldest Daughter) ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTUREGet 15% off your first order of cleaning products by going to Blueland.com/CULTURETry Beam's Dream Powder for up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTUREHead to Zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use the code CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% offShow Notes:Ifeoma Ozoma is an eldest daughter and also A TOTAL BOSS (TRULY)At the end of the episode we talk about her advocacy with Niños and Neighbors — you can read more about it here and join their mailing list/donate here The Eldest Daughter Club on IG (218k followers!) The study I referenced re: stress during pregnancy and hormones in eldest daughters comes out of UCLA — you can find more about it here We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie SoundtracksHow we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Do you have eldest daughter energy? If you do, how has it changed over time? And if you don't: how do you relate to eldest daughters? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sometimes I wish I could just have the intro paragraph to an episode be GAAHHHHHHH THIS ONE WAS SO FUN! So this is my version of that: telling you that I wish it could be that, and then also telling you that we go deep on so many components of the global spread (and embrace) of Korean pop culture. We go into the calculated political elements, the uncanny elision of North Korean stories, and why so many of the Korean narratives resonating with American audiences are ones crafted by Korean-Americans. This is a really effusive and loving episode that also manages to have some very real talk about why kids dressing up as characters from K-Pop Demon Hunters is not yellow face. IT'S SO GOOD, and I know we're gonna have a great discussion about it. ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode! Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Head to Graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use code CULTURESTUDY to get 10% off your order and get cooking this holiday season with some fresh, delicious olive oil!Visit moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial pack.Go to shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to receive 55% off  your new nightguard PLUS a free foam gift.Show Notes:GO LISTEN TO BIG KOREAN ENERGY!!! And then go find out a lot more about The Mash-Up AmericansSubscribe to The Mash-Up Americans newsletter for updates Really cannot recommend Episode 1 highly enough — it puzzle pieces so well with what we talk about for each of these questions A good secondary listen: our episode with Elise Hu about the Sephora Teen Freakout and my interview with Elise re: her book on K-Beauty We also reference this episode on The Irishification of Pop Culture with Caroline O'Donoghue REP SWEATSTHE KOREAN VEGAN!R.O. Kwon's appearance on Big Korean EnergySusan Choi's Flashlight, Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, Lisa See's Island of Sea Women I try to remember the name of Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids'90s Movie SoundtracksHow we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCHHow to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What's your favorite manifestation of BIG KOREAN ENERGY right now? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do you need an episode that's the equivalent of a big, deep, inhale and exhale? GREAT NEWS, TEAM, WE HAVE THE EPISODE FOR YOU. Journalist and urban birder Ryan Goldberg joins me to talk about the recent spike of interest in birding (particularly amongst young people), but we go a lot deeper than "wow seems like millennials are taking up old people hobbies." We talk about the intergenerational magic of birding clubs, bird list gamificiation (and how to avoid it), and how apps like Merlin have changed birding culture. But the real heart of this episode is what makes people fall in love — and stay in love — with a hobby that's really, at heart, about listening. I'm not a birder, so this episode will be accessible to anyone in my shoes (or who's birding-curious) — and if you are a birder, get ready to nerd out. I hope your blood pressure drops a few points while listening, because my mine sure did while recording.If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!We're experimenting with producing our own (moderately polished) transcripts. They'll be uploaded here within 24 hours of publishing. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Take the guesswork out of your dog's well-being. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code culture to get 60% off your first box!Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CULTURE and use the code CULTURE to claim your free 3-piece towel set and save over 40% OFF.Get better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD Get an exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/CULTURE, promo Code CULTUREShow Notes:Buy Bird City here! Learn more about Ryan's work here — also noting two upcoming events (learn more on his website) An Eastern Towee in action (with its call!) A lovely birding guide to Central ParkJoin the Brooklyn Bird Club! All about the Merlin app Black Birders Week!Feminist Bird ClubThe Macaulay Library of Bird SongsThe hungover birdwatcherWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGQuestions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having KidsThe Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF (and IVF Bureaucracy) Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan)'90s Movie Soundtracks How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH PEOPLE'S NAMES and what they signify (and how it changes with time) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Tell me about your experience with birding culture — or something about this episode that made you want to get into it! (I bet it was me laughing like a 5 year old about birds named tits) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I went freelance full-time to write Culture Study, I had no idea what I was doing. NONE. It took me several years — and encouragement from my accountant and other writers — to begin thinking of what I was doing as a small business. And it took me several years after that to understand how small businesses, especially small creative businesses, have to figure out strategies to fend off burnout in order to, well, stay in it for the long haul. We have to make our creative work and our business practices sustainable. Printmaker and textile artist Jen Hewett was one of the first people I saw talking frankly about what it's like to run a creative small business — the stuff that takes way too much time, the stuff that's super annoying, how she budgets and takes time off and deals with eldercare and divides her days and weeks and years. We loved answering all your questions about SMALL BUSINESS LYFE — balancing the 'business' with the 'creative,' how to think about social media promotion, how to protect a hobby from becoming a business — and I can't wait to talk more in the comments.If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Side Note: We're experimenting with producing our own (very imperfect) transcripts. You can find it here. If there's enough demand, we might consider putting in the not insignificant labor to make these super readable — but for now, they're a backup to the podcast, not a replacement for it. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Visit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura's best-selling Carver mat frames by using promo code CULTURE at checkoutSupport local bookstores and get 10% off your next purchase at Bookshop.org with code CULTUREIf you're in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, or bed, check out the beautiful, long-lasting options at Article.comGo to WildAlaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafoodShow Notes:Follow Jen Hewett on Instagram (she is SUCH a good follow) Jen's Reimagined Landscape Fabric Collection just came out AND IT IS EXQUISITELearn more about Jen's work here We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGQuestions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids How Did Everyone Low-Key Become an Influencer? AKA How do you see influencer posting logic creeping into non-influencer accountsThe Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I'd love to hear about your own experiences (and challenges) running a small business! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What is it about a particular cultural object — or trend, or perceived trend — that makes people FREAK THE F OUT? Anyone who's looked at historical freakouts knows: it's never really about the thing itself, but more about ideologies that are under threat and in flux. If you challenge the status quo, in other words, there's a high likelihood that you could get swept up in a panic about something that has nothing to do with the way in which you're actually challenging the status quo.The best person to talk about these sort of freak-outs is Sarah Marshall, beloved host of You're Wrong About and current host of a new CBC limited series on the satanic panic called The Devil You Know. In this episode, Sarah brings her trademark empathy to your smart questions about freak-outs old and new (yes, we talk about kids & screens, but not for the entire episode). This episode was an utter delight to record and I can only hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!Side Note: We're experimenting with producing our own (very imperfect) transcripts. You can find it here.If there's enough demand, we might consider putting in the not insignificant labor to make these super readable — but for now, they're a backup to the podcast, not a replacement for it. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CULTURE and use the code CULTURE to claim your free 3-piece towel set and save over 40% OFF.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURE Go to shopbeam.com/CULTURE, use code CULTURE, and get up to 50% off during Beam’s Cyber SaleVisit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames - named #1 by Wirecutter -  by using promo code CULTURE at checkoutShow Notes:Listen to THE DEVIL YOU KNOW on CBC or wherever you get your podcasts! More about Sarah's work hereListen to You're Wrong About here If you missed the episode we did on conspiracy theories last year, it's a great companion to this oneWe're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGQuestions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids How Did Everyone Low-Key Become an Influencer? AKA How do you see influencer posting logic creeping into non-influencer accountsThe Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I'd love to hear your alternate reads on what caused any of the cultural panics we discussed in the show. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!I love books with complicated lore. I love plots that interrogate the way power accumulates and spoils — particularly but not exclusively on Ivy League campuses. I love it when a character learns of UNKNOWN POWERS, and I love a good heist. Which means I fell in love with Leigh Bardugo's books immediately. My favorite is Ninth House (and its sequel, Hell Bent) but she is equally well-known for the Shadow and Bone series and the duology Six of Crows, which was just re-released for its tenth anniversary... all of which pop up all over the Culture Study reading rec threads whenever we have them. So imagine my surprise when Leigh's team heard that Culture Study loved Leigh's work and would we like to have Leigh come on the show? YES, OF COURSE. And listen, I knew this conversation was gonna be great. But I didn't realize it was gonna be this great. We talk about genre, marketing, all the nerdy books she read as a teen, how to think about YA and exposure to the things that scare us, and, of course, whether there's gonna be a follow-up to Hell Bent. As always, we've worked hard to make this conversation interesting to people who aren't familiar with Leigh's work — all you have to be is interested in books, just generally — but if you're a fan, you're really gonna love it. Side Note: We're experimenting with producing our own (very imperfect) transcripts. You can find it here. If there's enough demand, we might consider putting in the not insignificant labor to make these super readable — but for now, they're a backup to the podcast, not a replacement for it. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Head to Graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY to get 10% off your order and get cooking this holiday season with some fresh, delicious olive oilTo stock up on sustainable cleaning products for yourself, or to give a beautiful, sustainable gift to your friends and family this holiday season, go to Blueland.com/CULTURE and save up to 30% during Blueland’s holiday saleHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the plant-based trial packGo to shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE  at checkout for 55% off a new night guard plus a FREE foam gift that whitens your teeth and cleans your nightguardShow Notes:Find all of Leigh's books at Bookshop — and here's how you can buy the new edition of Six of Crows Subscribe to Leigh's newsletter here Find out more about Leigh's work just generally here; I personally loved this profile in AltaLeigh references: The Dragonlance Chronicles, the Louise Erdrich short story "Fleur" which was printed in Esquire but can now be found in Tracks I reference Linda Williams' groundbreaking work on melodrama as a modeI reference our episode with Sarah MacLean where we talk about how romance writers first books are often their best (and why)Just in case you somehow don't know about Bunnicula We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: Eldest daughter discourseThe sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What's your favorite Leigh Bardugo book? OR OBVIOUSLY ANYTHING ELSE! Like how do you think about being exposed to 'scary' ideas as a younger reader? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! I've never resisted Love is Blind so much as run out of time for it... but then Audie Cornish said she wanted to come on the show to talk about it, and I said: I will watch any reality show, in its entirety, to talk to you about it. (Cornish was previously best known as the co-host of NPR's All Things Considered; now she is best known as the host of CNN's early morning newscast and The Assignment with Audie Cornish). I did my homework and thought I had smart things to say about Love is Blind and then Audie had way, way smarter things to say, specifically about the ways in which this current season functions as a skeleton key for the ideologies battling for dominance in our cultural moment. Even if you've never watched an episode of Love is Blind, there's a LOT here about how people perform their identities and politics and relationship needs that will snag you — and if you have watched this season (or any season), you're gonna love it even more. What a privilege to have Audie Cornish on-air cackling over reality television, and what a delight! Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/culture to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Take the guesswork out of your dog's well-being. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your first box!Go to  https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY  and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Get better sleep, hair, and skin with Blissy. Use code CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODShow Notes: Go listen to Audie's fantastic podcast The Assignment Follow Audie on InstagramYou can also catch Audie as the anchor of CNN This Morning, airing weekdays from 6-7AM ET and streaming in the CNN appI really appreciate the Love is Blind Reddit and I know Audie and Melody do too No I am not uploading my Laguna Beach grad school paper what is wrong with you the writing is horrific We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)Eldest daughter discourseThe sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segmentAs always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: We can obviously talk about Love is Blind, but I'd also love to hear how you think other reality shows are reflecting the conflicting ideologies of this moment. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

People are fascinated by hoarding culture — in part because it presents a reality that's not that distant from our current accumulation habits. Like, turn one screw in my brain slightly more to the left, and my dahlia collecting habit becomes something that's widely understood as a social problem. When I heard about Amanda Uhle's Destroy This House, a memoir of growing up in a hoarding household, I knew listeners would want to explore that fine line between "proper" consumption and hoarding, the stories we tell about why people hoard, and the real difficulty in navigating hoarding behaviors by people you love. Culture Study is now on Patreon! To read about why we moved, go here.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Use code CULTURE to get 10% off your next order at Bookshop.orgGet $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREGet 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchaseShow Notes:GO BUY DESTROY THIS HOUSE: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9781668083444Follow Amanda's work here: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.uhle/?hl=enI reference Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9780547422558I reference my interview with Emily Mester about American Bulk: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/american-bulkThe episode we did on "over-consumption" of books: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-latest-book-publishing-trends-explained/id1718662839?i=1000718656026We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)Eldest daughter discourseThe sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What is YOUR relationship to stuff? How did this conversation reframe it? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this one: Avery Trufelman, host of the beloved podcast Articles of Interest, is here to talk all things OUTDOOR GEAR. More specifically: how so much of our everyday clothing became gear adjacent, what the military has to do with all of this (everything), why outdoor clothes still don’t come in plus sizes, gear as Tech Bro status symbol, and SO MUCH MORE. This one’s a multi-faceted delight — the sort of episode you’ll be bringing up in conversation for weeks to come.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Head to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for LifeSave 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/cultureVisit shopbeam.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get up to 40% off your orderShow Notes:LISTEN TO ARTICLES OF INTEREST !!!!Follow the newsletter for Articles of Interest hereThe specific Articles of Interest about the zippersJason Chen on GORPCORELoved this piece on visiting the Carhartt company archiveI Wore A Fleece Vest To Work To See If I Felt Like A Tech BroWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishEldest daughter discourseAn ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How do you see gearification in your own wardrobe? What piece of clothing are you going to look at differently from now on? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does masculinity have to do with climate change denial? F-ing everything! Daniel Penny, host of the new Drilled podcast Carbon Bros, joins me to answer all of your questions about how the Manosphere and its ideologies of dominion, virility, control, and anti-wokeness collide with climate change narratives. We talk about petro-masculinity, of course, but also how environmentalism became “feminized,” the intersection with “muscular” Christianity, the Spotted Owl, fear of the electric truck, and how the Trump Administration has successfully exploited fears of a cucked, climate-focused nation. This one will piss you off and give you a lot to think about.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 35% off the best blankets of all time at LolaBlankets.com, using code CULTURE at checkoutBlueland is offering 15% off your first order of cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTURETry OneSkin with 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.coIf you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, find something beautiful and long-lasting at Article.com.Show Notes:You can listen to CARBON BROS and find out more about the podcast hereFind more of Daniel’s work here and listen to other episodes of Non-Toxic (and the newsletter) hereA bunch of Chad memes that may or may not elucidate Chad-nessDaniel references Dr. Sophie Bjork-James’s work — find out more about it hereMy interview with Kristin Kobez Du Mez on White Christian NationalismI reference my reporting on North Idaho & the spotted owl — it’s in this big featureThe ridiculous “premature electrification” Super Bowl truck commercial:FROM THE AAA: My piece on What Makes Women CleanYour Cleaning StoryWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Cultural panics with THE Sarah MarshallContemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishEldest daughter discourseAn ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Where have you seen anti-climate-change masculinity pop up in your own life? Commercials, relatives, IG feeds — tell us about it. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FIRST OFF — PLEASE TAKE OUR MEMBERSHIP SURVEY!!The podcast only works because of your questions (and episode ideas!) and we want more of them (and your ideas about bonus episodes, pricing, etc.) It’ll take five minutes tops, and really helps us figure out the future of the entire Culture Study extended universe. Thank you ahead of time, and just click here to take it.Baseball is so romantic!! There is SO MUCH RITUAL! It’s beautiful, it’s meditative, it’s the very best thing to listen to on the radio. And I’m so glad that we convinced Ali Liebegott [Mets Fan] to come join Melody [Royals Fan] and me [Mariners / Twins fan] to answer all of your questions about baseball culture (and there were SO MANY OF THEM). We talk about how to respond to people who say it’s boring; we talk about the changes in the game over the last two years (and how casual and opposite-of-casual fans feel about it); we talk about MR MET and Homer Hankies and Dadness and being a queer fan of baseball and how long a game should be (Ali says: forever). It’s just a really delightful conversation, and I’m so excited for you to join it.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!It’s Graza’s annual sitewide sale! Time to stock up on olive oil for the year. Discounts are automatically applied at checkout; no code needed.Head to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Show Notes:Subscribe to Ali’s newsletter, it’s the fucking best!Ali’s piece about Opening Day that moves me endlesslyAli’s piece on her tattoos (including Mr. Met)Ali’s glorious paintings available for sale (you can’t buy Mr. Met but you can buy this portrait of the ‘86 MetsFollow Ali on InstagramWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiWhat an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMESAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: There’s so much we didn’t even have time to cover, so consider this a free for all! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maybe your mom endlessly scrolls Facebook every time you visit. Maybe your kid has to be asked six times to get off his tablet. Maybe your friend is always checking Instagram when you’re out to dinner. Maybe your partner keeps checking their phone while you’re watching a movie together. Or maybe you find yourself doing all the things you find SO ANNOYING when others do them — and know these behaviors are affecting your relationships, but struggle to change them. Are you one of the 510234 moms who submitted a question about feeling guilty being on your phone (even if you’re just reading an eBook!) in front of your kids? Welp, this is the podcast for you.This isn’t a podcast episode about how ALL SCREENS ARE BAD and YOU ARE BAD FOR ENGAGING WITH THEM. It’s about recasting our relationships with them so that we can have better relationships with each other (which sometimes involves watching a screen… together!) Ash Brandin, founder of the tremendously popular Instagram account The Gamer Educator and author of Power On: Managing Screen Time To Benefit The Whole Family, joins me for a nuanced and deeply empathetic conversation that I know we’ll continue in the comments.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsTry a Blissy silk pillowcase for 60 nights, risk-free, and get an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPOD and use code CULTUREPOD at checkoutVisit Article.com/CULTURE to get $50 off your first order of $100 or moreTry Remi risk-free at shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to get up to 50% off your nightguard at checkoutShow Notes:Buy Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family here!You can follow Ash’s super popular Instagram, The Gamer Educator, here:You can find more of Ash’s work hereAsh on Virginia Sole-Smith’s podcast re: screen time restrictionMy collection of adults interviewing kids about why they liked playing video games (I forgot how good this was!)We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiThe history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMESAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How have screens been affecting your relationships with your friends or family members — and what would you like to shift? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

By the mid-2010s, Jen Hatmaker had become one of the most important voices in white Evangelical culture. She had multiple best-selling books; she headlined massive women’s retreats; she was an influencer before we really even used that term. But then she broke with Evangelical doctrine when it came to LGBTQ people… and everything fell apart. More accurately, they started to fall apart — because the real life implosion wouldn’t come until 2020, when she woke up to the sound of her husband, a pastor, sending a voice memo to his mistress. Then things really fell apart.Hatmaker hasn’t spoken publicly about the details of her divorce, but after five years, a lot of therapy, and her five children all entered into adulthood — she’s ready. Her life exploded. But then she was able to rebuild it using her own designs — not the church’s. Today she’s on the pod to answer your complex questions about midlife reinvention: how it happens, all the reasons it can happen, and who gets the “privilege” of pursuing it. I really loved this conversation, and if you like rolling around all the ways we can (and sometimes struggle) to change our lives, you will too.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get deep, restful sleep with 25% off sitewide at BirchLiving.com/CULTURETry Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder and get up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE, and use code CULTURE at checkoutGet 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout.Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM to get 10 free meals, plus a free item in each box for lifeShow Notes:You can buy Awake here!Follow Jen Hatmaker on Instagram here:Sign up for Jen’s Substack, Notes From The MiddleThe story I wrote in 2016 (the weekend before the election) featuring Jen HatmakerWhat happened when Hatmaker announced that she was “affirming” of same-sex relationships (also in 2016)The big New York Times interview (with David Marchese) that I reference several timesI reference “the portal” — here’s the Culture Study piece on itWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I just know you’re going to have a lot to say about mid-life invention, so let’s do it. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I love talking about food as culture — and like all parts of culture, food has trends that ebb and flow. We asked you to provide us with food trends you’ve noticed (and/or confuse you) — and then we asked the great Evan Kleiman (chef, cookbook author, and longtime host of KCRW’s Good Food) to come unwind them with us. Want to know what it takes for a dish to show up at every corporate catering event? Why every restaurant in the U.S. (still) has a brussels sprouts dish? How hot chicken got franchised? WE’VE GOT YOU. This episode is filled with delights (and will make you want to browse expensive tinned fish online).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to ZocDoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayRight now, get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/CULTUREGo to https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsShow Notes:Learn more about Evan Kleiman’s storied career hereListen to GOOD FOOD on KCRW!Follow Evan on Instagram:An example of the “recession meal” TikToks:The hot chicken Bitter Southerner piece I referenceThe Amanda Mull piece I reference (and summarize poorly): The United States is Southern NowA good background piece on the tinned fish boomMangos are the world’s most popular fruit!!!!“Meet SoCal’s Premier Mango Seller”A great overview of the rise of CrumblWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What food trend are you STILL curious about? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This one’s a weird one! But it’s also going to elucidate a bunch of bewildering phrases that you might have noticed popping up in advertisements or in teens’ conversations. Adam Aleksic runs the incredibly popular TikTok/IG/YouTube account Etymology Nerd, where he breaks down how new phrases and memes travel across the internet. Today, we’re talking to him about the way these phrases also make their way into our spoken language — and how algorithms function as a new engine in language change. Like I said, it’s a weird one — but it’s also incredibly interesting.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your first purchase using code CULTURE at FastGrowingTrees.comHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off, plus free shipping, on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packGet better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODTake your food to the next level with Graza Olive Oil. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY for 10% off your first order!Show Notes:You can find Adam’s Tiktoks hereA recent example of a very Adam Tok:Buy Algospeak here!An explanation of Italian BrainrotThe Year in Brainrot (which explains how Skibdi is involved in all of this)Some Fifth Graders Playing Around with Brainrot terms:A hilarious wormhole Reddit explanation of Skibidi RizzAnother explainer of Italian BrainrotAdam on Labubu Chocolate Crumbl Cookie (???) memes as ‘Microbrainrot’We don’t talk about this in the show but I find it fascinating: Is There a Fortnite Accent?We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What other forms of ‘algospeak’ do you see popping up in your life? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There aren’t many contemporary celebrities with images layered enough that I could talk about them all day. But Gwyneth? She’s one of them. She’s it. She’s never pretended to be “just like us,” which is part of what makes her beguiling — and infuriating. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and sometimes what she’s doing is trying to get a bunch of people to talk about jade eggs you put in your vagina. She’s a master marketer of self, a promoter of charlatans, and impossible to ignore. And I’m so thrilled to have Amy Odell, author of the new, impeccably reported Gwyneth biography, here to discuss all your excellent questions.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsSave 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTURETry Remi risk-free at shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to get up to 50% off your nightguard at checkoutHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayShow Notes:Follow Amy Odell on Instagram hereSubscribe to Amy’s Substack, BACK ROWBuy Gwyneth hereThe glorious backside of the book, covered in interview excerpts:You can read excerpts of the book in PeopleTHE Great Expectations outfit:The big piece I wrote on Ben Affleck (that includes some parts about class anxiety / Gwyneth)Sara Petersen’s excellent piece on the bookGwyneth’s commercial for Astronomer after the CEO/Coldplay Concert Love Affair ScandalWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Tell me all your ADDITIONAL Gwyneth thoughts! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over on the newsletter, our book concierge threads — when people ask for specific book recommendations, and readers then offer their suggestions — regularly top 1500 comments. We wanted to bring the same energy to the podcast, and Maris Kreizman, author of The Maris Review and I Want To Burn This Place Down, reads more (and more widely) than anyone else I know. I promise: you’ll leave this episode with a new pile of books you want to read immediately. (And honestly, that’s the Back to School Adult Energy I crave).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM to get 10 free meals + a free item for lifeGet 35% off your entire order at LolaBlankets.com using code CULTURE at checkoutGet a great night’s sleep with a new mattress from Birch. Go to BirchLiving.com/CULTURE to get 27% off sitewideTry OneSkin for 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.coShow Notes:Subscribe to Maris’s newsletter, The Maris Review, here.Buy Maris’s new book, I Want To Burn This Place Down, here!Listen to our previous episode with Maris on How Goodreads Got SO BADBOOKS WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODEEveryone Is Lying To You by Jo PiazzaThe Parisian and Enter Ghost by Isabella HammadFlashlight and Trust Exercise by Susan ChoiAudition by Katie KitamuraWild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyEat the Document by Dana SpiottaBoy, Snow, Bird by Helen OyeyemiThe Trees by Percival EverettPerma Red by Debra Magpie EarningOutlawed by Anna NorthWhiskey When We’re Dry by John LarisonNews of the World by Paulette GilesThe Best Bad Things by Katrina CarrascoLiquid: A Love Story by Mariam RahmaniThe Rachel Incident by Caroline O’DonoghueWriters & Lovers and Euphoria by Lily KingThe Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCrackenHappy All The Time by Laurie ColwinThe Boys of my Youth by Jo Ann BeardCowboys are my Weakness by Pam HoustonThe Dud Avocado by Elaine DundyFreedom; The Corrections; and Crossroads by Jonathan FranzenThe Family Fang by Kevin WilsonLove Medicine; The Master Butchers Singing Club; The Night Watchman; and LaRose by Louise ErdrichThe God of the Woods and Long Bright River by Liz MooreDare Me; The Fever; and The Turnout by Megan AbbottThe Flavia de Luce series by Alan BradleyNevada by Imogen BinniePaul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea LawlorLove & Other Disasters by Anita KellyThe Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthyMutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-SmithWe Ride Upon Sticks by Quan BarryHelp Wanted by Adelle WaldmanMy Friends by Hisham MatarThe Catch by Yrsa Daley-WardOn the Calculation of Volume by Solvej BalleThe Old Drift by Namwali SerpellCloud Atlas by David MitchellThe Safekeep by Yael van der WoudenThe Sellout by Paul BeattyFight Night and All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam ToewsHidden Valley Road by Robert KolkerA Marriage at Sea by Sophie ElmhirstGreat Black Hope by Rob FranklinThe Dream Hotel by Laila LalamiBlack Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn IveyDisappearing Earth by Julia PhillipsThese Summer Storms by Sarah MacLeanSeating Arrangements by Maggie ShipsteadThe Wedding People by Alison EspachThe First Wives Club by Olivia GoldsmithWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: In addition to our recs… what other books would you suggest for our question-askers? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Texas Culture is at least a dozen cultures smashed into one enormous state — with a whopping 254 counties, four sprawling metro areas, 1255 miles of border with Mexico, the best breakfast item in the United States (fight me) and the best grocery store chain (fight me again). I needed a co-host who was up to the task — and, like all of our other regional-specific episodes, loves the place they’re from intensely… but is also willing to interrogate its mess. I needed longtime friend of the pod (and San Antonio native) Sam Sanders. In this ep, we go deep into so many corners of Texas Culture — and talk about what people who’ve never lived there just don’t get. It’s wonky and delightful, a perfect Culture Study combo.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your first order of Blueland cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTUREHead to Graza.co and use CULTURE to get 10% off of the TRIO which includes Sizzle, Frizzle and Drizzle, and get to cookin’ your next chef-quality meal!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use CULTURESTUDY at checkoutTry Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder— get up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkoutShow Notes:Follow Sam Sanders on InstagramListen to Sam’s two excellent podcasts: The Sam Sanders Show (on KCRW and wherever you get your podcasts) + Vibe CheckHere’s me on Sam’s podcast earlier this summer re: Feminist DystopiasThe long profile I wrote on Texas voters/voting during the Beto campaignThe piece I wrote about Dallas and refugee resettlement in the wake of the 2016 election (lots of really interesting Dallas history here!)We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions about genre & publishing for Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and so many other Culture Study favsRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Different Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiStarting over in mid-life with Jen HatmakerBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What other corners of Texas Culture still mystify you?? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I first read about Cara Meredith’s book on evangelical church camp over at Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s newsletter, and as soon as I saw “cry night” in the subtitle, I knew any conversation with her was gonna be a real one. Put differently, I knew she was ready to talk about what drew people to these camps — but also how they worked to deftly manipulate the young people who attended them. I went to church camp for a decade. I was a counselor for several years. I cried on cry night; I watched bad skits; I highlighted the crap out of my Youth Bible — and I adored it. But I also internalized a lot of contradictory and harmful messages, and felt weird about some of the ways we were counseling young kids.Cara and I process all of that in this episode — and also answer a bunch of your complicated questions. And as always with these episodes, we’re working hard to make the episode accessible to people outside of the culture (or who find it weird, which, real talk, it is) while also going deep into the weeds. I’m so eager for your thoughts.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Blissy is offering 60-nights risk-free PLUS an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPODSave 20% Off Honeylove at honeylove.com/CULTUREStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to ZocDoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayShow Notes:Follow Cara Meredith on Instagram here and buy Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Nights, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation hereWhat could be more millennial church camp than Michael W. Smith singing “Our God is an Awesome God”The type of stuff we always played on the boom box at breakfast at camp:And if you liked this episode I strongly recommend our previous episode on Contemporary Christian RockWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions about genre & publishing for Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and so many other Culture Study favsBirding Culture!Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiStarting over in mid-life with Jen HatmakerFood Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: If you didn’t go to church camp….what felt wild about this discussion? If you did, what was hard or validating? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When your family is from a place with a distinctive, often-mockable accent, and you don’t have that accent but can (and do) readily fall into it as soon as you get around anyone who does their vowels like a Minnesotan, you learn to love accents. And then, as soon as you take any class (or read any text) in the anthropology/sociology/cultural analysis realm, you start thinking about accents as signifiers: of place, of race, of social status, of education, of insider/outsider status… the meanings feel endless.I’m SO thrilled to have Dr. Nicole Holliday on this week’s episode to go deep and nerdy on all of your very complicated (or, sometimes, deceptively simple) questions about accents — most of them American, but we’ve got a few Canadian questions in there, too. And I can pretty much guarantee: you’re going to absolutely devour this episode. It’s the platonic ideal of a Culture Study ep, and I can’t wait to discuss it.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Zbiotics Sugar-to-Fiber: Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. ZBiotics has a 100% money-back guarantee, so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason they will refund your money, no questions asked.Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/culture and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus free shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial packHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayShow Notes:Find out more about Dr. Nicole Holliday’s work hereFollow Dr. Holliday on TikTok (where I first started watching her!)If you haven’t heard GloRilla’s Memphis accent, here you go:Taste of the Yinzer Accent:Okay one more:We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Birding Culture!Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiFood Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How did this conversation make you rethink an accent (or many accents) in your life? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I first heard about Hannah Zeavin’s new book, Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century, I knew it Culture Study material. Historicizing the intersection between tech and motherhood (and how surveillance affects mothers and changes parenting norms which leads to more surveillance)… that’s some Culture Study shit. I’m thrilled that Hannah Zeavin — whose work so compellingly crosses the lines of media history and history of psychology — agreed to come on the pod (and that she was such a dynamic and engaging co-host).If you’re skeeved out by breastfeeding discourse, if you’ve ever been a childcare provider (for your own children or others’) and resent the threat of cameras, if you feel so deeply ambivalent about the nanny cam… this episode will take you to places that make all of this surveillance “make sense” (which is very different from making it feel better). I can’t wait for your thoughts on this one.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get great sleep on a new Birch mattress. Go to BirchLiving.com/Culture for 27% off sitewideGet $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTURE.Show Notes:I hope it’s clear that I’m obsessed with Mother Media. It’s pretty academic but if that’s not intimidating (for whatever reason) I strongly recommend it (and you can buy it here).Learn more about Hannah Zeavin and her work hereYou can read Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt in its entirety here (originally published in the Saturday Evening Post, wild!)The International Nanny Association’s official guidance about nanny camsSome of my favorite books by the great family scholar Stephanie CoontzCiting some research about Dr. Spock’s infant sleeping advice and SIDSDorothy Roberts’ work on how the child welfare system destroys black familiesMy favorite rebuttal of Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious GenerationIf you’re not familiar with Emily Oster’s ParentData (and a sharp piece on the optimization of parenting/Oster’s style of parenting advice)Viviana A. Zelizer’s classic, Pricing the Priceless ChildRichard Beck’s book on the satanic/moral panic of the ‘80sMadeline Lane-McKinley’s work on child liberationWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Gwyneth Paltrow (with the author of the new juicy bio)Birding Culture!Male Grievance Culture and Its Connection to Climate Change Denial (this is a real thing, ask us questions!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: how have you seen surveillance of motherhood (and its ramifications) in your own life? (You don’t have to be a mother yourself to answer this, OBVIOUSLY) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is an audience of people who love books — and people who have thoughts about the culture around books. Book clubs, BookTok, the popularization of book genres, special editions, the way other people talk about us reading — there’s endless fodder for discussion and analysis. I’m thrilled to have Alyssa Morris, one of the sharpest observers of contemporary book culture, back on the pod to answer all of your questions about very of-this-moment trends (and give some very good advice on how to keep your book club thriving). This one’s a juicy one (and yes I do talk mild shit about Reese’s Book Club!!!)Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Add Graza Olive Oil to your summertime patio party arsenal. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURE today for 10% off of the TRIO!Go to https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Show Notes:Subscribe to Alyssa’s Substack Romancing the Phone:Our super-popular episode with Alyssa from last year: Is BookTok Actually About Reading?If you’re interested in lists for various celebrity book clubs, here’s Reese’s, Read with Jenna, and Oprah’sA few Toks on Bookshelf Wealth and “Overconsumption”This piece explained A LOT re: Brandon SandersonMelody recommends Page for fun Kindle covers— they have a strap! She has this one, this one, and this one (talk about overconsumption)Go read I Who Have Never Known Men!This is maybe one of the TikToks that kicked off the virality of I Who Have Never Known MenThe Publisher’s Weekly article on the cover designs of 831 StoriesWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)Gwyneth Paltrow (with the author of the new juicy bio)Birding Culture!Male Grievance Culture and Its Connection to Climate Change Denial (this is a real thing, ask us questions!)SCREENTIME — Your own, your parents’, your kid’s, your partner’s, your family’s (with Ash Brandin)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Fiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereThere’s so much to discuss in this week’s episode — just run with any of the themes (or tell us a celebrity book club book you’ve recently read and how you felt about it) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Montana’s unofficial tagline is “the last best place” — which should tell you something about the way the state thinks about itself. It’s a political frankenstein, incredibly beautiful, increasingly filled with tourists, and a twelve-hour drive from one corner of the state to the other. Oh, and just over a million people total live there. Including Chris La Tray, who’s just finishing his tenure as Montana Poet Laureate, and one of my favorite thinkers on what makes Montana so easy to fall in love with — but not always a very easy place to live.In this episode, we talk about our favorite, most contradictory, and most hostile parts of Montana culture, from exorbitant housing prices to what it’s like to live in a place that falls in love with its own area code. If your vision of Montana culture comes from Yellowstone, this is a great corrective… that will also make you want a huckleberry milkshake.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/culture to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayBlissy is offering 60 nights risk-free PLUS an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPODGet 40% off Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkoutSwitch your cleaning products to Blueland and get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/cultureShow Notes:FIRST AND FOREMOST: FIND OUT MORE ABOUT INDIGIPALOOZA HERE — AND DONATE HERE!Now subscribe to Chris’s newsletter (my most-opened/most-read newsletter):Classic Montana Self-Obsession (“Last Best Place”) from The Last Best StoreThe “406” Collection from The Montana Shirt CompanyA few of the pieces I’ve written on Montana: on the Special Election in 2017. reporting from a Trump rally, Love Lives in Whitefish Montana, But So Do Neo-NazisWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Fiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Is a huckleberry milkshake the best milkshake in the world? DISCUSS. (Or whatever else you found interesting from this episode!) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At some point in late April, near the apex of the memes and jokes and ridicule of Katy Perry’s recent “women’s empowerment” trip to space, Melody and I wondered: is it even worth doing a Katy Perry episode? Do we have anything to say, other than wow, all of this — the new album, the tour visuals, the trip to SPACE, is hilariously bad? But then we asked Zach Stafford if he had anything to say, and when his response was an immediate YES, we decided to turn the episode over to your (as always, very insightful) questions and probe deeper. Yes, all of this recent promotional tour is cringe, and the album is not good — but cringey people with bad albums still get their singles played on the radio.So what is it about Perry that makes her such a target in this moment? Join Zach and me as we try to figure it out (and decipher what’s happening with those Lifetimes costumes).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus free shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial packHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayGo to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsVisit ARTICLE.COM/culture to get $50 off your first purchase of $100 or moreShow Notes:Follow Zach on Instagram and listen to Vibe Check hereOne of the many SpaceX Instagram posts that made people want to bang their heads against their desksJust another shot from the Lifetimes Tour for good measureZach mentions the episode he and I recorded with Sam Sanders re: the Dallas Cowboys CheerleadersThe satire that fell flat for “Women’s World”“‘I created this character called Katy Perry. I didn’t want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary’”Before we taped Melody had me watch this pretty heartbreaking clip of Katy breaking down backstage and having to go on with the showThe very messy and complicated fight with the nuns over the Los Angeles monasteryKaty Perry at Gaga’s show in Mexico CityWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What do you think of our thesis about why we have to performatively disavow Katy Perry? What did we miss? Let’s go deeper! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why do men wear shirts under their shirts? Are you forever doomed to wear the same clothes as your 32-year-old self? Why isn’t male fashion more fun? Why are all these moms still buying clothes for their adult children? WHY IS EVERYTHING IN EARTH TONES? This week we welcome Jason Diamond to the show to answer all these questions — with side trips into slutty dad jorts, aspirational dad fashion, the joys of good tailoring, what it feels like when you put on something and really feel yourself, and just generally figuring out your style as an adult. This one’s very fun and very funny — a perfect summer listen.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Start your risk-free trial of the Mill food recycler at mill.com/cultureAdd Graza Olive Oil to your summertime patio party arsenal. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY today for 10% off of the TRIO!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREYour dog deserves the best. Get 60% off your first box of Ollie at ollie.com/culture, and enter code CULTUREShow Notes:Subscribe to Jason’s wonderful newsletter, The Melt:Follow Jason Diamond on Instagram here! (I really can’t recommend this highly enough)The sort of thing you get when you follow Jason’s IG:Jason FEELING IT in some shortsJust because, a few of my favorite Jason pieces: The Lost Art of Ordering a Round at a Bar, Gene Hackman’s Clothes Never Felt Like a Costume, I’m Not a Model. But I Ended Up In a Menswear Look Book AnywayJust a bit more jortsJason references this sketch from I Think You Should LeaveGo To Hell pantsJason mentions the podcast Throwing FitsWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Where have you found non-earth-tone clothes for dudes? Dude or not dude, what outfit makes you FEEL YOURSELF? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chances are high that you’ve heard about the way that “private equity” has acquired, hollowed out, and bankrupted some service, product, or company you depend on. For years, I understood the work of private equity only in the vaguest terms — that it was bad, and that it f*cked stuff up. I had to learn a lot more when I was writing Can’t Even, because private equity acquisitions are one of many reasons work has become a burnout factory for so many. But I didn’t fully understand the breadth and the depth of private equity’s impact on our current economy until reading Megan Greenwell’s Bad Company — which she started writing after resigning from her position of editor-in-chief of Deadspin after private equity acquired the site and began excavating and eliminating the very core of what it made it work.In today’s episode, Megan joins me to answer your questions about how private equity actually works, how it affects industries, what companies it’s historically targeted and who it’s targeting now (hello, dental and vet care!) This episode will make you feel like you understand a structuring reality of our culture better — and will also help you understand why so many experiences and services just feel shittier. It’s a hellscape of an episode but a deeply enlightening one!Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your order at ZBiotics.com/culturestudy, promo code CULTURESTUDYGet better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODGet $75 off a Mill food recycler at mill.com/cultureGet rid of the Sunday Scaries by signing up for the Raw Signal Group newsletter at worldssecondbestnewsletter.comShow Notes:Buy Bad Company here!Follow Megan on Instagram hereMegan’s now-canonical piece on “The Adults in the Room,” published on Deadspin after Megan tendered her resignation, discussing what private equity had done to the siteDetails on how private equity killed Toys R UsA good overview of private equity’s effects on vet care and an NPR examination of high suicide rates amongst vet professionalsOn Walgreens’ acquisition by private equity and the future of pharmacy careThe Stop Wall Street Looting ActWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What did this discussion illuminate re: private equity? And what service/product/store has it decimated (in your life?) Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

People often ask me why I care so much about parenting when I am not, myself, a parent. This question is always so weird to me — of course I care about parenting norms, because I’m surrounded by parents! The choices that parents make (in the voting booth, as consumers, as community members, as friends) have so many direct and indirect effects on my life and everyone’s lives. Plus I’m always interested in how people try and make sense of a ton of contradictory information and “best practices” about how to be in the world, and whew, that is contemporary parenting right now.I’m so pleased that Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of Hello, Cruel World!, agreed to join us to unpack your questions about contemporary parenting trends — she is so good at balancing empathy (for why we gravitate towards certain strategies) with reassurance (less is almost always more). So if you want to talk about the weird ways gentle parenting rhetoric has seeped into the playground, the pressure to overschedule, and the deeply annoying professionalization of kids’ sports, whew is this the episode for you. And if you’re not a parent but affected by parenting practices: you’ll also find so much here. This week’s discussion is gonna be a good one.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Raw Signal Group: If you’re a manager doing good in the world, and you want a better toolkit for how you’re showing up for your community, go to worldsbestmanagementtraining.com to find out moreMake the switch to Blueland today! Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/cultureHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribeArticle is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Visit ARTICLE.COM/culture and the discount will be automatically applied at checkoutShow Notes:Buy Melinda’s book, Hello, Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Kids in Terrifying Times Subscribe to Melinda’s wonderful parenting newsletter, Now WhatAny writing on a parenting practice draws a lot of ire but this New Yorker look at gentle parenting from 2022 both elucidated the roots and gave me a lot to think aboutMy polemic against Kids Sports and my interview with Linda Flanagan re: whether or not they’re reformableWe reference Virginia Sole-Smith’s classic post on The Grandmothers Are Not OkayThe Culture Study discussion from a few months ago re: “What Are We Actually Talking About When We Talk About Intensive Parenting”?Melinda references The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom by Nancy ReddyWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Evangelical Summer Camp, past and presentThe intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I feel like I don’t even need a prompt here because people are going to have THOUGHTS. Let’s just try and abide by normal Culture Study guidelines: don’t make people feel like crap in the comments! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is it weird that I really love talking about all the ways the formative culture of my teens screwed me up? Maybe it’s just cathartic — talking with someone else who’s spent time in the postfeminist ideological trenches, trying to unpack all of the contradictory messaging about who we should be and how we should act. Sophie Gilbert has been deep in that muck for years writing her new book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, and is here to help answer your excellent questions on how all of this took root in the ‘90s, the slutty cool baby girl ideal, the weird dude raunch movies, why we don’t know how pants are supposed to fit, the abomination of Bride Wars, and much, much more. Listen and let’s navigate all this accumulated sludge together.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 40% off Beam’s Dream Powder at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkout.Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Show Notes:Buy Girl on Girl here!!!!You can read Sophie’s back catalog of writing at The Atlantic here — I really love this Madonna piece from 2023Follow Sophie on Instagram and BlueskyListen to the official playlist of Girl on Girl on Spotify!Read an excerpt from Girl on Girl hereThis is a POSTER you can BUY ewwwwwwwThe Gail Porter FHM cover that was projected on to parliamentAn interview with Porter about the moment and its aftermathThe Jenna Jameson interview in the Abercrombie & Fitch “Naughty or Nice” Christmas catalog:The Angela McRobbie work on postfeminism and “romantic individualism” I referenceThe trailer for the horrible movie Bride WarsThe surveilling eye at work in Jennifer Lopez’s “If You Had My Love”My piece on Jennifer Lawrence and The History of Cool Girls from 2014The Katherine Heigl Vanity Fair interview where she calls Knocked Up “a little sexist” (and it then ruins her career)We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Evangelical Summer Camp, past and presentThe intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What cultural sludge of the ‘90s and 2000s did this bring up for you? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.