STARGIRL

Announcement: The Body Mechanics Workshop with Kat and Emma!Details:*Saturday May 16, 2026, 3-5pm at SoHo Pilates*A hands-on workshop breaking down the Pilates principles (respiration, spine and pelvic stability, etc.) and applying them to functional movement (squat, deadlift, lunge, etc.). We’ll delve into common cues, language, and adjustments and provide actionable anatomical information so you feel confident progressing on your own in group fitness, the gym, and your life!*Tickets include the workshop, an original anatomy workbook, plus complimentary matcha and exclusive STARGIRL and OTW Collective merch. *Note: Early bird pricing closes May 6th.Reserve your spot here! In this episode of the Body Series, I chat with my friend and collaborator Kat Sours at this transitory moment in her life. We discuss her early career in the NYC fashion world, and how defining her values prompted a full pivot into teaching Pilates full time. We also reflect on our many attempts at locating aligned femininity in NYC, and talk through several hot-button fitness conversations: The “exclusivity” of Pilates, the Classical vs. contemporary debate, and the nontoxic workout wear trend. So grateful to have Kat in my life and capture her beautiful essence! Kat Sours is an artist, designer, and Pilates instructor currently living in New York City (elsewhere soon!). Follow her @katsours and @otwcollective on Instagram. To book a private Pilates session with her, email [email protected] Tory Burch bag that Kat designed!STARGIRL Episode 59: The Body Series with MollySTARGIRL Episode 76: The Body Series with MeghanTo Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? Lucy Siegel (2011)

*Full episode (with musical cues) on Patreon*Announcement: Final spots remain for the STARGIRL x Health Gossip retreat on April 18. Tickets here!Happy April Fool’s Day! In this special episode, Maddy and I reflect on the prototypical Stargirl: October’s Very Own, Drizzy Drake! <3 <3 <3 We explore Drake’s feminine soul, messy, expansive digital footprint, how he helped women everywhere tap into the inner ho without compromising their personality, his gossipy, clickity-clack girlygirl aura, his theatre kid past, and how he’ll be remembered as the soundtrack for the good clean fun of millennial youth. Also dissected: trust issues, Canadian psychology, the proliferation of fake deep male therapy speak, and why Aubrey can never garner respect from the rest of the guys. At the end of the day, Drake is lowkey living out loud and we love him for that <3 Plus: I unveil my male paradigms…Madeleine Kunkle is an artist and writer, and creator/owner of the clothing and fragrance brand Hollywood Gifts. Follow her! @madeleine_kunkle @hollywoodgifts99Links:“One Dance” performance on SNLDrake falling off stage at his first performance with Young MoneyDrake’s speech to Rihanna at 2016 VMAs“36G?! Locate this woman immediately!” Drake on Not This Again with Bobbi Althoff “The Blackberry keys… my thumbs were made for touching them”“Drake Shows His Crib Before Blowing Up on Degrassi!”Drake’s Arch Digest tour“Doing It Wrong” fake deep therapy vibes…Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ for more!

AnnouncementsReserve your spot at the STARGIRL x Health Gossip Retreat! (More info here)STARGIRL finally has social media! Follow along: Instagram and TikTokEmma is accepting new personal training clients for an April or May 2026 start date. Book your free consult call here to learn more!Show NotesThis week we’re joined by longtime STARGIRL listener Stephanie Castaneda Perez to discuss Stevie Nicks, frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac and intergenerational emblem of the Spiritual Feminine. We discuss evolution of the “California Sound” and how Fleetwood Mac stands above their algorithmically linked “peers,” the tendency to collapse the distinct histories of hippies and various pagan traditions into a vague idea of the “bohemian,” and how the life-giving beauty of California shows up in Stevie's songs. We also break down Stevie’s late-70s fashion: its commodification and devolution into so-called “whimsigoth,” and what people miss when they over-index on the cheap “witchy” aspects of her uniform. Plus: Addison Rae’s reconnection to her Mexican roots on her South American tour, and how Azaelia Banks was right all along…Stephanie Castaneda Perez is a writer and self-appointed historian living in the Bay Area. She produces and hosts Dear Americana, a history-ish program about womanhood in American cultures. Follow Steph on YouTube and TikTok for more! Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more!Links:“Hippies” Dear Americana podcast (2026)“The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks” American Horror Story (2014)“Fleetwood Mac Finds the Combination” (original review of Rumours) John Rockwell in NYT (1977)Rumours review in Rolling Stone, John Swenson (1977)“The Resurgent Appeal of Stevie Nicks” Amanda Petrusich in the New Yorker (2016)“Weedslut is Building a Sexy Little Universe, One Addison Tour Look at a Time” Dara in Interview (2025) (Addison x Weedslut chiffon bell sleeve lineage…)“Fame is a Gun” new dance break (no more mountain climbers) Azaelia Banks on Addison needing to lean into her Mexican heritage (one of many instances)“Still Dressing for Stevie” Ruth La Ferla in the New York Times (2009)“Stevie Nicks is Still Living Her Dreams” Q&A with Stevie and Tavi Gevinson in the New Yorker (2022)

Lily Sperry and I are announcing the STARGIRL x Health Gossip Retreat, a one-day, intimate gathering in NYC, in partnership with MERIT Beauty. The event has been months in the making, and we can't wait to bring the worlds of STARGIRL and Health Gossip together in one place. Featuring: yoga, lymphatic massage, breathwork and meditation, sound healing, flower essences, and more...Full event details hereReserve your spotFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!Links:Health GossipSTARGIRL Episode 84: The Body Series with Lily Sperry

Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon ~ Follow STARGIRL on IG | TikTok ~ Follow Emma on IG | SubstackJust a few short days before the Hole *not-revival announcement, OG STARGIRL listener Ella and I met up to examine the so-called Queen of Grunge, Ms. Courtney Love. We trace the origins of the grunge and riot grrl scenes in the PNW (and mourn the region’s loss of virility), and explore Courtney’s unique exploration of her own “patriarchal bargain,” extreme combo of self-destruction X sweetness, and portrayal of female rage. Plus: The Threat of the successful groupie, Kinderwhore, Gen X’s allergy to brand consciousness, Hole as an antidote to #MeToo and girlboss feminism that insists on “victimhood as empowerment,” Courtney’s beef-turned-yoga friendship with Madonna, and more…. This episode is a celebration of scrappiness and girls who can actually get down <3Ella Simone is a self-taught poet, writer, and collage artist living in Richmond, Virginia. She works in community mental health by day and runs an art and literary zine called Cobra Lily by night. You can find her on Instagram, Substack, and on the Cobra Lily website.Links:Ella’s essays on Courtney, Addison RaeCourtney on Howard Stern (1998)Courtney’s MTV interview (1994)“Courtney Love: The ELLE Interview,” Elle (2014)“Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation?” Amanda Fortini in NYT (2025)“Strange Love: The Story of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love” Lynn Hirschberg in Vanity Fair (1992)Courtney on Barbara Walters (1995)Courtney flashes David Letterman (2004)Courtney barges in on Madonna’s postshow interview at 1995 VMA’s1995 performance of “Violets” where Courtney puts a hex on Billy Corgan (who did indeed lose his hair after this…)Courtney Love warning young women about Harvey Weinstein in 2005Courtney falling down on the red carpet

[Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon ~ Follow STARGIRL on IG | TikTok ~ Follow Emma on IG | Substack]This week we are joined by the inimitable Amanda Fortini to discuss the American myth, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Amid this winter’s shitstorm of CBK discourse, Amanda brings us underneath the hood to discuss her time working at George magazine, the fading dream of 90s New York, Carolyn’s real-life Cinderella Story, and the moment of fear surrounding the impending turn of the century. We also explore the insatiable drive for a feeling of glamour, JFK Jr.’s prophetic idea to mix politics and pop culture with George, the Threat of the Elusive Woman, and the profound sadness of the Kennedy story that today’s smug fashion discourse often overlooks.Amanda Fortini is a writer covering culture, fashion, art, herbalism, and more. She currently writes a column at County Highway and is working on a book of essays about Las Vegas, Flamingo Road. Keep up with her on Instagram | Substack | XThank you to Amanda for it all! <3Links: Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Elizabeth Beller (1992)“Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation?" Amanda Fortini in the New York Times “The Beautiful, Dark, Not-So-Twisted Love Between Sarah Paulson and Ryan Murphy” Amanda Fortini in Elle (2017)“The Tragedy of Britney Spears” Vanessa Grigoriadis in Rolling Stone (2008)“A Midwestern Girl Finds Enchantment and Envy in an Ivy League World of Wealth and Privilege” Amanda Fortini in Elle (2016)Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Connor Hines / Ryan Murphy (2026)

This week we ride the spirit of New York Fashion Week to discuss Eva Chen, whose career emblematizes the changing nature of fashion media in the past decade: from Condé Nast darling to Instagram mega-poster to VP of Fashion at Meta. Along with our guest Ashleigh Carter, we discuss Eva’s unselfconscious approach to the shifting media landscape, the late-2010s fascination with tech workplace culture-as-content (#evachenpose, Tiny Conference Room, team workouts, etc.), and how the well-intentioned “democratization of Fashion” is unfortunately swagless. Plus, we explore our original New York Dreams and the material and spiritual Ls we’ve taken in pursuit of a feeling of glamour.Plus: My review of Wuthering Heights, Margaret Qualley-as-bombshell, and Addison Rae’s impending baddie era.Ashleigh Carter is a writer, journalist, and content creator based in New York City. She has written for Teen Vogue, Glamour, Them, NowThis News and more, and has more than 185,000 followers on TikTok. Follow her at @ashweecarter on TikTok and Instagram!Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more!Links:​“Margaret Qualley on Substance, Surrender, and Life with Jack Antonoff” Marisa Meltzer in Vanity Fair (2026)​“Margaret Qualley Manifested This Cover Story” Willa Bennett in Cosmopolitan (2025)​Addison BADDIE ERA is happening!!! Omg so done with the gracious ingenue blushy tutu…​#evachenpose on Instagram​Example of late 2010s obsession with tech workplace culture feat. tiny conference room Refinery 29 (2019)​“How Eva Chen Went From Pre-Med Student to Director of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram” Fashionista (2018)​“How I Get It Done: Eva Chen” The Cut (2018)​“Meet Fashion’s Coolest Girlboss Eva Chen” Glamour UK (2018)​Eva on Work In Progress with Sophia Bush (2019)​“How Eva Chen Gets It Done” The Run-Through with Vogue (2024)Tom’s Perfect 10 Granola (Go Tom lol!)

Welcome back to the next installment of my Client Testimonial series, where we hear from my 1:1 personal training clients about their experience working with me, and how they've transformed their body/mind/soul via strength training.In this episode, we discuss Parisa's longing for a competitive athletic outlet in adulthood, how strength training finally alleviated her chronic pain, and how getting strong has transformed not only her physical body but also the way she moves through the world.This episode is for: lifelong athletes who don't feel challenged enough in adult team sports, those living with chronic pain who are curious if strength training could solve it for good, people whose past experiences with personal training felt random and disconnected, and anyone who's wasted years of their life picking apart their body in the mirror and are ready to build a new relationship with themselves from the inside out <3 Parisa Kosari is a James Beard Award-nominated creative producer in NYC. She has collaborated with leading publications and platforms including Bustle, Elite Daily, Bon Appétit, GQ, Hubspot, Vanity Fair, and Vogue. Follow Parisa on Instagram and learn more about her work here!//Interested in personal training with Emma? Sign up for a free consult call and we'll go from there <3Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*This week we reflect on the recent significance of the musician Ethel Cain: as the leading musical animator of rural Southern Christian life, a Dark Prophet to rally around, and an idiosyncratic emblem of so many conversations that marked the past few years. We also examine the recent bloating of the “Southern Gothic” genre, analyze the longing to portray regional American identities, and propose Ethel as a cultural bridge between pandemic-era Christian poseurs and today’s girlygirl obsession with alternative spirituality.We also hear directly from STARGIRL listener Alex (@daught3rmourn1ng_) who is originally from the Florida panhandle, was brought up in the Southern Baptist tradition, and now makes experimental drone music (like what?!). <3 So grateful for all that you shared!Thanks also to Soraya Beheshti @sorayaofficial and Nim @nimityonline for your great ideas as well! Links:“Ethel Cain’s Guide to the Southern Gothic” The Face (2022)“Daughters of Cain, Sharp Objects & How the Recession Gave Rise to the Southern Gothic” Polyester Zine “Ethel Cain Is Done Trying to Control the Narrative" W Mag (2022)“Ethel Cain: An All-American Girl” Paper Mag (2022)Ethel Cain on Popcast (2025)“my experiences with the paranormal, the otherworldly, and the generally bothersome” Ethel Cain’s YoutubeWikipedia list of “Southern Gothic” media“Nettles” explained“American Teenager,” “Crush” music videosFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more!

Hello from the final weeks of the Wood Snake year ;) …. This week, we pick up where we left off with “Metal Season," to dissect the ever-accelerating Chinese-ness of internet culture these days. We talk more TCM (seasonality, womb health, qigong morning routines, etc.), the newly mainstreamed fascination with the Chinese Zodiac system, and the ways I’m choosing to let the Year of the Horse vibes wash over me and spur me into clarity & aligned action.Plus: 2016 nostalgia acceleration machine, Fetty Wap out of prison, UDA virality and the overly-masculine approach to hip-hop dance, the shifting signifiers of health and beauty, and why, as always, it’s important to not primarily view your life/other’s choices/the world through a political lens and to instead connect to intuition so you can be self led. Shine on!⁠*Full episode on Patreon*⁠Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ for more!Links:“This Is What Year of the Horse Means for You” Morgan Fargo in Vogue (2026)“Why everyone is now Chinese” Elle Jones on Substack (2026)Anne Hathaway sings North London ForeverFetty Wap’s label welcomes him back after he returns from prisonUDA: LSU Hip Hop finals 2026, LSU Hip Hop Finals 2022“The hip hop category feels to Jabbawockeez” dre.shady on TikTok

This week we’re joined by Laura Gunder, a classical Pilates teacher, ex-professional ballet dancer, and the creator of The Emergence Podcast. Laura shares her story: her career as a ballerina, the identity transformation upon leaving the ballet world, and how she found a new relationship with her body and movement in the fitness world. She also sheds light on the difference between Classical and contemporary Pilates, gives her thoughts on the explosion of franchised Pilates studios in the last decade, and offers concrete advice for anyone new to the fitness industry. This episode is for former dancers, early-stage fitness professionals in need of lifestyle tips, those who owns their own business in NYC, and anyone inspired by systematic, formal movement styles <3Laura’s IG and website Links:The Emergence Podcast (and on Instagram)Emma’s interview on EmergenceFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week we’re joined by the writer Vanessa Lily Chung to (finally!!) tackle Anne Hathaway, an unassailable Stargirl whose Dream / Threat has always been totally vague but universally felt. We explore our own girlhood memories young Anne (Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, The Devil Wears Prada) and the latent “makeover” dream therein, reflect on the near-decade of #Hathahate, trace her comeback in the last few years via her fashion and beauty renaissance, and speculate on the major 2026 she’s about to have with TDWP II, Mother Mary, The Odessey, and more. Plus: Vanessa’s fascinating racial misidentification with Anne as a young woman, Anne’s obsession with playing “sick girls,” the psychology of the default brunette, and the Threat of plainness. Vanessa Lily Chung is a writer from Brooklyn. Her criticism has appeared in The Baffler, The Brooklyn Rail, and The Henry James Review. Follow her on IG or email her at [email protected].*Emma’s opening a few more personal training spots for Winter 2026. If you’re interested in learning more, book a free consult call here!Discussed:Performances mentioned: Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married, Love and Other Drugs, Get Smart, Bride Wars, The Dark Knight Rises, One Day, Les Mis, Interstellar, The Intern, Ocean’s 8, Eileen, The Idea of You, Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada II, The Odessey, Verity#Hathahate archive in The Cut (!!)Anne at the 2008 OscarsAnne in pink Prada fake nipplegate momentAnne in Les Mis Fantine vibes…People Magazine cover July 2008: “The Princess and the Con Man”Lip Sync Battle: Anne Hathaway “Wrecking Ball” (2015)Anne on Mark Maron (2017)Anne at Cannes 2022 (internet-breaking)Anne in Interview Mag (2022)Anne and Emily Blunt Variety Actors on Actors (2024)Anne recent Vogue profile (2025)Mother Mary preview (2026)STARGIRL episode on Bianca Giaever (2023)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

Happy New Year everyone! We’re back with the next episode of The Body Series, a client testimonial with my dream personal training client Miss Andrea! She shares her experience turning to strength training after a decade of the group fitness churn, the long-term, sustainable way she’s approaching body recomp in preparation for her wedding (!!!), why real consistency (+ accountability) has 10-xed her results, and the confidence she’s gained by leveling up the way she treats herself. I adore Andrea and am so excited to share her light with you all! <3This episode is for: 2026 brides, Type A babes who tend to go ham and burn out, ex-athletes who want to reconnect to their adolescent identity, women who don’t yet feel comfortable in the gym, and anyone who’s feeling called to glow the heck up….Interested in personal training? Sign up for a free consult call to learn about how I work and see if it's a fit <3 Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week, I share my observations on the dominant cultural patterns of Fall 2025, most of which can be traced back to the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) craze sweeping through New York and hot girl Internet circles (think: breakfast soup, seasonality, heightened Lunar awareness, lymph and fascia care, etc.). Also discussed: the grifter energy of the online healer community, leaning into political grayness with health-related interests/intuition, some recent mainstream criticism of GLP-1s and SSRIs, and reflections/intentions after my birthday last week <3Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Links:Alix Earle on DWTS (Maleficent, Maneater/Sports Car Mashup)Emily Gates on TikTokBallerina Farm addresses criticism for the first time (to my knowledge?)Sigh Swoon Ayahuasca Recap VideoALP Sponsors Red Scare after Dasha gets dropped from her agencyGetty Museum Twelve Days of Medieval Illuminations exhibitTCM on TikTok“How the Right Coopted Psychedelics" Justin Smith-Ruiu in GQ“The MAHA-Fueled Rise of Natural Family Planning” Caroline Kitchener in NYT“More Teens are Taking Antidepressants. It Could Disrupt Their Sex Lives for Years” Daniel Bergner in NYT“Life in Beige: Are GLP-1s Worth a Life Devoid of Pleasure?” Allison P. Davis in The Cut

This week we’re joined by Dr. Aumatma Simmons, a naturopathic doctor and double board-certified endocrinologist, and the founder of the Holistic Fertility Institute and Madre Fertility. Dr. Aumatma shares her journey from conventional to naturopathic medicine, research that complicates the prevailing myth of mid-30s fertility dropoff, her views on traditional intervention models (egg freezing, IVF, etc.), simple things that people can do to support their fertility (read: Vitality), and why she views fertility as the optimal lens through which to assess healthFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

Lily Sperry is a writer and brand consultant. She runs the newsletter Health Gossip. In this magical episode, we discuss the origins of her project, the larger esoteric fairy-girl moment we’re living through, and why creation is the ultimate antidote to ennui. Plus, Lily shares her definition of “health” as maintaining a “clear channel,” and we reflect on the benefits of not centering our days around consumption, why New York can feel hostile to femininity, and the connection between femininity and fertility. Thank you Lily for your wisdom and grace! Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Links:Health Gossip on [email protected] on InstagramLily on Instagram

*Full episode on Patreon*Checking in after a busy fall season... in this month's letter, I reflect on the current biggest sources of meaning in my life (work, creative partnership, my marriage, dance, and spirituality), voice my desire to be a formal student again, get nostalgic for the first time I encountered D'Angelo, and keep the good vibes going after the STARGIRL party last week. Sending love XOXO!Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week we welcome the writer Marisa Meltzer back to STARGIRL to discuss her new book It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin (out this week!). We discuss the myth of Jane Birkin and Marisa’s project to animate her beyond a 2D moodboard figure, and use Jane as a vessel to revisit classic STARGIRL conversations such as Artist vs. Muse, Narrative Control, and Nature vs. Artifice. We discuss Jane’s lifelong Lolita energy, character as a mother, natural aging process, and comfortability as a vessel for others’ creative and sexual projections.Plus, I reflect on seeing Addison live after 5+ years of indulging my fixation in my imagination, give my take on the various Showgirl vibes in culture right now, and answer the elephant in the room: Is Jane Birkin a Stargirl or an It Girl?Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Discussed:It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, Marisa Meltzer (2025)Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Life of Emily Weiss’s Glossier, Marisa Meltzer (2023)STARGIRL episode on Emily Weiss with Marisa (2023)“Do the right thing Addison Rae…” @_artsartsarts on X“Addison Rae Wants More Than Virality” Alex Hawgood, W Mag (2025)Alix Earle on DWTS (so good!)“Margaret Qualley Manifested This Cover Story” Willa Bennett Cosmopolitan (2025)The Power Notebooks, Katie Roiphe (2020)“Why I Got a Neck Lift at 41 Years Old” Sophie Pavitt in The Cut (2025)Jane B. par Agnes V. (1988)

*Full episode on Patreon*Occasioned by her recent return to Outdoor Voices, this week we go long on Ty Haney. We examine Ty’s original mission to separate exercise from performance (and how that was internalized as a “demand” to “play”), revisit the tired, left-of-basic criticism that fitness is classist, catch up on Ty’s various Futurist ventures in her time away from OV, and analyze OV’s attempt to stay relevant as sportswear fashion trends evolve. Plus, urgent conversations such as: Is Ty’s Web3 Cowgirl vibe landing? Does fangirling over Elon Musk in 2025 need to *mean anything*? Why is my cultural imagination surrounding Austin, TX circa 2016 so vivid?Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Mentioned:STARGIRL episode with Lauren Gerrie - a must-listen for the soul <3“Ty Haney is Back at Outdoor Voices” Brooke LaMantia, The Cut (2025)“Ty Haney Is Back at Outdoor Voices, this time with a new collection” Cara Salpini, Retail Dive (2025)Ty on Pia’s Pod podcast (2025)“Outdoor Voices Blurs the Line Between Working Out and Everything Else” Jia Tolentino, New Yorker (2019)“How Toned Arms Became a Status Symbol — And an Impossible Standard” Anne Marie Chaker, Time (2025)“Ourdoor Voices Founder Ty Haney Has Moved On. Mostly” Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz The Cut (2023)“My Week with Ty Haney’s CBD for Workouts” (review of Joggy) Dominique Pariso, The Strategist (2023)TYB on Instagram“Ty Haney is Elon Musk’s Reply Guy” @grandeillusion on Substack (2025)“Casting Resilience: Entrepreneur Ty Haney’s Advice for Leaders? Go Fishing” Jessica Militare, Forbes (2025)“The New Exercise Boom and the Woman Who Saw It Coming”, Suzy Weiss, The Free Press (2025)“What Should We Call Athleisure Now?” Vanessa Friedman, NYT (2025)“You’re a Boomer if You Wear Leggings: The Rise of Big Workout Pants” Rory Satran, WSJ (2025)NikeSKIMS (and overview of criticism it’s received)

Welcome Lauren Gerrie, a true downtown icon and "The Body Series" embodied ;) Lauren is the co-founder of MOVES dance class, a culinary artist (and formerly Marc Jacobs’ personal chef), a figure model, and so much more. Today she shares her wisdom: how dance helps us to re-inhabit sensuality and freedom, why being in tune with your cravings > following “food rules” and trends, why expensive convenience is not your best life, and the importance of rituals that elate and unify. Above all, Lauren is a joy seeker: living proof of all things vital and wild. <3Follow Lauren on Instagram and learn more about her workSubscribe to the STARGIRL PatreonFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

The scroll always stops for Miss Victoria Paris! In this Feel Good episode, we explore Victoria Paris’ explosion onto the cultural consciousness and how she became the playbook of how to blow up on TikTok. We reminisce about her early content (inventive workout GRWMs, death by Stairmaster, Suede Brooks, her obsession with her “low ass,” etc.), trace her style and lifestyle evolution, examine the backlash over her spending, weight loss, and 24/7 approach to streaming, and fawn over her cute ass girlfriend Nico <3 Plus: the expectations of NYC vs. LA influencers, why Sabrina Carpenter is not a Stargirl, and why I legitimately get depressed every time a creator I adore leaves New York… LOVE YOU VP thanks for always keeping the Glint alive <333Book a free consult call to learn more about personal training with me & join the waitlist!“Sabrina Carpenter Is Glad You Like Her Sexual Content” Mel Ottenberg in InterviewSydney Sweeney original STARGIRL episode“Victoria Paris Wants to Big Brother Her Life” Emily Sundberg (!!) in Interview (2021)“Chasing Boys with TikTok Princess Victoria Paris” Brock Colyar in The Cut (2021)Victoria on Avery Woods’ podcast (2025)TenFour jewelry Victoria Paris “What I would wear to work if I was a flight attendant” (pause on facial expression when she wheels in the suitcase) “It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl” Brock Colyar in The Cut (2025)Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York (2021)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*Happy end of Summer! In this month’s letter, I offer my observations on the only cultural conversations that have captured my attention in 2025: New New Spirituality & Overall Metaphysical Vibes: Astrology’s mounting cultural importance, the craze around this year’s 8/8 portal, wavy ranch-y fashion, psychedelics, the non-toxic movement, push toward natural fibers, etc. The Politicization of Fitness: The growing interest in fitness is accompanied by a certain strain of panic about the “dark side” of a cultural value around health, fitness, and the body. Plus, the binary of Body as Machine vs. Body as Garden and how you can tune inward to sensation before exploding outward from neuroses…The Mythos of the Modern Conservative Women: I’ve been fascinated by the media’s obsession with “defining” and “understanding” the modern conservative woman. What’s going on here?Then, I give an update on my capital-h Healing Summer and invite you into a fall of spaciousness, routine, and uber clarity… Links:Gabi (sigh swoon) on 8/8 portalSTARGIRL Ep. 39 where I predicted this metaphysical folkloric return“Pop’s Prosperity Gospel: How Addison Rae Ushered In a New Spiritual Style” Biz Sherbert in AnOther Mag“Zen and the Art of Being Jennifer Aniston” Julie Miller in Vanity Fair “2024 was the year of the Chad” Angelica Frey interviewed me about physique posting for Fast Company “Is Pilates Political?” Calum Marsh in the New York Times “Getting Fit is Great — But It Could Turn You Into a RightWing Jerk” Zoe Williams in The Guardian“Can President Trump Run a Mile?” Zach Helfand on the return of the Presidential Fitness Test in the New Yorker“Demin, Dating, and Conservativism: Inside a ‘Make America Hot Again’ Party” Mandy Taheri in NewsweekSydney Sweeney for Bai Coconut Water… whyFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week we’re joined by Kaila Yu, author of the new book Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.Kaila tells her story: from growing up in Southern California idolizing pinup models to working in the import car scene to appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and touring internationally with the girl band Nylon Pink. We discuss the concept of the Asian fetish as it exists in pornified mass media vs. real-world relationships, its roots in American military occupation, and the genesis of the ABG trope, influence of Stargirl Sung Hi Lee, Sam Rockwell’s monologue from White Lotus, and more. Kaila also shares her ultimate dissatisfaction with performing an object of desire, how she got sober, and how she’s re-inhabited her body after decades of alienation from it. Big thank you to Kaila for all that you shared <3 Buy Fetishized at your local bookseller and follow Kaila on Instagram and TikTok!Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

Welcome to the first installment of my newest episode type, Client Testimonials, where you hear directly from my incredible personal training clients about their experience working with me as a coach.This week we hear from Miss Meghan, a true dream client based in Austin, TX. Meghan shares her full glow-up story: moving beyond her lifelong junk food habit, getting out of chronic pain, losing weight and lowering her blood glucose levels, building comfortability in the gym, feeling better naked and in her clothes, all while consistently building strength. We also discuss the perspective shifts inherent to a devotional gym routine: We debunk the idea of “fitness culture” as a bland normie influencer zone (it’s actually an earnest and sensual freakshow), explore how it feels to anchor yourself to a new definition of glamour more rooted in health, and discuss the agency and liberation that comes from calorie awareness (no, learning what you’re putting in your body doesn’t have to be a neurotic, restrictive, isolated hellscape). Thank you to Meghan for your time and all that you shared <3***Announcement:***Interested in personal training with me? I am currently running a Back-to-School promotion — my first ever — for early access on Fall 2025 spots. Here’s the 4-1-1:Receive 15% off any package when you sign by September 1stLimited spots available for a September or October 2025 start dateThis means you could save up to $300If you're interested, book a consult call with me — we’ll discuss your goals, exercise/injury history, and my current offerings, and see if it’s a fit to work with each other. Hope to see you in the gym soon!Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week we tackle ingénue Margaret Qualley with the help of my friend and the writer/trend forecaster Holly Friend. We analyze Margaret’s recent re-introduction as an explicit sex object (The Substance, her Bond Girl potential, etc.), and the many intertwined celebrity dramas that make up her myth. We explore her ugly duckling origin story, insistence on her own girlishness, luminous elven beauty, infamous lip bite, and career ambitions, and dive into the Dream/Threat latent in her marriage and creative partnership with Jack Antonoff. Subscribe to Holly’s new Substack Recurring Character and follow her on IG!Discussed:Margaret Qualley alter ego “Lace Manhattan” releases new musicLena Dunham on Girls Rewatch podcastBlonde Margaret hamming it upMargaret’s infamous Kenzo World campaign“Lights! Camera! Margaret!” profile in i-D (2025)“Margaret Qualley is a Maverick in the Making” AnOther Mag (2022)W Mag photoshoot with Margaret and Mikey Madison (2020)Margaret Qualley Once Upon a Time in Hollywood TikTok edits“Crush” Rachel Antonoff SS14 campaign“Tiny Moves” Bleachers music video (2024)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon! Join the STARGIRL Patreon for access to exclusive content <3 *I often get asked how to "increase" or "find" your inner Stargirl. I don't think that's something you can engineer (we feel it when it's over-produced), but I do think there are concrete ways you can strengthen your sense of self by living more on-purpose. In this month's letter, I reflect on the top 5 things I believe have improved my confidence and allowed me to live more freely: getting in shape, developing a conscious relationship to drugs & alcohol, taking pride in my most important relationships, tuning out the voices/discourse/hot-button issues that don't actually interest me, and finding my voice by using my voice. As I always say, it's gonna get weirder before it gets less weird <3 Cheers to a lifetime of learning to trust yourself <3 Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

Happy Addison Week! In this special episode we return to the original Stargirl Miss Addison Rae to review her debut album Addison, out last week. We talk audiovisual worldbuilding, heavy-handed references, her first real live performances, plus the attendant media rollout, Internet hysteria, and collective impulse to claim that we saw her first. We also circle back to the Artist vs. Muse debate, and I argue that her uniquely uncomplicated portrayal of her own sexuality has the power to heal internalized misogyny in 2025. We end on the question, “How does watching Addison make you feel?” and hear some responses from listeners from “little girls playing mermaids” to “embodied sensual force.” Hell yes!*Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon for access to exclusive episodes and more!*Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Discussed:STARGIRL episodes: Addison Rae Part I (May 2022), Addison Rae Part II (December 2024)Podcast interviews: Popcast, Zane LoweAddison by Caroline Tomkins for the NYTAddison profile in ELLEAddison album reviews: Pitchfork, the New Yorker“Body Doubles and Aquadisease” Nymphet Alumni

Lauren Kanski is the founding coach on Ladder, a strength training app that offers progressive overload training in a variety of modalities. In the five years I’ve followed her on Instagram, Lauren has had a tremendous and direct influence on my life: from getting me curious about the kettlebell to connecting me with leading voices in the health and fitness industry to inspiring me to embark on a career in fitness myself. She is a real-life Stargirl and was born to lead. In this episode, we discuss Lauren’s unique path in the fitness industry (from pre-med to teaching yoga to grinding as an Equinox trainer to founding one of today’s leading fitness apps), her tough love attitude as a coach, why calorie awareness is vital to long-term weight management, and her journey with sobriety, her marriage, and her faith. Huge thank you to Lauren for this beautiful and heartfelt episode. <3 !Follow Lauren on Instagram and join team Body and Bell on the Ladder appFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!

This week we’re joined by internet sensations Amelia and Evan of Girls Rewatch podcast to discuss Lena Dunham, two years after we first knighted her as an original Stargirl. We discuss Lena’s work and life post-Girls (Sharp Stick, her new show Too Much, and her marriage, chronic illness, and perma-hibernation mode) and assess the past 10 years of self-conscious scripted comedy (White Lotus, Broad City, Fleabag, Sex Lives of College Girls, Severance, Insecure, And Just Like That, etc.). We also analyze Gen Z’s reclamation of Marnie and reminisce about the Dream of mid-2010s creative Brooklyn advanced by the best TV show of all time. Listen to / watch / follow Girls Rewatch podcast, and follow Amelia and Evan <3Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Links:STARGIRL Episode 12: Lena Dunham Part I (2022)Sharp Stick Lena’s movie from 2022Too Much, Lena’s forthcoming show“Lena Dunham’s Change of Pace” Rachel Syme in The New Yorker (2024)

This week we travel back in time 100 years (!) to meet Edna St. Vincent Millay, girl poet and emblem of 1920s Greenwich Village bohemia. We are joined by the writer (and my former professor) Kate Bolick, who wrote extensively about Millay in her 2015 book Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own. We discuss Edna’s passionate free spirit, her tragic end, and the self-renewing Dream of writerly collaboration in downtown New York. More importantly, we discuss the age old question of how to build a sustainable life as a woman artist — how to define “meaning” vs. “noise” for yourself, and how to live it out with poise.Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Discussed:Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own, Kate Bolick (2015)“All the Single Ladies” Kate Bolick in The Atlantic (2011)Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Nancy Milford (2002)“How Fame Fed on Edna St. Vincent Millay” Maggie Doherty in The New Yorker (2022)The Long Winded Lady (collection of essays by Maeve Brennan in The New Yorker)

*Full episode on Patreon*Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!This week we go long on the evolution of Julia, the woman behind the cult YouTube channel Itsblitzzz. We reflect on the many lives she’s lived in her 15+ years online: DIY T-shirt reconstruction guru, yatted nightlife star, Los Angeles ASMR artist royalty, full on mommy blogger, and more. We also explore her fans’ somewhat nihilistic but understandable grief over the fact that she no longer represents a scene kid cultural underbelly, the line between being a Cool Loner and plain agoraphobic, and what you lose / gain as you grow up and life gets smaller.

Welcome back to the next episode of The Body Series, where we go deep on all the best STARGIRL themes: embodiment, warring conceptions of “health” and “fitness,” and what a “mind-body connection” looks like in practice.Today we’re blessed by Sasha Hanway, a coach on the Ladder app and a certified personal trainer, yoga teacher, breathwork and meditation coach, and holistic nutrition coach. We go Back to Basics mode: the importance of building and maintaining muscle as you age, why progressive overload is the most effective way to train, why people tend to overcomplicate nutrition, and how all of this plays a role in the current metabolic crisis we face in the United States.Sasha also shares her experience navigating social media as a fitness influencer, her duty to share reputable studies and research, and how to find trusted voices in the sea of online fitness content.As a former college athlete, Sasha has always loved movement, but it was progressive overload strength approach combined with deep core work that truly transformed her body. She’s on a mission to help women shift their mindsets to take up space and be bold: to nourish themselves and fall in love with their bodies and movement. Her program ALIGN, found on the Ladder app, blends mindfulness, strength, yoga, mobility and deep core work, and has helped thousands of women transform their bodies and their relationship with exercise. Sasha is also a recreational runner, surfer and lives in the PNW with her husband, stepson, and rescue cat Baby Ru. Follow Sasha on IG and work out with her on Ladder!Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Links:“Fitness startup Ladder comes for Peloton for allegedly copying their app” Sarah Perez, TechCrunch (2024)Other voices I love on these topics: Lauren Kanski, Kelly LeVeque, Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Casey Means, @GlucoseGoddess, @feelwellbyannaBook a free personal training consult call with Emma! (Note: I am not currently accepting new clients, but feel free to get in touch and I’ll add you to the waitlist!)

This week we delve into the relentless and perverted mind of Catherine Breillat, the French filmmaker and novelist who has disturbed audiences for 50 years. Broadly consideredcinéma du corps,Catherine’s movies explore the grotesqueness of sex and the body, depraved sexual longing, petulant, manipulative, and erratic women, and fraught and often violent sexual encounters.In this episode, we explore Breillat’s ability to craft characters we can’t stand, invert the expected power dynamics between men and women, and engender such a visceral response from her audience. We also review her many capital-c Controversies and discuss how her insistence on women’s manipulative tendencies works so well in art and… less well in real life. Plus! More on Ripe / Dead psychology, a rant on Margaret Qualley from Holly, and a rave on Eileen Kelly / @killerandasweetthang from Linnea Grace. Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Mentioned:STARGIRL Episode 50: The Body Series with Eloise Skinner CRUSH Rachel Antonoff SS 2014 short (Margaret Qualley prototype foreshadowing…) Movies by Catherine Breillat:A Real Young Girl(1976),36 Fillette(1988),Romance(1999),Fat Girl(2001),Sleeping Beauty(2011),Abuse of Weakness(2013),Last Summer(2024)“Catherine Breillat’s Unselling Cinema of Desire” Victoria Uren (2025)Catherine Breillat’s response to allegations of sexual misconduct“State of Grace: Catherine Breillat on Last Summer” interview with Grace Byron inScreen Slate(2024)

This week we go back to basics and investigate what one of the world’s hottest young women has to teach us about our own self hate (!). We revisit the classic STARGIRL paradigm of Ripe vs. Dead and examine the latent Threat of Dead beauty, and traverse Lily-Rose’s metaphorical potential as a descendant of Hollywood Royalty, ready and willing sex object, and generational leader in her own right.We also revisit our conversation about the simultaneous crumbling of and longing for trusted institutions via a few current events: the LA fires and David Lynch’s passing, the TikTok ban fakeout, and President Trump’s inauguration. Plus! A Rave on classic and beloved Stargirl Sky Ferreira, from Helen <3Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Discussed:Addison’s Rolling Stone cover storyKelela new music (?) announcementLily-Rose Depp on the Happy Sad Confused podcast“Extremely Overanalyzing Hollywood’s Nepo Baby Boom” New York Magazine (2022)Lily-Rose Depp provided pale skin brown nipple representation on screen discourseThe Power Notebooks, Katie Roiphe (2020)

*Full episode on Patreon*Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!Today we travel back in time to the early 2010s and delve into the moody, mysterious soundscape of Kelela, the singer and dance music producer who soundtracked my early twenties. We explore her evolution from Muse to a handful of forward-thinking, UK-based producers to an Artist in her own right, why she stands above the scores of more famous Alt R&B artists (FKA Twigs, Solange, SZA, Tinashe, etc.), and the ways she’s employed more Narrative Control in recent years by explicitly defining her audience and who she will and won’t work with. We also check in on the Club — the rules of it, who it is and isn’t “for," and whether or not it's meaningfully alienating... anyone in 2025.PLUS! This episode features exclusive voice notes from my husband, weirdo music nerd, and former club kid, David <3Mentioned:Kelela interview with Tanya Bunter (2023)Raven review/profile in NYT (2023)Interview in Dazed(2022)

Happy New Year!In this episode of The Body Series, I share my entire fitness journey: Growing up as a ballerina to college weight gain, inactivity, and depression, finding weightlifting and getting my sh*t together, getting injured, experimenting with different styles of training, and eventually becoming a personal trainer. I also explore the various mindsets and motivations I’ve had with working out, examine online fitness content vs. IRL gym culture, and opine on how we could make the gym feel sexier with different tropes, narratives, and interior design :)I believe that getting fit is a site of huge personal transformation. Doing so completely changed my identity, helped me build self trust, and even made me a stronger and more original thinker. Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for more!I have a few more 1:1 personal training spots open for both in-person (NYC) and virtual clients. Book a free 30-minute consult call with me to learn more!If you’re into these ideas, check out the following:The Body Series with Dr. Cameron YuenThe Body Series with Jordan CastroMy guest episode on Nymphet AlumniMy interview in Fast Company on the rise of body-centric imagery in consumer products

Happy Holidays! In this Christmas Special, we enter the timeless, charmed world of Dame Julie Andrews and my favorite movie of all time, The Sound of Music. We explore how Rodgers & Hammerstein evolved and elevated the musical as a form, the grand folk ideal of Maria von Trapp (vs. the self-conscious twee heroines of the 2010s), the actually-very-adult lessons of The Sound of Music, and the Dream / Threat of Unassailable Goodness. My word for 2025 is Majestic — see you there ✨Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!Discussed:The Sound of Music (1965)“Audrey and Her Sisters” Wayne Koestenbaum in London Review of Books (1997)Julie Andrews on Julia Louis Dreyfus podcast (2024)“Maria von Trapp: The Preeminent Manic Pixie Dream Girl” Sophie Gilbert in The Atlantic (2015)Zendaya X On Running in the Alps

*Full episode on Patreon* Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!To celebrate the end of a wild year, we’ve got a special, 2-in-1 episode for y’all:First, Addison Rae Part II: A return to the crux of the STARGIRL project. I delve deep into my ever-evolving, sort of twisted relationship with Addison Rae and reflect on how, when I first intercepted her in 2020, she alerted me to how far I had strayed from what I actually valued and wanted in my life. This is STARGIRL theory of the universe at its best: When we let our fixations be a guiding light, rather than something to repress or indulge ironically, we shed layers of cope and allow ourselves to actually emerge and evolve.Then, we look back at the dominant STARGIRL conversations of 2024: Spirituality, Health and Fitness, Feminine Caricature, and Nostalgia for / Mistrust of Institutions. Of note: the return to New Age dirty hippie vibes; animal based diets; the revived interest in fitness and athleticism; Brat; “Aquamarine,” modern dance, and Lexee Smith; Wicked, the totally delegitimized “arbiters of health,” Luigi….. And more. Plus, Rants / Raves on Emma Chamberlain (c/o @tuylor) and Scout Dixon West (c/o Madeleine).Discussed:“As Time Goes By” Saint Laurent video starring AddisonAddison + rude reporters at Vanity Fair Oscar Party (2022)“Grottocore” Daisy Alioto for DIRT (2024)“The Architect” Kacey Musgraves as Gwyneth in famous Goop coverBallerina Farm feature in Evie magazine “Aquamarine” music videoHorton technique trending sound on TikTok

This week we welcome Miss Biz Sherbert and traverse the personal and cultural impact of Scarlett Johansson, perhaps the greatest sex symbol of the 21st century. We discuss the allure of pre-cultural fragmentation Hollywood, the coveted spot of Box Office Megastar X Indie Darling, and how the earthiness and wit that ScarJo pioneered got transmuted into a sarcastic hyper-relatability a la Jennifer Lawrence (shiver). We also explore what makes ScarJo distinct among the hoards of perky blondes we roll our eyes at (Reese Witherspoon, Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz, etc.), and question if a ScarJo “lineage” is even possible.Biz Sherbert is a writer with a focus on image-making, the internet, and identity. Follow Biz on Instagram and listen to Nymphet Alumni!Discussed: Ariana Grande and Michelle Yeoh being weird af at the 2024 Oscars ScarJo on Letterman at age 13  Anywhere I Lay My Head, ScarJo’s musical debut (2008) Scarlett Johansson Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, Esquire (2006) Scarlett Johansson Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, Esquire (2013) scarlett johansson shutting down sexist comments for 5 min straight ScarJo on the Goop podcast Scarlett Johansson Summons Her Superpowers, Gentlewoman (2021)Isaac Mizrahi Groped Scarlett Johansson at the Golden Globes in 2006  

Happy Thanksgiving! This week we investigate the Queen of Home Arts, Martha Stewart herself. We get inside the late ‘80s suburban decadence of Martha Stewart Living, and examine the Dream / Threat of Northeastern WASP-y frigidity. We also situate Martha in a lineage of STARGIRL domestic goddesses (Gwyneth Paltrow, Alison Roman, Ballerina Farm), explore the weirdness of transforming the Home into a stage, and reflect on who we “inherit” domesticity from in our modern era. Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!Discussed:*Announcement: Emma is accepting more 1:1 personal training clients! Book a free consult call here.Martha, Netflix documentary (2024)“The Promises Martha Stewart Made — And Why We Wanted to Believe Them,” Joan Didion in the New Yorker (2000)Set of Martha Stewart Living on the famed Turkey Hill RoadMartha’s banana bread recipe – the best!“The Making of Book 100” The Martha Stewart Podcast (2024)The 2024 Alison Roman Thanksgiving Special

Announcements:Emma is officially taking on more personal training clients, both in person and virtual! Book a free consult call to learn more here.Listen to Emma as a guest on Nymphet Alumni! A true career high. The next STARGIRL virtual event will be Sunday, December 8 at 4pm New York time. Subscribe to the Patreon to join in!The Body Series returns this week with my dear friend Molly, a licensed social worker, who shares her experience working as a therapist in NYC. We discuss the cultural fatigue around therapy speak and “trauma,” how CBT, DBT, Attachment Theory, etc. got subsumed into (and weaponized by?) mainstream discourse, and the current trend toward somatic healing practices. We also explore the downsides of overidentifying with diagnoses, and put Molly’s expertise in conversation with past Body Series guests, Emmeline Clein, Eloise Skinner, and Sloane Elizabeth.Discussed:“Overanalyzed: A series about how we fell out of love with therapy”, The Cut (2024)“Tell Me Why It Hurts” on The Body Keeps the Score, NY Mag (2023)Past The Body Series episodes: Emmeline Clein, Eloise Skinner, Sloane ElizabethFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

Am I a Nicki fan? This week I’m joined by my friend Enzo Escober for a proper nostalgia trip. We reminisce about the ways that Nicki’s unprecedented, cartoonish female aggression served as real catharsis during our hormonal teenage years, and why her mode of pure id is so endlessly appealing. We also discuss Nicki’s contributions to 2010s Plasticity, the “Black Gaga” comparison (incorrect), and how it feels to watch her kick, bite, and scream to avoid passing the torch. Enzo Escober is a writer and critic from Manila. He has been published in Guernica, Slate, The Drift, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. He is the co-host of Diva Discourse, a podcast about Beyoncé, and lives in Brooklyn. Discussed: “Nicki Minaj: Cheeky Genius,” profile in GQ (Taffy Brodesser-Akner, 2014)Nicki on Good Morning America (2011)“Broke people should never laugh” Queen Radio soundbyte“Prague” soundbyteClip from MTV documentarySophia Grace singing “Super Bass” on Ellen Painting-like photo of Cardi B w/ shoeless footNicki on Trump in Rolling Stone: 1, 2 Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*In this month's letter, we look at a handful of digital assets that have caught my attention this week (and affirm the STARGIRL worldview): Zendaya for On Running, Livvy Dunne's first arty editorial, and our first BTS look at Sydney Sweeney beefed up as a boxer. I also discuss Ariana Grande on SNL and explain why none of the Pop Princess contenders (Charli, Chappell, Sabrina, Tate, Camila) are Stargirls.Plus, an emo recap on my wedding, which was maybe the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.Discussed:Zendaya x On partnership announcement (June 2024)Short film: “Zendaya’s fresh perspectives on movement”The Zendaya Edit (capsule for On)“The Body Is Art” FKA Twigs x On at London Fashion WeekLivvy Dunne x FLAUNT magazine photos“No Room for Complacency in the Uncharted Stratosphere,” profile of Livvy in FLAUNT by Megan Armstrong, photos by Katherine Goguen, styling by Dylan WangSydney BTS shots as boxer Christy MartinGirlBossTown on TikTok predicting Sydney’s Charlize Theron Monster arc last FebruarySydney x Dr. Squatch (this was a No for me)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

This week, I chat with Kristen Lynch, a business and mindset coach (and my former yoga teacher!) who helped me take STARGIRL to the next level. Through mindset and marketing support, Kristen helps her clients turn their “passion project” into a real deal business — we discuss the importance of investing in yourself and why you have to legitimize yourself to yourself first. For Kristen (and now for me), this all ties into larger self-concept work: how you treat and relate to your body, move through the world, and co-create with the universe to step into your gifts and provide real service to the people who need your work.Kristen is a business coach for early-stage, soulful women entrepreneurs. She’s had dozens of raving testimonials, been featured on global brands, & become internationally-charted as the host of the Lead Her podcast.Follow Kristen on InstagramSubscribe to her podcast, Lead HerSign up for her free Legiz Biz email seriesLearn more about 1:1 coachingFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

To those who make contact. . . This week we tackle the original New Age spiritual guru, our beloved Marianne Williamson. We delve into her decades-long search for Maximum Aliveness, and discuss the principles that have most profoundly affected me in her work: personal responsibility, surrender, inner peace, and a belief in the miraculous. Discussed:The Money Game“The Body Is Art” FKA Twigs x On Running at London Fashion WeekA Return to Love, Marianne Williamson (1992)A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever, Marianne Williamson (2010)“Marianne’s Faithful,” Leslie Bennetts in Vanity Fair, 1991“The Divine Miss W,” Susan Schindehette in People Magazine (1992)“Marianne Williamson Is Campaigning for a Miracle,” Amanda Fortini in ELLE (2014)“Emotional Self-Sufficiency” lecture by Marianne given in 1988Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*Felt called to share how I’m thinking about the election and, more existentially, about the value of “patriotism” and how I show up in my tiny corner of the Garden. Discussed:On Patriotism, Reverend Orville Dewey (1859)RFK, Jr. addresses the nation (2024)Interview with Dr. Casey and Calley Means, The Tucker Carlson Show (2024)Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, Casey Means, MD (2024)Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,  Peter Attia (2023)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon**Announcement*Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!STARGIRL Yoga 2.0Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class. Reserve your spot here!2. Intro to Strength Training SeriesEvery Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!Sign up on ClassPass here!Show notes:Welcome back to the next episode of The Body Series! Today we have Dr. Julia Morgan, a sports chiropractor and fitness coach, and a huge inspiration for me as I’ve stepped into a new career as a personal trainer. Julia talks about her path from chiropractic work to strength training, and offers some expertise about the unique value of training with kettlebells. She also shares her experience as a fitness influencer, joining business forces with her husband, and building confidence through movement.Follow @drjuliamorgan on InstagramCheck out Kettlebell Coach University (signups for their next Level 1 certification open 9/9!)Download Julia’s 6-week Bridal Bootcamp programFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Announcement*Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!STARGIRL Yoga 2.0Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class.Reserve your spot here2.Intro to Strength Training SeriesEvery Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!Sign up on ClassPass hereShow notes:This week we tackle Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and social media star. Dunne is currently the highest-earning female college athlete (valued at $3.9M in NIL sponsorships alone) and has a chokehold on young men in America. We unpack the skepticism about her athletic abilities vs. sex appeal, fit her into a lineage of Buoyant Blondes (Kate Upton let’s go!), and feel out a new spectrum: fashion intellectualism vs. Feeling Good Naked. Omg!Discussed:“Diet Pepsi” Addison’s new music videoLexee Smith “When Kitty Met Kat” video“The Money Game” new show on Amazon Prime about LSU and NIL On3 NIL rankings rankings“It’s Livvy Dunne’s World” profile in Elle by Kayla Webley Adler (2023)Sports Illustrated cover story on Livvy and Angel Reese (2023)Livvy in SI Swim (2024)Olga Korbut’s “Dead Loop” uneven bar routine (1972 Olympics)Follow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*This month, we rehash the recently upwelled Ballerina Farm discourse, and I talk about what she represents to me: not a “trad wife” (outdated, meaningless term), not a hard-headed business woman, but a secret third thing.Discussed:“Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children)” Megan Agnew in the Times“My day with the trad wife queen and what it taught me” Follow-up article by Megan AgnewInspired / ridiculous TikTok edits of Hannah dancing on the prairie: here, here, hereEgg apron videoHannah’s response: IG Reel and full statementChristian influencers we been watching: Cecily Bachmann, Josie Conely, Lunden & Olivia on TikTokFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!

*Full episode on Patreon*Eloise Skinner is a psychotherapist, author, and fitness instructor whose work focuses on existential themes, embodiment, and wellbeing. In this episode of The Body Series, Eloise explains the principles of existential therapy, how she’s built a life that combines her many varied interests (law, spirituality, therapy, fitness, dance, modeling, etc.), how our fundamental sense of trust in the world reflects our sense of safety in our bodies, and what Eloise calls "the pursuit of aliveness."Follow Eloise on Instagram and TikTok!Discussed:Eloise’s TEDTalkBut Are You Alive?Eloise’s most-recent bookFollow STARGIRL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ for more!