Working Theory Podcast

Weddings are everywhere right now. Dua Lipa and Callum Turner. Ming Xi and Mario Ho. Venus Williams and Andrea Preti. And don’t forget the recent wave of high-profile engagements: Zendaya and Tom Holland, Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.With every new wedding comes endless discussion of the dress, the venue, and the guest list. Increasingly, I’ve noticed that the conversation around weddings focuses as much on the aesthetic and curatorial choices a couple makes as it does on the couple themselves—myself included, guilty as charged.In this episode, I ask whether celebrity culture and social media have fundamentally shifted our understanding of weddings. In the age of social media, weddings increasingly function as displays of cultural capital. Every decision, however small, communicates something about taste (shoutout to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu!) and, by extension, social position.Is the wedding still about love? Or has it become a cultural performance for an audience of millions? Could it perhaps be both?Subscribe for more! New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

I grew up with Euphoria. I watched season one as a high school sophomore experimenting with colorful eye shadow, season two while waiting on college decisions, and season three just a few days after graduating from college. In many ways, the show’s timeline mirrored my own.In this episode, I unpack my complicated feelings about the show’s third season. I explore what feels like a growing misogynistic portrayal of women and how its female characters have lost much of the agency and complexity that once made them compelling. As this season’s shock value increasingly relies on the exploitation of women, I ask: Do these “fictional” portrayals reflect larger cultural and political shifts happening in the real world? What do the rise of trad-wife culture and the rollback of women’s rights have to do with Euphoria?And yet, despite all of my criticisms, I still finished the show. Why? Maybe we stay attached to certain pieces of media long after we’ve outgrown them because they’re tied to a particular version of ourselves. So, let's talk Euphoria!Subscribe for more! New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

Celebrity brands are everywhere right now. Every week, there’s a new skincare line, makeup launch, wellness drink, or fashion collaboration attached to a famous face. But while some brands like Rhode, Rare Beauty, and Fenty Beauty become genuinely culture-shifting companies, most celebrity brands disappear soon after they launch.In this episode, I explore what actually makes celebrity brands work today. A celebrity name undoubtedly generates first-time purchases. It creates curiosity and gets people talking online. But in today’s world, as consumers are becoming increasingly literate about branding, fame alone is no longer enough. People can now sense when a brand feels culturally embedded versus manufactured, and that shift is reshaping the future of celebrity brands. How can a celebrity brand really, truly gain and sustain cultural relevance?Subscribe for more! New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Everlane was being acquired by Shein for $100 million. Everlane is built on the promises of “radical transparency” and sustainability; Shein, on the other hand, is the epitome of fast fashion.The Everlane-to-Shein pipeline exposes the limits of ethical consumption under capitalism. It highlights the contradictions inherent to sustainable fashion: true sustainability would require people to buy less, but businesses and investors depend on constant growth.In this episode, I unpack how Everlane became symbolic of a very specific 2010s cultural moment, shaped by Obama-era optimism, in which consumers believed brands could create social change through “better” purchasing decisions. But in today’s more politically cynical climate, many sustainable brands are struggling to survive. What happens when brands built around ethics are forced to survive amidst the pressures of constant growth?Subscribe for more! New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

As I’m about to graduate, I’ve been reflecting on my senior thesis on neo-Chinese fashion—a style that blends traditional Chinese design with modern, everyday wear. Think: the viral adidas Chinese New Year jackets, qipaos modified for comfort, and shirts with pankou buttons. In this episode, I ask a simple question: why is it becoming so popular right now?I break down how neo-Chinese fashion is tied to China’s growing soft power, where a country’s presence on the international stage is reflected in culture and in what people come to see as desirable. You can see this even online, in trends like “I’m at a very Chinese time of my life.” At the same time, dissatisfaction and political uncertainty in the U.S. are pushing people to look outward, with China positioned as an alternative cultural reference point. Here, fashion reflects a shifting geopolitical moment in which global power shapes what we find worth wearing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

I love the Met Gala. It’s fashion’s biggest night and a celebration of creativity and cultural expression. But this year, despite a few standout looks (thank you, Emma!), the night felt strangely underwhelming.In this episode, I unpack why. With Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos being the event’s leading sponsors, the Met is no longer just about fashion. From protests outside the Met to the growing presence of tech elites inside it, the night revealed a deeper tension between art and capital.Using The Devil Wears Prada II as a parallel, I explore how the decline of traditional media and the rise of billionaire influence are reshaping cultural institutions—and what that might mean for the future of fashion.Subscribe for more!New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

2026 has become the year of the “analog life.” People are spending less time online and more time offline: deleting TikTok, buying film cameras, picking up physical books, and getting into knitting, pottery, and crafting (hobbies!).On the surface, it makes sense. People want to take back control of their attention and feel more present in a world that’s overstimulating. But at the same time, the analog life has become a trend in its own right. People are posting about it and buying, arguably, unnecessary objects to curate a setup for a perfectly offline life.This creates a paradox. While we want to go offline, we also increasingly treat being analog as something we aestheticize and perform on social media. In this episode, I unpack why the analog life is taking off and the unique contradictions it poses when it becomes yet another trend.Subscribe for more!New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

Coachella is basically the Influencer Olympics. Every year, brands follow the same playbook: host flashy activations, throw money at influencers, and pray that their TikToks will convert to IRL sales. At this point, nothing about it feels particularly new or exciting. But this year, the Biebers did something different with their brands, Rhode Skin and SKYLRK. Enter Bieberchella. Between Justin’s headline performance, Hailey’s Rhode activation, and Justin’s SKYLRK label, nothing felt like a separate campaign. Every component of Bieberchella moved together, creating one continuous world that audiences could step into. In this episode, I break down why Bieberchella worked and how it drove real commercial and cultural impact. What does Bieberchella mean for the future of celebrity brands and influencer marketing? And more importantly, what actually drives influence today?Subscribe for more!New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

NikeSKIMS was one of the most hyped launches of the year. After unveiling its debut collection in September 2025, it saw massive commercial success. This wasn’t a small bet: NikeSKIMS is Nike’s first new sub-brand since launching the Jordan label four decades ago.But a few months later… does NikeSKIMS still work? Right now, sportswear is shifting toward looser, less curated styles. That puts NikeSKIMS, built on sculpting and performance, in a complicated situation.In this episode, I look at where sportswear is headed and break down NikeSKIMS’ Spring 2026 collection. Can NikeSKIMS keep up with these changes? And can it evolve without losing what makes it SKIMS? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

Bag charms are everywhere. You’ve seen cute little things dangling off every It Girl’s Balenciaga City Bag; they’re a low-stakes way to express yourself. But what happens when everyone starts doing it?In this episode, I unpack why bag charms took off in the first place and what their rise reveals about a much larger cultural shift. On the surface, they’re playful and personal. But beyond that, they point to how individuality has become something we increasingly perform and buy. So what happens when something meant to feel personal becomes a trend? Does it start to lose its meaning? And as that fatigue sets in, how do “personal” items like bag charms evolve? This episode explores where personalization goes from here—and what that says about consumer culture more broadly.Subscribe for more!New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

It might look like sports viewership is declining… but what if it’s actually just moving to different platforms?In this episode, I unpack how our engagement with sports has fundamentally changed, especially for Gen Z. People are no longer only watching two-hour games on ESPN. Instead, short-form media is reshaping how we experience sports. Alysa Liu took over our feeds during the Winter Olympics. TikTok edits of athletes are going viral. Heated Rivalry—which gained traction through its online fanbase—has drawn female audiences into the NHL.Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are transforming sports culture by making sports visible across new spaces and formats. These more accessible entry points are redefining what it means to be a “sports fan” and why more people might be engaging with sports than ever before—just not in traditional ways.Subscribe for more! New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com

Hi friends! Welcome to Working Theory.This is a podcast where we unpack what’s happening in culture—across media, internet trends, youth culture, fashion, music, and sports. Each week, we’ll start with something small and build a working theory around what it might reveal about bigger cultural shifts.New episodes every Thursday.Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] you soon! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit workingtheorypod.substack.com