Happy Tuesday, pals. We start off this week with a chat about the earthquake and riots that took over Melbourne last week! Who would’ve thought that 2021 could get any weirder?? Then some pop culture popcorn: the Internet’s strangest pairing, Grimes and Elon Musk, have “semi-separated” after three years and Chris Pratt is cast as Mario in the new Super Mario Bros movie. It sparks a discussion around our pop culture “hate-boners” . You’ve probably heard about the tragic case of Gabby Petito over ...
Sep 27, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Hi friends! Welcome back to another ep of Culture Club. We jump right into it this week discussing our thoughts on Sex Education and our King Lil Nas X’ new album. There’s also an update on last week’s story about the reality series The Activist . We read from judge Julianne Hough’s Instagram apology . The biggest night in fashion, the Met Gala took place last week. We chat about the behind-the-scenes GRWM videos and the appeal of BTS film photos. Activist slogans were front and centre on the re...
Sep 20, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Hi pals, We’re back with a one-on-one chat after our guest ep last week! First up, some pop culture pregnancy popcorn. The youngest Kar-Jenner announces her second baby and we dive into all the tea from the John Mulaney/ Olivia Munn news. Why do we care so much about celebrity relationships? Two musicians released album covers featuring pregnancy. Lil Nas X has been marketing his forthcoming album ‘Montero’ with a prosthetic bump while Drake used the pregnant emojis on his album ‘Certified Lover...
Sep 13, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 55
In this episode of Culture Club Chats, we sit down with Kath Ebbs. As a teen, Kath worked with independent youth-run agency, Culture Machine and owned The Smoothie Bowl Shack at Glebe markets in Sydney. Nowadays, Kath is a social media influencer creating conversations around gender, sexuality, fitness and the health industry. In this open and vulnerable episode, Kath chats about the impact of growing up online, how they came to embrace their queerness and the toxic world of the anti-vax wellnes...
Sep 06, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Hi pals, We start today off with the unhinged (yet fake) Met Gala seating plan, Kylie Jenner gives her kid a whole school bus and her brother-in-law, Kanye West, brings out a homophobe and alleged sexual abuser on stage at his album party. Wonder what that Sunday family lunch was like. Jas reads from this Complex article on Kanye's chaos. Putting on our Gen X hats, grunge rock band Nirvana is being sued by the four-month-old baby from the front cover over their album Nevermind . Now 30 years old...
Aug 30, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Happy Tuesday! We start off today with some bite-sized pop culture news: Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum are an item, and New Zealand queen, Lorde has released a new album. We share our thoughts and read from Julian Rizzo-Smith's article, A 3-Min Explainer On Why People Are So Critical Of Lorde’s Solar Power Album for PedestrianTV. Grimes is also defending her billionaire boyfriend... again. Speaking of boyfriends, according to iD magazine, offline normcore boyfriends are so hot right now. We ref...
Aug 23, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Hello fellow kids, We begin this already cursed week with a little personal catch up as well as a chat about celebrity merch after Olivia Rodrigo’s team leaves fans in a brutal mood. Maggie penned a personal piece for R29 Australia this week titled Am I Queer Enough To Call Myself Bi? She reads a little bit out for us and we reference our February episode that you can listen to here. The Wall Street Journal released a new report on TikTok recently stating that the bots have figured out the main ...
Aug 16, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Welcome back, pals! The Olympics are over for another four years so we leave them with a wholesome chat about Tom Daley and Jasmine’s new hobby. Actor Matt Damon stated in an interview with the Sunday Times that he’s recently retired the f-slur after receiving a long letter from his teenage daughter. Between the Prime Minister empathising with Brittany Higgins only after speaking with his wife about their daughters and this Hollywood A-lister LOUDLY airing his homophobia, we discuss the ‘daughte...
Aug 09, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Hi friends, Let’s get existential. Billie Eilish has dropped a new album but people on the Internet are being cruel (*insert Leave Billie Alone meme*). One of her songs has stuck out to us and leads us into a conversation around work fulfillment and optimising ourselves as brands. Jas references her article for Fashion Journal titled ‘Why The That Girl TikTok Trend Is More Sinister Than It Seems’ and we read from Laura Pitcher’s article for iD titled ‘Girl Boss culture Isn’t Dead It’s Rebranded ...
Aug 02, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Welcome back, fellow kids. We start off with one of our favourite celebrity stories of the year: Bennifer is back! JLo and Ben Affleck are peak Leo season as they go Instagram official. We also chat about Lil Nas X’ new single and Shawn Mendes' odd (but hilarious) TikTok. Between floods around the world and billionaires heading to space, it’s been a rough old week in climate change news. We share our tips for dealing with climate anxiety and recommend some useful Instagram accounts. We reference...
Jul 26, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Hi pals, Welcome to another episode of Culture Club. We start off with a little chat about mental health in yet another lockdown. What are some ways you're keeping sane? Next, we dissect the double-whammy of Gen Zs in American politics. Olivia Rodrigo asked young people to stay "happy and healthy" by getting vaccinated while Addison Rae introduced herself to a certain disgraced US president in Las Vegas. This sparked a conversation around the celebrification of politicians, is it sneaking into A...
Jul 19, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Hello, hello! We are BACK, baby. We've been having a little cosy girl winter and regroup and can't wait to be back in your ears. After not recording for a month we have a little catch up before launching into our thoughts on the new Gossip Girl reboot. (Hint: there's a lot). We reference this article by Adrian Horton for the Guardian as well as this Vulture piece titled 'Gossip Girl Is Having A Very Glamorous Identity Crisis' by Kathryn VanArendok. From one group of Upper East Siders to an IRL o...
Jul 12, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 46
You may have seen her face on ads for the likes of Frank Body or heard her speaking out on human rights issues on Instagram but today we have the opportunity to chat with the one and only 'Ms Fat Bitch' AKA 'Miss Rona' AKA model, performer and activist Milo Hartill. In this candid chat during Pride month, Milo shares what it was like growing up as a Black woman in Perth, Western Australia, her experience as a queer burlesque performer in the Melbourne drag scene and why she's calling in the whit...
Jun 14, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Hi friends, Grab your tea and let’s get into it. We start off with a chit-chat and Maggie reads from a piece she contributed to for MTV titled No Pep Talks, Please: Young Melburnians React To Their Fourth Lockdown . After that we delve into the rumours that Harry Styles is starting his own beauty brand. Do celebrities need to make cosmetics? We then debate the news that Pamela Anderson objects to the new TV series about her infamous sex tape with Tommy Lee as well as discussing Grimes’ strange T...
Jun 07, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Hi lovely listeners, We're coming to you live from VIC Lockdown 159280 (Lockdown 4). We start off by breaking down the Friends reunion. The cast has reunited after 17 years in a movie-length show on HBO Max/ Binge. We discuss the valid criticism of the show, why the ageist comments towards the cast are wrong and our personal highlights. Jasmine references her own Fashion Journal article Niche Shows Worth Watching For The ’90s Fashion Alone as well as this Vox article titled Friends Is 25 years o...
May 31, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Hello hello! Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by Scarlet , a new Australian period-care brand aiming to make our cycles more sustainable and redefine the period experience. Follow them on Instagram at @wearescarlet . Now strap in because it's a pop-culture popcorn episode this week with a handful of the latest stories. We discuss Olivia Rodrigo's debut album and Brooke Blurton being announced as the first Indigenous and bisexual Bachelorette. Billie Porter announces he is HIV positive in an ...
May 24, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Hi pals, We’re so happy to announce that today’s episode is sponsored by Scarlet , a new Australian period-care brand aiming to make our cycles more sustainable and redefine the period experience. Follow them on Instagram at @wearescarlet . We start off this episode with a rundown of The Brits and Kourtney Kardashian’s horny gift for Travis Barker. Then it’s a breakdown of Ellen’s announcement that after 19 seasons, she’s taking the Ellen show off the air. Maggie reads from this Guardian article...
May 17, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Hi friends, Were you a fangirl? Do you remember getting mocked by your parents or peers for enjoying pop music while your brothers and Dad were just considered passionate for crying when their AFL team lost? Us too. That’s why we’re so excited to chat with the creator of Fangirls the musical, Yve Blake. The joyful, energetic and thoughtful musical is all about what it’s like to be a teenage fangirl. While the show has now (sadly) left Melbourne, we spoke to Yve about why she decided to champion ...
May 10, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Welcome back, pals! Our chit-chat this week starts off with Maggie’s honest Instagram story and how actor Rami Malek reached out to ask Rachel Bilson (AKA Summer Roberts) to take down an Instagram pic . Ah celebrities - they’re just like us. After that, we discuss Billie Eilish’s new music video ‘Your Power’ and ask why female pop musicians reinvent themselves (what feels like) every two years. Jasmine reads from this Guardian article by Andre Spicer and recommends Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana ...
May 03, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Happy Tuesday, folks! We start off this week with a discussion around Zac Efron’s surprising new look, how Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby is calling out a British TV channel and do we really need four Britney Spears documentaries? Next, we break down Demi Lovato’s beef with an LA-based frozen yoghurt place (yeah, don’t ask). After all of the greenwashing we saw during Fashion Revolution Week and Earth day, we chat about H & M’s celebrity ‘Global Sustainability Ambassador’ , Maisie Williams...
Apr 26, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Hello lovely listeners, Strap in for another big news week on Culture Club. We start off with a catch up on Jasmine’s holiday before obsessing (like the rest of the internet) over Troye Sivan’s Melbourne home featured in Architectural Digest . A number of news sites got caught out by a Chaser prank who created a fake petition to change the name of Fairy Bread. This sparks a conversation around the media industry’s constant churning machine. In another instance of cis-men getting involved where t...
Apr 19, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Hey friends, For this month's Culture Club chats, we are joined by the inimitable Lillian Ahenkan, otherwise known as Flex Mami . She's one of Australia’s most loved digital personalities and DIY furniture projects, colourful gradients and chaotic memes fill her Instagram feed. She’s well known for her work as a presenter, influencer, DJ, podcaster and business owner. But she’s now adding author and reality TV star to her repertoire – makes sense as someone who makes a living off of being a prof...
Apr 12, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Hey listeners! Today’s episode is filled with pop culture popcorn bites of fun! We begin by learning more about the love story origin of actors Adam Brody and Leighton Meester on the podcast Anna Farris is Unqualified . 18-year-old pop queen Olivia Rodrigo released her new single ‘deja vu’ and we are obsessed. This spurs a conversation about female pop artists seemingly copying one another. Britney Spears has (supposedly) spoken out about the documentary Framing Britney Spears on her Instagram ....
Apr 05, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Hi pals! Welcome to one of our longest eps so far! Let's get into it. First up we have a chat about the Suez Canal drama and how it's birthed a million memes which led to us asking if that's how our generation copes with crisis. We then go quite deep into the allegations against the infamous David Dobrik and the vlog squad. We reference this Business Insider article where "Hannah" first reported the sexual assault, this article from The Verge , as well as David's apology videos . Lil Nas X has r...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Hey sugars, We’ve got a big episode for you today! The Grammys were on so of course we chat about king Harry Styles and queen Dua Lipa. Dua’s performance led us on to a talk about internalised misogyny and this TikTok video. Billie Eilish unveils her new blonde hair and breaks an Instagram record while she’s at it. We then talk about whether celebrities have an onus to speak up about political issues online. Former Disney star Demi Lovato has created a four-part documentary series titled Dancing...
Mar 22, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Hey friends! Gee whiz, this is an exciting episode. We are proud to release our very special LIVE episode recorded as part of this year’s Melbourne Fashion Festival. Presented by Fashion Journal , we took to the public stage and talked about all things fast fashion, greenwashing and influencer culture. Here are some of the resources we reference. “Your brand new returns end up in landfill” by Harriet Constable for BBC Earth , “The Psychology Of Influencer Marketing” by Bradley Hoos for Forbes an...
Mar 15, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Hey dears, What a week in pop culture! Some of our fave OG British YouTubers are having babies which sparks a conversation about life milestones and expectations. Maggie references The Cut ’s podcast episode, “Thirty, Flirty and Thriving” . Then, we discuss the tell-all Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan. At the time of recording, the episode had not yet aired in Australia but we draw from this Guardian article and this Sydney Morning Herald piece. Dolce & Gabbana have filed a defamation ...
Mar 08, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Hey friends, We’ve got a jam-packed episode for you today! We discuss 27-year-old Margaret Zhang being appointed Editor-in-Chief at Vogue China, a major milestone for Asian-Australian representation. Then, is Emma Watson’s career dormant? We put the rumours to rest. Actor Jonah Hill took to Instagram to clapback at the Daily Mail’s fat shaming. This sparks a conversation about the lack of male body positivity in our media and the problem with the funny, fat sidekick trope. We then dive into the ...
Mar 01, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Hi pals, On this month’s guest episode we’re chatting with the hilarious and super talented, Samantha Andrew! The comedian and TikTok star is a bundle of energy and joy while also having some very important things to say. From her tips and tricks to getting noticed on TikTok to her journey with her sexuality and sharing her partners’ journey to freeze his eggs for a future baby, we cover a lot on this week’s episode. During our chat, Sam recommends the film Seahorse , a moving documentary about ...
Feb 22, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Hello cuties, Join us for this episode where we’re back in lockdown… We read from this affirming Guardian piece by Anna Spargo-Ryan. In other positive news, Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller Bridge are creating and starring in a reboot of Mr and Mrs Smith ! We then chat about the New York Times ’ documentary Framing Britney . We play a snippet of Craig Ferguson’s 2007 speech defending Britney and chat about the media’s part to play in her demise. Justin Timberlake then posts a public apology that’...
Feb 15, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 28
