Chances are, you’ve probably seen a Cheek Media Instagram post on your friend’s stories. With its signature pastel purple branding and whip-smart commentary, Cheek Media is one of Australia’s largest independent progressive media voices. Hannah Ferguson is the Co-Founder and CEO of the digital news platform founded in 2020. It now has over 80k followers with topics ranging from Australian politics to celebrity news. Hannah’s debut non-fiction, Bite Back , has also now hit the shelves. This insig...
Oct 02, 2023•40 min•Ep. 117
Hi pals! There's a new celeb in our mix; Tube Girl is taking over our FYPs (and our hearts). We discuss her meteoric rise to fame and why she's the internet star we need. We also talk about the other Internet Moment of the week, the Roman Empire. Is it steeped in white supremacy? Or just a silly little meme? We reference a Vox article titled Why The Alt-Right Loves Ancient Rome by Sean Illing and a piece on the Roman Empire trend by Dani Maher for Harper's Bazaar Australia. Next, a TikTokker has...
Sep 25, 2023•44 min•Ep. 116
We’d like to give a content warning for rape, sexual assault, and harassment. T ake care of yourself when listening to this ep and moving through the world. And, if you ever need it, call the Lifeline hotline on 13 11 14. Chanel Contos became a household name in 2021 after beginning an Instagram poll asking for Australian girls and women’s stories of sexual assault. After an outpouring of responses, Chanel began Teach Us Consent , a movement that urged the government to include sexual consent ed...
Sep 18, 2023•44 min•Ep. 115
Hi pals! In today’s episode, we start with the hard launch of Kylothee (that’s Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet for the uninitiated). We reference this post by The Swaddle . One of the internet’s biggest ‘couple goals’ couples has split dramatically this week. We discuss the fall-out of the Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce including the alleged spin from Joe’s PR team. All hail our Queen of the North. Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, Guts , dropped last week. We chat about the rumoured feud betw...
Sep 11, 2023•53 min•Ep. 114
22-year-old singer songwriter Maya Cumming, aka MAY-A, is one of Australia’s most exciting acts. From being featured on last year’s winning Triple J Hottest 100 song with Flume to performing on stage at Coachella, Maya’s moment has well and truly begun. Today, we’re joined by the Sydney-based musician ahead of her new EP Analysis Paralysis dropping September 1. Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at cultureclubmail@gma...
Aug 28, 2023•36 min•Ep. 113
Hi pals! In this ep, we cover our brush with celebrity as well as the relationships that are soft launching and crumbling. It seems that Venus Retrograde is (still) wreaking havoc on people’s relationships. We reference this Vogue US piece by Laura Pitcher titled, It’s Been A Summer Of Relationship Chaos. Was It Written In The Stars? Next, there’s a rumour that Red, White and Royal Blue star Nicholas Galitzine is actually royalty. We break it down and reference this Teen Vogue article . What beg...
Aug 22, 2023•51 min•Ep. 112
Hi friends, We jump straight into it this week with a chat about our new obsession; the Matildas. Yes, it’s (still) the year of the girl and we’re loving it all. From the soccer team’s meteoric rise to all of the nominees of the VMA Artist Of The Year being women, we’re truly living for the girlhood renaissance. Maggie reads from her own Fashion Journal piece titled Because of the Matildas, I Care About Sport For The First Time In My Life . In other pop culture bites, this week it was announced ...
Aug 14, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 111
You’ve most likely seen Jessica Nguyen ’s home cooking recipes splashed across your social media feeds. With over 100,000 followers on Instagram, Jess is inspiring thousands to cook, drink and host. She’s created a cult favourite chilli oil, and has worked with some of Australia’s biggest brands. In this ep of Culture Club Chats, we’re joined by Jess to chat about the importance of culture and food, how she pivoted her career from beauty, and what the future of content creating looks like for he...
Jul 31, 2023•42 min•Ep. 110
Hello, friends! Exciting news from Culture Club this week as we’re recording in a studio! Huge. We’ve just signed to DM Podcasts and can’t wait to see where it goes. This means you may begin to hear a few ads from us but it means that after three years we’re actually earning money from the pod which is super exciting. In pop culture land we cover the breakups and wedding of the season. Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin wed in Hungary while Sofía Vergara, Joe Manganiello, Ariana Grande, and Dalton...
Jul 25, 2023•55 min•Ep. 109
Hi besties! We’re back! We kick off this ep with a run-down of Maggie’s Euro trip and a brief overview of the stories we missed whilse she was away. Think: The Titan sub, Taylor Swift tickets and Collen Ballinger’s Toxic Gossip Train. Yikes. In our next segment, we discuss why Hollywood boyfriends are acting up and exposing themselves. From Jonah Hill’s “boundaries” list to Keke Palmer’s partner outfit-shaming her, boyfriends are truly embarrassing at the moment. We break down the impacts of the...
Jul 12, 2023•56 min•Ep. 108
If you’ve ever come across an Australian political, musical comedian on TikTok – you’ve probably been watching Gabbi Bolt. It’s hard to believe it was only a couple of years ago when Gabbi posted her first TikTok video that projected her into the world of musical comedy from her hometown of Bathurst in New South Wales. Now, the writer, podcaster and performer is currently hot off her second solo show, Odd Sock. In this episode of Culture Club Chats, we spoke with Gabbi to hear about her journey ...
Jun 08, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 107
Hi friends, Welcome to Culture Club. Australian Fashion Week was held last week in Sydney. We chat about the take that it was all just an influencer event and the clap back that occurred. We include TikToks by user @stylingemilybeaney and creator Rowi Singh . We reference this article by the Australian Financial Review titled Fashion Week’s Front Row Is More Important Than The Runway by Lauren Sams. Next, Sam Levinson’s The Idol debuted at Cannes Film Festival. We discuss the claims that Lily-Ro...
May 24, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 106
Hello pals! Somehow it’s May again and we start this ep off with the 2023 Met Gala: Who was there, why the theme was questionable, and our favourite looks. We reference Maggie’s piece in Refinery29 titled ‘ Here’s Why People Are Angry About 2023’s Met Gala Theme , Karl Lagerfeld’ and Soaliha Iqbal’s Pedestrian TV piece ‘ I’m Convinced This Met Gala 2023 Trend Is Actually A Fuck You To The Karl Lagerfeld Theme’ . Next, are rom coms back? According to the internet: yes. This is because rumours of ...
May 04, 2023•57 min
Hi pals! Today we give you bite-sized pop culture news in the form of Emma Watson’s millennial instagram post , Emma Chamberlain getting dragged for her canned coffee, and Ariana Grande speaks out about her body comments. In this segment, culture writer at the i newspaper, Emily Bootle kindly read out a snippet from her i opinion piece, Emma Watson’s woo woo millennial jargon taps into an unhelpful ideology . If you want more of Emily’s writing, check out her book of essays, This Is Not Who I Am...
Apr 25, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 104
Hi pals! We start off this week with an overview of the break-up of our generation; Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn. We go over our reactions, the rumours, as well as how far the Swifties are taking it. From break-ups to new couples, next, we chat about the rumour that Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet are dating. Lizzo's body-positive brand Yitty has been in the news after trans-and queer-women-owned and operated business, Urbody, called them out for stealing their product design. "Therapy speak" i...
Apr 12, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 103
Hi friends!! Welcome to Culture Club Chats. This is our monthly interview with a person we find interesting and that we think you will too. Sana’a Shaik is a South African-born actress who moved to Perth when she was 16. While her parents weren’t sure about her acting path, she followed it anyway and has now starred in a number of TV shows such as Reckoning , Dive Club , Summer Love and multiple short films. Her latest acting credit is in Prime Video’s apocalyptic, heart-felt and hilarious comed...
Mar 29, 2023•40 min
Hi besties, Let’s get into it! To begin our chit chat, we share our thoughts on Emma Chamberlain’s $10K Instagram DMs and Jas shares her latest celeb encounter. This moves us onto a chat about Liam Payne’s new look and his apparent redemption arc. Next, resident wellness warrior, Gwenyth Paltrow shared her food diary on a US podcast this week. She’s received backlash and has attempted to justify it in a very interesting way… We discuss the implications of this advice and the lack of size diversi...
Mar 23, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 102
Hi friends! In this episode of Culture Club, we start by diving (DEEP) into Harry Styles' stint in Australia. We go through the major talking points of his stay here, as well as our experience at his shows. Next, Jas gives us a thorough run-down of the Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez beef. We discuss the 'Jelena' drama and the problems associated with publicised female friendship fallouts. In the fashion world, Pharrell Williams has been named Louis Vuitton's new Men's Creative Director, replacin...
Mar 10, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 101
Hello friends! In this 100th episode (!!) episode of Culture Club Chats we sit down with creator, educator and host, Rudy Rigg! Rudy is the iconic non-binary creative and presenter that’s been schooling us on the queer education we wish we had when we were younger. They’re set on rewriting the false narratives about the LGBTQIA+ community through co-creating Rainbow History Class, co-writing the TikTok documentary TransAthletica, taking on the role as ABC’s queer-ospondent, as well as being a ma...
Mar 04, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 100
WE'RE BACK! After a delicious summer break, we give you some updates on our lives and then jump into the world of pop culture. Melbourne Fashion Festival is beginning in a couple of weeks and while they champion small brands and slow fashion, they've decided to partner with Kmart, including hosting a runway. We read from this opinion piece and ask why they've made this choice. Last week, Harry Styles won Album of The Year for Harry’s House at the 2023 Grammy awards. While he was saying his accep...
Feb 15, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 99
Hi, dear listeners! We have a very special (and belated) episode here today. Here’s our LIVE Beyond The Valley Festival recording from New Year’s Eve 2022. Here, we dive into the biggest and wildest stories of 2022 (think Julia Fox’s rising star, Doja Cat and Noah Schnapp’s feud, and the Don’t Worry Darling tea). We then take a good look at the saga that was Fitzroy Garage Sesh. We reference this Guardian article and this Fast Company article . After a chat about the dire state of microtrends, w...
Feb 06, 2023•47 min•Ep. 98
Hi friends, After a short break last week, we’re back with your pop culture chats. First of all, Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to 11 years in jail. We discuss scammers in pop culture as well as Elizabeth’s impact in the media. We reference this article for the Sydney Morning Herald by Thomas Mitchell . Pete Davidson is back on his BS after he was recently seen with Emily Ratajkowski. Is this legit? Just some fun? Or a clever marketing tool for them both? Jennifer Aniston has been featured ...
Nov 22, 2022•51 min•Ep. 97
Hi! This week we start with some pop culture popcorn: Selena Gomez has released her new documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me on Apple TV. Jas shares her thoughts and recommends this review by Adrian Horton for The Guardian. Next, news came out that Rihanna has invited Johnny Depp to be a part of the new Savage X Fenty show. We ask why Rihanna would do this to the brand and what it says after the infamous Johnny Depp x Amber Hear trial. 18-year-old Heartstopper actor, Kit Connor has been fo...
Nov 08, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 96
Hi friends! In this episode of Culture Club Chats we sit down with Diana Reid, a rising voice in the Australian literary landscape and someone who has been compared to voice-of-a-generation writer, Sally Rooney. Diana is the author of Love and Virtue , her 2021 debut novel that tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of feminism, rape culture, privilege and prestige. This debut saw Diana win the ABIA Book of the Year Award and the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Novelist award. Now, she’s back wit...
Oct 31, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 95
We start off today in the only way we can: discussing Taylor Swift’s new album, Midnights. We discuss the album’s Easter eggs and the discourse around fatphobia that has emerged from the Anti-Hero music video. We also refrain from talking about Midnights for the whole episode. Talk show host, James Corden has made headlines this week after a New York restaurant owner called him out for his rude behaviour. We go through the allegations and discuss why this probably won’t affect his career. In thi...
Oct 25, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 94
Hello! Victoria’s Secret has unveiled a new campaign… a campaign with the slogan “Nothing can define us. Not your standards. Not your stereotypes. Not your fantasies. Not anymore.” We discuss this new era for the lingerie giant and read from this “Inside Victoria’s Secret Self-Assured Comeback” ELLE US article by Faran Krentcil. We also share a TikTok by user, Sophie Wood . In other pop culture news, Khloe Kardashian has had a skin cancer scare and Rex Orange County has been charged with six cou...
Oct 18, 2022•48 min•Season 4Ep. 93
Hi friends. Today’s ep begins with a breakdown of the Met Gala theme, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. We go over the designer’s problematic past and whether celebs will boycott the event. Next, we discuss the allegations against Brad Pitt from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie as well as Kanye West’s headline-making Paris Fashion Week show. In this segment we reference Let’s Ignore Kanye West & Put Some Respect On Gabriella Karefa-Johnson’s Name by Venesa Coger and “A Plea to Fashion Media: Stop ...
Oct 11, 2022•54 min
Hi pals, We get right into it today with our thoughts on Emma Chamberlain’s Arch Digest Tour . Next, Bella Hadid broke the internet as the supermodel had a dress spray-painted on her at the Coperni SS23 at PFW. We go into the science behind the tech and ask if fashion houses are engaging in stunts for our entertainment and algorithms. While we spoke about Marilyn Monroe last week, we're back with an update as sex toy brand Womanizer has released a vibrator in "collaboration" with the icon. We di...
Oct 04, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 91
Hi friends! We start today’s ep with our HONEST and spoiler-free review of Don’t Worry Darling. Then, it’s into pop culture popcorn; Kourtney Kardashian is Boohoo’s “Sustainability Ambassador” and the internet has been praising her for slamming body-shaming comments… but should they be? We reference this opinion piece by Niloufar Haidari titled Kourtney Kardashian Wants To Make Boohoo’s Fast-Fashion Sustainable. Spoiler Alert: She Can’t for The Guardian. Marilyn Monroe (who died 60 years ago) is...
Sep 27, 2022•48 min•Season 4Ep. 90
Hi! We had so much to chat about this week so we had to do a mid-week record. Yay! First up, Joe Jonas, Instagram influencer, is the star of a strange injectables campaign. We discuss why the boy-band member would've done this, the impact of men being dragged into modern beauty ideals and the funny nature of the ad. We reference this article by Dazed Beauty titled “The hypocrisy of Joe Jonas’s bizarre injectables campaign” by Alex Peters. Next, we speak about ultra nepo babies, Nicola and Brookl...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 89
