Hi pals, A conversation on TikTok is suggesting the microtrend era we’ve come to love to hate, is seemingly over. But that doesn’t mean trends are dead . We discuss this shift and reference fashion analyst Mandy Lee's TikTok on the subject. Underconsumption core is also trending at the moment. Will this stick around or is it just 2024's version of deinfluencing? Plus, when it comes to fashion influencers, should we be expecting more of them? We reference this TikTok by user Rian Phin and Viv Che...
Aug 05, 2024•39 min•Ep. 147
How are we feeling, babes? After we spill the deets of our Book Club getaway, we dive headfirst into the week's wildest internet stories. This includes Sheer Luxe launching an AI bot as their new editor (at a time when journalists are losing jobs worldwide), and adidas pulling their latest campaign with queen, Bella Hadid . Yikes. Brat has been taking over our feeds but this week marks Charli XCX's foray into US politics. We discuss why nothing seems real at the moment and reference this article...
Jul 30, 2024•44 min•Ep. 146
Alyssa Huynh is the Vietnamese-Australian writer you’ve most likely seen across your social media pages. With her pink aesthetic and educational text posts, Alyssa is creating anti-racism resources for the online generation. The writer has also just released her debut book, Safe Space , a part-memoir, part-anti-racism resource in which she shares her personal experiences with racism in Australia – including in the dating space. In this ep of Culture Club Chats, Alyssa discusses the model minorit...
Jul 23, 2024•42 min•Ep. 145
In today's ep, Jas & Mags debrief about the latest round of media redundancies that have hit ~very~ close to home . The Devil Wears Prada looks like it's back for a sequel (good luck, Miranda) and Vogue US has appointed a Kennedy as its election political correspondent. Is this an iconic choice or good old nepotism? Next, we discuss Katy Perry's flop rebrand and ask if she's simply capitalising on the hyper pop train. We reference journalist Eilish Gilligan and this piece titled Why Are Main...
Jul 15, 2024•50 min•Ep. 144
Hi pals, In today's episode, we chat about Emma Robert's 'Nepo Baby' comments and Paul Mescal's latest pap shots with a certain indie musician. Next, do cheaters deserve to be exposed online? It's a question that was asked following the viral clip of a man on a United Airlines flight this week. We reference the article Exposing Cheaters Isn't Always A Flex by Angelina Chapin for The Cut and this TikTok . New friendship discourse dropped this week. What the hell is a 'medium friend' and why is th...
Jul 02, 2024•43 min•Ep. 143
Maggie is back from her holiday so let's get into it. Justin Timberlake was arrested last week and made Jas realise media literacy is DEAD. Next, Jas is being served 'No Sugar' videos on her TikTok. Is she alone in this or is it the next iteration of diet culture disguised as wellness? Pop music is dominating 2024 but not everyone agrees. We discuss two pieces with differing opinions. One is for British GQ titled How Pop Music Got Its Personality Back by Daisy Jones. The latter is for the Wall S...
Jun 24, 2024•52 min•Ep. 142
What doesn’t Aurelia St Clair do? The German-Cameroonian comedian, writer and podcaster has been bringing their hot takes and particular flavour of comedy to our stages and screens since their first open-mic comedy night in 2018. With almost a million likes on TikTok , Aurelia tackles everything from suburban stereotypes, the housing crisis, and their takes on pop culture as well as sharing parts of their Melburnian life on Instagram. They’re a regular performer at the Melbourne International Co...
Jun 17, 2024•36 min•Ep. 141
Are you feeling burnt out by "friendship admin"? This TikTok from author Jason Pargin got us thinking about our connectivity and how it's impacting our friendships. What are the expectations around messaging someone back? Is it normal to be available 24/7? We also reference this article from Bustle titled I Know Where You Were Last Night by Kate Lindsay which investigates the phenomenon of Find My Friends, and this episode of Figuring Out 30. In other news, Australia is the world's largest fast ...
Jun 03, 2024•44 min•Ep. 140
Laura Henshaw is a co-founder of Kic, a health and wellness program that she began with her best friend, Steph Claire Smith. Since their e-book launch in 2015, Laura and Steph have created a community of millions and helped them to move and fuel their bodies with balance. Now, Laura is the CEO of Kic as well as having her own personal social media platform where she shares the ups and downs of her role, how she balances moving her body as well as her thoughts on relationships and (potential) chi...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 139
Australian Fashion Week hit Sydney last week and the industry, TikTok and punters have thoughts... We take a deep dive into the ~discourse~ around fashion week shenanigans, and Maggie shares her personal experience of being on ground. We reference TikToks by creators Joely Malcolm and Carmen Azzopardi , Refinery29 Australia and recommend watching this video by Abby Butler. We also reference this piece by Crystal Andrews titled The Unsexy But Necessary Way To Ensure A Truly Diverse Fashion Week ....
May 20, 2024•44 min•Ep. 138
We get into this ep with a chat about Maggie's new apartment and Jas' latest hobby . News broke over the weekend about Australia's HECS debt repayment and is the MET Gala losing relevance? Next, Hollywood is hornier than ever as movies like Challengers and Saltburn break records. We discuss this new wave of cinema and read from a piece in the New York Times titled After Period of Chastity, Hollywood Movies Embrace Sex Again by Brooks Barns. The Idea Of You, Amazon's latest hit starring Anne Hath...
May 07, 2024•37 min•Ep. 137
Bri Lee is one of Australia’s leading thinkers and writers. She’s the author of Eggshell Skull, Beauty, Who Gets To Be Smart? and now, her first fiction novel, The Work . In this episode of Culture Club Chats, Bri shares her thoughts on 'sad girl novels', why she wanted to explore class, power and sex in The Work and her advice on making it as a writer in 2024. You can see more of Bri on her Instagram @bri.e.lee and her newsletter News & Reviews . Her first fiction novel, The Work is availab...
Apr 30, 2024•41 min•Ep. 136
Disclaimer: We had a few technical problems when recording this episode - SO sorry dear listeners! Taylor's dropped a double album in The Tortured Poet's Department. We discuss our thoughts on it as well as some of the mixed reviews. We reference ‘ The Tortured Poets Department’ review: a rare misstep by Laura Molloy for NME and Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department by Tom Breihan for Stereogum. Next, Coachella was back in California last week. We discuss how the vibes...
Apr 23, 2024•39 min•Ep. 135
Hi pals, To kick this week's ep off, we discuss the news that Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art has been ordered to allow “persons who do not identify as ladies” entry to its Ladies Lounge art installation after losing a legal battle. Next, is late-stage capitalism eroding what we expect from our friendships? TikTok user Amelia Montooth started a conversation on the app recently after stating that we should all be participating in the ‘small favour’ economy more. A follow up to that conversatio...
Apr 15, 2024•48 min•Ep. 134
This week’s episode kicks off with some local news. The Inspired Unemployed team has found themselves in the headlines as a “practical joke” on a feminist panel didn’t land. During this segment, we reference a TikTok from Culture Club listener, Maybelline San Juan who was in the audience when the comedy dup hijacked the talk. Next, Billie Eilish has gotten a few Swifties up in arms over her comments around vinyl packaging and multiple drops. We reference this Billboard article titled Why Billie ...
Apr 08, 2024•47 min•Ep. 133
Lottie Dalziel is one of Australia’s leading voices for sustainability. Through her hands-on work, educational social media videos and her accessible point of view, Lottie is empowering a new generation of sustainability advocates. The environmental advocate was the 2023 NSW Young Australian of the Year, she’s been featured on a Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, named Marie Claire’s 2023 Eco Warrior of the Year, and is the founder of Banish , an e-commerce and educational platform, that’s on a mission t...
Mar 26, 2024•33 min•Ep. 132
An engagement party and fashion festival recap kicks off this pop culture ep of Culture Club. Next, we discuss the updated Kate Middleton theories and the literal fanfic-inspired conspiracy theories that are floating around the internet. This leads us into another chat about how fanfiction is Hollywood’s latest obsession. We reference a piece by Nicolaia Rips titled Why Fanfiction Is Hollywood’s Latest Obsession for The Face magazine. Next up, influencers are being criticised for being involved ...
Mar 18, 2024•40 min•Ep. 131
Print is back, baby! To kick off this week's episode, we chat about the return of ELLE Magazine (in physical form) and what it means for the Australian media landscape. We reference this piece by Alex Bruce-Smith for Pedestrian.TV in which Alex interviews the new ELLE editor, Grace O'Neill. Next up, it's been a big week on the internet. From Bradley Cooper's unhinged commentary about his daughter to the AI fail at "Wonka's Chocolate Experience" in Glasgow, we discuss our thoughts on these incide...
Mar 04, 2024•39 min•Ep. 130
Happy Eras Tour week! We start today's ep with a chat around the fact that the average Shein shopper is a 35-year-old woman (one who cares about sustainability). New York City-based designer Batsheva Hay exclusively cast women over the age of 40 during NYFW. We discuss why this is important and reference Put More Gray Hair on the Runways, You Cowards by Nicola Dall'asen for Allure. Next, we recap our Eras Tour experience in Melbourne! This is followed by a chat about the Australian music industr...
Feb 19, 2024•45 min•Ep. 129
Janet Anderson is one of Australia’s most exciting, emerging actresses. She’s a recent graduate from NIDA and has just starred as the protagonist of Overflow , a powerful one-woman play about a trans woman in a club bathroom written by Travis Alabanza. We sat down with Janet to discuss the powerful play, why trans existence is activism and cisgendered performative allyship. You can find more about Janet here . Jas and Mags xo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. ...
Feb 06, 2024•40 min•Ep. 128
We kick off this week's ep with some pop culture bitties; Sofia Richie Grainge is pregnant, Millie Bobby Brown launches a clothing line and our take on the Oscar snubs and noms. The biggest story of the week was that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were snubbed by the academy for their work in Barbie. We discuss the ~discourse~ that surrounded this, including the online outrage. We reference ' The Barbie Snub Outrage Proves That When It Comes To Diversity, We’re Only Thinking Of White Women ' by ...
Jan 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 127
Jas shares her big news, we recount our favourite awards season moments and do a quick vibe check for 2024. Ariana Grande is making headlines for her media diss track 'Yes, And?'. We share our thoughts on the song, her 'lover' brand and chat through an Instagram post for The Swaddle titled, 'Is Homewrecking A Feminist Issue?'. Next, there's something going on with Gen Alpha. The tweens are getting blasted online for partaking in skincare culture and trawling the aisles of Sephora. We chat about ...
Jan 22, 2024•50 min•Ep. 126
Happy last episode of 2023! Today, we debrief about the best, worst and most unexpected books we've read this year. We bring six books each to the table and discuss. Obvi, these are just our own opinions and we hope this doesn't deter you from any titles or authors. Katie Zhou created our fab cover art and India Raine is our wonderful editor and composer of our jingle. Email us at cultureclubmail@gmail.com, find us on Instagram @cultureclubpod , or on our personal accounts @jasmineeskye and @yem...
Dec 25, 2023•47 min•Ep. 125
Astrology has been a guiding light for centuries, a way to make sense of the world. In our era of manifestation and costar obsession, what role does astrology play in our lives now? Today we’re joined by Matt Galea, a Sydney-based astrologer, journalist and Pedestrian TV’s Managing Editor. He’s just released his debut book, How to Spot the Star Signs, a modern and light-hearted take on the ancient practice. You can follow Matty on Instagram ( @mattygaleax ) and TikTok ( @mattygaleax ). Buy his b...
Dec 18, 2023•43 min•Ep. 124
Black Friday purchases and seeing Rebecca Black on a Friday. Rosalia and Allen Jeremy White are a thing and Emma Chamberlain is getting criticised on TikTok (again). In a three-hour chat with YouTube platform Colin and Samir , Emma shares that she hasn't checked her bank account in years. We chat about whether the criticism is warranted and how much money you need to be happy. Next, Taylor Swift's publicist, Tree Paine, calls out gossip site Deux Moi for making claims that Taylor and her ex, Joe...
Dec 05, 2023•52 min•Ep. 123
Hey pals, Maggie is back from India and we’re behind the mics once again. We kick off with a debrief of Mags’ incredible trip and discuss Travis Kelce’s digital footprint. Next, a report has revealed that the world's richest 1% emit as much carbon as the poorest 66%. This news was released in the same week as a young Taylor Swift fan tragically passed away at the Eras concert in Rio DeJaneiro due to the unseasonable heat and negligence of the venue. TikTok comedian, Matt Rife, has turned on his ...
Nov 27, 2023•47 min•Ep. 122
Hi pals, In this ep of Culture Club, we dive into some bite-sized pop culture bits including, Harry Styles’ new hair, Suki Waterhouse’s latest paparazzi pics and Hugh Jackman’s $100 million (!!) dollar NDA with his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Next, the trailer for the new Mean Girls movie that’s based on a musical, that’s based on a movie (phew) is out. We discuss our thoughts on the cast, the marketing and why we’d watch it. In other news, a Bloomberg article by Jessica Karl titled TikTok Is T...
Nov 13, 2023•48 min•Ep. 121
Hi pals, In this week’s ep, we have a catch-up about Maggie’s travels to China after a little hiatus and what our summer plans are. In pop culture land, two big stories have dominated the entertainment news cycle. We first chat about Matthew Perry’s tragic death at just 54. We share our thoughts on the parasocial mourning of his famous character and how he really wanted to be remembered . Next, Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman In Me has raced to the top of the book charts and Jas has gobbled it...
Nov 06, 2023•48 min•Ep. 120
With a tagline proclaiming she’s “exactly like other girls,” Lucy Neville is a Sydney-based writer and influencer who's committed to creating a safe and happy corner of the internet. Lucy has been one of our most-requested guests over the years so we had to get her on the mic to learn more about Australia’s new agony aunt, how she navigates the emotional fatigue of her 'Let It Out' series, and what it's like having thousands of people sharing their innermost secrets in your DMs. You can follow L...
Oct 23, 2023•31 min•Ep. 119
Hi friends! To start off this pop culture ep, we chat about the Zillennial Cult Comedy Cinematic Universe (as coined by The Ringer ). Featuring the likes of Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebri and Molly Gordon, we ask why the 27-year-olds feel like our friends and the new era of storytelling. For the first time we chat about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. A few weeks after they were spotted at an NFL game together, we discuss the media's reaction to the news and the theory that Taylor attending the Jets ...
Oct 10, 2023•52 min•Ep. 118
