What does it mean to think of student loans as culture? First off, it means that we can think of them as something that’s changeable . Because as much as we’ve come to think of massive piles of debt as “just the way it is” for a broad swath of people (and more and more every year), there’s nothing inevitable about student loans. Our status quo doesn’t have to be saddling young adults (and/or their parents, and/or their grandparents) with albatrosses of debt, simply to obtain the credentials that...
Mar 13, 2024•53 min
If you’ve been in a bookstore lately, you’ve undoubtedly seen it: A Court of Thorns and Roses, better known as ACOTAR , ruling over the paperback bestsellers with all its sequel pals. These books are behemoths. They’re massive. They’ve sold millions upon millions of copies. They’re about faeries. And they’re very, very hot. Culture writer (and lifelong fantasy reader) Kathryn VanArendon k joins me to talk all things ACOTAR , from “is the writing bad” and “is that actually an interesting question...
Mar 06, 2024•44 min
Every so often, I do a Culture Study (newsletter) interview that inspires a LOT of follow-up questions — and the podcast is the perfect forum to address them, particularly when the interviewee is as smart and hilarious and curious as Heather Radke. For today’s episode, Heather and I tackle all your BUTTS questions, like: Why are butts so funny? Isn’t it weird the fossil record can’t tell us how big butts were? Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone told you about hemorrhoids in a very matter-of-fact ...
Feb 28, 2024•55 min
Bradley Cooper would very much like an Oscar. If you’ve been paying attention to Hollywood at any point over the last five years, you know this. It’s evident in the films he makes, the way he talks about them, the cheesesteak food truck he opened for a weekend to keep himself in the press cycle. There’s nothing wrong with wanting an Oscar — what actor doesn’t want one?! — but what happens when that desire becomes the overarching theme of your entire image? The dominant way the public understands...
Feb 21, 2024•59 min
Maybe you’ve seen it happen, or maybe you’ve just heard it whispered: divorce is contagious. One person in a friend group gets divorced, and suddenly it seems like EVERYONE is. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but we wanted to have divorce aficionado Lyz Lenz on the pod to answer all your questions about the way we pathologize divorce. If you like the show, would you share it with a friend who would too? Post it on Instagram. Follow or subscribe to the pod on your podcast app, and/or write us ...
Feb 14, 2024•49 min
Today, there are coaches for everything. Business, fitness, careers, breastfeeding, parenting, ADHD, MLMs, divorce… even death. Is it b******t? Or is it offering a valuable service? And how can you tell the difference in a totally unregulated space? Jane Marie , host of The Dream , joins me to delve into the world of personal coaching. If you like the show, it is SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL for our fledging pod if you can share it with others. Send it to your nerdy friend or coworker who’d love it. Po...
Feb 07, 2024•50 min
Philanthropy is so weird. Celebrities: also weird. When the two collide, you get something even more bizarre. Why should we believe what Ashton Kutcher has to say about human trafficking? How did Bill Gates change the very core of his image? What does The Gilded Age teach us about philanthropy and social position? And why does giving feel more and more like shopping ? Amy Schiller joins the pod to work through the tangled knot of modern philanthropy. If you like the show, it is SO INCREDIBLY HEL...
Jan 31, 2024•54 min
At some point in the last year I looked around and realized… 2000s music was EVERYWHERE. Nelly Furtado. Timbaland. Eminem. 50 Cent. MGMT. In Bama Rush videos. At sports games. In the background of TikToks of teens plaintively yearning to be 2000s teens. In weird animation videos meant for seven-year-old boys. Why THIS music, and why RIGHT NOW? Musicologist Nate Sloan— co-host of one of my favorite podcasts, Switched on Pop — has all the answers, or at least most of them. If you like the show, it...
Jan 24, 2024•56 min
This week I get my “cold plunge curious” partner Charlie Warzel to come on the pod and talk about how cold plunging suddenly feels like it’s everywhere, the science (some interesting, some junk) behind it, whether it’s been “bro-ified,” who’s buying those $6000 cold plunge tubs… and how to actually start doing it, if that’s your thing. If you like the show, it is SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL for our fledging pod if you can share it with others. Send it to your nerdy friend or coworker who’d love it. Po...
Jan 17, 2024•44 min
This week I’m joined by Michelle Cyca to talk about the trailer for the Mean Girls reboot. You might think: wow, that’s a very small thing to focus on, what could you possibly talk about for 45 minutes… but just you wait. WHY are they hiding that it’s a musical? WHO do they think is the actual audience for this movie? What happens when millennial content is rebooted for Gen-Z audiences without context? And why is Tina Fey apparently uncancellable? We cover it all. If you like the show, it is SO ...
Jan 10, 2024•53 min
For the fifth episode of the Culture Study podcast I’m joined by Nicole Washington to talk about all things F1: what’s behind the recent rise, is it in fact Real Housewives of Monaco , what’s the current drama, and so much more . Because this is a conversation between someone with very little knowledge about F1 (me) and someone with an abundance of knowledge about F1 (Nicole) it’s accessible to all levels of fandom. If you’re utterly mystified by the newfound popularity, this episode’s for you. ...
Jan 03, 2024•53 min
For the fourth episode of the Culture Study podcast I’m joined by Philip Maciak — who manages to be a professor, the television critic for The New Republic , and an avid consumer of children’s television — to talk about Paw Patrol . We talk about copaganda, plot laziness, why 90% of the characters are boys, how Paw Patrol gets “in the water” at most kids’ schools even if they don’t actually watch the show, and take arguably too deep of a dive into the theme song. If you hate Paw Patrol , this ep...
Dec 27, 2023•52 min
Esteemed law professor Leah Litman, co-host of Strict Scrutiny , joins me and Melody to talk about all things TAYLOR + TRAVIS. Like: How did Taylor make the transition from big time pop star to BIGGEST POP STAR? How do we feel about the Matty Healy of it all? Is Travis Kelce interesting or is their relationship just interesting? Why do I feel so ambivalent about the prospect of Taylor getting married (and/or having kids)?? [If you're coming to the paid episode from the free episode, you'll want ...
Dec 20, 2023•55 min
For the second episode of the Culture Study podcast, we’re diving into the nerdy and awesome and frustrating world of the infrastructure that surrounds us. Why are sidewalks so bad in so many places? How do we undo car dependencies? What’s the deal with a power company in Vermont distributing a huge battery to every customer? What are we going to do about all these ready-to-fail water treatment plants? If we can have air conditioners in our STEERING WHEELS why can’t we have good trains? Deb Chac...
Dec 13, 2023•55 min
For the maiden voyage of the Culture Study podcast, we’re taking a hard look at a problem that plagues us all: terrible clothes . Why are shirts falling apart or pilling after just a few wears? Why does Gucci charge $3200 for a polyester sweater? What happened to ironing and will we ever dry clean en masse again? Amanda Mull , staff writer at The Atlantic , joins me for a deep dive into the past twenty years of fashion production (and consumption) trends. If you like the ep, it helps a fledging ...
Dec 06, 2023•42 min
Everything is interesting . That idea has guided the tremendously popular Culture Study newsletter, and it’s at the heart of the Culture Study Podcast, where host Anne Helen Petersen and the smartest people she knows answer listeners’ questions about the nooks and crannies of contemporary culture, from “why are clothes like this now?” to “what’s the deal with F1?” Listeners can submit their own questions here , and find weekly discussion threads, extensive show notes, transcripts and a lot more ...
Nov 27, 2023•3 min
