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This episode explores the growing popularity of birding, particularly among younger generations, fueled by the pandemic and new technologies like the Merlin app. It delves into the unexpected joy of urban birding, the vibrant community aspect, and how birding serves as a powerful tool for mindfulness and connecting with nature. The discussion also critically examines the gamification of birding through apps like eBird and its impact on traditional identification skills versus the pursuit of "life lists."
When I went freelance full-time to write Culture Study, I had no idea what I was doing. NONE. It took me several years — and encouragement from my accountant and other writers — to begin thinking of what I was doing as a small business . And it took me several years after that to understand how small businesses, especially small creative businesses, have to figure out strategies to fend off burnout in order to, well, stay in it for the long haul. We have to make our creative work and our busines...
What is it about a particular cultural object — or trend, or perceived trend — that makes people FREAK THE F OUT? Anyone who's looked at historical freakouts knows: it's never really about the thing itself, but more about ideologies that are under threat and in flux. If you challenge the status quo, in other words, there's a high likelihood that you could get swept up in a panic about something that has nothing to do with the way in which you're actually challenging the status quo. The best pers...
If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support . Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! I love books with complicated lore. I love plots that interrogate the way power accumulates and spo...
If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support . Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! I've never resisted Love is Blind so much as run out of time for it... but then Audie Cornish said ...
People are fascinated by hoarding culture — in part because it presents a reality that's not that distant from our current accumulation habits. Like, turn one screw in my brain slightly more to the left, and my dahlia collecting habit becomes something that's widely understood as a social problem. When I heard about Amanda Uhle's Destroy This House , a memoir of growing up in a hoarding household, I knew listeners would want to explore that fine line between "proper" consumption and hoarding, th...
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this one: Avery Trufelman, host of the beloved podcast Articles of Interest , is here to talk all things OUTDOOR GEAR . More specifically: how so much of our everyday clothing became gear adjacent, what the military has to do with all of this (everything), why outdoor clothes still don’t come in plus sizes, gear as Tech Bro status symbol, and SO MUCH MORE. This one’s a multi-faceted delight — the sort of episode you’ll be bringing up in conversation for we...
Anne Helen Petersen and Daniel Penny discuss the intricate links between male grievance culture, petro-masculinity, and climate change denial. They delve into how ideas of dominion and anti-wokeness fuel resistance to environmental action, the feminization of nature, and the role of Christian nationalism in shaping these views. The conversation also highlights the economic anxieties and political strategies that exploit these masculine ideals, turning them into a rejection of climate science.
Anne Helen Petersen, Allie Liebigot, and Melody Rowell discuss their personal connections to baseball, from childhood box scores to adult fandom, and tackle listener questions on various aspects of baseball culture. They delve into topics like responding to claims that baseball is boring, the impact of new rules like the pitch clock and ghost runner, the sport's "dad culture," and the growing presence of women and queer fans. The conversation also touches on game day entertainment, the controversial rise of sports betting, and their hopes for the future of the MLB.
Anne Helen Petersen and Ash Brandin challenge the notion of screen time as inherently bad, advocating for an empathetic approach to managing digital engagement for all ages. They discuss strategies for fostering self-regulation in children, addressing the "black box" nature of phones in adult relationships, and understanding screen use for coping or accommodation. The conversation highlights the importance of digital literacy and compassionate communication to strengthen human connections in a technologically saturated world.
By the mid-2010s, Jen Hatmaker had become one of the most important voices in white Evangelical culture. She had multiple best-selling books; she headlined massive women’s retreats; she was an influencer before we really even used that term. But then she broke with Evangelical doctrine when it came to LGBTQ people… and everything fell apart. More accurately, they started to fall apart — because the real life implosion wouldn’t come until 2020, when she woke up to the sound of her husband, a past...
I love talking about food as culture — and like all parts of culture, food has trends that ebb and flow. We asked you to provide us with food trends you’ve noticed (and/or confuse you) — and then we asked the great Evan Kleiman (chef, cookbook author, and longtime host of KCRW’s Good Food ) to come unwind them with us. Want to know what it takes for a dish to show up at every corporate catering event? Why every restaurant in the U.S. (still) has a brussels sprouts dish? How hot chicken got franc...
This one’s a weird one! But it’s also going to elucidate a bunch of bewildering phrases that you might have noticed popping up in advertisements or in teens’ conversations. Adam Aleksic runs the incredibly popular TikTok/IG/YouTube account Etymology Nerd, where he breaks down how new phrases and memes travel across the internet. Today, we’re talking to him about the way these phrases also make their way into our spoken language — and how algorithms function as a new engine in language change. Li...
Author Amy Odell joins to explore Gwyneth Paltrow's enduring celebrity, her evolution from a renowned actress to a wellness empire founder with Goop. The conversation delves into Paltrow's 'unrelatable' appeal, her influence across fashion, beauty, and wellness industries, and how her calculated brand-building and handling of controversy have shaped her unique place in pop culture. It also examines her early life, acting career, and the origins of her divisive health advice.
Over on the newsletter, our book concierge threads — when people ask for specific book recommendations, and readers then offer their suggestions — regularly top 1500 comments. We wanted to bring the same energy to the podcast, and Maris Kreizman , author of The Maris Review and I Want To Burn This Place Down , reads more (and more widely) than anyone else I know. I promise: you’ll leave this episode with a new pile of books you want to read immediately. (And honestly, that’s the Back to School A...
Texas Culture is at least a dozen cultures smashed into one enormous state — with a whopping 254 counties, four sprawling metro areas, 1255 miles of border with Mexico, the best breakfast item in the United States (fight me) and the best grocery store chain (fight me again). I needed a co-host who was up to the task — and, like all of our other regional-specific episodes, loves the place they’re from intensely… but is also willing to interrogate its mess. I needed longtime friend of the pod (and...
This episode with author Cara Meredith explores the potent ideological stew of white evangelical church camp. The discussion delves into how these camps used fun and belonging to subtly manipulate young attendees through 'Cry Nights' and purity culture, instilling messages of shame and patriarchal values. It examines the lasting impact on attendees' identities, particularly regarding gender, sexuality, and race, highlighting the complex mix of fond memories and the need to unpack harmful, exclusionary teachings.
Dr. Nicole Holliday joins to dissect the complexities of American accents, challenging notions like their disappearance and the concept of a "standard" accent. The discussion delves into how accents are shaped by migration, social identity, race, and even digital media, covering diverse examples from Memphis's AAVE to the unique Utah accent and multicultural urban English varieties. This episode offers a captivating look at language as a tool of power and a reflection of human social structures.
When I first heard about Hannah Zeavin ’s new book, Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century , I knew it Culture Study material. Historicizing the intersection between tech and motherhood (and how surveillance affects mothers and changes parenting norms which leads to more surveillance)… that’s some Culture Study shit. I’m thrilled that Hannah Zeavin — whose work so compellingly crosses the lines of media history and history of psychology — agreed to come on the pod (and tha...
This is an audience of people who love books — and people who have thoughts about the culture around books. Book clubs, BookTok, the popularization of book genres, special editions, the way other people talk about us reading — there’s endless fodder for discussion and analysis. I’m thrilled to have Alyssa Morris , one of the sharpest observers of contemporary book culture, back on the pod to answer all of your questions about very of-this-moment trends (and give some very good advice on how to k...
Montana’s unofficial tagline is “the last best place” — which should tell you something about the way the state thinks about itself. It’s a political frankenstein, incredibly beautiful, increasingly filled with tourists, and a twelve-hour drive from one corner of the state to the other. Oh, and just over a million people total live there. Including Chris La Tray , who’s just finishing his tenure as Montana Poet Laureate, and one of my favorite thinkers on what makes Montana so easy to fall in lo...
Hosts Anne Helen Petersen and Zach Stafford delve into the reasons behind the recent public criticism surrounding Katy Perry, discussing her career trajectory from pop superstar to a figure often seen as out of touch. They analyze her contradictory public image, failed attempts at satire, collaborations, and actions like her space trip and monastery lawsuit, contrasting her struggles with contemporaries like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. The conversation also touches on the changing pop music landscape, the rise of "worship pop," and how Katy Perry's perceived inauthenticity and inability to age gracefully contribute to her current struggles, linking it to broader cultural shifts towards authenticity and away from frictionless online performance.
Anne Helen Petersen and Jason Diamond explore the world of men's fashion, tackling listener questions about lackadaisical style, limited options, and the prevalence of earth tones. They discuss historical style icons, the challenges of fit, how masculinity influences clothing choices, the impact of athletes and subcultures on style, and how men can evolve their look while feeling comfortable and authentic, from vintage finds to the 'slutty dad' aesthetic.
Journalist Megan Greenwell, author of "Bad Company," discusses how private equity (PE) operates, often prioritizing short-term profit extraction over long-term company health. Using examples from media (like Deadspin and newspapers) and care industries (hospitals, vet care, dentistry), they explore how PE acquisitions lead to decreased quality, higher costs, and burnout. The conversation also touches on the differences between PE and venture capital and potential solutions for combating PE's pervasive negative effects on essential services.
People often ask me why I care so much about parenting when I am not, myself, a parent. This question is always so weird to me — of course I care about parenting norms, because I’m surrounded by parents! The choices that parents make (in the voting booth, as consumers, as community members, as friends ) have so many direct and indirect effects on my life and everyone’s lives. Plus I’m always interested in how people try and make sense of a ton of contradictory information and “best practices” ab...
Is it weird that I really love talking about all the ways the formative culture of my teens screwed me up? Maybe it’s just cathartic — talking with someone else who’s spent time in the postfeminist ideological trenches, trying to unpack all of the contradictory messaging about who we should be and how we should act. Sophie Gilbert has been deep in that muck for years writing her new book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves , and is here to help answer y...
For each of these culture-of-place episodes, we look for someone who both adores a place, are very much a product of that place… and are also very much at home talking shit about that place. They see its difficulties, drawbacks, and hostilities clearly — and can hold all of that alongside their deep and abiding love for the place. And that’s Gustavo Arellano , who’s been writing about SoCal culture with verve and humor and great skill for decades . (Such great skill that just a week after we tap...
This isn’t a bleak episode about period pain. Yes, we talk a LOT about death cramps — and all sorts of other symptoms that accompany menstruation. But we also talk a lot about how ridiculous it is that we don’t talk about these things — at least not publicly, and often not even with our close friends and family members. Kate Helen Downey , host of the incredible new podcast Cramped , joins me to talk very openly about all the things we usually don’t talk about and why. I learned so much in this ...
Hosts Anne Helen Petersen and Tove Danovich discuss the recent surge in backyard chicken ownership. They delve into the various motivations behind this trend, from pandemic prepping and a desire for local food to social media aesthetics and political ideologies like Christian nationalism and distrust of government. They explore the historical context of raising chickens, contrasting the romanticized view with the demanding reality and the often-overlooked exploitation of labor in the industrial poultry system. The conversation also touches on the practical aspects like costs, regulations, and disease risks associated with keeping backyard flocks, highlighting how this seemingly simple hobby connects to complex societal issues.
This episode explores the massive popularity of pop artist Tate McRae, discussing why she resonates so strongly with younger audiences while puzzling millennials and older listeners. The hosts and listeners delve into her sound, image, dance background, Canadian context, and comparisons to earlier pop stars like Britney Spears, examining how nostalgia, production techniques, and generational shifts contribute to her unique place in the current music landscape.
