In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett

iHeartPodcasts and The Meteor•www.iheart.com

Is there a cultural moment from your past that looks different in retrospect? Maybe it’s a scandalous tabloid story seared into your teenage brain or a political punchline that just feels wrong now. It might be a very specific red swimsuit that inspired a decade of plastic surgery (see: “Baywatch”) or the inescapable smell of an entire generation of prepubescent boys (Axe body spray, anyone?). Each week on IN RETROSPECT, Emmy-winning journalist Susie Banikarim and New York Times editor Jessica Bennett revisit a pop culture moment from the 80s and 90s that shaped them — to try to understand what it taught us about the world, and a woman’s place in it.

Talk to us at @inretropod, @susiebnyc and @jessicabennett on Instagram. New episodes each Friday.

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Episodes

We Regret To Inform You

Mistakes? We’ve made a few. In the spirit of IN RETROSPECT, Susie and Jess share some of their professional regrets—from Susie’s season working on the reality show “Wife Swap” to a sexual harassment story Jess still thinks about. FOR MORE: Heidi Mae’s TikTok about appearing on "Wife Swap" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 10, 2023•32 min

‘Long Island Lolita’ (Pt 2): Amy Fisher Tries to Move On

Amy Fisher would go to prison for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her much older “boyfriend” Joey – but that wouldn’t be the end of the story. The media frenzy surrounding her would continue, and spawn three TV movies about her infamous crime. In this episode, Susie and Jess delve into Amy’s attempts to move on, where she is today, and dissect how that trope – the “lolita” – is used to paint girls as precocious and seductive. Guests : Amy Pagnozzi, former and longtime New York Post colu...

Nov 03, 2023•37 min

‘Long Island Lolita’ (Pt 1): Amy Fisher Becomes a Trope

In 1992, Amy Fisher, a teen girl from Long Island became a tabloid sensation almost overnight – when she shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her much older “boyfriend” Joey Buttafuoco. Within days, the New York Daily News would splash a picture of Amy across its front page with a headline that would follow her forever: The Long Island Lolita. In this episode, Susie and Jess interrogate the way Amy Fisher was covered and examine why her story gripped the nation. Guests: Amy Pagnozzi, former and ...

Nov 03, 2023•49 min

The Book of Britney Spears

The princess of pop's much anticipated memoir, “The Woman In Me,” is finally out. This week, Jess and Susie speed-read it and share their thoughts on the woman whose life is perhaps the ultimate case of "in retrospect." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 27, 2023•47 min

Smells Like Teen Puberty

Can you understand U.S. cultural history without understanding Axe Body Spray? Listener, you cannot. In this mini-episode, Jess and Susie trace the scent that infiltrated school hallways and telegraphed wannabe masculinity for a generation of Y2K kids. Featuring a special appearance by Jess’s husband. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 24, 2023•24 min

Hot for Teacher (Pt 2): Mary Kay Letourneau Enters the Chat

So Pacey lost his virginity to his high school English teacher. But what do we… call that? Was it a tryst? An affair? An assault? Jess & Susie dive into the linguistic acrobatics of how America talked about statutory rape in the 90s – and delve into the the true story that was playing out at the time, that of Seattle teacher (and convicted rapist) Mary Kay Letourneau. Guests: Rosie Bancroft, Jess’s middle school pal and current middle school mental health counselor FOR MORE: How the Media Tu...

Oct 20, 2023•34 min

Hot for Teacher (Pt 1): Dawson’s Creek’s Weird ‘Romance’

It was 1998 and teenage Jessica was crammed onto the couch in the basement of a friend’s house in Seattle, swooning over the hot-and-heavy “love affair” between Pacey and Tamara on “Dawson’s Creek.” The only thing: Pacey was 15, and Tamara – aka Miss Jacobs – was his 38-year-old high school English teacher. Ew? Guests: Rosie Bancroft, Jess’s middle school pal and current middle school mental health counselor FOR MORE: ‘Dawson’s Creek’ at 20: Inside the Teen Drama’s Deepest Secrets (Hollywood Rep...

Oct 20, 2023•32 min

The Word We Won’t Use on This Show

It’s “problematic.” In this mini episode, Jess rants about her dislike of this overly simplistic label (used to describe everything from people to paint colors), and Susie asks her why, if that’s the case, she can’t seem to stop using it. FOR MORE: If Everything Is ‘Trauma,’ Is Anything? (NY Times) I Was Wrong About Trigger Warnings (The Atlantic) What If Calling People Out, We Called Them In? (NY Times) The Problem With the Word 'Problematic’ (The Atlantic) See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Oct 13, 2023•19 min

Oprah’s Little Red Wagon

In 1988, Oprah Winfrey revealed on her hugely popular talk show that she’d shed 67 pounds, which she illustrated to her audience by wheeling out a little red wagon full of exactly that much animal fat. That show, the highest-rated of her 25-year run, would kickstart a cycle of speculation about this wildly successful woman’s body that would endure for decades. In this episode, Susie and Jess explore why Oprah’s weight struggles have been the subject of so much fascination, her recent special tha...

Oct 06, 2023•44 min

Pamela Anderson & That Iconic Red Swimsuit

When lifeguard CJ Parker, played by Pamela Anderson, ran in slow-mo down a sandy California beach in her iconic cherry red swimsuit — you know the one, low in the front, hiiiiiigh on the sides — she didn’t just turn “Baywatch” into the number-one TV show in America, she became the enduring symbol of 90s sexuality. In this episode, Jess and Susie trace that swimsuit’s surprising history — and its ripple effects. Guests: Pamela Anderson, actor, activist and author Susan Douglas, professor of media...

Sep 29, 2023•41 min

Meet Your Hosts (Hi!)

Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett met a decade ago in a newsroom, and have gone on to hold some of the most prestigious jobs in journalism. But they’re also pop culture obsessives and trash-TV addicts who can spend hours going down any rabbit hole. They often unravel cultural moments together, over late-night phone calls and edibles. Now you get to listen, too. Time to meet your hosts (hi!). FOR MORE: Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Susie’s film) Feminist Fight Club: A Su...

Sep 21, 2023•27 min

A Soap Opera Romance That Started With An Assault

What did a generation of young women—and men—learn about sex and relationships when the most iconic romance on TV’s most popular soap opera “General Hospital” began with a rape? Susie and Jess unravel the story of Luke and Laura, the beloved couple from the longest running soap of all time, whose wedding was such a huge cultural moment that it drew more viewers than an actual royal wedding (twice). CW: This episode contains discussion of sexual violence. Guests: Cindi Leive, co-founder of The Me...

Sep 21, 2023•44 min

Introducing: In Retrospect

Do you have a piece of pop culture from your past that, looking back, makes you cringe? We sure do. Each week on IN RETROSPECT, we’ll revisit a cultural moment from the 80s and 90s that shaped us — and probably you — to try to understand what it taught us about the world, and our place in it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 14, 2023•2 min

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