We’re on hols this week, hunnies, but ofc we weren’t going to leave you without an ep! So, we’ve dug into the archives and stitched together one of our very first specials: a *very* juicy two-parter on the iconic Noughties ‘It Girls’ Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie, which feels extremely relevant right now thanks to the publication of the amazing new book Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. In this deep-dive, we cover every...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 52 min
It’s wedding szn hunnies so we get into the bonkers and wonderful world of weddings, from the most absurd and insufferable wedding tropes to our favourite wedding pop culture, including two excellent book recs. Plus, a few top tips from recent bride Kathleen! We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things weddings or ideas for future bonus eps, so DM us @straightuppod or email at hello@straightuppodc...
Jun 25, 2025•52 min
The backlash against Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover supposedly satirising the male gaze has left us grappling with difficult questions, from how much moral responsibility Sabrina owes her young fans to whether this satire serves any greater purpose. Tying in with the release of Laura Bates’s brilliant new book The New Age of Sexism, we debate everything from how messy female ‘empowerment’ has become and what misogyny actually looks like in our terrifying age of AI. On theme, too, is our rev...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 8 min
It’s a big week for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, with the judge dismissing Baldoni’s $400m countersuit against Lively and his $200m defamation suit against the New York Times. Who is now winning and where does that leave the trial in March? We bring you up to speed with all the latest developments, as well as news of another legal drama: nine women have accused Jared Leto of sexual impropriety. Now his ‘Mars Island cult’ feels very disturbing indeed. First up, though, we’re talking babies: f...
Jun 12, 2025•57 min
A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We dive into a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of many of your deeply honest and moving DMs, which proved to us just how devastating – and common – friendship break-ups can be. We cov...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 3 min
On today’s show: BookTok is engulfed in controversy after an Australian rugby star was seemingly handed a book deal after just a month of posting on BookTok and with no former writing experience or manuscript to his name. We discuss the accusations of white male privilege, the inner workings of influencer publishing and whether we need more ‘literary men’ in our age of incel culture. Plus, is Sydney Sweeney selling droplets of her used bath water to male fans genius marketing or normalising obje...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa’s *very* hard launch and rumours of multiple joint TV projects has got us wondering: is this a rare example of a PR relationship? We dive in! Plus, an explainer of TikTok’s Odd Muse drama: can founders get called out without it being bullying? Also, a little look at Kris Jenner’s face lift and how one surgeon seems to be becoming the most popular man in Hollywood. And of course we had to debrief on the Netflix show starring Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy that everyone...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 5 min
From Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips to Kayla Jade and Ari Kytsya, OnlyFans influencers are everywhere. In this bonus ep, we’re deep-diving into the porn star meets social media matrix. How did OnlyFans become such a cultural and economic powerhouse? And who are ‘bops’ and ‘mattress actresses’ taking over TikTok? This special covers it all: sex stunts, stigma, empowerment, Margot’s Got Money Troubles, the celebs making millions on OF, explainers on our fave creators and the problem with sex extrem...
May 28, 2025•52 min
The Diddy trial has been dominating the pop culture convo this week and so on today’s show we debrief, from the horrendous victim-blaming of Cassie Ventura to her husband’s beautifully powerful response. First though, we’re getting into a fascinating piece about how our phones are killing our ability to feel sexy, Bella Hadid’s Vogue interview and Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson’s new film about early parenthood. Also: controversial comments abound as Jameela Jamil gets heat for her views...
May 22, 2025•51 min
Dua Lipa has been hailed as ‘the best literary interviewer’ for her forensically researched Service95 author chats and so ofc we had to weigh in, huns, from the rise of celebrity book clubs (and even book stylists) to why people are so reticent to acknowledge a beautiful woman’s intelligence. Also this week: celebrity couples from Kylie and Timothée to Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, the labubu doll craze and the ‘kidultification’ of culture, plus a deepdive into the disturbing world of #SkinnyTo...
May 15, 2025•1 hr
Ambition feels very complicated in 2025. On the one hand, hustle culture, 5am wake-ups and 'productivity bros' dominate our social media feeds, yet post-pandemic it seems like many have redefined what constitutes ‘success’ through finding purpose, setting boundaries or simply ‘quiet quitting’. So what does ‘making it’ even mean anymore? In this special bonus ep, we’re unpacking everything from side hustles, the girlboss era and softgirl trends to money anxiety, career disillusionment and Emma Gr...
May 14, 2025•50 min
The Beckham family feud is making headlines again, huns, after Brooklyn missed David’s starry 50th bash – the latest in a long line of similar ‘snubbed’ events. He didn’t even post about his dad’s big day, so might this genuinely be more than tabloid rumour? Obvs we’re debriefing on the Met Gala too, from Rihanna’s pregnancy reveal to the apparent fall out between Anna Wintour and Naomi Campbell. Also this week: Dolly Alderton’s new quotes on friendship, Tina Fey’s ‘mid-life’ comedy The Four Sea...
May 08, 2025•55 min
Celebrity Traitors, five-star sexy horror Sinners and Penn Badgley’s You finale are all on the agenda this week, huns, as well as Louis Theroux’s return to top form with new doc The Settlers. Is this his most important piece of work yet? We’re also getting stuck into the latest Blake Lively updates, from her ‘feud’ with A Simple Favour 2 costar Anna Kendrick, to the recent Baldoni-related developments. And why are celebs like Blake and Ryan all buying into football teams atm? Plus, Chappel Roan ...
May 01, 2025•49 min
Hen szn is here hunnies and so as promised here is our special deepdive! With the help of your excellent DMs, we assess the good and bad of this increasingly divisive topic: from money anxieties and the growing consumerism of the hen-do ‘aesthetic’ to how this tradition can provide a much-needed opportunity to celebrate and make time for those you love. Plus, the single gal perspective, hen ‘etiquette’, pop culture horror stories,, and whether hens are ultimately progressive or regressive for wo...
Apr 30, 2025•49 min
Are Big Brother’s Jojo Siwa and Chris Hughes just friends or something more? We discuss what is ‘normal’ within platonic relationships and whether Chris is really who he appears to be on screen. In other celeb news: a debrief on the Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas rumours, and why Liz Hurley’s new romance is rather concerning. As promised hunnies Kath reports back on her first foray into ACOTAR and how it compares to Fourth Wing, and we have some excellent recs across theatre and TV, including Disne...
Apr 24, 2025•45 min
The queen of podcasting herself, Elizabeth Day, is on the show today to talk all things pop culture and we could not be happier about it huns! We get stuck into her three top recent recs across TV, film and books, the media’s obsession with first person pieces about ‘bad friends’ and the toll of maintaining a personal brand. We also chat about the psychic reading that changed Elizabeth’s life, reality TV, her daily routine and top pieces of dating advice for our single huns. We promise anyone cu...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 30 min
Another week, another divisive op-ed from The Cut! This time about the fraught nature of WhatsApp groups: is it wise to use them to discuss such personal things as money, politics and parenting? First though, another op-ed, this time on the 'Singlehood Stigma', tackling why women feel like they are simultaneously being told by society not to want a partner, while also shamed for their singledom. It seems like we can't have it all - and maybe that's OK. Also on the show, we have a look at the new...
Apr 10, 2025•58 min
Chappell Roan has received a backlash for saying all her parent friends are ‘in hell’ – is it warranted? We discuss her controversial Call Her Daddy interview and the perennial issue of the ‘unlikeable’ woman, including Amanda Knox, who has just given a fascinating new interview. Also, why does it seem like the internet has been waiting for Sydney Sweeney’s engagement to fail? Plus plenty of film and TV reviews, from brilliant new AppleTV comedy The Studio to Emilia Clarke’s disturbing fertility...
Apr 03, 2025•54 min
Welcome to another bonus episode, this time on the theme of moving: something we’ve been chatting about a lot over the last six months. Why are so many packing up the career ladder for a different way of life abroad? Is it easier to find love elsewhere? Why are people – including couples – flatsharing later in life than ever? And has it now become acceptable to live with your parents in your 30s? We unpick the most recent data and dive into all these cultural and social trends, while sharing our...
Apr 01, 2025•55 min
Reality TV is first on the agenda this week huns, as we debrief on Netflix’s bonkers cheating show, Temptation Island, and all the Made In Chelsea alumni currently hitting the headlines. In the wake of the conversations ignited by Adolescence, is a teary Jamie Laing the new face of positive masculinity? Plus, Zara McDermott’s alleged new relationship and the tabloid’s subsequent ‘sad case’ portrayal of her ex Sam Thompson. Also today: the best bits from Gwyneth Paltrow's Vanity Fair profile and ...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Adolescence on Netflix has fast become the most talked about TV show of 2025, with Stephen Graham’s new drama igniting much-needed conversations around corrosive social media misogyny and violence against girls. We get into it all from our review to the reception. First, though, a chat about polyamory, non-monogamy and what constitutes ‘cheating’ in light of Ne Yo’s polycule reveal and the fallout from Danny Jones and Maura Higgins’s Brit Awards kiss. And also this week: we debrief on publishing...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 19 min
How has one of TV’s blandest cooking shows ignited such a storm of controversy? We review Meghan Markle’s new Netflix offering to see if those one-star reviews are valid. We also share our honest thoughts on The Cut’s viral piece about the fallacy of the nuclear family. Is it fair to say that friends flake once they have kids? And is the media exacerbating friction between women? Plus, why Blake Lively’s latest big-guns crisis hires suggests something major might soon rock Hollywood, our favouri...
Mar 13, 2025•57 min
We always love it when a guest comes to help us decipher the week in pop culture, and who better to make sense of the Oscars than British actor Lucy Boynton, brilliant star of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Ipcress File, The Politican and Sing Street. She's also in ITV's A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, a gripping new drama about the last woman to be hanged in Britain, which reveals the horrific elitism and misogyny of the 1950s, and has become horribly relevant in light of the increasing violence ag...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min
We are finally getting stuck into the book everyone has been talking about hunnies: All Fours by Miranda July, which has prompted an 'erotic revolution', with a wave of women 'blowing up their lives' by ending their marriages and pursuing sexual liberation. Why is older women’s sexual desire so taboo? Next, following the viral pictures of a 'gaunt' Justin Bieber and Tuppence Middleton’s memoir on her struggle with OCD, we discuss the ethics of media speculation into celebrity health. And also th...
Feb 27, 2025•50 min
Happy Thursday huns! We’re checking in at the White Lotus in Thailand to debrief on the start of season three, from our fave characters this time around, to the wild tales from the seven months cast and crew spent on set. But first this week: BAFTAs gossip, Amelia Dimoldenberg’s new boyfriend and a big debate on whether botox is really ruining cinema, as per a recent piece in Dazed. And finally, Louis Theroux’s viral podcast interview with cancelled star Armie Hammer. Could the actor have made a...
Feb 20, 2025•56 min
It’s Bridget Jones season, huns, and so obviously we had to review the latest and fourth film in the franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy as a special bonus episode. We laughed, we cried, then dissected everything from Bridget's new boyfriends to Pandora Sykes' official podcast. Be warned, there are spoilers! And don't worry, we’ll be back here tomorrow with our usual pop culture debrief. Let us know what you thought of the film by DMing us @straightuppod...
Feb 19, 2025•32 min
It’s Valentine’s week, hunnies, so ofc romance is top of the agenda on today’s show – kicking off with with a review of Elizabeth Day’s brand new podcast ‘masterclass’ How To Date, which she cohosts with MAFS’s Mel Schilling. Do you really have to be ‘healed’ to find love? And are we the only ones feeling a bit triggered by the ‘take your younger self for coffee’ TikTok trend? Plus: Netflix and Amazon Prime’s new rom-com efforts, Amy Schumer’s Kinda Pregnant and Reece Witherspoon’s You’re Cordia...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 4 min
We finally got swept up in the Romantasy craze huns! Following the news that Rebecca Yarros’s latest novel Oynx Storm has become the fastest selling adult novel in 20 years, we’re giving her first book in the series, Fourth Wing, a whirl. What is it about these fantasy romances that has millions of women hooked? Plus, our reviews of Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar-tipped turn as Bob Dylan, an excellent book about building your own boyfriend (if only), Disney’s latest dystopian murder mystery, and Khlo...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 3 min
The Traitors finale was so juicy we HAD to have a big old debrief: was Charlotte robbed? Did it all get too personal? What are the funniest The Traitors tropes? We also discuss Holly Willoughby’s first interview since a terrifying plot to kidnap and kill her was foiled a year ago, as well as Jameela Jamil’s unique ‘protection method’ against misogyny. Plus: has Angelina Jolie been snubbed by the Oscars because Hollywood favours Brad Pitt, despite her abuse allegations? We’re also sorry to report...
Jan 30, 2025•51 min
We were not expecting to be weeping over the glossy Molly Mae Amazon doc hunnies, but it got us!! We discuss all the revelations and ‘the Molly Mae paradox’. We also had to dive into the latest explosive lawsuit in this increasingly wild It Ends With Us saga, which has now pulled in Taylor Swift and, er, Game of Thrones. Does the flippant public reaction suggest the worrying end of the MeToo movement? And we’ve got a veritable spy extravaganza of reviews and recommendations this week, including ...
Jan 23, 2025•58 min
