For this episode, we're joined by the incredible Karen Tongson, Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, English, and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Why Karen Carpenter Matters and Relocations: Queer Suburban Imaginaries . Her newest book, normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us provides theory for this episode about the beloved TV show, Gilmore Girls. We begin with a discussion of the early 2000s postfeminist Bush e...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Remember about fifteen years ago when we all went a little nuts for sweet potato fries? What was going on there? Well it turns out, that beloved appetizer was more than a tasty treat circa 2007. In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through research about the “orange-flesh sweetpotato” and its relationship to GMOs, cash crops, fat phobia and food imperialism. She pulls on the work of Joe Kobuthi for an analysis of food systems that informs her understanding of the sweet potato's zeitgeist-y mom...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you play D&D? Do you have a friend who does, but you don't totally *get* what it is? Did you see the recent film Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and think "wow, that role playing game went MAINSTREAM!?" Then this episode is sure to satisfy your curiosity about this zeitgeisty game! Hannah, who herself plays D&D, leads Marcelle through a history of the tabletop role-playing game created by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, tracing its origins all the way to Dungeons & Dragons ...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast There was so much more to say about Wonka and Twilight. In Part I of this bonus episode (aka a 'Material Concern' episode), we talk about fatphobia in children's literature, the "representation" of indigeneity in Stephanie Meyer's the Twilight Saga, and so much more. If you enjoy this episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll have access to the rest of this conversation, all the bonus perk...
Jan 30, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob or some secret third option?** Marcelle asks this question only at the very end of the episode, and you know why? Because there is so much more to discuss when it comes to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. And who better to dig into this novel's plot and place in pop culture than Jackson Bird (he/him) who, over fifteen years ago, was a Twi-hard. If you frequent fan spaces, you might know Jackson through his previous work with Harry Potter Alliance or his very popular ...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're so excited to announce that our new show, Making Worlds , begins January 25th! This video podcast, hosted by Hannah McGregor (maybe you know them?!?), will be released monthly via our Patreon. In each 30ish-minute episode, a guest will bring Hannah a text that has helped them imagine the liberatory possibilities of another world. We’re talking sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction! Hot!!!! Our first episode? Why it simply had to be about Our Flag Means Death! What says liberatory possibi...
Jan 16, 2024•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's episode, we're joined by the incredible Leena Norms (she/her) to talk about Timothée Chalamet's latest venture: Wonka. This holiday blockbuster from director Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2) made many people on the internet cringe even before it's release in mid December. It was notably in the *discourse* through memes and tweets that suggested Kylie Jenner perhaps got 'the ick' from Timmy's performance. The good news is that Marcelle, Hannah and Leena went to go see the movie...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Witch, Please Productions is on break for the holidays! Of course we still wanted to put some fun content out while we’re away from our computers, so we recorded a holiday bonus that features Gaby, Zoe, Hannah, Marcelle and Coach mostly speaking over one another while they attempt to play Material Pursuit — a game of trivia that Marcelle created by pulling on content from Material Girls and our previous show, Witch, Please. If you want to listen to the whole thing, you can! For free! Just h...
Dec 26, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of Marcelle's favorite books is The Night Circus, so she decided to be brave and do an entire episode about the best-selling fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. Why brave? Well because sometimes it's hard to think critically about something you love! We all know that. ;) This episode, Marcelle leads us through a quick chat about how the book was set up for success in 2011, followed by some theory about reading ecosystems from Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times by Andrew Piper. And th...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast We hit our fundraising goal for Palestine Children’s Relief Fund in October and this is the bonus episode we promised as a thank you for your support. As of today, you, our listening community, have raised $8900 — and our goal was $5000! That’s incredible and we’re so grateful for your resource sharing and messages of solidarity. This bonus episode is a conversation between Marcelle and Hannah about a paper Marcelle published in 2015 called Comic relief: the ethical intervention of 'Avodah...
Dec 05, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast At Material Girls, we’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of using social media for social change and what those calls imply about the role of social media in our collective imaginations. And so, in the spirit of always historicizing, we recorded this episode to look back on the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and, specifically, to an online event known as Blackout Tuesday. If you were one of the people who posted a black square on your Instagram account — or someone who thought about it b...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast We had to talk about Taylor Swift more — especially as so many of you had great comments, feedback and specific inquiries! We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, except this time we only answered questions you submitted about Ms. Taylor Allison Swift. We talk Gay-lore, billionaires, private jets, the Jets and holding many feelings at once. Part II of this bonus will be available on Patreon this week to all of our tiers! Join today for just $5 USD/month to get...
Nov 21, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're so lucky to be joined this episode by Erin Keif (she/her) of the beloved Headgum podcasts Hey Riddle Riddle and Sitcom DnD. If you're a fan of Les Mis, or any musical, you'll appreciate this really special episode that covers Stuart Hall's theory of encoding/decoding, while also getting into the lyrics and musicality of the megamusical: Les Misérables. Hannah guides Marcelle and Erin through a history lesson that covers Thatcherite England and defunding of the arts in the 70s and 80s, whil...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Given last week's release of 1989 (Taylor's Version), we just had to have Swiftie and Tay-lore expert Margaret H. Willison (she/her) on the show to talk about one of the (if not THE) most influential pop stars of the last decade. We start with a conversation about Taylor as an artist and Margaret provides context to help us understand how and why Taylor's Eras Tour and the 10 studio albums that led to it have created such a buzz. Then Marcelle leads Hannah and Margaret through Lauren Berlant's t...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why is Star Wars so popular? What were the material conditions that set the first film, A New Hope, up for success in 1977? What can a Marxist critique help us understand about the film? In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through a conversation about one of her favorite franchises by first taking a close look at George Lucas's politics and the state of Hollywood in the 1970s. Marcelle and Hannah then think through the movie's seemingly progressive narrative — and the way it's been co-opted b...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we talk about Bridgerton with a very special guest — Vanessa Zoltan. We discuss Bridgerton the book series and its move into the mainstream through the Shondaland adaptation on Netflix. Vanessa gives us some insight on romance fiction as a genre and Hannah leads us through theory from Janice Radway's book Reading the Romance. If you like Romance novels and/or juicy television, this episode is for you! We think through the radical possibilities of romance reading, how we can make ...
Oct 03, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast We had to talk about Avatar more — especially James "horny for the ocean" Cameron. We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, except this time we only answered questions you submitted about Cameron's blockbuster hit. We talk colonialism, pony tails and doing whatever Coach tells us to! Thanks for submitting such thoughtful questions. Part II of this bonus will be available on Patreon this week to all of our tiers! Join today for just $5 USD/month to get the rest ...
Sep 26, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you love James Cameron's Avatar upon its release in 2009? Have you since watched it and thought, huh, now what were we thinking 14 years ago? Were you critical of it from the start? Baffled by the public's interest in colonialism and hot blue aliens? Then this episode is for you. Tune in for a conversation about this beloved sci-fi blockbuster. Hannah leads Marcelle talk colonialism, sexism, marketing budgets and how the interests of white dude billionaires drives our reality. Together, they...
Sep 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we’re asking why ‘goblin mode’ is so danged zeitgeist-y such that in 2022 it became the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year. Joined by McKayla Coyle (they/them), author of Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck, we dig into the term that took twitter by storm last year. Hannah leads Marcelle and McKayla through a discussion on 'the abject,' a concept from Bulgarian-French feminist philosopher Julia Kristeva. We talk about the racialize...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast What makes the Fab Five so fab? In this episode, Hannah leads Marcelle through a discussion of contemporary masculinities and their commodification via pop culture! They talk neo-liberalism, self-care discourse and the interplay of Trump's rise to power and "reaching across the aisle" through entertainment. Hannah pulls on theory from the late Lauren Berlant for a lesson on intimate publics and 'cruel optimism.' This episode is for you if you: watched the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ...
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast We had to talk about the Barbie movie! We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, only this time we only answered questions you submitted about Greta Gerwig's blockbuster hit. We talk mainstream feminism, satire, the limits and possibilities of camp, aesthetics and so much more! If you needed a hearty discussion about the movie after viewing it as a thinking person in 2023, then we have you covered! Thanks for submitting such thoughtful questions. Part II of this bonu...
Aug 15, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast We had to talk about Barbie! This episode is all about Barbie dolls and way they took over the toy industry in the 90s. We've since recorded an episode about the movie which will be available on our Patreon in the coming weeks. For now, please enjoy this episode that touches on liberal feminism, petro-capitalism, the history of Big Plastic, Barbie (the metonym!) and so much more. Over the course of an hour, Marcelle leads Hannah through a theory-informed breakdown of why Barbie, created in 1959,...
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's here! Welcome to the first episode of Material Girls, a scholarly podcast about pop culture co-hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman. This show aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand. In this pilot episode, Marcelle leads us...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Material Girls! A new show from the team behind the beloved podcast, Witch, Please. Every episode you'll get your pop culture fix with some academic theory added to the mix. Join feminist scholars Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman for episodic dives into the zeitgeist. Together they ask the materialist question "why this, why now?" about books that are on everyone's nightstands, songs that are on rotation, movies that have captured Twitter discourse — and so much more. Subscribe to ...
Jul 13, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Well Witches... we're here, at the end of Witch, Please the podcast. If you've been following us on Instagram, then you know that we are so grateful for the last eight seasons AND we're so excited for our new flagship show: Material Girls, a scholarly podcast about popular culture. You'll notice that, much like our usual Wrap Up episodes, this final episode is pure chaos. We were lucky enough to record this final Witch, Please episode in person which means what we lack in sound quality and coher...
Jul 11, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our final regular episode, we decided to revisit Fan Studies! We begin with a review of our episodes on Foucault and authorship, Michel de Certeau and the tactics of the disempowered, Jane Tompkins and circulation and Michael Warner's idea of discourse publics. Even though it's our last regular Witch, Please episode, don't be fooled, our Transfiguration segment is a HEADY one and Hannah leads us through mind-bending theory about affective economies and affective economics (two different thin...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're thrilled to share the pilot episode of Gender Playground! Gender Playground is a new show from Witch, Please Productions and is co-hosted by longtime friends Marcelle Kosman and Raimi Marx. This podcast is all about gender-affirming care for the kids in your life, and YOU are the intended audience! Whether you're a caregiver, parent, family-member, chosen- family - member, teacher, doctor, childcare professional, or just someone who wants to create a more loving world for kids, this ...
Jun 23, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this bonus episode, Hannah and Marcelle are joined by comedian and podcaster Ely Kreimendahl (she/her) for a discussion about shame, relationships, being adults and podcasting! If you haven't already fallen in love with Ely's show, Shame Spiral, check it out ! Now is the time! We'll be back in two weeks with a regular Witch, Please episode that adds to the Appendix! Note: This conversation was recorded in February 2023! Enjoyed the episode? Get more bonus content just like it on Patreon ! You...
Jun 13, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're joined by Nia (they/them) for a conversation about critical adoption studies — a field of scholarship that explores adoption as a legal, political, and economic institution that severs and creates familial bonds. We begin with a review of our episodes on motherhood, class, feminist literary theory, queer theory, critical race theory and the nation-state before heading into a chat about narratives of adoption. Through a closer look at the way Harry and Voldemort are both positione...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're so excited to be joined by Aubrey Gordon (she/her) for an episode about anti-fatness in the Harry Potter series. We begin with a quick review of disability studies, monstrosity, and sentimentality before jumping into a conversation about anti-fatness, body positivity and fat liberation. Aubrey is the co-host of (beloved podcast) Maintenance Phase and the author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat and "You Just Need to Lose Weight" and 19 Other Myths About Fat People . With h...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
