Culture Club is a weekly podcast analysing pop culture, the arts, and the internet, hosted by writers and editors Jasmine Wallis and Maggie Zhou. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Grammys' new controversial category, Girl Math hits the retail sector, and the problem with aestheticised loneliness influencers.

Reminder, we're on YouTube and SUBSTACK.

Hi friends! In this episode, we kick off with some celebrity pop culture bits, including a revelation from TikTok user Jessmess69 regarding Sarah Pidgeon and one former Culture Club Chats guest!

The Grammy Awards is adding five new categories: R&B collaboration or duo/group performance, best traditional pop vocal performance and best traditional folk album. But, the categories causing concern include best Asian pop music performance and best Latin song. Is this progress or a form of musical segregation?

Australian fashion brand, Lioness, has come under fire this week after its graphic tees were accused of sexist language. A t-shirt, which is being sold in Myer as well as in their online store for $29 features a slogan on the front that reads: “I’m too pretty to do math”. We break down our thoughts, including the new wave of bimbo-fication that's now being sold to women. We reference this opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald titled What a Degrading T-shirt: Girls Told They’re ‘Too Pretty To Do Math’ by educator Allan Dougan.

Next, have you noticed a certain type of social media content that’s focused on loneliness? Writer Rachel Pick wrote a piece for The Cut titled, “The Loneliness Influencers Inside The Luxurious Tedium Of “I Have No Friends” TikTok”. We discuss the influence of this type of content and if it's perpetuating or helping the loneliness crisis. We also read from Milk Fed by Caitlyn Richardson and her piece called Heidegger And The Illusion Of Aestheticized Loneliness.

In recommendations, Maggie watched the Australian horror movie, Leviticus, while Jas read and loved Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden.

Thank you for being here! Jas & Mags xo
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Culture Club.

The Aestheticisation Of Loneliness, Grammys’ Asian Award & Girl Math Hits Retail 

Our winter favourites, from hobbies and skincare to books and music. Cosy up with this episode on YouTube.
Here are the links for our picks!

Skincare 
Dr Jart Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Cream

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 | Exfoliating Face Toner 

Aesop Sublime Replenishing Night Masque

Makeup 
MERIT Flush Balm

Books 
Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh

The In Between by Christos Tsiolkas 

Films 
The Airport Chaplain (series)
2007 Films 
Lars and the Real Girl 

Music 
Daniel Caesar’s Son of Spergy
Olivia Rodrigo's You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Winter Favourites: Books, Films, Music, Beauty & More

Hi friends, 

This week is a shorter episode as we have a bonus ep coming later this week! Keep your eyes peeled for our seasonal winter recommendations. You can watch this episode on YouTube. 

Olivia Rodrigo is coming for the Queen of Pop title with her new album 'You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love'. We debrief and share our top picks (upon first listen). 

One of the most famous celebrity weddings of the year took place in both London and Palermo after Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner tied the knot. Maggie has a take on the first pictures and we share why locals aren't happy. The first trailer for The Social Network’s sequel, The Social Reckoning, has dropped. We debrief the plot of the Aaron Sorkin film and debate if it's the story they should be focusing on. 

Finally, Gwenyth Paltrow has come under fire after starring in ads for luxury apartments in Israel. Will this make even the tiniest dent in her career?

There are no Bookmarked recs this week, as we have a whole episode's worth coming soon. 

Thank you for listening and if you enjoyed this episode (or any others), please share with a friend or give it a rate and review! 

Jas & Mags xo 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gwyneth Paltrow Sells Out, Dua Lipa’s Wedding & Olivia Rodrigo’s Best Album Yet?

The rise of phone-free shows, Taylor Swift’s new Disney song, and what’s behind Gen Z’s horror movie obsession? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Taylor Swift has written a song for Toy Story 5 –– I Knew It, I Knew You marks Taylor’s return to the country genre and was inspired by the cowgirl, Jessie. Also in music news, Phoebe Bridgers has been playing a string of phone-free pop-up shows across small cities and college towns in America. The $1 gigs mark a return to tech-free shows and has us asking, are we all looking for an excuse to put our phones away?

Next, have you noticed that so many TV shows and movies right now have the same villain? In a piece titled “‘Bogeyman of the moment’: Why every TV show seems to have the same villain” for The Age, Michael Lallo makes the claim that AI is the villain we’re seeing everywhere at the moment. It's also sparking a renaissance in human-made art, as seen in a viral tweet by producer Adam Faze. 

Two Gen Z horror directors are the talk of the internet and film world this month, creating conversations about a new era of filmmaking. Backrooms and Obsession, created by two Gen Z YouTubers, are topping box offices globally. We break down why the films are so popular and why Gen Z is obsessed with the horror genre. We reference an article for The Guardian, the ABC, and Why YouTubers Are Turning Hollywood Upside Down by Marlow Stern for Variety.

In Bookmarked, Jas shares the three books she bought for her winter cabin retreat: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Strangers by Belle Burden, and Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh. Maggie shares a music recommendation with Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers' album, Glory.

Thank you for listening! We appreciate you so much. 

Jas & Mags xo 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gen Z’s Horror Obsession, Taylor Swift Does Disney & The Rise Of Phone-Free Concerts 

Cynthia Erivo speaks out about Wicked, the Pattie Gonia lawsuit explained, and why are dot cakes creating discourse?

Hi friends,

We're back in the studio this week, so if you want to watch this podcast, head here.

In today's episode, Cynthia Erivo speaks out about Wicked, the Pattie Gonia lawsuit explained, & why are dot cakes creating discourse?

After a quick chat about Off Campus, we dive into pop culture bites, including Olivia Rodrigo's 90-minute interview with The New York Times’ Popcast. Cynthia Erivo is also on a new press tour and doesn't want to talk about Wicked. We reference this YouTube video and this Variety interview.

In Culture Shock, American drag queen and activist Pattie Gonia is being sued by outdoor clothing brand Patagonia for trademark infringement. We break down the lawsuit and share a clip from fair fashion advocate, Venetia La Manna.

Have you seen dot cakes on your FYPs lately? The dessert has gotten a lot of people riled up, so we wanted to break down where they came from and how they could intersect with the Diary of a CEO's latest viral gaffe. Are we demonising joy through optimisation culture? We reference content creator Tinx's video on the topic.

In Bookmarked, Maggie recommends The Grill podcast, and Jas recommends Erika Veurink's Substack, Long Live.

Thank you for listening! Jas & Mags xo
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dot Cakes, Pattie Gonia & The Demonisation Of Joy

Pete Davidson’s messy break-up, are Harry Styles and Charli XCX purging fans, and what the hell are the enhanced games?

Hi friends! After a quick catch up we jump straight into music news. Olivia Rodrigo has released a brand new single titled ‘The Cure’ and we theorise on whether Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Charli xcx are trying to purge the fans they gained during their mega world tours. 

Comedian Pete Davidson has made headlines recently after his ex-partner and mother of his child, Elsie Hewitt, took to social media to share that she’s a solo parent of their five-month-old child. Yikes.

In a Hunger Games turn of events, this weekend sees the inaugural Enhanced Games take place. We recommend and discuss the 7am Podcast’s reporting on the new billionaire-backed Enhanced Games that allow participants to take “performance-enhancing drugs” including testosterone, anabolic steroids and growth hormone. The art of the grifter persists. 

In Bookmarked, we have two cosy recommendations for you: Watching the Detectives, a rom-com from 2007, and the juicy Rivals Season 2 on Disney+. 

Thank you for listening! No video episode this week as we recorded remotely but we’ll be back in the studio next time. Jas & Mags xo

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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