Culture Club is a weekly podcast analysing pop culture, the arts, and the internet, hosted by writers and editors Jasmine Wallis and Maggie Zhou.

Ashley Tisdale's Toxic Mom TV show, Zoella's surprising life update, and Lizzo speaks out about the Khia Asylum.
  
 Hi listeners! A reminder that we are on YouTube AND now Substack! More Culture Club, woo hoo!
  
 In this week's episode, we start with Maggie's Zoella update and the TikTok comment that had her bf Tom blushing. We also chit chat about Ashley Tisdale's Toxic Moms TV show (inspired by her public friendship drama earlier this year), as well as the cringe marketing tactics brands posted after the Empire State proposal.
  
 After our Kylie Jenner Meta glasses post popped off, in this week's episode, we chat about the rise of celebrity Finstas. In The Finsta Renaissance Is Here for Nylon, the writer Sam Tracy shares some examples of the finstas and asks why people are creating second (yet public) accounts. Lizzo is back in the headlines after her latest album Bitch failed to chart after dropping on June 5. During an interview with "Swiftologist" last week, Lizzo reflected on the poor sales and discussed the phenomenon of the Khia Asylum. We break down the internet space and read from Sending Women To The ‘Khia Asylum' Is Music's Latest Cruel Trend. But It Reflects An Old Historical Bias by James Hall for The Conversation, as well as The Guardian's 2/5 star review of Bitch. We also hear from PhD candidate Sascha Samlal, whose research focuses on fan culture and shame and had a differing perspective on the Khia Asylum than James/ The Conversation did. You can hear her full take in our Substack this week.
  
 In Bookmarked, Maggie recommends the Chinese family drama film, Dear You, while Jas recommends the new Australian history podcast from the ABC, The Dead Can't Sue.
  
 Thank you for being a part of the Culture Club world <3 We appreciate you!
  
 Jas & Mags xo
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Culture Club.

Celebrity Flops, Finstas & Breaking Out Of The Khia Asylum

Hi friends, 

Olivia Rodrigo launches an all-women festival, A24’s AI deal, and the rebranding of the surveillance state is here. 

Reminder: you can join the Culture Club world on YouTube and Substack! 

First up – we have some pop culture popcorn bits for you, including another nostalgic adaptation and more rumours about Taylor Swift's imminent wedding. Olivia Rodrigo is adding festival organiser to her resume with the announcement of the all-female festival, Daisy Chain Fields.

In film news, A24 and Google have struck an AI research partnership deal that will see the independent studio work to develop new AI-powered technologies for filmmakers. Cinephiles and Letterboxd-heads the globe over are not happy with the decision. Is this a step backward for the indie studio or a needed tool for research? 

Meta has partnered with Kylie Jenner to release a line of AI-powered glasses. Named the Meta Starfire Glasses, Kylie Edition, the sunglasses can take photos and videos, play music, take calls and offer voice controls for you to go about your day hands-free. The accompanying marketing has been praised for its style and fashion, proving that all the surveillance state needed was a little rebrand. We discuss the ethical implications of these AI-powered sunglasses and the rise of Ring camera content online, including this Instagram post from style icon Alex Chung herself.

In recommendations, we have two TV series for you. Maggie recommends The Four Seasons, season 2 on Netflix, while Jas enjoyed Margo's Got Money Troubles on Apple TV.

Thank you for being here and for listening!!! We <3 you. 

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Kylie Jenner’s Meta Glasses, The Surveillance State, Rebranded And Taylor Swift’s Wedding

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
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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
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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 

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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 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Culture Club.