Are you feeling the heat? 

While this summer has been a nonstop ride of historic and unprecedented wins for the culture at large, Brittany has noticed a little bit of sour in all this sweetness: what’s up with everyone having a chip on their shoulder? 

From sports to reality TV to music - some real grievances are showing up in pop culture and Brittany wants to know why. Hunter Harris and Peyton Dix, hosts of Lemme Say This, join the show to give this summer a much needed vibe check.


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The United States is home to a silent epidemic - do you know about it?

We're referring to what researchers are calling femicide, or the gender-based killing of women and girls. And while some countries like Italy and Mexico have femicide or intimate partner homicide in their penal code, most countries, including the United States, do not. Today, Brittany is joined by Abené Clayton, lead reporter for the Guns and Lies in America Project for the Guardian, and Cheryl L. Neely, sociology professor at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak, Michigan to understand the pipeline from everyday and online misogyny to gender-based killings.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline via phone, text, or online chat. Their website is thehotline.org.

Want more deep dives into the social science of womanhood?

It only takes 30 minutes to be a good mom
Young women are struggling, too. Why can't we see it?
The women leaving the 'New Right'

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It shouldn’t be that hard to be a nepo-husband. Right? 

Nepo- husbands, the spouses of celebrity women come in many shapes and forms, but what unites them all is their proximity to the wealth, power and prestige of their famous partners. And while that proximity can be great for building a business, it can also lead to scrutiny... especially when things go wrong. Matt Kaplan, who’s married to Alex Cooper, the host of the popular Call Her Daddy podcast, recently faced a Vanity Fair expose which alleged a toxic work environment of their media company, Unwell. So, what does it take to be a nepo-husband? Brittany chats with Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, hosts of the Good Noticings podcast, to discuss the benefits, and expectations of nepo-husbands. 

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Who owns the future of the Democratic party?

The Democratic Socialists of America – also known as the DSA – are having a solid year. DSA candidates won House primaries in New York, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Part of why this is kind of a big deal is that some of these candidates were going up against pretty powerful Democratic incumbents...and not just in races for federal seats. DSA candidates won down-ballot primaries for state legislature in New York, Oregon, Georgia, and Kentucky – and for mayor of DC. In the weeks since, there have been many stories of establishment Democrats frustrated by this, with different narratives coming from Democrats about why this is happening and why the DSA is a problem. But what public sentiment are Democratic voters expressing here? And if this is actually a Tea Party moment for Democrats, what does that change for everyday people?

Brittany gets into it with Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept and host of the “Intercept Briefing” podcast, and Michael Lange, New York political analyst, DSA member, and writer of “The Narrative Wars” on Substack.

(00:00) The Democratic Socialists of America are having a great year
(02:46) Are the DSA primary wins surprising, or to be expected?
(04:50) The strange racial narratives around voters of DSA candidates
(09:35) Do Black voters actually dislike socialism?
(14:18) How electable are DSA candidates outside of cities?
(17:14) Why Establishment Democrats fear the DSA's rise
(21:02) The impact of outside spending on elections

For more episodes on politics and culture, check out:
The women leaving the 'New Right'
Progressive women have 'had it!' And they're fighting back.
Christians are having a Trump-sized reckoning

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What we wear and how we wear it is more important than its artistic value.

When some people think of fashion, the Met Gala or maybe even luxury designers may come to mind. But what about the old college sweatshirt that gets you through the cold or even the brightly colored gym set that pushes you to go that extra mile? Is that not fashion? Perhaps the concept of fashion has been framed as an external commodity to be sought after, rather than an authentic expression cultivated through the rhythm of a well-lived life.

Brittany Luse sits down with CNN Senior Style Reporter and author of CNN’s Big Style newsletter, Rachel Tashjian Wise, to answer all those questions and more.

Want more on fashion? 

Was that the worst MET Gala ever?
American fashion isn't as liberal as you think


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Who counts as homeless in America?

If you ask the Department of Housing and Urban Development, around 750,000 people are homeless in America. If you ask the Department of Education, that number shoots up into the millions. What does this discrepancy tell us?  And how do our cultural ideas about homelessness shape who we see as homeless, and who gets help? To find out, Brittany talks with Dr. Margot Kushel, Director at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and Dr. Molly Richard, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Health Sciences.

Want more deep dives on cultural taboos?  Check out these episodes:
The truth about men on the 'down low'
Why can't we be normal about polyamory?

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How has your beauty routine changed in the past 10 years?

In 2016, the beauty world was obsessed with 12-step skincare regimens. Now, beauty influencers and experts are experimenting with peptides and looksmaxxing. Brittany chats with Brooke Devard Ozaydinli, host of the Naked Beauty podcast and Chief Content Officer of Refinery29, to understand how our relationship with beauty has changed over the years, and what that means for our relationships with ourselves.

00:00 How beauty standards shifted from expression to optimization
02:55 Navigating becoming 'project managers' of our faces and bodies
05:33 How Brooke's show has changed as beauty trends have changed
09:19 Looksmaxing and unrealistic beauty standards for Black women
13:40 Policing of Black women's appearance
17:48 The complicated reality of cosmetic procedures in the digital age
24:23 Finding agency in beauty beyond cosmetic procedures
29:16 How to find the beauty routine for you

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Do influencer parents trade in their kids’ privacy for the hope of financial security?

Kids are everywhere on the Internet – and not just playing on Roblox. They're the stars of many family influencing pages that document kids’ lives: from the intimate details of their births, to starting school, to going through puberty. That can come with a host of problems – but also a ton of money. So what happens when parents trade their kids' privacy for the hope of financial security? And how does that content play into feedback loops about what family life should look like?

Brittany gets into it with Fortesa Latifi, senior writer at Yahoo! and author of Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of Childhood Online.

(00:00) The cost of a childhood online
(02:48) How Mommy blogging transformed into family influencing
(07:39) Just how much do family influencers make?
(10:37) Online exploitation risks
(16:36) How influencing distorts family life
(24:59) Should kids be influencers?

For more episodes on parenting, kids, and modern life, check out:
The fear & shame of modern parenting
Are children a marginalized group?
The real meaning of "6 7"

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What gives a pop star staying power?

In our frenetic music landscape, it's clear that a lot of pop stars that defined the millennial "hopecore" sound -- think Lizzo and Katy Perry -- are no longer resonating with audiences.  So who are listeners gravitating to these days, and how does that reflect the times we're living in?  Brittany talks to music writer and critic Brittany Spanos on whether we're seeing a generational shift in music taste, and how legacy acts can stay relevant too.

Want more pop music analysis? Check out this episode:

The D-List pop star purgatory


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Are we spending too much on other people’s weddings?

Going to a friend's weddings can be so fun and meaningful… but it can also really hurt your wallet. A survey by LendingTree found that 31% of people who had been to a wedding in the past five years had accrued debt to attend. So what’s driving up the cost of weddings for guests? And what makes it so hard to say no to these expenses?

Brittany breaks it down with Allyson Rees, senior analyst at trend forecasting firm WGSN, and Annie Joy Williams, assistant editor at The Atlantic.

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Is it Love Island? Or a nightmare?

Love Island USA, the reality show where attractive singles compete to find love, is in full swing. Over the course of its eighth season, there’s been everything from romance and friendship to betrayal and heartbreak. And what goes on inside the Love Island villa has sparked a lot of discourse outside of it. To understand this microcosm of modern dating and why the season's villains are finding defenders online, Brittany chats with Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox's Explain it to Me podcast, and Marcus Jones, Awards Editor at IndieWire, to get into it.

00:00 Cold open
00:22 Love Island USA: A microcosm of modern dating culture
01:08 What makes Love Island USA discourse so interesting? How has it changed?
02:56 A new audience has entered the villa
06:00 Love Island drama: misogyny and 'red pill' behavior
08:18 The KC and Aniya Discourse
10:13 The bastardization of 'exploring'
13:48 The KC controversy
16:07 The concern around Love Island casting
19:50 'Red pill' rhetoric and Love Island's 'villains'
24:42 Love Island reflects our broken dating world
26:48 The power dynamics at play on reality TV
29:02 What's the point of dating discourse?

For more episodes on reality television, check out:

How to Enter Your Sporty Era

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