Podcast appearances and mentions of madison malone kircher

Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark!We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and it's time for your October Extra Butter episode. Today we're talking about plus size fashion influencer and body acceptance advocate Katie Sturino — who teamed up with WeightWatchers last year. What happened there? And where is the line between body liberation activism and capitalism? (Yes, we struggle with that too!) To hear the whole thing, read the full transcript, and join us in the comments, you do need to be an Extra Butter subscriber. Join Extra Butter! Already an Extra Butter subscriber, and having a hard time getting this episode in your podcast player of choice? Step by step instructions are here! Episode 217 TranscriptCorinneWelcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark! If you're listening to this, you are part of Extra Butter, which means you're our favorite Burnt Toasties. VirginiaYour support makes all our work possible and keeps Burnt Toast an ad- and sponsor free space. Which is relevant to today's conversation! CorinneToday, we're going to talk about influencer and advocate Katie Sturino, who became famous on Instagram for her #SuperSizeTheLook content and for creating the Megababe product line. But more recently, she teamed up with Oprah and Weight Watchers, and has gone public about her use of GLP-1s.VirginiaSo before we get into it, let me do my standard caveat that I give anytime we do one of these episodes where we talk about a particular person's work in deal. Body autonomy is a given at Burnt Toast. Katie has the right to take her GLP-1s. That is her business. We're not interrogating that personal decision. We are also not "women tearing down other women," which is the other go-to critique of this work. We're considering Katie's entire body of work here, and we're asking: Is this true body liberation activism? Or is this an example of capitalism co-opting activism? I think that's a valuable question for anyone in the influencing space to be grappling with. I think Corinne and I both walk that line as well in our work. So we are going to critique Katie and some of the professional choices she's made but this is a lens we all benefit from looking through. CorinneWith that, I feel that I need to disclose that I have received gifted products from Megababe.VirginiaFor example! It's a gray area, guys. I have not, but I would have been happy to receive that gift. CorinneI recommended stuff from Megababe before I ever received free stuff! But I have received free stuff. And I do like some of their products. VirginiaThis episode is also not going to be a critique of specific products. Preventing thigh chafing is a noble endeavor.So how did you first encounter Katie Sturino? Do you remember when you first became aware of her work?CorinneIt's honestly hard for me to remember because I feel like she's been around for so long!VirginiaLike 10 years.CorinneIf not more!VirginiaIt was the mid-2010s when she really came onto the scene.CorinneI definitely encountered her Instagram. I think it was her style content. I remember seeing her going into a store and trying on stuff that didn't fit, or trying their biggest size and it wouldn't work for her. And then I also remember the #SuperSizeTheLook.VirginiaFor folks who don't know: #SuperSizeTheLook is a series where Katie picks a photo of a celebrity wearing a really cute outfit, and then styles herself wearing the same outfit. Usually not in identical pieces, because the sizes are not going to work. But she mimics the outfit, and she mimics the pose really well. If it's a celebrity getting out of a town car with a purse on her arm, Katie will also be getting out of a town car. Or walking a tiny dog. She mimics the whole vibe of the photo. And the goal is to show you that bigger bodies look cute in clothes. Which is a message we're here for! CorinneWhat about you? How did you first encounter her?VirginiaWhat's interesting about Katie and me is that we are the same age, we are both 44. And we both come out of the New York media world. I learned this all researching the episode; I don't know her personally. I never worked with her. But we have sort of similar trajectories into body liberation work.And when she first launched, her blog was originally called The 12ish Style. I was also a size 12-ish. Those were my Midsize Queen years, before moving into full plus sizes. So we've had similar trajectories of being in this space first a mid-sized person, and then a small fat person. I've always been interested in her fashion and the way she styles stuff, because it was often quite directly relevant to my own body, though not necessarily relevant to everybody. She is also, like, a foot taller than me, I think? She seems quite tall in photos and she wears very tall heels, too, which is impressive to me, if not actually something I can pull off. But I've always appreciated the vibe and the energy of Katie's content.  She's very open book. A lot of her posts are shot in her underwear, wearing no makeup, in a swimsuit. She's always showing us, "Here's what my real body looks like." There are critiques to be made of this genre of content making, but I think it's also powerful to see non-airbrushed, not super thin bodies. I think there's a lot of value in that. So I knew Megababe, I knew #SuperSizeTheLook, but I didn't know a ton of her backstory. So I did a little research, and most of what I'm going to share with you comes from a New York Times piece that ran in June with the headline, What Katie Sturino Wants You to Know About Her Body (and Yours, Too). This is by Madison Malone Kircher and it ran June 22, 2025.We're going to get into it later in the episode, but Katie is not thrilled with this piece. And I just want to say I have empathy for being in the New York Times and not being thrilled with the way they cover your work. Can relate! So I am going to quote from the piece, because I think it makes some interesting points, and there's some useful context in there. But I'm not saying this piece does the best job analyzing her work. The New York Times describes Katie as "a dog-obsessed public relations pro turned body positivity influencer slash entrepreneur, who built a social media audience by posting candidly about her life."Katie began her career in fashion PR. I think her first job was at Gucci or Dolce Gabbana. She then started her own PR firm in the 2010s. And then found found Internet fame as a dogager, which is a dog manager, running an Instagram account for her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Toast. So this is how she started. Did you know she was a dog influencer before she was a fashion influencer?CorinneI think I do vaguely remember that.VirginiaToast has since passed away. RIP Toast. Great name for a dog, obviously. But I did not know that she started as a dog influencer. That was news to me, and, frankly, rather delightful. But: Coming from a PR background, finding Internet fame through dog influencing...this is a very specific lens to which she's coming to this work. Katie is now a multi-hyphenate. She had a podcast called Boob Sweat. She wrote a non-fiction book Body Talk, which is an illustrated workbook about self love. She has a Substack newsletter. She has the Megababe the product line. And she published her first novel this spring. So Katie is very busy! She is doing a lot. Have you followed her for recs, or you've used Megababe? You like Megababe. CorinneI've used Megababe. I like Megababe. Her particular style has never quite been for me. It's hard to describe exactly what doesn't click for me. It's just very clear, even just reading the this bio—she's very savvy, she's always hustling, she always has kind of a business PR angle, which I both respect and don't relate to.VirginiaThis is her New York media roots. I never worked with Katie, but I worked with lots of Katies. I know this kind of hard-charging woman who's extremely smart and great at marketing and knows how to build a brand and talk to an audience. So she has that whole skill set—and she could be doing it about body positivity, she could be doing it about a dog. She's interested in building a brand. For example, let's consider her first novel Sunny Side Up. Katie tells the New York Times that she worked with a ghost writer: "I don't have the traditional path that a lot of people who write books have had, and I needed help," she said, adding she felt no shame or embarrassment about having a collaborator."I love how upfront she is about that. A lot of books are written by ghostwriters, and I sort of wish people were more aware of that. Mine were not. But I have been a ghost writer! So I don't mind that that's a part of it, but I do think that it's interesting that it wasn't Katie had a novel inside her that she was dying to write. It was that Katie knew that having a novel would be a good brand extension. And the novel is about a plus size fashion influencer who goes on to launch a plus size swimsuit line. And... Katie's plus size swimsuit line came out this summer right after the book launch.CorinneIt's honestly mind boggling. How does anyone handle all that?VirginiaYes, it's so many things. And it does make me take a slightly different look at some of her some of her body positive content. For example, a recurring theme is her in a swimsuit. And the caption is always something like, "figured you could use a size 18 woman in a swimsuit on your feed," just showing her normal body in a swimsuit. But now that I know she's selling the swimsuits that hits differently. So is that just a smart swimsuit marketing strategy or does it feel off to you? CorinneI mean, both? She seems incredibly smart. I'm just impressed that anyone can do as much as she's doing. And: I do think sometimes it feels like you're being sold to, you know?VirginiaAnd because her work is centered around a message that has a social justice component, and a self-help component: Where is the line between "these are her values, and she's built a business on her values, "and "she's co-opting advocacy rhetoric to sell us products?"CorinneIt's definitely a gray area. VirginiaTo further the gray area: I looked at more of her content and I'm also like, these swimsuits are pretty cute. There's also this whole Wirecutter piece I want to talk about, where she goes over her fashion favs. It's good! I clicked through so many links. I was like, "Do I want these $460 jeans? I don't know!"CorinneOh now I want to see them.VirginiaYet I'm also thinking: But you are supposed to be so raw and authentic, and this is your whole vibe, and you're showing us yourself in a swimsuit, because that's supposed to feel brave. First of all, that's problematic in and of itself. Can it stop being brave for fat women to wear swimsuits in public? I would love that to not be a heroic move anymore, but in Katie Sturino's world it is radical to do that, and she's doing it. And... she's selling us the swimsuit.CorinneWell I think there are a lot of ways in which Katie is a very acceptable spokesperson for this messaging. VirginiaSay more about that.CorinneWell, first of all, she has a background in PR. And I think, even at her biggest she's...VirginiaShe's glamorous.CorinneShe's pretty, and she has a certain style. She looks wealthy, I want to say.VirginiaWell, she sure is, because guess who officiated at their wedding? Former mayor of New York City, and friend of her family, Michael Bloomberg.CorinneOh, okay, yeah.VirginiaThis is from the New York Times: "In addition to their apartment in Chelsea, the couple splits their time between homes in Palm Beach, Florida and Maine."CorinneI mean, they are definitely in a different tax bracket than myself.VirginiaSo yes. Wealthy. CorinneBut there are also people who are wealthy and wear Blundstones and barn jackets, you know? She's wearing blazers and heels.VirginiaA lot of pantsuits.Corinne A lot of jewelry. And she's always on vacation somewhere tropical.VirginiaYeah, in an amazing caftan. She's leaning into glam.CorinneShe looks polished. VirginiaShe's very polished. It's very New York City. Like, Sex and the City vibes. She could hang out with Carrie Bradshaw and she would totally fit in with them at one of those fancy lunches. And that's cool. That's her aesthetic. It's also representative of a certain socioeconomic privilege level. This is something that I saw frequently in women's magazines, and something I talked about when Jenn Romolini came on the podcast: So many people who work in New York City media, at the high levels, come from privilege. It is a very nepo-baby-driven industry. Because these are jobs that you have to do tons of unpaid internships to get. And/or work for no money as an assistant. The only way you can do that is if you have family money supporting your ability to access these industries. So it's not surprising to me that she comes from a privileged background, because she comes from PR and fashion, and that's who works in those industries.And I still think it's interesting and somewhat transgressive to be a woman in a larger body in that world. It helps me understand why it felt radical to be a size 12 dressing like a celebrity, because a size 12 in that world is an extremely non-normative body, right? This is the tier of people who have access to all the personal trainers, who are playing tennis all summer. There is no space to be a fat person in that world. So even at a size 12, it feels like, oh my gosh, your body is so other. The scale is just different when you move in these different spaces. So I can critique the space. I can be like, okay, you're friends with billionaires, and that's a hard place to be in a larger body of any kind. Did you take a look at the Wirecutter piece where she was giving a lot of like clothing recs and it's like advice for dressing as a plus size person?CorinneYes, I did take a look at it. She does have some good recs in there. I will say very expensive recs. Her preferred white t-shirt is $100.VirginiaAnd you're going to get spaghetti sauce on it so fast. CorinneIt's a weird vibe. VirginiaOkay, so now let's talk about Oprah and Weight Watchers. In 2024 Katie posted a critique of the first ABC special Oprah did about GLP-1s. And she gave a fairly nuanced critique. There was stuff she liked, there was stuff she didn't like, but she specifically said, "They came so close, and I wish Weight Watchers had fully apologized for the harm they had caused by pushing all of us to diet and want to change our bodies for so long." She was like, oh, they almost got it, but they didn't. And then in response, CEO Sima Sistani got on Instagram and did apologize. She did this speech of, you're right, Katie. I was wrong. Like, we've been wrong. We've done harm, and kind of fully walked into it. So what was your take when that all happened? CorinneTo be honest, I wasn't paying too much attention. But I do think the best apology from Weight Watchers would be them closing down, you know? It's very weird to me to be like, "Yes, we realize we've done harm, and we're just going to keep doing it."VirginiaWell, and what they were really apologizing for was selling a plan that didn't work and now they're selling GLP-1s. So it's, "We have the thing that'll work now!" As opposed to apologizing for trying to make us all do this in the first place. CorinneEven Katie going on Instagram and calling out the CEO— something like that, would just never occur to me, because I don't know, I just would never expect someone at Weight Watchers to respond or care. And I also think Weight Watchers is a microcosm, you know? It's like, sure, Weight Watchers has done harm, and they're just part of a bigger system. And you're not acknowledging that there's a bigger system there.VirginiaWell and Katie did get a response. Now, on the one hand, Katie has many more Instagram followers than you, so there's that piece of it. But I think it's an open question how planned this was, and whether they had talked ahead of time that Katie would critique and that Sima Sistani would publish her apology. Because I mean number one, no Weight Watchers CEO can just casually hop on her Instastories and apologize without having run the plan by many lawyers to make sure that she wasn't going to tank the business. So that had to have been planned, to some extent. And then the next piece of this is later last year, Katie had her own interview with Oprah in a different special, this one sponsored by Weight Watchers. And then she went on to host a podcast for Weight Watchers. So at some point, Katie got paid by Weight Watchers. Whether it was not until she hosted the podcast, or whether she was paid to be on the special with Oprah, or whether she was in a sponsorship deal with them when she asked for the apology, we don't know. But at some point, she moved from activist to on the payroll of a diet company.CorinneWasn't her response like, "Well, they were going to pay someone, it might as well be me? Or like it might as well be a plus size person." VirginiaWhat she said in the Oprah interview is, "If we don't have this conversation, if we don't insert our voice into this conversation, someone else will. Someone else will make those decisions for us." That's her argument. She wants to be in the room where it happens. She wants to be representing plus size people to these companies and with these companies. But she's not doing it pro-bono. She's not Tigress Osborne, Executive Director of NAAFA, depending on fundraisers to pay for plane tickets to places. She's doing this as a multi-hyphenate with three homes who's now getting a paycheck from Weight Watchers.CorinneYeah, it's so complicated. Because on the one hand, I can see her point. If Weight Watchers is going to be giving money to someone, it's kind of good that they would be giving some of it to fat people. So on the one hand capitalism, we're all kind of forced to sell out in some way, and on the other hand, you don't love to see it. VirginiaYou don't love to see it.CorinneEspecially when that person has three homes. VirginiaIt's a moment where I think her experiences of marginalization as a fat person erased her ability to see her privilege as a wealthy, white person. If Weight Watchers is going to pay fat people, Katie Sturino is not the person I need them to pay! I am not the person I need them to pay. Those of us in a certain tax bracket, living at a certain privilege level, are not the ones who need cash reparations from Weight Watchers. It's lower income folks who have paid to be in those meetings for years and years, who took their daughters to those meetings, who this company preyed on because it was an "affordable" approach to weight loss. And took their money over and over again every time they regained the weight and came back.CorinneWell, this is all is reminding me of the book Dietland.VirginiaBy Sarai Walker, friend of the show, yes.CorinneWhere the the heiress of the diet company is using profits from the diet company to do a type of reparations, vigilante justice. VirginiaI don't think that that's what's happening here.And I want to look a little bit at what Katie's defense has been around all of this. She's not afraid to talk very directly to haters who criticize her about her body. So in the New York Times piece, she disclosed that she's taking a GLP-1 for her own weight loss, and she then shared in a video that this was a medical decision, that she didn't really care if she lost weight or not that it was doing it to manage her A1C whatever. Again, that's Katie's business. I have no opinion about that. But she's in a smaller body now—not down to a size 12, but a mid-sized body now—and she's still pushing herself as a face of this movement. And that is a little bit complicated. She's talked about how it doesn't matter what size she is, she gets flack all the time. Like, when she was a size 12, she was too small to be representing body positivity. As a 22 people said she was too big. She's always, always, always getting constant comments about her bodies. And you know, that is really hard to deal with. That is not welcome feedback.And it is tricky that she has made her body very much her brand, I don't know, I struggle with this. It sounds like I'm saying she's asking for it, and I'm not. But you're posting content in swimsuits all the time. You're showing us your rolls, and then you're saying we shouldn't talk about people's bodies. Bodies are the least interesting thing about us. But her body is very interesting to her. She's making it a center of her work.CorinneI mean, you're making some points. It's hard to land in one way or another here. I do think the cost to being a public figure in the way that she is, in some ways, is people harassing you. And I think that's horrible and too high a cost. I also think she's made some really strange decisions, like working with Weight Watchers and still wanting to defend body neutrality or whatever.VirginiaYeah, she prefers body neutrality to body positivity, we should say and that's fine. I'm not attached to either term, to be honest. CorinneI feel like I always end up more confused than than I started on these subjects.VirginiaWhere did you start? CorinneI think where I started was Katie Sturino neutrality. Like I just sort of felt like she's not my people or whatever, and then I do feel kind of bad for her getting all this criticism and and then also I just feel, mad that people have so much money. But what do we do? I don't know.VirginiaI think it's complicated by her decision to take the Weight Watchers money. I think if she was just taking GLP-1s, that's her own business. Her body changing is her own business, even though she makes content that really centers her body. I would be backing her, like, yeah, that's not for people to interrogate your body. It's still your body, it's not your business. And I think she's walking a really complicated line by deciding to then also monetize her weight loss, by hooking up with Weight Watchers. That feels different, because she's promoting Weight Watchers, which means she's selling weight loss to other people. She's suggesting that these GLP1s are a good option for other people. Maybe she hasn't directly said those words, but she has done the Oprah special. She's lent them her brand, which has a lot of credibility. Someone said to me, l"I go out of my way to buy Megababe, even though it costs a little more than comparable products, because I want to support Katie. I want to back her work." People invest in her because they believe in her mission. CorinneThat's true.VirginiaAnd now she has attached that mission to Weight Watchers, which is selling GLP1s and obviously selling weight loss. That's where it loses me a little for her to then be like, how dare people talk about my body? You're literally selling this new version of your body. You're showing it to us because you're marketing this thing. That's where it gets really murky. On the other hand, there's a video that I'll link to where she talks quite a lot about how the internal work we need to do on body acceptance has nothing to do with the scale, and she does seem to really want to make the point that she feels very detached from her own weight loss numbers. That's not why she's on it. And she makes the point that if you don't do your own internal work, you can lose tons of weight, and you would still be miserable with your body. The weight loss is not a solution for body image struggles. And I think that's valuable. And I think there are a lot of people who listen to her who need to hear that. So I think that's useful. And it then is confusing that she's like, "But also Weight Watchers is great now."CorinneOne through line in a lot of her content is that it does feel like sometimes the bigger picture is missing, like the intersectionality. I'm not a super close follower, so maybe I'm just missing it. But I feel like I'm not seeing her do a ton of advocacy for other fat people.VirginiaWell, she really stays in her lane, which is fashion. I don't hear her talking about healthcare access, don't hear her talking about workplace discrimination, housing discrimination. Definitely not how anti-fatness intersects with racism and other marginalization. I don't think that's a focus of hers. And in some ways, that's fine, and in some ways that shows, I think, that she's not here for a deep dive into the world of fat liberation. Okay, so our big Burnt Toast question that we ask in all these episodes: Is Katie Sturino a diet?CorinneYes?VirginiaShe is selling a diet...by working with Weight Watchers. CorinneAnd I think just by embodying a very narrow line of fatness.VirginiaShe is selling a specific image of acceptable fatness.CorinneWhat's your take?VirginiaI started this episode wanting to be able to say no, in part just because everybody expects me to say yes.CorinneI know I think I'm usually on the no side. VirginiaYeah, you're usually the no and I'm usually the yes. But I think the more we talk about it, I think I'm landing there as well. But I also think she's the embodiment of this larger issue, which is: So much activism happens through social media now. And social media is a business. It is where people are building brands and making money and that means that activism gets infused with business in these really messy ways. I think plus size fashion influencers as a category have really not done a great job with this, because we have seen this trajectory of using body positivity rhetoric, even fat liberation rhetoric, and centering fat joy, celebrating you look so great in all the clothes... and then forgetting all of the other work that goes along with that, and then if they manage to achieve body changes, very quickly changing their tune about how important all of this is. I don't think she's Rosey Beeme, who's like, "Forget I ever liked fat people." I don't think she's that at all, but I do think she has not done the work of intersectionality here. CorinneYeah. It kind of feels like a like microcosm of everything that's happening in the US right now. VirginiaFor sure, for sure.CorinneIt's hard to not just extrapolate out. VirginiaSo are we saying I should not order the $460 jeans?CorinneI mean, don't ask me on this stuff, because I'm always like I do want to know. I do want to know if they're good jeans. VirginiaI do want to know. I am curious!  CorinneThis would make a good Patreon post. VirginiaI don't know that they would fit me. I have to look at the size chart and figure out if it's like a Gap 35 or if it's like a designer brand 35.CorinneI feel like it depends on if they have stretch or not. I bet they do. Katie seems like someone who would be going for stretch jeans.VirginiaShe does also do all those underwear tests where she checks whether things rolls down. That's valuable content. CorinneShe is brave. She's doing the videos that personally I would not want to do.VirginiaYou don't see me on my in my underwear on the Internet. I mean, I am on WikiFeet, but that was not my choice. That's as scandalous as I get. All right. Well, that was a very interesting conversation. Listeners, we want to hear what you think. Where do you land on this one? Have you followed her work? Have you felt, had mixed feelings about the Weight Watchers of it all? Do you have a totally different take? You can tell us in the comments. ButterVirginiaOkay, my Butter, I gave you a little preview. You can tell because we're on Zoom together, and you can see a different background behind me. But I moved my desk to a different part of my–actually, not even a different part of my office. I moved it from being parallel with the wall to being kitty corner between two walls. And I'm so much more comfortable in my office! And I realized I had my desk too close to the wall and it was not size inclusive. I was always bumping up against the wall behind me, and what a dumb thing to do in one's home office where you have total control. I had just decided the desk needed to face a certain way. I don't know what made me think it was necessary. A lot of it is the pressure on having a good Zoom background? But I've decided unless I'm doing TV or something, I'm going to keep my desk in a more comfortable place. CorinneI think that's really reasonable. VirginiaAnd it just made me think: How many other small ways do we accept our homes or our cars or whatever not being comfortable for our bodies? Like this cost $0. I literally slid the desk over to make more room. Make more room for yourselves!CorinneTotally, it's so funny how hard that stuff is to notice sometimes.VirginiaI hadn't even realized that's why I was uncomfortable. I do also need a new desk chair. If people have desk chair recs, I want those in the comments as well. I really would like to know because I'm in a crappy West Elm ancient desk chair. It's like oddly off balance. It's not good for my lower back. But I want one that's not a million dollars and not ugly.CorinneGood luck with that. I'm also really admiring your Cape Cod collarless sweatshirt.VirginiaOh, my cut collar sweatshirt. It's really cute, right? It was too tight in the neck. It's pretty tight in the waist. I was debating maybe cutting that somehow too I haven't quite figured out. Like, if I cut off the band at the bottom and it's just sort of like, boxy, would that be cute? CorinneI think it would be cute. I think it'd be more cropped. VirginiaCorinne, what's your Butter?CorinneMy Butter is a Butter that has been Buttered before. It's Taskmaster. I know it has been mentioned by other burnt toast guests, but you know what it is, or?Virginia it's an app where people come and do things for you?CorinneNo, nope. That's TaskRabbit.VirginiaI was like, why are you recommending the gig economy? CorinneAnd I've actually had very mixed results with TaskRabbit. Not recommending that one. Someone blew up a light bulb on my ceiling. That's a story for another day. TaskMaster is a British TV show, there's a comedian host, and then there are like five comedian guests, and they get assigned psychotic tasks. Like, I don't know, like, open this paper bag without using your arms or some seemingly impossible task, and then you watch them do it, and they get ranked and get points. The first episode that I watched, I was laughing so hard, I was crying, peeing my pants, like my abs were sore. And it is just very easy to watch, like, you just laugh and it's funny.VirginiaI don't usually do reality TV with my kiddo for our show, yeah, but this does sound like a fun one to watch with her. CorinneYeah, I will say there's like, some mild--they're comedians, so there's some mild innuendo and stuff.VirginiaI mean, I think I'm going to write a whole essay about this, but I love watching inappropriate television with my children. I think it opens up many great conversations.CorinneGreat. Well, you should definitely watch it, though it's on YouTube, and I have been paying for seasons. But someone actually in the Burnt Toast chat today was saying that they watch it for free on YouTube. So now I'm confused. I really am enjoying Taskmaster.VirginiaWell, that's delightful, yeah, all right. Well, this was a great episode. Excited to hear what everyone thinks about. What furniture are you moving, what tasks are you completing, tell us in the comments. The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undies!The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Farideh.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

Welcome to the Sunday Special, running now through the end of the year. Every Sunday, Gilbert Cruz, the editor of The New York Times Book Review, will talk with a rotating cast of Times critics and culture and lifestyle reporters about “the fun stuff”— pop culture, movies, TV, music, fashion and more.On today's inaugural episode, Gilbert sits down with Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic at The Times, and Madison Malone Kircher, an internet reporter at The Times, to recap their cultural highs and lows of this summer. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a new boyfriend, Jojo is entering yet another era, prompting the question: Who is Jojo Siwa, anyway? This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with help from Benjamin Frisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chappell Roan's cancellation by a certain set of voters got us thinking: When do fandoms become toxic? How does “stanning” an artist, a politician, or a (literal) piece of work disproportionately push people who already live at the margins of our culture out of the culture entirely? This week, Katelyn and Christine nerd out on nerd culture's historically toxic fandoms with Jessie Earl, aka Jessie Gender, the YouTube essayist who hosts two popular channels. Together, they try to find the “nuance in the nerdy,” from the “Lord of the Rings” to the 2024 presidential election. And “Your Ombudsmom,” Christine's media critic alter ego, returns with her new regular segment. Stay tuned for out of context cancellations from Katelyn and Christine! In breaking news: You did it! The Flytrap is fully funded, thanks in no small part to our loyal Cancel Me, Daddy listeners! Thank you! We have a stretch goal that will allow us to commission one freelance writer or artist per month, bringing EVEN MORE cool people to your inbox with provocative, fun cultural criticism and commentary. Who knows—you might be one of them! Please continue to donate what you can, if you can to our Kickstarter. Get exclusive access to our live Zoom show if you donate to the “Friends and a Show” tier! Transcript here: https://theflytrap.beehiiv.com/p/chappell-roan-and-the-trolls-of-the-ring-transcript Links: Jessie Gender YouTube channel  Jessie Gender After Dark channel Katelyn Burns: “Concerning “The Rings of Power,” season one *spoilers ahead* Jessie Gender reviews “The Rings of Power,” season two, starting with episodes 1–3 and continuing through the finale Nicole Chung for GQ: Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran Has a Story to Tell Rebecca Sun for The Hollywood Reporter: The Resurrection of Kelly Marie Tran: On Surviving “Star Wars” Bullying, the Pressures of Representation, and “Raya and the Last Dragon'” Madison Malone Kircher for The New York Times: What is the KHive? Jon Blistein for Rolling Stone: Chappell Roan on Why She Turned Down White House Invite: “I Won't Be a Monkey for Pride” Jessie Gender After Dark: The Treatment of Chappell Roan Scott Detrow for NPR: Bernie Sanders Defends Campaigning For Anti-Abortion Rights Democrat Meredith Shiner for The New Republic: The Appalling Attack on Ta-Nehisi Coates Is a Massive Media Failing

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2024 is: winnow • WIN-oh • verb In general contexts, winnowing is about removing what is not wanted. One can winnow items, or one can winnow something that has items: you winnow less important or less desirable items by removing them from a group, list, etc.; and you winnow a list or group by removing the less important or less desirable items from it. In agricultural contexts, to winnow chaff (unwanted seed coverings and other debris) is to remove it from grain by throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind blow the unwanted parts away. // The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to three finalists; many of them are highly qualified. // We'll need to winnow down our options. // Harvesters winnowed the chaff from the wheat. See the entry > Examples: “Tasked with winnowing the field down to 17 semifinalists, the judges filled out score sheets for each part of the competition.” — Madison Malone Kircher and Bridget Bennett, The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Did you know? As Bob Dylan once sang, “You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.” In fact, all you need to do is hold up a dandelion puff the next time there's a gale blowing, and watch the wind winnow the silver-white seeds from the rest of the head. Winnow and wind are both ancient words in English, and both share an ancestor with the Latin word for wind, ventus. Winnow first applied to the removal of chaff (seed coverings and other unwanted debris) from grain using the wind or other air current. This use was soon extended to describe the removal of anything undesirable or unwanted (a current example of this sense would be “winnowing out sensitive material”). People then began using the word for the selection of the most desirable elements (as in “winnowing down the list to the most qualified applicants”). Although these senses are more familiar today to most English users than the one used in processing grain, if you have trouble remembering any of them, just remember that the answer, friend, is blowing in the wind.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2024 is: winnow • WIN-oh • verb In general contexts, winnowing is about removing what is not wanted. One can winnow items, or one can winnow something that has items: you winnow less important or less desirable items by removing them from a group, list, etc.; and you winnow a list or group by removing the less important or less desirable items from it. In agricultural contexts, to winnow chaff (unwanted seed coverings and other debris) is to remove it from grain by throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind blow the unwanted parts away. // The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to three finalists; many of them are highly qualified. // We'll need to winnow down our options. // Harvesters winnowed the chaff from the wheat. See the entry > Examples: “Tasked with winnowing the field down to 17 semifinalists, the judges filled out score sheets for each part of the competition.” — Madison Malone Kircher and Bridget Bennett, The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Did you know? As one Bob Dylan song goes, “You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” In fact, all you need to do is hold up a dandelion puff the next time there's a breeze blowing, and watch the wind winnow the silver-white seeds from the rest of the head. Winnow and wind are both ancient words in English, and both share an ancestor with the Latin word for wind, ventus. Winnow first applied to the removal of chaff (seed coverings and other unwanted debris) from grain using the wind or other air current. This use was soon extended to describe the removal of anything undesirable or unwanted (a current example of this sense would be “winnowing out sensitive material”). People then began using the word for the selection of the most desirable elements (as in “winnowing down the list to the most qualified applicants”). Although these senses are more familiar today to most English users than the one used in processing grain, if you have trouble remembering any of them, just remember that the answer, friend, is blowing in the wind.

When future generations learn about the launch of current Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, memes are going to be part of the story. Election season has always yielded yuks on the internet, but this year, the memes have gone mainstream. Why were Harris and coconuts inescapable for a several day span, and what does it tell us about the context of all in which we live? Kalyani Saxena, Endless Thread's colleague from WBUR and NPR's Here & Now , and Madison Malone Kircher, internet culture reporter for The New York Times, decode the origins of this particular political meme explosion, and the online communities behind it. Show notes: What is the KHive? (The New York Times) Kamala Harris edit to 360 by charli xcx. brat president. (TikTok via @flextillerson) 'why did I stay up till 3am making a von dutch brat coconut tree edit featuring kamala harris and why can't I stop watching it on repeat?' (X via @ryanlong03) Credits: This episode was produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was hosted by Amory Sivertson.

Today, we're revisiting our episode from April 16, 2022 when we interviewed BYU's Black Menaces. The Black Menaces are a group at Brigham Young University who have recently gained popularity on TikTok for their videos in which they ask their fellow students about political and social issues. On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Rachel Weaver and Nate Byrd, two members of the Black Menaces, about what it's like to film these interviews, how they've been received on campus and online, and what it's like to be a Black student at BYU. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're revisiting our episode from April 16, 2022 when we interviewed BYU's Black Menaces. The Black Menaces are a group at Brigham Young University who have recently gained popularity on TikTok for their videos in which they ask their fellow students about political and social issues. On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Rachel Weaver and Nate Byrd, two members of the Black Menaces, about what it's like to film these interviews, how they've been received on campus and online, and what it's like to be a Black student at BYU. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're revisiting our episode from April 16, 2022 when we interviewed BYU's Black Menaces. The Black Menaces are a group at Brigham Young University who have recently gained popularity on TikTok for their videos in which they ask their fellow students about political and social issues. On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Rachel Weaver and Nate Byrd, two members of the Black Menaces, about what it's like to film these interviews, how they've been received on campus and online, and what it's like to be a Black student at BYU. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're revisiting our episode from April 16, 2022 when we interviewed BYU's Black Menaces. The Black Menaces are a group at Brigham Young University who have recently gained popularity on TikTok for their videos in which they ask their fellow students about political and social issues. On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher talk to Rachel Weaver and Nate Byrd, two members of the Black Menaces, about what it's like to film these interviews, how they've been received on campus and online, and what it's like to be a Black student at BYU. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a great run, but Madison is leaving ICYMI for new ventures. On today's show, Rachelle interviews Madison about her time working on ICYMI, her own internet habits, and her first online scams. Plus, they've got a round of High Speed Downloads, perhaps the greatest one ever recorded, so get ready to be shocked and astonished in the best way. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a great run, but Madison is leaving ICYMI for new ventures. On today's show, Rachelle interviews Madison about her time working on ICYMI, her own internet habits, and her first online scams. Plus, they've got a round of High Speed Downloads, perhaps the greatest one ever recorded, so get ready to be shocked and astonished in the best way. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a great run, but Madison is leaving ICYMI for new ventures. On today's show, Rachelle interviews Madison about her time working on ICYMI, her own internet habits, and her first online scams. Plus, they've got a round of High Speed Downloads, perhaps the greatest one ever recorded, so get ready to be shocked and astonished in the best way. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Madison and Rachelle open up the mailbag to answer some more listener questions. They've got people wondering about a giant frog army on TikTok, Christy Carlson Romano doing sponcon cameos, dubious hygienic practices, and more. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Madison and Rachelle open up the mailbag to answer some more listener questions. They've got people wondering about a giant frog army on TikTok, Christy Carlson Romano doing sponcon cameos, dubious hygienic practices, and more. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Madison and Rachelle open up the mailbag to answer some more listener questions. They've got people wondering about a giant frog army on TikTok, Christy Carlson Romano doing sponcon cameos, dubious hygienic practices, and more. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, it seems like our phones won't stop buzzing with texts and phone calls about our expired car warranties or supposed IRS delinquency. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison discuss their own recent brushes with scams, a recent piece in the Washington Post about how scams take more than an economic toll on us, and why none of us should feel bad if we get taken in by them. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, it seems like our phones won't stop buzzing with texts and phone calls about our expired car warranties or supposed IRS delinquency. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison discuss their own recent brushes with scams, a recent piece in the Washington Post about how scams take more than an economic toll on us, and why none of us should feel bad if we get taken in by them. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, it seems like our phones won't stop buzzing with texts and phone calls about our expired car warranties or supposed IRS delinquency. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison discuss their own recent brushes with scams, a recent piece in the Washington Post about how scams take more than an economic toll on us, and why none of us should feel bad if we get taken in by them. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past week Doja Cat started fighting with Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, and Cardi B beefed with the gossip blog the Shade Room. On today's show, Madison and Rachelle break down what's really going on in these two fights, and how the Shade Room became a toxic behemoth of internet gossip. Plus, they talk about Beanie Feldstein bowing out of Funny Girl on Broadway, and what it means now that Lea Michele is taking the stage. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past week Doja Cat started fighting with Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, and Cardi B beefed with the gossip blog the Shade Room. On today's show, Madison and Rachelle break down what's really going on in these two fights, and how the Shade Room became a toxic behemoth of internet gossip. Plus, they talk about Beanie Feldstein bowing out of Funny Girl on Broadway, and what it means now that Lea Michele is taking the stage. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past week Doja Cat started fighting with Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, and Cardi B beefed with the gossip blog the Shade Room. On today's show, Madison and Rachelle break down what's really going on in these two fights, and how the Shade Room became a toxic behemoth of internet gossip. Plus, they talk about Beanie Feldstein bowing out of Funny Girl on Broadway, and what it means now that Lea Michele is taking the stage. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru premiered and a bunch of teens showed up to see it dressed up in suits, launching the #Gentleminions trend across TikTok. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about why teens are putting on suits to go to the movies, and how the minions became such a dominant cultural and capitalistic force. Then, they're joined by Vox's Rebecca Jennings to discuss her latest piece on what the minions reveal about labor exploitation. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru premiered and a bunch of teens showed up to see it dressed up in suits, launching the #Gentleminions trend across TikTok. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about why teens are putting on suits to go to the movies, and how the minions became such a dominant cultural and capitalistic force. Then, they're joined by Vox's Rebecca Jennings to discuss her latest piece on what the minions reveal about labor exploitation. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru premiered and a bunch of teens showed up to see it dressed up in suits, launching the #Gentleminions trend across TikTok. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about why teens are putting on suits to go to the movies, and how the minions became such a dominant cultural and capitalistic force. Then, they're joined by Vox's Rebecca Jennings to discuss her latest piece on what the minions reveal about labor exploitation. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Instagram account No White Saviors presented itself as an organization that exposed missionaries, aide workers, and influencers who were actively harming the communities they were in, but the story is much darker and more confusing than that. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison are joined once again by journalist Jessica Lucas to talk about her latest piece for Input magazine on the dubious nature and recent implosion of No White Saviors. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Instagram account No White Saviors presented itself as an organization that exposed missionaries, aide workers, and influencers who were actively harming the communities they were in, but the story is much darker and more confusing than that. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison are joined once again by journalist Jessica Lucas to talk about her latest piece for Input magazine on the dubious nature and recent implosion of No White Saviors. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past month, customers of the meal delivery service Daily Harvest have been suffering from gastrointestinal distress after eating the company's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, and some have even required surgery. The company is currently investigating the cause of these medical issues but has yet to find anything conclusive. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison speak to Luke Pearson, an influencer who received the product in a PR package from Daily Harvest and has since had to have his gallbladder removed. They discuss his medical journey, what it was like finding a community online that was also suffering from these problems, and how it's affected his future plans for brand partnerships. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past month, customers of the meal delivery service Daily Harvest have been suffering from gastrointestinal distress after eating the company's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, and some have even required surgery. The company is currently investigating the cause of these medical issues but has yet to find anything conclusive. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison speak to Luke Pearson, an influencer who received the product in a PR package from Daily Harvest and has since had to have his gallbladder removed. They discuss his medical journey, what it was like finding a community online that was also suffering from these problems, and how it's affected his future plans for brand partnerships. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Rachelle and Madison decided that, because of the recent Supreme Court news, it was time to take respite in some good online fun. They talk about the Olsen twins making pizza, Adam Lambert's stellar vocals, plastic bags, musicals, and plenty more. Make sure to check out our Twitter for a thread with all the things mentioned in today's episode. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Rachelle and Madison decided that, because of the recent Supreme Court news, it was time to take respite in some good online fun. They talk about the Olsen twins making pizza, Adam Lambert's stellar vocals, plastic bags, musicals, and plenty more. Make sure to check out our Twitter for a thread with all the things mentioned in today's episode. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Log onto any social app and you'll quickly find content that's been ported over from another platform. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk about the homogenization of internet humor and how every platform is trying to copy its competition. Then they discuss the return of anonymous online spaces with the new app NGL, an app that allows people to solicit anonymous comments and questions from Instagram, and why these anonymous spaces always tend toward toxicity. Make sure to check out our episode on period trackers, and the newest season of Slow Burn. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Log onto any social app and you'll quickly find content that's been ported over from another platform. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk about the homogenization of internet humor and how every platform is trying to copy its competition. Then they discuss the return of anonymous online spaces with the new app NGL, an app that allows people to solicit anonymous comments and questions from Instagram, and why these anonymous spaces always tend toward toxicity. Make sure to check out our episode on period trackers, and the newest season of Slow Burn. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lesbians on dating and hookup apps aren't looking for men, but that's what platforms like Bumble and Tinder are serving them. On today's show, Madison and Rachelle speak to some queer women who've had this problem and what sorts of issues it creates. Then they discuss the women-focused apps that've tried to fill that space, and why it's so difficult to find safe queer dates online. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lesbians on dating and hookup apps aren't looking for men, but that's what platforms like Bumble and Tinder are serving them. On today's show, Madison and Rachelle speak to some queer women who've had this problem and what sorts of issues it creates. Then they discuss the women-focused apps that've tried to fill that space, and why it's so difficult to find safe queer dates online. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the American Girl Doll Instagram account announced the return of the classic Molly doll, and because it was announced during Pride month everybody started wondering, “Is Molly gay?” On today's show, Rachelle and Madison discuss the recent gay panic of the conservative American Doll Instagram community, the online life of American Girl memes, and their own histories with these beloved childhood treasures. Plus, they discuss the drama around Lizzo's “GRRRLS” and why she's one of the few celebrities to nail the Notes app apology. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the American Girl Doll Instagram account announced the return of the classic Molly doll, and because it was announced during Pride month everybody started wondering, “Is Molly gay?” On today's show, Rachelle and Madison discuss the recent gay panic of the conservative American Doll Instagram community, the online life of American Girl memes, and their own histories with these beloved childhood treasures. Plus, they discuss the drama around Lizzo's “GRRRLS” and why she's one of the few celebrities to nail the Notes app apology. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout the 2010s, the One Direction fandom was inescapable online. On today's show, Atlantic writer Kaitlyn Tiffany is here to discuss her new book all about that subject, Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It. Rachelle and Madison talk to Kaitlyn about why she chose One Direction, how fan theories get out of hand, and why neither she nor Rachelle would ever want to meet Harry Styles. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Rachelle and Madison dabble in some TikTok approved ASMR. Later they're joined by Vice Senior Staff Writer, Anna Merlan, for an interview about political ads and the left leaning campaigns that pay influencers to produce policy based content - despite TikTok's stringent rules. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Madison Malone Kircher, Rachelle Hampton, and Kevin Bendis Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past few months, musicians have been posting on TikTok about how their record labels are forcing them to make TikTok videos to promote their new music. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison look at what all these famous musicians like Charli XCX, Florence Welch, and Ed Sheeran are posting, why the music industry is so desperate for viral hits, and who we should feel sorry for in all of this. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mormon moms on TikTok are accused of “soft swinging,” or engaging in sexual acts with people other than their spouses while their spouses are in the room, and people cannot stop asking about it. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about Liam Payne's recent comments about his former One Direction bandmates, and then they're back with High Speed Downloads about the Early American Youtube channel, and the drama surrounding the Mormon moms of TikTok. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since it started over six weeks ago, the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been impossible to escape online. On today's show, Rachelle and Madison look at the troubling ways people are discussing the trial, the cottage industry of lawyers reacting to the trial, and the stakes that have been lost in the breathless coverage and endless meme-ing of Heard and Depp. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher speak with Dion Beary, a writer and online community builder who founded the Tumblr blog This Is White Privilege. They talk with Beary about where that blog began, its impact on online discourse, and why he stepped away. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices