Culture Study Podcast

It's the second coming of Hilary Duff... but real ones know she never went anywhere. This week we're so lucky to have Allie Jones — author of the superb Gossip Time newsletter and Hilary Duff superfan — on the show to answer all your questions about how Duff managed to avoid her peers' timeline, her professionalism, her relatable lack of stage presence, and the crafting of her millennial mom image. (Melody fans will also appreciate her appearances in this episode touting bottomless Duff knowledge). If you want the podcast equivalent of going to the mall in 2005 and walking around doing nothing but somehow having a great time, this ep is for you.
GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!
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Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!
Take your food to the next level with Graza. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY today for 10% off your first order of olive oil!

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Go to  https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.

Show Notes:
Go subscribe to Gossip Time! https://gossiptime.substack.com/

Allie's breakdown of the mom drama: https://gossiptime.substack.com/p/ashley-tisdale-mom-group-drama-mandy-moore

Allie's breakdown of Haylie vs. Hilary: https://gossiptime.substack.com/p/hilary-duff-haylie-duff-feud-explainer

The original With Love choreography from The Today Show

Hilary doing the 'With Love' choreography on the new tour

The That's So Gay PSA for those who'd like to re-live

The problematic sexy pilgrim costume from 2016

The music video for Roommates, from Hilary's new album luck... or something
We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world historical gossip (and how gossip works today). We really want to make this episode happen but we need your questions!

WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one.

EMILY BLUNT! (and secondary characters becoming primary ones!) with Xochitl Gonzalez — obvi we're gonna talk a lot about Devil Wears Prada and 2000s-era striving but you can take this in so many directions

BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it.

Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.

As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here
For this week’s discussion: Gonna make it easy this week... just give us more of your Hilary Duff thoughts!!

Free Yourself from the Tyranny of the Automobile!! That's the subtitle of the new book Life After Cars, written by the hosts of the popular podcast "War On Cars." And listen, I am 100% on board: this quasi-hippy spent most of her 20s trekking around college towns on a crappy commuter bike. But like a lot of you, I also live in a place where the infrastructure has refused to catch up to my desire to have fewer cars on the road.
So here's what I absolutely loved about this conversation: we talked at length about all the ways that cars make our lives worse... and also talked about the ways that we need them (particularly in rural areas) and the movement they afford people whose freedoms are otherwise circumscribed. There is absolutely nothing fixed about our current car-contingent culture, and Sarah and Doug were so good at fostering a funny (and super smart) conversation about what sucks, what doesn't have to suck, and places that are working to make it suck less. This was one of those eps were Melody and I finished recording and couldn't stop texting about how good they were — so let's keep the conversation going in the comments.
GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod — just come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!
If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .
And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support.
Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!
Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/CULTURE 

Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD

Feed the obsession by going to ollie.com/culture and using code CULTURE to get 60% off your first box!

Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTURE

Show Notes:
Buy Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile here!

Listen to the War on Cars podcast (and if you love it, subscribe to their Patreon)

You can also sign up for their newsletter here

Follow War on Cars on IG here

Oh and check out all of the great War on Cars merch here

For more on the creative traffic solutions in Ghent, watch this YouTube video
We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world of Black gossip columns during the golden era of Black newspapers (1930 to 1960). What do you want to know about how the Black press worked during this era — and how gossip in particular worked (both about stars, local celebrities, and normal people?) There's so much here!!!

Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc — we're talking to Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez about his new book, Conversion Therapy Dropout, and there are so many connections to the ways the current administration is currently trying to "de-trans" people in custody)

Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.

As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here
For this week’s discussion: THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: How would your life change with fewer cars on the road? If you have a car, what infrastructure improvement would make it easier to let it go?

When I first came up for the idea for the Culture Study Romance Book Club back in January, I knew I wanted every edition to have two books: one contemporary, and one historical. Part of this desire was selfish (I personally gravitate towards historicals) but I also wanted to explore the contrast between what you can do with a romance set in the past (with its particular confines) and one set in the present (with seemingly none, but actually so many).
I also knew that I wanted to start with M/M romances (hi, Heated Rivalry) and that Melody had sung the very loud praises of renowned historical queer romance author Cat Sebastian's mid-century queer romance — particularly You Should Be So Lucky, which managed to combine baseball (one of Melody's true loves) with romance (Melody's secondary love).
And listeners, I hope this is clear: when it comes to so many things, but romance in particular, I listen to Melody! And when Melody asked if we should try and get Cat on the pod, I said "obvi please try." AND THEN SHE MADE IT HAPPEN. This remains a total marvel of hosting a podcast: sometimes the people you admire so deeply... can also come on your pod.
This is a long preamble to the overarching point: Cat Sebastian isn't just an absurdly talented (and successful) author of queer historical romance. She's also whipsmart when it comes to the crafting of these romances, the idea of vibes vs. plot (and third act break-ups in particular), how she translates the historical record, and so much more. This pod is for you if you're at all interested in romance, obviously, but also if you're at all interested in how we think about the past as a narrative playground.
Final note: We had such a good time recording this episode and laughed one billion times — I hope that joy translates when you listen!
GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!
If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .
And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!
Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!
Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.

If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, bed, or classy full-length mirror, head over to Article.com.

Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY to get 15% off your first order when you use CULTURESTUDY at checkout.

Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Shimmer Face Oil with your first purchase!

Show Notes:
As Cat suggested, the best way to keep up with her is by subscribing to her intermittent newsletter here

You can find a breakdown of all of Cat's books and their time periods here (I found this very helpful)

You can buy Cat's new book, Star Shipped, HERE!!!!

A great AMA with Cat here

Cat mentions the book Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II, by Allan Bérubé

A listener mentions The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, and Cat and Anna enthusiastically co-sign the recommendation

Cat recommends: The Duke by Anna Cowan (out April 28); A Gentleman's Gentleman by T.J. Alexander; When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley; and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera
We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

HISTORICAL GOSSIP! We're talking with Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, about hot, messy, ideologically fascinating world of Black gossip columns during the golden era of Black newspapers (1930 to 1960). What do you want to know about how the Black press worked during this era — and how gossip in particular worked (both about stars, local celebrities, and normal people?) There's so much here!!!

HILARY DUFF!!! The comeback, the new album, let's talk about all of it — with Hilary Duff expert/forever-fan ALLIE JONES (also Melody loves Hilary Duff so much and will be very sad if we don't get enough questions for this episode)

Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc — we're talking to Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez about his new book, Conversion Therapy Dropout, and there are so many connections to the ways the current administration is currently trying to "de-trans" people in custody)

KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? We're talking with the author of a new book about the ramifications of growing up within these worlds — it's gonna be so good.

Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.

As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here
For this week’s discussion: OH MY GOD WE COULD TALK FOREVER! If you could set a queer romance at any time, when would it be? What would your characters be doing, and how would they fill their days? Also who wants to be best friends with Cat (me)

Baby names are in inexhaustible cultural text. They're a way to talk about class, race, and gender, of course — but also the way we perform familial respect and coherence. In this episode, sociologist Hannah Emery — who wrote her dissertation on baby names — joins us to talk about the history of baby names, how naming conventions and aspirations have changed over the last century, and the broad and specific requests parents bring to her as a naming consultant. It's all fascinating — and I can't wait to continue the conversation (about our names and the names of the children in our lives) in the comments.
AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible!
If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to .
And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here!
Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode!
Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTURE

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURE

Treat your dog with Ollie! Go to ollie.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your first box

Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial pack

Show Notes:
You can find Hannah's fascinating name newsletter here (Try starting with this piece on middle names)

I put Melody's name graph up top but here's mine (you can find yours for the U.S. here)

The Top U.S. Names of 2025 According to BabyCenter:

This made me laugh
We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

HILARY DUFF!!! The comeback, the new album, let's talk about all of it — with Hilary Duff expert/forever-fan ALLIE JONES (also Melody loves Hilary Duff so much and will be very sad if we don't get enough questions for this episode)

Dark academia — the trends, the themes, the popularity, whatever you want (for an episode with R.F. Kuang!)

Conversion Therapy (how it affects people late into life, how it still exists, etc. etc.)

Your Parent(s) Died — How Do You Deal with All This PAPERWORK and bureaucracy??? (with death doula Becky Robison)

KID INFLUENCERS — what happens when your parent puts you on camera before you can really consent? We're talking with the author of a new book about the ramifications of growing up within these worlds — it's gonna be so good.

Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment

As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here
For this week’s discussion: What names still bewilder you? Let's talk about them!

Unstructured conversation! Teenage Feelings! Flesh walls! Abjection! Jacob Elordi's Jacob Elordi-ness! Arguments about the purpose of adaptation! THE GREAT AND VERY SMART MARGARET WILLISON! This bonus episode's got it all. So listen on as three English Majors with various levels of affection for the source text talk about horny aspic, the melodramatic imagination, Romeo + Juliet, pseudo race-blind casting, the 2005 Pride & Prejudice, and whether director Emerald Fennell is enough of a perv (no).
Even if you haven't seen Wuthering Heights, this is a much larger conversation about adaptation, contemporary film, casting, the feelings we're looking for when we go to the movies, and much more. And if you have seen it, wow do we have more to talk about in the comments. So enjoy this bonus episode — and tell us what bonus episodes (with similar, loose-but-text-based-focus) you'd like to see in the future! (And if you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here. If you have any issues, just email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail) !