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The president wears...Prada?

Despite her modeling past, fashion-obsessed First Lady Melania Trump has not graced the cover of Vogue during President Trump’s tenure. And that’s not necessarily surprising– Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of American Vogue, is a longtime advocate for the Democrats.

But there’s definitely been a shift. That’s why it’s been so curious to see Trump associate Lauren Sánchez Bezos on the digital cover of Vogue. And it was definitely peculiar to see longevity-obsessed venture capitalist Bryan Johnson and looksmaxxing influencer Clavicular walking the runway. Is the American fashion industry making a conservative turn? Or is this just business as usual?

To answer this question, Brittany is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning critic, Robin Givhan. From fashionable First Ladies to President Trump’s favorite shoes - Robin gets into how fashion, politics, and our desire for relatability collide in the court of public opinion. 

Want more about fashion? Check out these episodes:
Fast fashion vs. Trump: why women may pay more in the tariff wars
The MET Gala is tonight, and it's already historic. Here's why.

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Is polyamory about more than just how many partners you have?

According to a YouGov survey from 2023, on a scale of zero being completely monogamous and six being completely non-monogamous, one third of Americans put their answer somewhere above zero. And there are a lot of different types of non-monogamy, but one of those types – polyamory – has been in the discourse as of late. The polyamory that writer Lindy West describes in her new book, Adult Braces, has spawned a thousand takes: her path to polyamory was admittedly kind of dicey, and it spawned discussion about what polyamory means. Polyamory can stand in for a set of political beliefs, class associations and other signifiers that have nothing to do with how many partners one has. But why does a choice about relationship structures feel so weighty, and why can't anyone be normal about it?

To discuss, Brittany is joined by Christopher M. Gleason, lecturer of American history at Georgia State University and the author of American Poly, a book about the history of polyamory in America.

(00:00) Lindy West and polyamory panic
(02:41) Polyamory's surprising political origins
(07:02) Can polyamory "fix" relationships?
(12:41) Misconceptions about polyamory (and why it has so many haters)

For more episodes about relationships, check out:
What really counts as "cheating?"
The joy of breaking up with dating apps
Me and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what?

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Do you feel poor every time you turn on Bravo television?

You're not alone - the beautiful homes of the rich and famous showcased on reality TV shows from Keeping Up with the Kardashians to the Real Housewives of Atlanta are meant to be something of a fantasy for audiences everywhere. But what are the housing realities behind the glitz and glamour? And how are your favorite reality TV stars shaping your own ideas of home and stability? To find out, Brittany is joined by Jack Balderrama Morley, author of Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV, and Liam Dillon, staff writer at Politico who covers housing in California.

Want more about cultural deep dives into Reality TV?

Check out these episodes:

Is this the end of reality TV?
The molten center of 'The Real Housewives' multiverse

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Are men ashamed of their porn habits?

The majority of men consume porn, and most use it for masturbation, but two thirds of men under 25 think porn should be harder to access, according to research from the Survey Center on American Life. There's a broader discussion now among some men about the role of porn and masturbation in their lives – and manosphere figures like Andrew Tate and Hamza Ahmed are urging their listeners to stop watching it. Some men are cutting it out entirely: they congregate on Reddit pages like r/pornfree or use porn addiction alleviation apps like Quittr and Fortify. But what do men think watching porn says about them? And is this just “purity culture for boys”? 

Brittany is joined by Rebecca Jennings, features writer at New York Magazine who wrote a piece about anti-porn men, and Scott Burnett, assistant professor of African Studies and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University, who has published research about men's anti-masturbation trends. 

(00:00) Why are (some) men turning against porn?
(03:49) Gen Z men and shame around porn
(11:18) "Real sex with real women": how anti-porn men view women
(14:30) The fear of losing control to porn addiction
(19:15) Is this just "purity culture for boys?"
(22:27) Desire can be embarrassing - but maybe that's okay

For more episodes about gender, sexuality, and internet culture, check out:
The price women pay for being online
The joy of breaking up with dating apps
Gen Z is afraid of sex — and for good reason

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Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse

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The internet was built off women's labor. Will it ever pay them back?

From the creation of Google Images to the overlooked - or criminalized - digital labor of sex workers, the internet has been built on the intellect, image, and likeness of women. So where does that leave us in a rapidly changing digital environment where algorithms, AI, and even beauty filters distort our reality?

To answer these questions, Brittany is joined by artist and UCLA professor Mindy Seu. Her books, Cyberfeminism Index and A Sexual History of the Internet, uncover the desire at the foundation of the internet's inception and how the exploitation of marginalized creators has consequences for us all.

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Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse

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