Culture Colander

Audra and Elisa dive into a very recent method of institutionalized oppression in Ireland, the complicity between the state and the Catholic Church, and how changing the law is never the end of the story.  This episode pairs best with learning the hard truths about our history and listening to the song “Irish Eyes” by Rose Betts on repeat. Book Recommendation  Small Things Like These by Claire Kee...

Elisa and Audra take a magnifying glass to four current pieces of media. In doing so, they dig into the nuances of cultural appropriation, learn about those who clean up after trauma, question our obsession with policing female celebrities, and celebrate rising divorce rates. This episode pairs best with a drink from your favorite Taiwanese boba store and eating as much MSG as you can find. Clarif...

Audra and Elisa angrily address exorbitant ticket prices, the Live Nation & Ticketmaster monopoly, the power of fandom, and the importance of cultural activities. This episode pairs best with traveling abroad to see a show and not letting corporations appeal to your lesser impulses. Book Recommendation  Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain Kee...

Audra and Elisa interrogate the modern phenomenon of gender (or more accurately, sex) reveal parties, the troubling consumerism surrounding them, and how we can make rituals more meaningful. This episode pairs best with celebrating birth instead of perceived gender and accepting you have no business making at-home explosives.  Image and Video Time Stamps 11:25 Original Gender Reveal Cake 15:30 201...

Audra and Elisa go through the history of hair removal, the gendered discrepancies in our attitudes towards body hair, and how race and class play into the stylistic norms of the time. This episode pairs best with being picky about the causes you support, and with having whatever hair routine you damn well please. Image and Video Time Stamps  31:29 Anti Suffragette Cartoon  Book Recommendation  Ev...

Audra and Elisa discuss the new movie It Ends with Us, the messy press surrounding the film, and how hard it is to write a story about DV. This episode pairs best with getting introspective about the ways we all contribute to a victim-blaming mindset. Image and Video Time Stamps 17:50 KJ Miller on TikTok 48:50 Nicole Rafiee Video “chronically online girl explains It Ends with Us movie drama” 1:09:...

Audra and Elisa are joined by special guest @businesscasualty on TikTok to chat about ridiculous contradictions in the corporate workplace. From lack of nuance in harassment trainings to opaque rhetoric in salary negotiations, we laugh about the ways companies can be oh so performative when it comes to caring for their employees. This episode pairs best with a big exhale and solidarity with your f...

Audra and Elisa “deliver” a history of midwifery in the U.S., how and why midwives have been pushed to the margins of reproductive medicine, and the incredible impact they have on women’s health. This episode pairs best with reproductive justice, passing on generational knowledge, and joining a coven. Image and Video Time Stamps Jen Hamilton TikTok Account 5:58 Book Recommendation  Caliban and the...

Audra and Elisa look into the NFL’s history of hiding data about the dangers of CTE — which no amount of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce coverage can erase. This episode pairs best with listening to neurologists and playing non-contact sports. Image and Video Time Stamps Non-contact Injury Rate Higher on Artificial Turf (26:15) Guardian Caps (51:45) Book Recommendation Forty Million Dollar Slaves:...

Audra and Elisa attempt to unpack why true crime content is so pervasive, why women are the biggest consumers, the missing white woman syndrome, and what our desires say about us. This episode pairs best with falling asleep to ASMR instead of the news.  Book Recommendation  Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession, Rachel Munroe Keep the conversation going  Email us at cu...

Audra and Elisa talk the new musical remake of the iconic teen comedy, Mean Girls. This episode pairs best with Renee Rapp’s album, Snow Angel. Keep the conversation going  Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! Sources Mean Girls, Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.

Audra and Elisa unpack the question on everybody's lips: are violent video games actually making people more violent? This episode pairs best with your favorite nostalgic computer game. Book Recommendation Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Keep the conversation going Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! Sources “Apex Legends Live Player Count,” Player Counter “The...

Audra and Elisa launch a new style of episode! Between their traditional episodes, they will chat about topics that are timely, random, or just too bite-sized for full-fledged research. Following their original model, they won’t know what the other is bringing to the table until they hit record. This week they discuss the disproportionately hateful reaction to TikToker Mikayla Nogueira and ridicul...

Audra and Elisa review the new, Golden Globe nominated, Netflix film, May December. They talk Mary Kay Letourneau, underbaked dialogue, and soap opera camp.  Book Recommendation My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell Keep the conversation going Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! Sources Full Interview with Mary Kay Letourneau, 7NEWS World Exclusive May December, Todd Haynes, Netfl...

This week, Elisa and Audra join Lily and James of @GroovyMoviesPod . We bring an American perspective to a very British class system as we dissect Emerald Fennell’s new film Saltburn, i.e. The Talented Mr Creepley. Book Recommendation Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Keep the conversation going Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! References Interview with Emerald Fennell and the cast of Saltb...

Audra and Elisa spiral about the power of the algorithm and reminisce about the early days of YouTube. This episode pairs best with not getting your morals from internet celebrities and reducing your screen time. Book Recommendation Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside Youtube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination, Mark Bergen Keep the conversation going Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! S...

Audra and Elisa talk mischaracterizations, the attention economy, and media sensationalism. This episode pairs best with not conflating every disability with Munchausen Syndrome.  Image and Video Time Stamps Hope Ybarra Letter 35:08 Book Recommendation  Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Keep the conversation going  Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! Sources “Baron Munchhausen...

Audra and Elisa trudge through the dark reality of emotional growth boarding schools, manipulative fear tactics, and the tangled web of trauma begetting further trauma. This episode pairs best with the “Icons Only” DJ Mix by Paris Hilton.  Book Recommendation  The Elissas: Three Girls, One Fate, and the Deadly Secrets of Suburbia by Samantha Leach Keep the conversation going  Email us at cultureco...

Audra and Elisa dig into the history of diamond engagement rings, the debate around lab-grown stones, and the exasperating experience of attempting to consume ethically. This episode pairs best with sustainable jewelry and proposing with massages.  Image and Video Time Stamps Diamond Tree 20:30 Book Recommendation  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos Keep the conversation going  Email us at cul...

Audra and Elisa spend Labor Day discussing the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the threat of AI on human labor, the necessity of cross-sector solidarity, and the undeniable power of art. This episode pairs best with donating to the Entertainment Community Fund .  Book Recommendation  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair  Keep the conversation going  Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com Follow us! Sources “The...

Audra and Elisa delve into the history of the notorious Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner’s lavish lifestyle, what counts as sexual freedom, and the lasting legacy of the brand. This episode pairs best with reading feminist theory in your sexiest lingerie.  Book Recommendation  Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison  Keep the conversati...

Audra and Elisa tread through the history of women in sports: the ways they have been undermined, underrepresented, and underestimated. This episode pairs best with moving your body however you damn well please and cheering on your favorite Women’s World Cup team. Book Recommendation  Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman  Keep the conversation going  Email us at cul...

Audra and Elisa review the new Max documentary Bama Rush, discussing shaky camerawork, directionless narratives, and the pitfalls of documentarians inserting themselves into their own films. This episode pairs best with listening to our very first episode and scrolling through #BamaRushTok if you want to actually learn something. Keep the conversation going  Email us at culturecolander@gmail.com F...

Audra and Elisa are joined by Ernest Patti (@hotdogcartt on TikTok) to talk about life in a wheelchair as a college student, accessibility in dorms, finding community online, and destigmatizing disability. This episode pairs best with following @hotdogcartt on TikTok and constructing WIDE doorways only! Image, Video, and Product Time Stamps Phone Loop 57:15 Book Recommendation  Disability Visibili...

Audra and Elisa discuss the ineffectiveness of police presence in American public schools, the lack of necessary mental health resources, and how none of it is keeping kids safer. This episode pairs best with de-escalation efforts and treating kids like kids. Image and Video Time Stamps Autism Needs Circular Diagram (20:45) , as referenced by @SoundOfTheForest on TikTok Call Your Girlfriend Abolit...