Informed Attraction

Thank Kermit, we are finally talking about muppets. As a post-Pride episode, we're yapping about why so many non-binary folks identify with Gonzo. And uh-oh, we get extremely personal about Mackenna's gender and sexuality. Plus, a special guest appearance by Gonzo and Camilla! Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Interstitial starring A...

...I mean, it's not even a competition. This week, Mackenna and Aubrey are comparing and contrasting two pieces of media inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau case: That's My Boy, a raunchy Adam Sandler movie that thinks being abused by an older woman makes you a celebrity, and May December, a movie about how good of an actor Charles Melton is.  TW: major discussion of sexual abuse of a minor throug...

This week, Aubrey is putting on her true crime hat to discuss the case of Mary Kay Letourneau. Letourneau was an American teacher sexually abused and subsequently married one of her students. The story became a tabloid frenzy and we wanna figure out why. This series will ultimately be about the treatment of male victims of sexual violence by the media and by society. So, you can imagine why this e...

Wrapping up our Batman series, this week, Mackenna and Aubrey discuss the Gotham City Sirens: Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. We dive deep into the history of each character, as well as their similarities and differences. The big question this week is why can't a woman just be a villain? Also... happy pride Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are gay.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack...

Na na na na na... NIGHTWING! This week, Mackenna runs through the history of Dick Grayson, from his days as the Boy Wonder Robin to being absolutely caked up at Nightwing. But also... we've got some tangents to go on. Mackenna and Aubrey got together to watch Batman Forever and Batman & Robin together and they HAVE SOME THOUGHTS. Also, who the heck is Devin Grayson? Content Warning: discussion...

Na na na na na... BATMAN! This week, Mackenna and Aubrey launch into a series about the Dark Knight and the people of Gotham. And let me just tell ya: we're getting academic with this one. Mackenna presents a brief history of Batman, as well as their argument for what he teaches us about masculinity and the body as performance. Is becoming Batman a trauma response? Probably. Also, Aubrey has some...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey are joined by actor, rom-com expert, and cheese educator Anne-Marie Pietersma to talk about The Ugly Truth (2009). Three femme people attempt to answer the question: are men really simple? Honestly, y'all, we're so confused by this movie, but at least Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler were there. Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffe...

This week, Mackenna was very brave and watched Wedding Crashers (2005). We talk a lot about what commonalities romcoms made for men share and honestly, why many men struggle with intimacy in both their romantic and social relationships. A lot of yelling about boys in this one, folks! Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Logo design: Fre...

This week, Aubrey presents her case for the core reason as to why some men claim to not like romcoms: the patriarchy. (Wow, everyone is so shocked.) We walk through the history of the romcom and the classic arguments men might make for why they don't enjoy the genre. A lot of love for 13 Going On 30 and Made of Honor in this one, folks! Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Au...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey were both busy researching our next two big series, so we decided to do a chiller episode about the summer reality TV shows they've been watching. Mackenna takes us Below Deck to figure out what the hell a "chief stew" is and Aubrey is getting her GTL on at the Jersey Shore.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hof...

Today, Mackenna and Aubrey begin a yearly tradition of making a bracket (with input from you! the audience!) to decide what the hottest [blank] is. This year, they're talking on the leaders of the "free world:" the Presidents of the United States of America (the politicians, not the band!) There are... more musical theatre references than you might think and none of them are Hamilton. We talk a lo...

This week, we are joined by Mackenna's friend Erin Donnelly to talk about what the heck a fujoshi is. We talk through the history of BL manga and anime and cover some hits of the genre like Banana Fish, Given, Yuri on Ice, and more. Plus, Aubrey and Erin get to fujo out about Ouran High School Host Club.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey begin their discussion of slash fiction, starting with two examples of real boys who fans really wanted to see kiss: Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie (aka Ryden) and Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles (aka Larry Stylinson.) Also, Mackenna derails the whole thing by talking about Dan and Phil.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey talk about one blonde British vampire: Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They talk about his successful redemption arc, followed up by one of the most bizarre character decisions of all time by one Mr. Joss Whedon.  TW: discussions of sexual violence (43:50-1:15:15) Also, we get spoiler-y about How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones towards the end! (And obviou...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey talk redemption arcs and continue delving into why people find themselves drawn to male villains. But more than all of that, Aubrey absolutely baffles Mackenna with a look into the Church of Snapeism aka women online who worship Severus Snape as a god?????? Hello??? Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Log...

If you couldn't tell by the title, we're reading fanfiction this one! This week, we dive into the question of "why do a lot of women on the Internet get sexually obsessed with evil characters in media?" And we're popping off with Rumplestiltskin from ABC's Once Upon a Time.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Logo design: Freya Sierra...

It's done. Mackenna is finally free. This week, she presents Aubrey with a buffet of Tucci content and they talk about an absolute smorgasboard of film and TV, including The Devil Wears Prada, The Lovely Bones, The Hunger Games, and whatever the hell Space Chimps is. Also, they watch the famous negroni video together.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (...

WE FINALLY GOT A BALD TUCCI. This week, we talk about a loooooooot of rom-coms that are fine and one movie that is very good! We also have a discussion about what attractiveness research has to say about bald and balding men. Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Logo design: Freya Sierra Theme Music: Josh Capati Send us an email at info...

We're back and going deeper INTO THE TUCCIVERSE to talk about Stanley Tucci's indie movie phase. In the 90s, he was doing all kinds of wacky stuff before becoming the hot dad / horrific jester we know and love today. So join us to talk about some epic highs (namely, The Daytrippers) and some epic lows (namely, Mackenna finally had to watch a Woody Allen movie).  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/t...

Mackenna and Aubrey are going INTO THE TUCCIVERSE as Mackenna watches through Stanley Tucci's filmography. We want to investigate how Stanley Tucci established his gigantic career and his status as a sexy, sexy man. However, this week, Mackenna mostly watched a lot of bad TV from the 80s and 90s.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Lo...

It's the Super Bowl, baby! We have a serious episode about the complications of being a femme fan of the NFL and a DEEPLY SERIOUS episode where Aubrey chooses the football team she will root for for the rest of her life in the most scientific way possible: by deciding which quarterback is the hottest. And, you all finally get to meet Bryce! Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr...

This week, we got a one-off episode about Randy Marsh! Randy is a character from the adult animated sitcom South Park. He is the most prominent parent on the show and Stan's father. And, as Aubrey would say, there's an allure... This episode also features a discussion of how the heck is attraction is formed in the first place as well as the power of the dad bod.   Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey are joined by their friend, India Rose Chudnow, who works in the design space and is also just a delight. Aubrey and India watched two episodes of What Not To Wear for this week's episode: Nancy, an Irish step dancing teacher with the best attitude and no sense of style, and Denise, a Super Cute and Blonde flight attendant who loooooves a themed outifit and a poof. T...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey talk about one of Mackenna's favorite shows from childhood: What Not To Wear. Mackenna explains the structure of the show and how it enforced an extremely specific aesthetic. Also, they reminisce about Stitch Fix and Charming Charlie.  Hosted by: Mackenna Goodrich (she/they; @mack3nna) and Dr. Aubrey Hoffer, PHd (she/her; @hoff.phd) Logo design: Freya Sierra Theme Mu...

This week, Mackenna and Aubrey conclude their discussion of Rosie O'Donnell by discussing her heated debate about the Iraq War with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View and... her longstanding "feud" with Donald Trump. All in all, this episode is really about one question: is it okay to publicly bully someone for their appearance over the course of 20 years because you don't like them?  Hosted by: Mac...