It's Been a Minute

What gives a pop star staying power? In our frenetic music landscape, it's clear that a lot of pop stars that defined the millennial "hopecore" sound -- think Lizzo and Katy Perry -- are no longer resonating with audiences.  So who are listeners gravitating to these days, and how does that reflect the times we're living in?  Brittany talks to music writer and critic Brittany Spanos on whether we'r...

Are we spending too much on other people’s weddings? Going to a friend's weddings can be so fun and meaningful… but it can also really hurt your wallet. A survey by LendingTree found that 31% of people who had been to a wedding in the past five years had accrued debt to attend. So what’s driving up the cost of weddings for guests? And what makes it so hard to say no to these expenses? Brittany bre...

Love Island USA, the reality show where attractive singles compete to find love, is in full swing. Over the course of its eighth season, there’s been everything from romance and friendship to betrayal and heartbreak. And what goes on inside the Love Island villa has sparked a lot of discourse outside of it. To understand this microcosm of modern dating and why the season's villains are finding def...

Reality dating and professional sports are not as different as you’d think. Brittany is in her Sporty Spice era – she watched the NBA playoffs, she’s following World Cup games, and she’s watching the New York Liberty play their WNBA season. These games are daily – and so is the reality dating show Love Island. And she noticed that the two formats are not very different at all. Defector.com staff w...

Could you see your life just as easily with children as without?  What if you're not cut out for parenthood? What if you grow lonely in your old age? Or what if you have a loving partner, but you disagree on this choice? Deciding between parenthood and a child-free life requires clarity about your fears and deepest desires — no easy task. This episode, psychotherapist and author of the book, The B...

What does America look like to visitors? We're finding out in real time as fans and athletes from all over the world visit the United States for World Cup matches across the country. From Ranch dressing, to the wonders of all-you-can-eat buffets, tourists are getting a taste of all the USA has to offer, but how do we square the warm welcome for the World Cup with the United States' recent stances...

How do you practice good etiquette online? Your online life shapes your offline life -- including how you talk, listen, and interact with the world. But often, good behavior offline doesn't necessarily translate to good behavior online.  So when we get online, how do we uphold some social norms and common decencies we practice in the real world?  Brittany chats with Senior Writer at Wired, Jason P...

Do you know how to connect with your neighbors? According to Pew, the share of Americans who know and trust their neighbors is on the decline. There are a lot of structural reasons why you might not trust the people around you and it can be hard to put yourself out there with people you don’t know – and don’t want to bother. But getting to know the people who live near you can bring so much safety...

Is a return to analog the way to a better future? While vinyls, DVDs, and CDs might be considered ‘vintage’ to some, for others it’s a way to fight against subscription fatigue. Price hikes, licensing battles, and storage issues can make music, films, TV shows - and even your own photos - inaccessible.  And sometimes without warning, your comfort watch might just vanish from all streaming platform...

What does it mean to feel safe during sex these days? From feeling comfortable with your partner to having access to public health interventions and medication, "safety" comes up a lot in sex. And having the tools you need to feel confident in your own sexual health is an essential part of the pursuit of pleasure. Brittany Luse is joined by Dr. Leisha McKinley-Beach , founder and CEO of the Black...

Do we owe our parents?  Even in the best of scenarios, caring for an aging parent can be difficult  and intense. But for those who may have had a complicated, fraught, or even abusive parent-child relationship, caring for the person who harmed them can be triggering. So, what options are there? To answer that question Brittany is joined by Washington Post advice columnist, Carolyn Hax , and Dr. Al...

What makes us change – or not change? Change happens to all of us – but what actually happens to us when we change, and how does that change stick? Sometimes there isn't a clear answer, but Benoit Denizet-Lewis , associate professor at Emerson College and author of the book You've Changed: the Promise and Price of Self Transformation , tried to find out what makes change happen. He followed bullie...

What does freedom mean today? Happy Juneteenth! For those not in the know, today commemorates when U.S. federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed – a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated all over the country, especially in Texas an...

Where do queer people gather? In honor of Pride Month, we're looking at those sanctuary spaces where LGBTQ+ people can celebrate, strategize, and simply exist …especially amidst a hostile political climate and lackluster feelings about corporate Pride. Brittany is joined by Erik Piepenburg , author of Dining Out, First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants a...

Generative AI has been creating race-based content, and the results are...uncomfortable. Brittany’s been getting served a lot of AI generated videos of older Asian men, who seem to be feng shui experts of some kind, espousing the benefits of having a “lazy wife” in your household. But it doesn’t stop there. Today’s guest, Bridget Todd , host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of the...

What’s bringing Gen Z to the theaters? Backrooms and Obsession are two recent horror films that have done massive numbers – and their success has been driven, in large part, by Gen Z. Even beyond these films, Gen Z is now the largest moviegoing audience, according to a couple of recent surveys. But what’s bringing the short-form video generation to theaters? And what makes a movie… a Gen Z movie?...

Is location tracking building relationships? Or ruining them? Four in 10 U.S. adults share their locations with at least one person. But while it's convenient, is it also a violation of privacy? And who really needs to know where you are? We're getting into how location sharing became a norm, the pros and cons, and how to turn it off without making things weird. Brittany breaks it all down with Gi...

What song best defines the millennial generation? On this episode from our friends at  All Songs Considered,  NPR Music editors Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce join host Robin Hilton to weigh the options and attempt to pick the one song that best captures the Millennial experience, from the dizzying highs of the dot-com boom, when anything seemed possible, to the post-9-11 bust, the "hope and chang...

The church has long been a site of healing and hurt. Is that changing? While some have found community, joy, support, and love in their church home, others have faced isolation, shame, abandonment, and even deep traumatic wounds. But if you don’t necessarily want to give up your religion or leave the church - what does repair look like? What does spirituality look like for those who have ‘church h...

Who gets to have a safe pregnancy? Across the internet, women are sharing their experiences with the physical and emotional difficulties of pregnancy. But for Black women, the complications, negative health outcomes, and even death are more common. Today, Brittany is joined by Dr. Khiara Bridges , Earl Warren professor of public law at UC Berkeley School of Law and author of Expecting Inequity: Ho...

Who gets to Kill Bill ?  As in, who’s allowed to seek revenge when they've been wronged by a man? That was the question at the top of Brittany’s mind after seeing Alesha Harris’ Is God Is , a film following twin sisters on a quest to kill their abusive father. The film has been a surprise hit, but there’s a subsection of men who felt this portrayal of a ‘bad’ Black man was in poor taste.  That mad...

Are you ready for a whirlwind summer romance? Making plans to capitalize on summer can get overwhelming - from finding the right spot to hang or feeling comfortable in your clothes in the sweltering summer heat. So what does it mean to approach summer with a romantic joie de vivre?  Brittany is joined by Carly Olson , freelance journalist covering architecture and business, and Garrett Schlichte ,...

It's hot, school’s out, put your PTO in - summer’s here! That means Brittany’s back for It’s Been a Minute’s annual summer books episode! This time around authors Sasha Bonét ( The Waterbearers ) and Cindy Pham ( The Secret World of Briar Rose ) join the show to give their summer reading recommendations. From wanderlust to first time love - there’s something for everyone.  Want more summer book re...

Left-behind dog poop is annoying. But it’s also a sign of anti-sociality. Spotting unidentified poop outside is an unfortunate and unavoidable part of being alive, but in some cities, there’s a scourge being left behind by some people’s four-legged friends. Manuela L ó pez-Restrepo , writer and producer at All Things Considered , couldn’t stop noticing it – and she wondered if it might be a sign o...

We love a pop princess, but what about the pop peasants? These are the pop music artists who might have some mainstream success and fame, but they're not exactly household names. Fans on the internet have created a metaphorical space for these pop almost-stars...the Khia Asylum. But how can artists break out of this pop star purgatory?  And what does a fictional mental institution say about the wa...