Poppish

Today we get into STATUS SYMBOLS! Two products that are so luxurious and so limited, people lose their minds over them a little bit. We’re unpacking the phenomenons of the Hermes Birkin and the Faberge Eggs. How did these pieces come to be? Who gets to have one? Can I have one if I go to the store and act cool and mysterious? Join Ellie, in her apartment, and Anneliese, recovering in the country,...

You remember being a teenage girl: the makeup, the magazines, the urge to kill. Many of us failed to commit to the bit, but these ladies pulled it off: Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Lizzie Borden (32-year-old-teenager). What drove them to kill? And did they even do it? How should they be remembered? Join us on our journey to eventually land on Lizzie Borden’s side of the whole axe murder thing. Plus: w...

PSA if you are invited to an island DO YOUR RESEARCH! This week on Poppish: the tales of two island destinations that proved extraordinarily disappointing: The Lost Colony of Roanoke and Fyre Festival. What was the plan? Where did all the people/money go? How is Ja Rule involved? We unpack it all. Plus: Ellie’s perfect pee, more insurance mysteries, and the mobile trash can.

You know how getting a little honey on your finger can ruin your whole day? Our stories this week crank that feeling up to 11, as we delve into two TRULY sticky situations: The Boston Molasses Flood and The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist. These syrupy events caused a SYRUP-lus of issues for all involved. Plus: musings on Love Island, a cultural examination of the communal fitting room, and which...

Choose 5 words to change history: “The regulars are coming out” OR “That’s not the truth Ellen.” We delve into two cases of powerful, outspoken whistleblowers who changed the world: Paul Revere and Dakota Johnson. They used their voices when it mattered most and warned the world of changes to come. Plus: unpacking the similarities between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations (ultimately: okay, a...

We’ll see you in court to discuss two infamous, high profile celebrity civil trials: the 1934 Gloria Vanderbilt Custody Trial and the 2023 Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Crash Trial. We learn about two women who overcame the farkakte justice system and media scrutiny and went on to live their dreams, from selling dark wash, tight fitting jeans to being Goop. Hear about the juicy trial details, media circus f...

Get taped in for an episode on working conditions, baby! We unpack similarities between the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the Shein Influencer Brand Trip controversy. What lessons can we take from past tragedies? Are women people? Globalization good or bad? Plus: the fate of the penny, being a tween on the internet, and a reminder that we DO NOT fuck with The Flinstones.

Can animals understand language? And if so, should we subject them to it? After all, it’s the devil behind fanfic-to-film atrocities like “The Idea of You” and “After.” We explore two cases of animals who seem to have developed a grasp of human language: Koko the Gorilla and Bunny the Dog. But are these creatures truly comprehending, or are they clout-chasing fame whores who don’t speak a lick of...

Boys trip! This week we cover two major jewel robberies: the 2016 robbery of Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week, and the 1964 robbery of the American Museum of Natural History by The Beach Boys (not those ones). Both heists gained massive media attention, and fun nicknames get involved. We discuss the legal advantages of being either really hot or really old. We sympathize with a Kardashian. Sev...

Not bad for a girl with no talent! This week we explore the singing careers of two artists who defied the odds and gained popularity despite critical disfavor: Florence Foster Jenkins and Sanjaya Malakar. These icons remind us not to listen to the haters, either by choice or by syphilis, and to chase our dreams. Plus, hear about how Ellie became a mother, Coachella being back, and how the Presiden...

What do America’s first female mayor and Trisha Paytas have in common? Their commitment to the bit. This week, we discuss the prank that led to Susanna M. Salter's Mayoral election in Kansas and Trisha Paytas’ wonky Broadway debut. Tune in for a giggly episode filled with questions such as: has feminism gone too far (Moo Deng)? Can prohibitionists hang? How does one mid their way to the top?

GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! Today, we take on the message DARE officers everywhere work their entire careers to get across: just because something looks cool does not mean you should participate! And also, corporations will kill us all if it makes them a dollar. Did they talk about THAT in DARE? We also discuss all the TV that was hot in Q1 of 2025, how to pick a major that allows you to go to the...

When you are a very rich man, you can only buy so many properties before it just makes sense to set your sights on something bigger — something geographical. This week we’ll explore how this storied path of hubris played out for two men over two centuries: Henry Ford and Akon Thiam. Two very different men, but the desire to build cities named after themselves unites them. Will they manage to creat...

“Accidentally became important at work and now I’m getting beheaded for it” - Lady Jane Grey, probably. In week 3, we explore the rise and fall of The Jeremy Renner app and Lady Jane Grey, the 9 day Queen of England. Listen to silly discussions of cutthroat volunteer opportunities, microwave installations gone awry, and the best place to get a lobotomy.

Have you ever felt compelled to drop what you’re doing and dance? So have we. We decided to study this phenomenon as it’s taken shape over 5 centuries by examining the Dancing Plague of 1518 and the 2010s Planking & Flash mob epidemic. Sometimes the world moves and you can’t help but move with it. Tune in for extremely late Super Bowl coverage, remembering the Alamo, and the answer to the age...

In episode one, we present two "famous feuds" with similar cultural and historical impact: James Charles vs. Tati Westbook and The Hatfields vs. The McCoys. We also cover Bella Thorne, Tesla, and Johnny Appleseed (real or legend??). Tune in to an episode that will make you laugh and think about the seemingly invisible connection between a beauty influencer dispute and a decades-long family rivalry...