Slate Culture Feed

Christopher Zara didn’t finish high school, and can sometimes feel like an outsider working in a field where it’s more common to have a college degree. Sometimes he’s able to push through his social anxiety, to put on a tough face. But other times his body won’t give him a chance to feel at ease – it seizes up, and in Christopher’s case that means not being able to pee even when he really, really...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Boston Celtics’ early dominance over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Stefan and Josh are also joined by journalist Peter Della Penna to talk about the United States’ massive cricket upset over Pakistan. Finally, Butch Reynolds joins to discuss the new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary False Positive on the doping allegation that derailed hi...

On today’s show, we’re joined by Nicky Woolf, the host  Fur and Loathing,  a new investigative podcast which attempts to solve the decade-old cold case of a chemical attack at the 2014 Midwest Furfest convention. From their show description, “It’s a journey that will bring [Woolf] face-to-face with the challenges this vibrant, often misunderstood subculture faces–including the far-right extremists...

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by asking the question: What even is Garfield? Jim Davis’ overfed, Monday-hating (even though he’s jobless) cultural figure first appeared in comic strips in the late 1970s, and since then, has been surprisingly resilient, most recently conquering the summer box-office with The Garfield Movie . But who is Garfield, and more perhaps more importantly, why is he a...

In 1990, the cartoon superhero Captain Planet swooped onto TV screens all over the world. He was the brainchild of media mogul Ted Turner, and in the face of impending ecological catastrophe, he had the lofty goal of turning kids into environmental warriors.  In this episode, we’re going to look at how Captain Planet came to be, what he aspired to do, and how much he really got done. Captain Plane...

On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by Slate staff writer and friend of the show, Nadira Goffe. The two revisit last year’s episode breaking down the  Tarte brand trip that took over TikTok  now that one of the main stars of that debacle, Fannita Legett, is once again TikTok’s main character This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Host...

Elissa Strauss always knew she wanted to be a mother, but she also knew she didn’t want motherhood to take over her personality. After all, she had spent years as a blogger making fun of anyone who took motherhood too seriously. She bemoaned the natural birth movement and people who made “mom friends.” Then Elissa had a son, and her view of caretaking started to shift. “I had put so much energy in...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Howard Megdal of the Next to discuss the tumultuous beginning to Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. Historian and author Larry Lester also joins to explain how records from the Negro Leagues finally got incorporated into the major-league record book. Finally, Joel speaks with Arena Football League player Tamatoa Silva about how it felt to watch an entire leag...

Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by Anna Sale, the host of  Death, Sex & Money , to dive into her internet diary. After her podcast jumped to Slate, Sale took a month off and plugged into her surroundings, starting with her local library. Since its return,  Death, Sex & Money  has dived into  diagnosed sociopaths ,  botox in Appalachia  and the  magic of mushrooms . But as Sale...

Girl groups have long been underestimated—even by the producers and managers who created them. For women listeners, girl groups narrated profound emotions and expressed personal freedom—even when the singers were not so free themselves. For male listeners, girl groups provided inspiration, and a way to express matters of the heart. And for all listeners across rock and soul history, girl groups pu...

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by jumping into Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , a prequel to George Miller’s 2015 Fury Road , in which Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Furiosa, an arachnid beauty who’s stolen as a child and becomes a wasteland road warrior. She’s a “strong, silent type,” typical of the action film genre, but does that trope mean something different with a female protagonist in 2024? The pa...

Today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from September 2022 about TikTok Shop. In the episode, Rachelle and Candice are joined by sustainable stylist and fashion educator  Lakyn Carlton  to discuss TikTok Shop — a new feature that lets users purchase products without ever leaving the app. TikTok Shop is a modern day QVC, where merchants can shell products they’ve made — or are authori...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the stardom of the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as well as Draymond Green’s stint on TNT’s Inside the NBA . Michael McCann of Sportico also joins to break down the multibillion-dollar settlement that will likely mark the end of amateurism in college sports. Luka and Kyrie:  How the Mavericks duo took over the Western Conference...

The dating app Bumble recently declared in advertisements that “a vow of celibacy is not the answer.” The ad campaign, which was met with a swift backlash, seemed to be responding to a prevailing notion that people are having less sex than they used to. Back in 2015, we asked our listeners why they weren’t having sex, and their reasons varied. Disability, religious beliefs, S.T.I.s, and differing...

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by internet culture writer and reporter Kate Lindsay whose recent Bustle article  “My Therapist is a TikTok Star”  explores the complicated dynamics that emerge when patients run into their therapists online. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

In our episode with Jim Harris, we talked about how a spinal cord injury left him partially paralyzed, and then how 8 months into his recovery he regained some lost sensation and movement after taking psilocybin at a music festival. When we recorded, we talked for a long time….right up to when his window of availability was closing.  But as I wrapped up and got ready to say goodbye, he said: can I...

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by reviewing Babes , Pamela Adlon’s ( Better Things , Louie ) directorial feature debut starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau. Through raunch-comedy and body horror, Babes explores childbirth and pregnancy through a refreshingly unromanticized lens, but does it succeed as a drama? Then, the three switch gears and turn to Interview With the Vampire , AMC’s A...

A fat suit is a custom-made costume with one goal: to make an actor appear fat without them actually having to be fat. It’s typically a unitard filled with mattress foam and other wiggly, jiggly bits—but it’s also so much more than that, an embodiment of all our cultural hang-ups about fatness. In today’s episode we’re going to consider the fat suit from all angles: how it’s made, how it’s changed...

Candice Lim is joined by Yowei Shaw (former co-host of NPR’s  Invisibilia)  to discuss her new podcast  Proxy , which takes listeners through the psychological aftermath of a layoff, starting with Shaw’s own layoff from NPR. In March 2023, the public radio institution laid off approximately 10 percent of its staff, resulting in the cancellation of  four podcasts , including  Invisibilia.  Shaw, al...

Before going on a kite-skiing trip to the Chilean mountains, Jim Harris and his longtime girlfriend broke up. She wanted to settle down, and he wanted to keep adventuring. On that trip, Jim broke his back and became paralyzed. After eight months of non-stop physical therapy his progress seemed to be stalled until one night at a concert he took magic mushrooms and noticed new movement in muscles th...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Pacers’ and Timberwolves’ Game 7 wins in the NBA’s conference semifinals. Slate’s Alex Kirshner also joins to talk about Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at the PGA Championship. Finally, they review Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s ultra-conservative commencement speech. NBA playoffs (3:11):  Looking back at a pair of historic road victories.   Sc...

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by Aisha Harris, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and author of  Wannabe:   Reckonings With the Pop Culture That Shaped Me . The two discuss  Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show , the latest venture from the comedian behind the Emmy-award winning stand-up special  Rothanial.  In contrast,  Reality Show  has been greeted with  a mixed critical reception  but bo...

Girl groups have long been underestimated—even by the producers and managers who created them. For women listeners, girl groups narrated profound emotions and expressed personal freedom—even when the singers were not so free themselves. For male listeners, girl groups provided inspiration, and a way to express matters of the heart. And for all listeners across rock and soul history, girl groups pu...

Rachelle and Candice dive into their mutual obsession: the  Selling Sunset  subreddit . Across seven seasons, the Netflix reality show has taken viewers into a glamorous and over-the-top real estate agency in Los Angeles. Aside from selling mansions, the show’s most successful endeavor has been its online community, built on social media platforms like Reddit. r/SellingSunset has more than 250,000...

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by dissecting The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes , the fourth chapter in the Apes franchise. Set “many generations” in the future, the latest installment (directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague) is an undeniably well-crafted summer blockbuster – but does it achieve the level of complexity and thought its predecessors did? (Read Dana’s review for Slate...