True Friends

Kate and EB discuss whether the "male loneliness epidemic" is actually just a "male laziness epidemic." Our artifact for the summer is Love Island USA Season 8! We debate our opinions about why Gen Z men seem to shy away from emotional vulnerability and authenticity, the burden of emotional intelligence and labor that seems to default to women, and how the patriarchy hurts all...

Kate and EB discuss the compulsory sexuality of reality TV, white girl "main character syndrome," and whether the "nice guy" act is really just red-pill behavior in disguise. Our artifact for the next few weeks will be Love Island USA Season 8! We debate our opinions about the ethics of production encouraging contestants to engage in sexual behavior, the hierarchy of beauty sta...

Kate and EB discuss the benefits of quitting your job for reality TV. Our artifact for the next few weeks will be Love Island USA Season 8! We debate our opinions about the legitimacy of a reality TV career, the online discourse surrounding this year's islanders, and the cost of making money off of being hot. Sources: 10 most successful Love Island USA contestants who turned their villa time...

Kate and EB discuss the cost of male attention when it comes to the safety of women. Our artifact this week is the Netflix documentary "Should I Marry a Murderer?" We debate our opinions about the pressure society puts on women to be chosen by a man, the responsibility of women when it comes to breaking out of the cycle, and the many ways in which the justice system fails victims in thei...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of the third season of Euphoria and its creator. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions about the objectification of women, the beauty standards set for women through shows like this one, and whether Sydney Sweeney has completely sold out. Sources: Euphoria on HBO Max Sam Levinson Wikipedia Page Sam Levinson NYT Article Euphoria's De...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of speculating on your favorite celebrity, if a woman could have her own Bieberchella and if celebrities owe us a performance. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions about the value of bringing back the hair swoop. Sources: Justin Bieber's Coachella performance wasn’t ‘lazy’ – and actually references 50 years of music history (Callan...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of kink-shaming Kristi Noem's husband. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions about the value of mocking ICE Barbie's bimbo-fied husband online. Sources: 10 Things You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed of in the Bedroom (Ferguson, 2025) SNL Skit The Bimbofication Fetish Explained By Experts (Foster, 2026) In South Dakota, Neighbors Feel Sorr...

Quick Editor's Note: We had some audio and tech issues this episode that were unable to be edited out. Stay tuned for fixes in our next episode. Kate and EB debate the ethics of domestic violence in the public eye. For today's episode, we watched the Secret Lives of Mormon wives and engaged with the online discourse that followed. We discuss our opinions and experiences and debate the ro...

Kate and EB debate the ethics of reality TV. For today's episode, we watched Reality Check: America's Next Top Model, the documentary on the infamous reality show. We discuss our opinions and experiences and land on some hard truths about the reality of reality TV. Sources: Get Real: The Tension Between Stardom and Justice for Reality Television Participants What are the legal rights of...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of quitting social media. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions about the value of deactivating our Instagram and TikTok accounts. Sources: The Evolution of Social Media: How did it begin, and where could it go next? (2020) Smartphone History: A Complete Timeline (Paavola, 2022) Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Er...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of boycotting. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions about the value of cancelling our prime memberships or refusing coffee from Starbucks.  Sources: Is boycotts an effective system of economic punishment? (Reddit AskEconomics, 2024) Do boycotts work? (King, 2017) Do the boycotts against McDonald’s and Starbucks work? (Mello-Klein, 2023)...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of targeted advertisements. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the hard truths about the insidious advertisements taking over our social media platforms and the data big companies are collecting on our habits and behavior. Sources: What is Targeted Advertising? (Lau, 2024) What is Targeted Advertising, and How Does it Work? The Tru...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of family influencers. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the hard truths about the monetization of children and parenting. Sources: Family Influencing in the Best Interests of the Child  (Chicago Journal of International Law, 2025) The Horrifying True Story Behind Hulu’s  Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke  (Brodsky, 202...

Kate and EB discuss the ethics of having a romantic relationship with Artificial Intelligence. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the hard truths about the isolation of modern life and the technology people use to cope with it. Sources: IBM AI Definitions IBM ChatGPT Definitions Reddit Thread: Is it weird for me, a human, to be in love with ChatGPT? She’s in Lov...

Kate and EB discuss why we can't stop buying fast fashion even when we know the impact. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the hard truths of our shopping addictions and ways we can mitigate it.  Sources: The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion, Explained (Rashmila Maiti, 2025) Fast Fashion Statistics (UniformMarket Editorial Team, 2025) The Psychology of...

Kate and EB discuss the "red-pill" phenomenon and what leads young men to fall down it. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the hard truths of this extreme misogyny and what we can do to fight it. Sources: Red Pill Blue Pill Wikipedia Definition   Chad Wikipedia Definition Men Who Hate Women from Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyn...

Kate and EB discuss gentle parenting and if it's ruining your child. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of how parenting practices impact outcomes. Sources: Gentle parenting turned my child into an a-hole  (Reddit user, 2024). How Gen Z is shaping a new era of mental health care  (Maharaj, 2024). TikTok video discussing...

Kate and EB discuss the new slang "girl's girl" and the meaning behind it. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of when and how we support (or don't support) other women. Sources: What It Actually Means To Be a Girl's Girl -- And What It Doesn't (Inks, 2024) What's a Pick-Me Girl? Here's...

Kate and EB discuss the ethical dilemma of the "Trad wife" phenomenon. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of traditional gender roles in the modern age. Sources: 'Trad wives' are trending. What does that say about feminism today? (Rascoe, 2024) Tradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology (Sy...

Kate and EB discuss the ethical dilemma of #SkinnyTok. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of the "thin is in" trend. Sources: Tumblr Eating Disorder Culture Has Made it to TikTok (Pitcher, 2024) Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating (Harrison, 2020) What's the D...

Kate and EB discuss the ethical dilemmas of exploring your sexuality. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of experimenting with queerness. Sources: What to Do When You're Questioning Your Sexuality (Goldman, 2024) "I'm Just Very Open to Trying New Things": Past Sexual Experiences and Sexual Curiosity in Bis...

Kate and EB discuss what to do when you think your friend may be in a toxic relationship. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of being a good friend to someone in a bad relationship. Sources: Friendship, Trust and Moral Self-Perfection (Biss, 2019) How To Help A Friend Who May Be In An Abusive Relationship (OneLove) Holding Sp...

Kate and EB discuss the pros and cons of botox, fillers, and beauty standards. We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of having work done. Sources: Dermal fillers: The good, the bad and the dangerous (Liu, 2020) Are there long-term health risks to using Botox? (Fox-Skelly, 2024) Why Preventative Botox Injections Could Be Agint Yo...

Kate and EB discuss whether it is ethical to bring a baby into this dark world, and it gets personal! We look at research, online discourse, and examine our own opinions on the pros, cons, and moral gray areas of having a baby in 2025. Sources: Why Have Kids? A Liberal Case for Natalism (Berg 2024) Ethical, environmental, and political concerns about climate change affect reproductive choices, fin...