STARGIRL: Recent Episodes
Emma Baker
This week, I chat with Kristen Lynch, a business and mindset coach (and my former yoga teacher!) who helped me take STARGIRL to the next level. Through mindset and marketing support, Kristen helps her clients turn their “passion project” into a real deal business — we discuss the importance of investing in yourself and why you have to legitimize yourself to yourself first. For Kristen (and now for me), this all ties into larger self-concept work: how you treat and relate to your body, move through the world, and co-create with the universe to step into your gifts and provide real service to the people who need your work.
Kristen is a business coach for early-stage, soulful women entrepreneurs. She’s had dozens of raving testimonials, been featured on global brands, & become internationally-charted as the host of the Lead Her podcast.
Follow Kristen on Instagram
Subscribe to her podcast, Lead Her
Sign up for her free Legiz Biz email series
Learn more about 1:1 coaching
To those who make contact. . . This week we tackle the original New Age spiritual guru, our beloved Marianne Williamson. We delve into her decades-long search for Maximum Aliveness, and discuss the principles that have most profoundly affected me in her work: personal responsibility, surrender, inner peace, and a belief in the miraculous.
Discussed:
- The Money Game
- “The Body Is Art” FKA Twigs x On Running at London Fashion Week
- A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson (1992)
- A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever, Marianne Williamson (2010)
- “Marianne’s Faithful,” Leslie Bennetts in Vanity Fair, 1991
- “The Divine Miss W,” Susan Schindehette in People Magazine (1992)
- “Marianne Williamson Is Campaigning for a Miracle,” Amanda Fortini in ELLE (2014)
- “Emotional Self-Sufficiency” lecture by Marianne given in 1988
Full episode on Patreon
Felt called to share how I’m thinking about the election and, more existentially, about the value of “patriotism” and how I show up in my tiny corner of the Garden.
Discussed:
- On Patriotism, Reverend Orville Dewey (1859)
- RFK, Jr. addresses the nation (2024)
- Interview with Dr. Casey and Calley Means, The Tucker Carlson Show (2024)
- Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, Casey Means, MD (2024)
- Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia (2023)
Full episode on Patreon
Announcement
Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!
- STARGIRL Yoga 2.0
Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class.
Reserve your spot here!
2. Intro to Strength Training Series
Every Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!
Sign up on ClassPass here!
Show notes:
Welcome back to the next episode of The Body Series! Today we have Dr. Julia Morgan, a sports chiropractor and fitness coach, and a huge inspiration for me as I’ve stepped into a new career as a personal trainer. Julia talks about her path from chiropractic work to strength training, and offers some expertise about the unique value of training with kettlebells. She also shares her experience as a fitness influencer, joining business forces with her husband, and building confidence through movement.
Follow @drjuliamorgan on Instagram
Check out Kettlebell Coach University (signups for their next Level 1 certification open 9/9!)
Download Julia’s 6-week Bridal Bootcamp program
Announcement
Sign-ups are live for STARGIRL in-person events in September!
- STARGIRL Yoga 2.0
Sunday, September 8 at 10am in Fort Greene. Meetup + 60-minute, all-levels, by-donation yoga class.
Reserve your spot here
2.Intro to Strength Training Series
Every Tuesday in September, 6-7pm at RS Strength in Brooklyn. This is a 4-week, progressive program introducing you to the foundational movement patterns (deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, strict press, etc.) using kettlebells. Jump in at any point!
Sign up on ClassPass here
Show notes:
Happy 50th episode! This week we tackle Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and social media star. Dunne is currently the highest-earning female college athlete (valued at $3.9M in NIL sponsorships alone) and has a chokehold on young men in America. We unpack the skepticism about her athletic abilities vs. sex appeal, fit her into a lineage of Buoyant Blondes (Kate Upton let’s go!), and feel out a new spectrum: fashion intellectualism vs. Feeling Good Naked. Omg!
Discussed:
- “Diet Pepsi” Addison’s new music video
- Lexee Smith “When Kitty Met Kat” video
- “The Money Game” new show on Amazon Prime about LSU and NIL
- On3 NIL rankings rankings
- “It’s Livvy Dunne’s World” profile in Elle by Kayla Webley Adler (2023)
- Sports Illustrated cover story on Livvy and Angel Reese (2023)
- Livvy in SI Swim(2024)
- Olga Korbut’s “Dead Loop” uneven bar routine (1972 Olympics)
Full episode on Patreon
This month, we rehash the recently upwelled Ballerina Farm discourse, and I talk about what she represents to me: not a “trad wife” (outdated, meaningless term), not a hard-headed business woman, but a secret third thing.
Discussed:
- “Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children)” Megan Agnew in the Times
- “My day with the trad wife queen and what it taught me” Follow-up article by Megan Agnew
- Inspired / ridiculous TikTok edits of Hannah dancing on the prairie: here, here, here
- Egg apron video
- Hannah’s response: IG Reel and full statement
Christian influencers we been watching: Cecily Bachmann, Josie Conely, Lunden & Olivia on TikTok
Full episode on Patreon
Eloise Skinner is a psychotherapist, author, and fitness instructor whose work focuses on existential themes, embodiment, and wellbeing. In this episode of The Body Series, Eloise explains the principles of existential therapy, how she’s built a life that combines her many varied interests (law, spirituality, therapy, fitness, dance, modeling, etc.), how our fundamental sense of trust in the world reflects our sense of safety in our bodies, and what Eloise calls "the pursuit of aliveness."
Follow Eloise on Instagram and TikTok!
Discussed:
- Eloise’s TEDTalk
- But Are You Alive?Eloise’s most-recent book
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon!
Announcements:
1. STARGIRL in-person event is happening!
Sunday, July 28 at 10am in Williamsburg (exact location details will be emailed out), a meetup and all-levels yoga class in NYC!
Fill out this Google Form to RSVP Space is limited, so serious responses only please
- Submit your Rants and Raves! Record a 0:30 - 2:00 hot take on a Stargirl of your choice, and email it to me at stargirldirect@gmail.com. I’ll play my favorites in forthcoming episodes!
Show notes:
This week, I’m joined by Holly Friend, a writer and trend forecaster based in London. We delve into the perverted world of Ottessa Moshfegh, one of the most commercially successful fiction writers of the last 10 years. We discuss how she unwittingly predicted / defined a cultural moment with My Year of Rest and Relaxation, her apparent obsession with self-mastery and anti-victimhood, unique sobriety narrative, and how her gross, sensory world compares to Sally Rooney’s romantic, cerebral one.
Holly Friend is a writer and futurist based in London. She makes sense of the world through identifying trends and narratives, which does as a freeland cultural strategist for brands, and as a fiction writer. Follow Holly on Instagram!
Discussed:
- Diva Discourse, a Beyoncé podcast by my friends Shaan and Enzo
- Kim is producing and featuring in an upcoming docuseries on Liz Taylor
- “#TurnOutForWhat” Rock the Vote campaign video (2014)
- Books by Ottessa: Eileen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Lapvona, Homesick for Another World
- “Ottessa Moshfegh Is Praying for You” Andrea Long Chu in Vulture
- Ottessa on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast
- Interview with Ottessa in the Guardian
- “Jailbait” essay by Ottessa in Granta
*Announcements!
- The first STARGIRL in-person event is happening! Details will be announced on my Instagram first @emmaglennbaker — can’t wait to share more and see you there!*
- In this week’s episode, I introduce a brand new segment to the public: STARGIRL Rants and Raves! I welcome all listeners to send in a Rant or Rave on a Stargirl, person/persona you fixate on, or cultural event/moment that you love or hate. This first round was open to Patrons only, and we listen to my favorite three submissions here today!
Here’s how it works:
- Record a 0:30 - 2:00 minute-long voice note
- Email the audio file to me at stargirldirect@gmail.com
- Subject line should read “Rant / Rave” on [your subject]”
- In the email, please not e how you’d like to be attributed (full name, first name only, IG handle, etc.)
Show notes:
This week we tackle a classic Stargirl: Dame Elizabeth Taylor. I talk about the many elements of her myth that I somehow inherited—her violet eyes, “married eight times to seven men,” her health issues, etc. I decide that although Liz Taylor is indeed beautiful, prolific, and messy, her real singularity lies in her Sturdiness: She is womanly, down-to-earth, and robust. We also discuss Camille Paglia’s incredible fixation on Liz, and leaf through Liz’s memoir/self-help/recipe book about her own weight gain and loss, Elizabeth Takes Off.
Plus, I finally acknowledge the Chappell Roan phenomenon, praise Addison for her underwater Dhanurasana, and challenge myself to discuss the election head-on, rather than roll my eyes and look away. We got this y’all!
Discussed:
- “Sabrina, Chappell, and Charli are suddenly stars. Why now?” Mikael Wood in the LA times
- Azaelia Banks on Chappell Roan
- Addison’s underwater amazingness
- “Love of Country and Aloha Spirit with Tulsi Gabbard,” Jocko Podcast
- Excerpt from “Elizabeth Taylor: Hollywood’s Pagan Queen,” Camille Paglia, originally published in Penthouse magazine (1992)
- Interview with Paglia on Liz Taylor, Salon (2011)
- Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image, and Self-Esteem, Elizabeth Taylor (1987)
Full episode on Patreon!
Happy July! In this month's letter, available to Dream / Threat-tier subscribers on Patreon, I give my final thoughts on "Brat Summer," dive into Azaelia Banks' recent Twitter run on today's poised-for-greatness pop stars, and ground down to the principles of manifestation/Law of Attraction that will get us all where we want to go.
Full episode on Patreon!
In this episode of The Body Series, I interview Sloane Elizabeth, a food freedom coach and the founder of the Food Freedom Collective. She is a holistic wellness expert who helps women eat, move, and live with Love & Intuition and empowers women to stop dieting, obsessing, restricting, and playing small so that they can experience food and life freedom. She uses a unique and powerful combination of science and spirituality to help her clients heal and live their dream lives. Sloane is also a published author and has been featured on Food Network, The Doctors, SHAPE, Betches, and Authority Magazine.
We discuss how intuitive eating is a result of healing (not something you do or perform), how restricting and overeating both stem from the same root wounds, and how Sloane navigates the saturated and highly charged online space around diet, weight gain and loss, and body image.
Check out Sloane’s website
Download this free resource from Sloane on Masterclass
Mentioned:
STARGIRL profile in Coveteurby Katy Kelleher
Sign up to take a free online yoga class with me in July!
SKIMS for Team USA
Full episode on Patreon!
Welcome to Part II of my conversation with my friend and the writer Shaan Sachdev. In this episode, we tackle Beyoncé as a Stargirl: how she handles controversy, deploys narrative control, and the Dream / Threat she represents. We discuss who she offends, and in which ways the jury is still out on her morality, despite her not being an edge-seeker in her personal life. We also wonder about what a Beyoncé successor would even look like, and worry about the decline of performance value in the singer-dancers of today.
Plus, a very special announcement for our Patreon community!
Beyoncé at Glastonbury (2011)
Read Shaan’s work and listen to Diva Discourse
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon!
Welcome to Part 1 of our Beyoncé special, with my friend and the Beyoncé evangelist Shaan Sachdev! This week, we take it all the way back to Wayne Koestenbaum’s 2001 book The Queen’s Throat, the seminal text on the Diva, fandom, and Vicariousness. We discuss the border between true Divadom and generalized cuntiness, and use Shaan’s recent piece in the Wall Street Journal to discuss Beyoncé’s supreme athleticism and what it means, then, to watch her age.
Shaan Sachdev is a cultural critic and essayist based in New York. He writes about ontology, city life, and his two favorite Divas: Hannah Arendt and Beyoncé. He co-hosts Diva Discourse, a Beyoncé-centered podcast.
Discussed:
- Tinx’s podcast episode on weightlifting
- Alix Earle for Sports Illustrated Swim
- Kim Kardashian and Chloe Sevigny for Variety
- The Queen’s Throat: Homosexuality, Opera, and the Mystery of Desire, Wayne Koestenbaum (2001)
- “Beyoncé the Athlete Is Adjusting to Midlife” Shaan in WSJ
- “The Key to Beyoncé’s Lasting Success” Shaan in Slate
- “Beyoncé Is Finally Embracing Her Role as Fairy Godmother to the Gays” Shaan in The Daily Beast
“Taylor Swift’s Invisible Merchandise”Shaan in Salon
Full episode on Patreon!
Cameron Yuen, PT, DPT, CSCS, is a performance physical therapist with a specialty in strength and conditioning, and the Director of Rehabilitation and Training and Bespoke Treatments in New York City. I worked with him in 2023 after I injured my lower back, and his coaching transformed both the way I approach training and my overall relationship to my body.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of strength, mobility, and motor control, how to approach injury and rehab, and simple ways to improve your health and longevity: resistance training, cardio, blood sugar management, sleep, and more. We also ask the question: Why is it important to have a healthy, well-functioning body?
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon!
Full episode on Patreon!
Celebrate two years of STARGIRL in this patron-only special episode, where we look back at the genesis of the project and check in on some of the Stargirls.
We discuss Tinx as a DJ, EmRata as a mom, the race to represent “mainstream white America,” what the heck is up in New York, and more. Plus, breaking my silence on Addison’s downfall and "the Girls and Gays" as a market segmentation.
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon!
Helloooo!!! Today we’re tackling the phenomenon of Paige Bueckers, college basketball star who has captured the nation’s attention with her skill, swag, and heart of gold. I talk about her TikTok explosion, the sexuality that’s projected onto her, and how her wholesome silly vibe makes me excited to be alive.
Then, we’ll hear from my little sister Nelly, a D1 runner who fills us in on all things NIL sponsorships, injury and recovery narratives, and the way Paige carries herself as a fun and faithful team leader. We also discuss the dynamic among the other top NCAA women's basketball players—Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, etc.—and Paige’s choice to not declare for the 2024 WNBA draft.
Follow Nell!
Discussed:
Ann Manov eviscerates Lauren Oyler in Bookforum
Paige and Janae Sims at the WNBA draft
WNBA red carpet
Amazing Paige videos: here, here, here, here
Paige’s speech at the ESPY Awards 2021
Full episode on Patreon
This week we welcome the writer Tao Lin! We talk about how we live our lives—our exercise and caffeine routines, experiences with pharmaceutical vs. naturally-occurring drugs, seeking magic, conceptions of the afterlife, the healing powers of beef, and much more. We also chat about Tao’s next book, on the environmental factors causing autism, and why it’s scary to submit ideas to a public who’s ready to tear you down.
Follow Tao on Twitter!
Discussed:
Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and ChangeTao’s book (2018)
“The Story of Autism: How We Got Here, How We Heal” Tao’s essay
Life After Life, Raymond Moody (1975)
This week we welcome my friend and writer/editor Alana Pockros to tackle the work and persona of Lauren Oyler. We discuss how Lauren seized authority as the millennial literary critic, how her abandonment of the “rules” makes her work difficult to engage with critically, her famous distaste for Vulnerability, the Berlin piece (...), and what it means to be both brave and mean.
Plus, in my quarterly pulse check on Culture, I declare a massive return to all things folklore: earthy spirituality, magic, psychedelics, freak folk, boho chic, metal music, and more.
Follow Alana on Twitter!
Discussed:
Evidence of the Folkloric Return:
- Joanna Newsom upcoming tour
- Timmy as Bob Dylan
- Kacey Musgraves profile by Allison P. David in the Cut
- “The runway—not TikTok—brought back Boho Chic” Madeleine Schulz in Vogue Business
- Rebecca Yarros books
- Sotce and @sighswoon
- Shanin Blake ayahuasca singer vibes
- Shawn Mendes + Hitomi: Page Six, Hola.com (lol!)
Regarding Lauren Oyler:
- Lauren at SantaCon for VICE(2017)
- “The Miseducation of Lady Bird” Oyler in The Baffler (2017)
- “Ha ha! Ha ha!” Oyler on Trick Mirror in LRB(2020)
- “Lauren Oyler thinks she’s better than you” Becca Rothfeld in Washington Post (2024)
- Interview with Lauren Oyler in Lit Hub(2024)
- Fake Accounts,Lauren Oyler (2021)
- No Judgment, Lauren Oyler(2024)
- “Dance Factory” Lauren in Harper’s (2024)
- “What’s Your Type?” Merve Emre in NYRB (2024)
- Rachel Comey x NYRB collab
Full episode on Patreon
This week, we welcome the writer Emmeline Clein to discuss her new book, Dead Weight, a history of eating disorders. She explains how the medical establishment created a diagnostic hierarchy that feeds into the latent competitiveness of the disease, how the impulse to ritualize your diet can both life-affirming and self-destructive, and how cultural characters like Karen Carpenter, Mischa Barton, and Simone Weil shaped her adolescent vision of the type of woman she should be. Thank you Emmeline!
Buy Dead Weight
Emmeline’s website
Happy Spring! This week we explore the legacy of @treaclychild (RIP) in her ascent from Twitter darling to HBO executive producer (!!!). We explore why ironic self-debasement felt so electric in the late 2010s (and feels so boring now), the "Our Girl Made It" feeling, and what we lost as her persona drifted into caricature.
Mentioned:
Treadmill video
Shiva Baby poster
Weird moment after Balenciaga show?
Polyester Zine shoot (2022)
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon!
Hello, earth angels! This week Callie and I delve into the sensual world of our favorite YouTuber, @yaknowme_hitomi. We discuss her spiritual evolution from depressed NYC thrifter to fully realized health goddess, explore the Dream/Threat of the ethereal travel vlogger, and relish in our shared nostalgia for West Coast wanderlust circa 2013.
Mentioned:
Follow Hitomi on Youtube and Instagram
Hitomi’s life story video (2017)
Hitomi on Know Thyself podcast (2023)
Follow Callie on Twitter and subscribe to her podcast,Nonfiction with Callie Hitchcock!
Full episode on Patreon
STARGIRL 2.0 is here! Introducing: The Body Series.
Embodiment has always been a central theme of STARGIRL, and we tackle it head on in The Body Series, a Patreon exclusive. In this sequence of conversations, I chat with writers and artists, fitness professionals, athletes/dancers/yogis, etc. whose work centers on the body.
Our first guest is writer Jordan Castro—we discuss his recent Harper’s essay on weightlifting, how exercise changed our relationships to the world, why certain literary/culture scenes dismiss fitness as anti-intellectual, and why lifting need not be politicized.
Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreonfor access to the full episode, as well as monthly collections of other STARGIRL-y resources.
Plus, sign up by March 1st to receive a free gift from Emma!
Shiva Rea is credited as a key popularizer of modern yoga in the United States: She transformed the physical practice and in so doing, helped to define our mainstream conception of what yoga “is.”
In this episode, we discuss the roots of her Prana Vinyasa style, the aesthetic evolution of yoga chicks from the 1980s to now, yoga’s waning counter-cultural status, and why the knee-jerk response to accusations of cultural appropriation—to further divide the spiritual from the physical—does no one any good.
Discussed:
“Planet Yoga,” Vanity Fair (2007)
“Yoga Without Love Beads” LA Times (1987)
“Tending the Sacred Fire” Shiva at Burning Man (2011)
“The power of embodying your energetic heart” Shiva’s TEDxMalibu talk (2014)
Shiva Rea Yoga | Earth Flow Practice
Shiva Rea Yoga | Dancing Warrior
Special thanks to Michelle Chambers, (E-RYT 500, MPA, Pulse Yoga Collective), Kristen Lynch, and Becky Simon for all their help on this ep!
Today we're joined by Sam Cummins of Nymphet Alumni to discuss the timeless American novelist Willa Cather. We talk about the needless politicization of Cather, why Nature is the ultimate identity cleansing force, and how frontier literature has evolved today.
Discussed:
Cather novels:
- O, Pioneers
- One of Ours
- My Ántonia
- Death Comes for the Archbishop
Willa Cather and the Politics of Criticism, Joan Acocella(2000)
The Kingdom of Art,early Cather essays collected by Bernice Slote (1966)
“Becoming Noncanonical: The Case Against Willa Cather,” Sharon O’Brien (1988)
(Homework!: “Getting the Pump,” Jordan Castro in Harper’s)
Follow Samand subscribe to Nymphet Alumni!
Happy New Year! Today we take the opportunity to look back at how Gwyneth and Goop defined Wellness in the 2010s. I argue that while Goop lacked a soulful center, Gwyneth is working in the grand Esoteric tradition of seeking the sublime through one's relationship to the body. I look at the current aesthetic detritus of exercise culture, challenge the bad rap on “self-optimization,” and meet Gwyn in her New Age quest for Something Beyond.
Discussed:
“How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million,” Taffy in NYT Magazine
Lauren Oyler on the Goop Cruise for Harper’s
“Gwyneth Paltrow Looks Back at 15 Years of Goop and More,” Marisa Meltzer in NYT
Outlive by Peter Attia
My fave episodes of the Goop podcast:
- with Michael Pollan
- with Peter Attia
- with Monique Melton
- 15th Anniversary Special Episode
Today we use Kim Kardashian and Skims to close out many open conversations of the year: the body, motherhood and domesticity, women megalomaniacs, athleticism as an editorial trend, and so much more. I argue that Skims is the most exciting, subversive contemporary beauty brand and grand editorial project of 2023, commend Kim for her commitment to her own point of view, knight her as a Free Thinker, and formally retire our paranoia around “Girl Culture.”
Plus! A deep dive into Tate McRae: her revival of White Girl Hairography, confused visual identity, and the renewed thirst for pop stars who can seriously freaking dance 😻😻😻
P.S. Addison walked so Tate McRae could run… missing her always… see u in 2024 💫
Discussed:
Kim on the goop podcast
Jens Grede on the BoF podcast
Skims nipple bra ad
Rachel Tashjian on the Skims nipple bra in the Washington Post
“Nothing Lasts Forever” music video, Sevdaliza
“Mel Ottenberg Gets Ripped for Rick Owens” in Interview
“Woman in Retrograde” by Isabel Cristo in the Cut
Bianca Giaever was a local legend, a mythic figure whose forest nymph-like presence lingered in the walls of Garfield High School long after she graduated. I learned about her—her confidence, adventurousness, cleverness, and drive—within the first month of my freshman year, and witnessed hoards of girls (and myself) debase themselves to try to emulate her vibes. I kept tabs on Bianca well after high school, too, and, for a few key years in the 2010s, used her viral Vimeo videos to guide me down a vague path toward what I thought I might want to someday get up to.
This episode explores the charm and tyranny of my highschool’s outdoors club, Bianca’s artful devotion to The Mundane, and why it’s a lot easier to get over the excruciating disappointment of being yourself if you have a role model.
Discussed:
GQ names Kim Kardashian “Man of the Year”
“The Scared is scared,” Bianca Giaever, 2013
“Holy Cow Lisa” 2012
“CRUSH” campaign for Rachel Antonoff’s SS14 line
Constellation Prize, Bianca’s new podcast
Tape podcast interview with Bianca, 2020
Today we welcome YouTuber and general internet darling Sally Darr Griffin to tackle Taylor Swift. Discussed: Taylor's insidious creep toward total world domination, the Dream/Threat of a Girls' Girl, power hungry female celebrities, songwriting vs. performance value, the Swiftie microeconomy, Taylor's relentlessly out-of-step visual identity, and so much more. I also let SDG nerd out on her favorite fan theories... buckle up!
Follow Sally Darr everywhere:
YouTube
TikTok
Letterboxd
This week we welcome K-pop expert and fanatic Alexi Alario, the co-host of Nymphet Alumni, to analyze Miss Jennie Kim ♡ We discuss how Jennie sets herself apart from her BLACKPINK peers, her craving for multi-hyphenate Western relevance, and why the “lazy Jennie” narrative makes her even more stannable. We also dissect her perfect neotenous face, Calvin Klein billboards, and incoherent budding solo career.
Mentioned:
Alexi’s episode of Stan Accounts, the MTV-produced docuseries on K-pop fans
“Lazy Jennie”
DDU-DU DDU-DU music video
You & Me performance video
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Video of Wonyoung and Sydney Sweeney…
K-Pop Masterclass, Nymphet Alumni episode
Follow Alexi <3
Listen and subscribe to Nymphet Alumni 0:-)
Welcome back! Today we discuss Zendaya, arguably the most celebrated Face of Young Hollywood and one of my favorite people to watch move. We discuss all that's demanded of her liminal space of race, her incredible lankiness, the attempted "queering" of her relationship with Tom Holland, and what's beneath the understanding of her as a "safe" celebrity.
Mentioned:
"Zendaya Holds Court" ELLE magazine shoot
Euphoria deleted scene w/ Angus Cloud
BTS video w/ Storm Reid
This week I'm joined by Marisa Meltzer, longtime beauty industry chronicler and the author of the new book Glossy: Beauty, Ambition, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier. We make the case for Glossier as the millennial brand, and discuss Emily's guarded, cipher-esque persona, and chat about how the "girlboss" tag is more apt than modern feminist criticisms give it credit for.
Mentioned:
Glossy, Marisa's new book on the subject
"The Story Behind Glossier" Marisa on The Run Through with Vogue
"Milky Jelly Hotline Special ft. Marisa Meltzer" Every Outfit podcast
"The Real Story Behind Glossier with Marisa Meltzer," Forever35 podcast
"Where Have All the Girlbosses Gone?" Marisa in Vanity Fair
NYT review of Glossy
Washington Post review of Glossy
The Guardian review of Glossy
Big one today! This week we discuss Hannah Neeleman, the first generation farmer and marketing genius behind Ballerina Farm. We discuss the many Dreams/Threats evoked by her particular brand of Harmony: effortless health, graceful motherhood, the family as a social unit, etc. I push back on the angry fixations on her stove, her husband’s family money, and her “lack of agency,” and salute her reverence for performance as a craft in itself. Buckle up!
Discussed:
@BallerinaFarm on Instagram
We Took The Train, Hannah’s old blog from the Brazil days
“Performing the American Pastoral,” Binchtopia podcast on Ballerina Farm
“Motherhood, Pig Farming, and Homeschooling with Hannah of Ballerina Farm” The Momforce Podcast
“Pursuing Your Dreams- From Julliard-Trained Ballerina to Small-Town Farmer with Hannah Neeleman” Just Ingredients podcast
“Ballerina & Business Guy Go Full Hog” Couple Co. podcast
“The Edenic Allure of Ballerina Farm” Culture Study, Anne Helen Peterson’s Substack
“Is Tradwife content dangerous, or just stupid?” Kathryn Jezer-Morton in the Cut
“The Crunch-to-Alt-Right Pipeline”Kathleen Belew in the Atlantic
This week we’re throwing some paint at the wall! I check-in on the aimlessness of my summer energy, reorient, and give a preview of my top 3 Urgent Themes for Fall: Doing Things, the question: How am I treating my body?, and Campy Femininity. I also give my official stance against feminine fragility, and usher in a new era of capability and resourcefulness. Let’s get it!
Discussed:
“Outdoor Voices Founder Ty Haney Has Moved On. Mostly.” Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz, The Cut
@BallerinaFarm on IG
Addison’s A.R. album release party vibes
Tinx remixing Addison’s “2 die 4” https://soundcloud.com/tinxlucas/addison-rae-2-die-4-tinx-lucas-remix
“The Alix Earle Effect” ELLE writing Veronique Hyland, photos Tyler Joe, styling Sarah Zendejas
“Zendaya Holds Court” ELLE writing Clover Hope, photos Steven Klein, styling Law Roach
Julia Fox for Victoria’s Secret
Today we return to the subject of Caroline Calloway with CC herself! We discuss the difficulty of self-publishing, the over-simplification of her "revenge" narrative, being a lifelong loner, the worst of her times in New York, and what she sees as her true "craft." Plus, Caroline runs herself through the STARGIRL paradigms and gets an A+ !
Caroline on Twitter, IG
Buy SCAMMER
Today we welcome SATC superfan Callie Hitchcock to opine on the “ambling bravado” of Carrie Bradshaw, the beloved character created by Candace Bushnell in her column at the New York Observer and reimagined in HBO’s Sex and the City. We discuss the evolution of the character from seedy partygirl to prudish romantic, the blurring of Candace/Carrie/Sarah Jessica Parker, and what it means to uphold Carrie as an emblem of New York.
Discussed:
"Why Sarah Jessica Parker Keeps Playing Carrie Bradshaw," Rachel Syme in The New Yorker
"The Difficult Women of Sex and the City," Emily Nussbaum in The New Yorker
"It Girl, Interrupted" Candace Bushnell on Every Outfit podcast
"Sex Lives of Serious Journalists: He's a Feminist, She's a Real Man" Candace Bushnell in New York Observer (full column archive here)
"Candace Bushnell Is Back in the City" Q&A with Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker
"Cynthia Nixon Dismisses 'Bizarre' Fan Complaints About Miranda" Ryan Gajewski Hollywood Reporter
Today we go long on Miss Dasha Nekrasova, a podcaster/actress/director and the poster of our time 🫡 We discuss the genius of Red Scare, the tedious bleedout of Dimes Square discourse, and how Dasha's playfulness elevates her above the rotten lot of disaffected e-girls.
S/o to Ella @ellasimoneee for all of the help on this one!
Mentioned:
Girl Online, Joanna Walsh
"Red Scare Leans Into Nothing," Noreen Malone in the Cut
"Inside the New Right, Where Peter Thiel Is Placing His Biggest Bets" James Pogue in Vanity Fair
"Escape from Dimes Square" Will Harrison in The Baffler
MovieMaker Magazine shoot by Richard Kern
Welcome to my fitness manifesto! Today we explore the rise and reign of Lauren Kanski, a strength and fat loss coach (and my own personal guiding light regarding all things body, nutrition, movement, and longevity). We discuss the social status of fitness chicks, the grifter vibes of protein discourse, and how supreme interest in physical fitness is viewed as villainous.
Mentioned:
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia MD
RFK, Jr. on Rogan
Lauren on Strongest Self Podcast
Lauren on Fuel You! Podcast
Lauren on TripleFFFM Podcast
Lauren on Train With the Best Podcast
👉 FOLLOW (Instagram):
@lauren_kanski
@ash_lucy_wang
@drjuliamorgan
@hunter_crine
@lizplosser
@drgabriellelyon
@drjamesdinic
@dr.andychen
@thealanaragon
@jeana.aragon
@whitneyysimmons
@nikkiblackketter
@jazminegarcia
@cynthialeu
@jessglistening
Welcome back to STARGIRL, a show about girls who stand out! Today we ride the wave of Caroline Calloway's latest publicity cycle, centered on the long-awaited debut of her book, Scammer. We discuss CC's unwavering belief in her own destiny, the power/limits of villain/victim narratives, and how we never got to witness the magnetic, popular-girl character we were told to fear. We also explore the agony of watching someone try to extend their own messaging, and our waning interest in the forever-deferred payoff of her supposed narrative potential.
Discussed:
The Shift: Change Your Perspective, Not Yourself, Tinx's NYT best-selling book!
The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazzard
"I Was Caroline Calloway," Natalie Beach in The Cut
"Caroline Calloway Survived Cancellation. Now She's Doubling Down" Lili Anolik in Vanity Fair
"She Got Famous Calling Herself a Scammer. Is She Finally Making Good?" Olivia Messer in Rolling Stone
"The Essay That Started It All" excerpt from Natalie Beach's forthcoming book, Adult Drama
"The Death of the Muse: Emily Ratajkowski and the Right to One's Lens" my essay on the fusing of the artist&muse
Today we welcome Nisa Neza, the host of CAN'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE, to tackle Lana: Part I/ ! We explore: Lana's meandering, sun-flared world, the various sexual tropes she plays with, and how her music and look have evolved (/deteriorated) over the past decade. We also discuss how she foretold our collective Americana nostalgia moment, how patriotism plays out in her music and reception, and how she seized authority as the chronicler of Los Angeles. Plus! The threat of women whose self-destructive behavior leads to Great Art vs. Looking Bad :/
Follow Nisa @this.albanian.life
Listen to CAN'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE
This week we use TikTok star Alix Earle as a vessel to tackle one of my favorite topics: Blondeness! I discuss what it "means" to be/go blonde, the sorry state of blonde discourse, and how blondeness is deployed as a device in art vs. real life. I also pose the big-kahuna question: What is the beauty standard in 2023? and argue that our collective quest to "transform beauty standards" is less about changing on-the-ground sexual preferences and more about increasing access to commodification. Scary....
Discussed:
"Does Parade Underwear Make You Feel Good About Yourself?" Brock Colyar in The Cut
"Spiritual Bimboism" Nymphet Alumni episode
"What Does It Mean To Choose to Dye Your Hair Blonde?" Interview with Claudia Rankine on NPR
"Why So Many Asian-American Women Are Bleaching Their Hair Blond" Andrea Cheng in the Times
"The Enduring, Invisible Power of Blond" Tressie McMillan Cottom in the Times
"The Age of Instagram Face" Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker
"Botoxic Masculinity" Red Scare episode
"The Class Politics of Instagram Face" Grazie Sophia Christie in Tablet
"Hozempic" Red Scare episode
"Will the Ozempic Era Change How We Think About Being Fat and Being Thin?" Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker
This week we are joined by a real-life Stargirl, the writer Katie Roiphe, to discuss Mary McCarthy, one of the best and most controversial writers of the 20th century. We talk about the sharpness and brutality of her voice, her rejection of political movements in favor of a more intimate, material investigation of people's behavior, how her mass appeal violated the norms of her intellectual circle, and why she's been written out of certain feminist literary histories. Plus, Katie shares a handful of quotes about the myth of McCarthy's unnerving smile.
Discussed:
Stories in The Company She Keeps: A Cruel and Barbarous Treatment, The Genial Host, The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt
The Group"My Confession"
On The Group by Apoorva Tadepalli, The Point"The Naked and the Conflicted" by Katie, NYT
This week we tackle the backlog of "are they or aren't they" potential-Stargirls, revisit the Too-Too-ness, and talk about the importance of meaningfully alienating people with your ideas. Come play in my world! 🤸
Discussed:
Beyoncé
Rihanna
Rosalía
BLACKPINK
Doja Cat
Charli XCX
Megan Fox
Taylor Swift
Lana Del Rey
Kardashian/Jenner clan
Vanessa Hudgens
Nicki Minaj
Also discussed:"Parade Expands Into Underwire Bras" WWD
LaQuan Smith for Cash by Cash App
"A Girl of the Zeitgeist" Janet Malcolm in The New Yorker
This week we delve deep into the uncanny, insidious world of the D2C underwear brand Parade and its CEO, Cami Téllez. I talk about the downsides of bridging art and editorial, the botched AI-ness of everything we're forced to look at, and the tendency for powerful, beautiful women to reject their normie power for the sake of 'relatability.'
My essay "Late to the Parade: The Self-Own of Influencer Marketing in 2021"
This week we go long on Azealia Banks, the American rapper who can't STFU to save her life. I talk witchiness, how evil women problematize fourth-wave "Do You" feminism, and the thin line between being an aesthete and being a bully.
Discussed:
"Perpetual Childhood: The Rise of Cute Feminism" by Mikaela Dery in Soft Punk"#MeToo Will Not Survive Unless We Recognize Toxic Femininity" by Meghan Daum in Medium I kept saying "Doud" instead of "Daum" — brain lapse — apologies!!
Lena Dunham's Girls is my favorite piece of art that's been created in my lifetime. I talk about why writing off the show as "narcissistic" is a massive missed opportunity, Lena's compulsion toward self-exposure and body horror, and her acute (unmatched?) understanding of how people behave. Happy Holidays y'all, and see you in the new year! 🌠
Discussed:
"Lena Dunham Comes to Terms With Herself" Allison P. Davis in The Cut
"Crush" by Bianca Giaever for Rachel Antonoff
"Why Lena Dunham's 'Girls' Is Like Nothing Else on TV" Emily Nussbaum in New York
"On Finally Watching 'Girls,' a Different and Better Show Than I'd Been Led to Imagine" Jia Tolentino in TNY"Lena in Love" Kaitlin Phillips in Bookforum"What Marilyn Monroe Means to Me" Lena in Vogue
Joining us this week is one of my dearest friends, Molly, to discuss the musician and de facto Sad Girl cult leader, Mitski. We talk about the liminal space of teenage girlhood, extended adolescence, how to elevate melodrama into art, and the social power of female passivity.
Mentioned:
Addison + archival fashion by Janelle Okwodu in Vogue
"Grand Unified Theory of Female Pain" Leslie Jamison in VQR"The Misreading of Mitski" Jia Tolentino in TNY
This week we explore The Myth of Julia Fox: her hard-partying youth, various artistic endeavors, explicit sex appeal, and attempts at provocation in 2022. We also talk about the fragility of the dream(s) she represents: being young, hot, and reckless in New York; representing a milieu just by being yourself; and turning out just fine (and famous) after following your impulses to the bitter end.
Mentioned:
"A Retired Dominatrix Goes to Church" Naomi Fry in The New Yorker
"Julia's Box: Where the Legend of 'The Fox' All Began" Cat Marnell in PAPER
IDEA on Julia's art books
"Sex, Blood, and the Ritual of Rebirth: RIP Julia Fox" Jill Di Donato in Huffpost
Julia's Into The Gloss interview
This week, we recap the foundational STARGIRL themes: the nature-artifice continuum, ripe/dead, and the quest for narrative control. Then, we analyze one of the world's highest-profile MPDGs, Grimes, and discuss the power/limits of self-mythology and caricature, how to safely court Evil, and the deep threat of the effortless Weird Girl.
Mentioned:
"On Duplicity: Grimes and the Allure of the Fantasy Self" Emma Baker in Soft PunkReview of Art Angelsin PitchforkHappy Hourby Marlowe Granados
"Kim Kardashian Bares All" Mel Ottenberg in Interview
Meet Tinx, the TikTok-er turned omniscient multi-hyphenate bae! We talk about her knack for world-building (RMWs, ESWB, LTG, Miss Egg, roti chick, Tinky Tequila, Leg on the Wall Fall etc. ETC.), the downsides of hyper-transparency, and the fragility of the relatable X aspirational influencer model.
Mentioned:
"Meet Tinx, Your Girlfriend's Favorite Dating and Life Advice Expert" John McDermott in Esquire
"Athleisure, barre and kale: the tyranny of the ideal woman" Jia Tolentino in The Guardian (excerpt from her book!)
Follow Tinx!!
This week, we are joined by my dear friend Mikaela Dery to discuss Sally Rooney, the Irish novelist. We talk about the high-brow/low-brow nature of her books, how to make malaise stylish, the power dynamics between bookish girls and jock-y dudes, and how Sally foretold young people's preoccupation with Catholicism.
Discussed:
"What's Really Driving the Sally Rooney Obsession?" Katie Roiphe in WSJ
"Normal Novels," Becca Rothfeld in The Point
Follow Mikaela on Twitter and Instagram
Coming events at McNally Jackson
Welcome to the first installment of STARGIRL Auditions: Sydney Sweeney! We evaluate Sydney's potential to become an era-defining actress and sex symbol, and dig into some Paglia-informed ideas about the power of vacant women. Also discussed: AirPod bodies, Maddy vs. Cassie in HBO's Euphoria, and the recent embrace of Americana and GOP aesthetics more generally.
Mentioned:
"The Age of Instagram Face" Jia Tolentino in TNY
"The Politics of Blondness, From Aphrodite to Ivanka" in The Cut
Sexual Personae
"The Snapocalypse" Nymphet Alumni
Meet Alison Roman, the food media disruptress who epitomizes the best and worst of single millennial Brooklyn circa 2018. This week we are joined by Callie Hitchcock, my dear friend and a bona fide Alison Roman scholar, who breaks down the zeitgeist and her own personal investment in Alison as the next great domestic goddess.
Articles mentioned:
-
"Alison Roman Just Can't Help Herself" by Lauren Collins in The New Yorker
-
"Cooking Outside the Lines: A Conversation with Alison Roman" by Callie!! in LARB
Follow Callie on Twitter
Read Callie's writing
Meet Jia Tolentino, the former darling of the media world who charmed and frustrated us all for a few critical pre-pandemic years. I talk about her expertly crafted "relatable" persona, why arrogance is better than feigned humility, and why I never want to see another Baby's All Right location tag for the rest of my life.
Meet Emily Ratajkowski, the hottest woman in the world who can't be satisfied! I talk about her body, her book called "My Body," her hot-girls-for-Bernie Instagram presence, and the gluttonous impulse to control how other people see you.
Meet Audrey Gelman, the co-founder and former CEO of The Wing, the women-only co-working space that drove people mad from 2016-2020.