STAN
You think you could be besties with Hailey Bieber? Cute. We explore obsessive celebrity worship, parasocial relationships and digital intimacy. Each episode centres on a cultural icon or phenomenon—ranging from The Hunger Games, erotic fiction, 2010s YouTubers and (of course) Taylor Swift—to unpack how the media we consumed, particularly during our formative years, shaped our desires, ideals, and sense of self. Tangents Include: Why we expect celebrities to be moral compasses, activists and entrepreneurs The deification and subsequent ‘dethroning’ of women in media (e.g. Blake Lively) The constant access to celebrities through social media, and our sense of ‘ownership’ over them (i.e. we made you what you are, therefore you owe us) How our early media diets reflected and influenced what we value, what we want, and who we are The evolution of fandom in an age where access is constant and attention is monetised
Episodes
🗡️ I am the rock against which the surf crashes. Nothing can break me. 🗡️
Our angelic guests Abby and Ronnie (from @DragonsintheDetailsPod) lead the conversation on Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. We get into the depth and complexity of fantasy world building, the frustrating societal tendency to denigrate media and literature intended for women, the positive impact of...
🦸 Avengers, Assemble! 🦸
Our terrific guests Taylor and Katie (of the @sistersassembled podcast) lead the conversation on Captain America and the wider Marvel universe. We get into the suggestive homoeroticism of Cap & the Winter Soldier, how franchise IP has harmed (or ultimately helped? 🤞)Hollywood, and how the Marvel Universe earned the derisive nickname the ‘M-She-U.’ Tangents inclu...
🎶 Don’t stop believin’ 🎶
Our magical guest Maria leads the conversation on Glee. We get into what it means to be an intense and off-putting teen, balancing educational moments with realistic character development in television, and the heartbreak of the Glee curse.
- The true value (if any) of single sex education
- The death (and hopeful resurre...
🌠 Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight 🌠
Our astounding guests Andrene and Joel (from Rewind Rewatch podcast) lead the conversation on She’s All That. We talk about the damaging 90s romcom tropes, how that period laid the foundation for the fraught gender relations we’re experiencing today and weighing the costs and benefits of monoculture vs various internet subcultures.
Tange...
✨ thank u, next ✨
TW: eating disorders
Our lovely guest Lillie leads the conversation on Ariana Grande. We get into the long term impact of child stardom, the era of Tumblr ‘thinspo’ and the double standards in considering women’s personal lives and relationships far more heavily in evaluating their art than we do for men.
- The (vanishingly)...
🍮Thank you for being a friend 🍮
Our marvellous guest Mandy Kaplan (from Make Me a Nerd podcast) leads the conversation on The Golden Girls. We get into whether the Golden Girls was borne from genuine interest in telling the stories of older ladies, or opportunistic tokenism, whether social issues ever gain meaningful traction through fictional media and how GG set the tone for comedic writing structures yet to be successfully imi...
🧇 Friends don’t lie 🧇
Our effervescent guests Emily Jaye and V Arrow (of This Week in Fandom History) lead the conversation on Stranger Things. We get into the genius of the film references, how Stranger Things defined its own format and exemplified cross-genre writing, and whether Steve Harrington is the blueprint for the perfect redemption arc. Tangents include….
- Justice for Barb! (And other non-charismatic respo...
🔮 “There’s no such thing as psychics” 🔮
Our cracking guest Crystal Watanabe (aka @pikkotheeditor of the Rom Com Detectives) leads the conversation on The Mentalist. We get into the dubious value of the slow burn romance, the safety of watching chaotic characters from a distance (and the relief that they don’t exist in our real lives!) and the benefits/dangers of relying on one n...
⛰️ Kid, you’ll move mountains! ⛰️
Our accomplished guest Amy leads the conversation on “Oh, the places you’ll go!” by Dr Seuss. We get into whether personal achievement and the ‘solo hero’s journey’ are responsible message to impart to our children, whether ‘the waiting place’ serves as reassurance or a cautionary tale and how overconsumption has enabled some truly insane movie ...
Our ingenious guest Isabella leads the conversation on David Letterman. We get into the death of late-night television (and its resurrection in weird Youtube shows?), the necessary ingredients of a legendary comic and the evolution of the press junket, not necessarily for the better. Tangents include…
- The special quality~ that comedy agents are searching for at festivals
- The impossible balance between finding inner peac...
Our marvellous guest Michael (from You Wanted a Hit! podcast) leads the conversation on Beastie Boys. We get into whether artists should bear accountability for their audiences’ interpretation of their work, the power dynamics of the creative process and the enduring relationship between politics and art.
Tangents include…
- the dissipating etiquette observed during concerts (get off your phone, girl!)
- the way...
Our insightful guest Neoshia leads the conversation on the X Files. We get into the origins of the term 'shipping,' how TV got more gory and technical during its 'golden age' and how the X Files set the bar for the enduringly popular genre of crime procedurals. Tangents include...
- the ability of television to start conversations about social, political and even existential realities
- the haven of 'blerd' (black nerd)...
Our joyous guest Julia Makhalova Chi (founder of Brand Backstage and writer of Next in Culture) leads the conversation on Vince Gilligan. We get into why fandoms can be such a tense space, whether art can really ever be divorced from its promotion and deepening our understanding of content through an extended metaphors of food. Tangents include…
- the inherent value of brat summer (immeasurable)
- the comparative value of Ja...
The boy who LIVED.
Our legendary guest Lacey leads the conversation on Harry Potter. We get into the power of cultural diplomacy, the key ingredients of a ‘generationally defining’ text (particularly in a micro-event driven media landscape), and the ways in which we allay anxieties surrounding longevity and mortality. Tangents include:
- the involuntary bodily r...
Our exceptional guests Ilissa and Michelle (of @totalbettypodcastnetwork) lead the conversation on Pretty Little Liars. We get into the evolving relationship between fandoms and writers rooms, the weird romanticisation of age-gap relationships and why the teen drama genre is so comforting and intoxicating. Tangents include...
- the acceptable contexts to approach a woman in public
- ...
Good morning upper east siders.
Our hysterical guests Yarden and Kaia (from Not My Scene podcast) lead the conversation on Gossip Girl. We get into how media catalyses the loss of childhood innocence, unrealistic expectations of adulthood and the versatility of New York City as a background character. Tangents include…
- the completely unwarranted shame that accompan...
Our genius guest Jayne (aka @didoriot) leads the conversation on The Row, and the Olsen twins. We get into the how the consumption cycle is diminishing the overall quality of clothing, successful marketing within post-irony culture and how the Olsen twins straddle the ‘competing’ identities of respected public intellectuals and slammin’ hotties. Tangents include…
Our marvellous guest Marilyn leads the conversation on twihard mania. We talk about the accidental success of the Twilight saga , the seductive wealth of the Cullens and the redeeming(?) qualities of Bella Swan as a female lead (jury's still out) Tangents include....
- the inevitability of crushing on authority figures
- the inaccuracy of representations of depression in pop culture
- the role of religion in young adult fiction
Our luminescent guest Lydia leads the conversation on the height of the YouTuber era in 2010s. We touch on vicarious living through lifestyle content, the ethics of childhood media exposure and the co-opting of content by thirsty corporations. Tangents include...
- the disappearance of our collective attention spans
- the enduring myth of the American dream
- the healing capacity of James Bond
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Former Bachelor Clayton Echard’s casual one-night fling turned into a paternity nightmare. When the news broke about the scandal, no one believed Clayton at first. He was a reality TV star, and an unpopular one at that. Clayton found himself trying to prove the truth, while trapped in a web of lies, manipulation, and threats. He would soon discover he was not the only one. At its core, this is a story about who you believe and why. It’s an epic battle that would take a group of strangers, citizen sleuths from across the world, to crack the case and finally hold someone accountable. New episodes of Love Trapped are released every Thursday, starting February 26th, 2026. If you would like to reach out to the Love Trapped team, email us at lovetrappedpod@gmail.com and follow along on Instagram @glasspodcasts.