Strong Opinions Loosely Held

Sales are down on magazine covers that bear their faces. Ratings are low on their reality TV show. Seemingly no one cares about the Kardashians. So why are they everywhere, including our site? Ann Helen Peterson uses her Phd in celebrity to explain and dig into the role celebrity plays in post-modern American popular culture.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag:...

Women are now more likely than men to have bachelor's degrees. And childless women in their 20s currently out-earn men. So why are our Instagram feeds filled with images of date nights, engagement rings, cat eyes, cupcakes, and waist-trainers? Are we becoming Betty Draper 2.0, or are we using the illusion of perfection to escape the reality that relationships are hard? New York Times Journalist Hannah Seligson and Stone Fox Bride f...

Vocal fry. Upspeak. Overuse of qualifiers — it seems like we can’t open our mouths without being criticized. Elisa Kreisinger talks to public radio journalist Sally Herships and politics writer Amanda Marcotte and asks: if a woman is saying something intelligent and all you hear is the way it’s being said, is that her problem or yours?

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpira...

Michelle Byrom was on death row for 15 years. Hours before her execution, her conviction was overturned. Refinery 29’s Vanessa Golembeski talked with Byrom weeks after her release to question the bias baked into a system that’s supposed to protect women.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Is virality a science or a spiritual connection? And what role do women play in it? Leading virality scholar and Wharton associate professor Katherine Milkman, PhD, and Soul Pancake’s Correy Stoner O'Neal offer two different perspectives. Does positivity go viral because we want to seem like good people or because we actually are?

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Has...

Angela Washko is a feminist artist who tried to find common ground with the internet's most infamous misogynist. To say they occupy different corners of the world would be an understatement. How do you find commonality with someone who is the antithesis to your beliefs? And if you needed another reason to love Denmark, we have one.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Ha...

Selfies were responsible for more deaths in 2015 than shark attacks. And 75% of those deaths were men. So why are selfies seen as an inherently narcissistic, overly feminine activity, and generally met with disgust? Can you find yourself in a selfie? Amy Jones, a therapist who knows Elisa very, very well weighs in.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag: #SOLHpod #...

How far would you go to be a kid again? And why do we miss the '90s so much? Our special report on nostalgia dives into what Dream Phone taught us about dating and why some memories aren't worth reliving. This is our second to last episode of this season. Next week will be our final episode.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHel...

Fashion is often dismissed as frivolous, superficial, shallow, and in the age of global warming, even irresponsible. Yet when we look in the mirror, we still want our outside to reflect what's inside. Refinery29's co-founder Christene Barberich talks about how clothing connects us- when you find your style, you find yourself.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag:...

This election opened deep-seated wounds in ourselves and our country. Add family and the holidays to that open wound and it can be a recipe for disaster. Elisa Kreisinger talks to "Man Enough" author and pioneer of gender violence prevention education in sports culture and the military, Jackson Katz, to unpack WTF happened two weeks ago and how we can proceed sharing a table with people whose strong opinions aren't so loosely held....

Who's woke and who's just an opportunist trying to stay relevant? How can we tell and where's the line? And who did Taylor Swift vote for? It's our 1 year anniversary and to celebrate, we are airing Elisa's conversation with Medium's Bridget Todd, NPR's Glen Weldon, and BuzzFeed's Anne Helen Petersen about celebrity culture and activism at this year's SXSW. Season 2 returns on July 10.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know!&nbs...

Welcome to Season 2! The creative entrepreneurs we see across social media may have a ton of followers, but are they making any money? Should they? How do you maintain your creativity while still supporting yourself? Is selling out such a bad thing? Elisa talks to popular YouTuber and podcaster Gaby Dunn, "Art Thinking" author Amy Whitaker and senior features writer-with-a-huge-following, Ashley C. Ford to get answers to these age-...

There was so much in Elisa's interview with Ashley Ford that we couldn’t let it go to waste. Here is their full conversation on Ashley's love of Roxanne Gay, her best full-time job, and how her mentee mindset failed her.

What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! 

Instagram: @popculturepirate

Twitter: @popcultpirate

Hashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Having kids seems like the worst career move a woman could make: the US lacks paid parental leave, working moms are less likely to be hired. And when they are, they make 4-6% less than women without kids. The motherhood penalty is real. But don't worry, what's lacking in social and political support is made up for in platitudes. After all, it's still the "most important job". Elisa talks to sociologist Dr. Kathleen Gerson, Senators...

Hold onto your pussy hats. Tuck in your Future is Female T-shirts. We are doing a deep dive into the buying and selling of feminism! Beyoncé, Emma Watson and Taylor Swift have all come out as feminists in a time when feminist themes sell everything from wireless plans to cigarettes. Are these empty signifiers of "empowerment" or are they helpful reminders that women are actually human? What happens when shopping becomes a political...

How do we come to terms with the lies our families tell us? Are we really an extension of our parents? How do we define our identities if we aren't? This week’s episode is dedicated to finding personal truth, inspired by the film "Little White Lie" by director Lacey Schwartz. The film is a personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and the power of telling the truth. Schwartz was accepted to college as a Black...

Historically, young women have set all the trends: the Beatles, Instagram, and Snapchat just to name a few. But they are always discounted as silly, cute, or frivolous. Why do we discount young women but embrace "early adopters"? Elisa talks to Muhlenberg College professor Dr. Francesca Coppa and New York Times journalist Amanda Hess to unpack how teenage girls have all the power in the world... but simultaneously, no power at all.

...

Can you sell female friendship after you've put women down? Who did Taylor Swift vote for? Did she vote? Why does she represent our general distrust in well-intentioned white women? Elisa talks to "Stuff Mom Never Told You" podcast host Bridget Todd and BuzzFeed's senior culture writer Anne Helen Petersen to track the evolution of Taylor Swift from putting women down to embracing them. Petersen's book,"Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud...