Hi besties,  Sally Rooney's latest novel is set to hit shelves this week. As the hype of another Cool Girl Book takes over our feeds, we discuss the impact that Advanced Reading Copies (or, ARCs) can have on a novel's success.  We reference the Esquire article Are You Cool Enough For The Latest Sally Rooney Novel? by Madeline Diamond and Cameron Gibson's TikTok account Slaggy Book Club. In the last month, two of our childhood stars have returned to the spotlight. But something was different. Both Christina Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan stepped out looking like their early 2000s selves ..read more

Lucinda Price, AKA Froomes, is one of Australia’s most riveting creatives. A writer, presenter, comedian and self-confessed reformed podcaster, Lucinda is smart and hilarious.  This month, Lucinda added author to her list of achievements with the publishing of her debut book, All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot.  An interrogation into self image, desirability, pop-culture and power, Lucinda’s book weaves in her own experience with eating disorders and body image alongside clever analysis of Western beauty standards.  In this ep, we dive into the image-obsessed media industry, chat a ..read more

Hi pals.  Bennifer (2.0) is officially over. We reference this Vanity Fair article titled J.Lo, Ben, and The Art Of Timing Your Celebrity Divorce Announcement by Savannah Walsh and this opinion piece in The Guardian titled Bennifer is Over – Again. But Why Does Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s Divorce Feel So Sad? by Sian Cain.  Taylor Swift has broken her silence about the cancelled shows in Vienna and Sabrina Carpenter has a new album out. Pop star of the moment, Chappell Roan has released a two-part TikTok captioned, “Do not assume this is directed at someone or a specific encount ..read more

Hi friends! The Love Island UK golden couple have split and Raygun is Australia's new icon (for better or worse).  Everyone is feeling very demure, very mindful. But where did the phrase originate from? We reference this Dazed article titled Very Demure, Very Mindful: Who Owns An Internet Buzzword? by Laura Pitcher.  Next, It Ends With Us has been the messiest media circuit since Don't Worry Darling. We share some thoughts and reference articles including The Drama Over It Ends With Us Has Almost Eclipsed the Film Itself by Scaachi Koul for Slate and It Ends With Us Movie T ..read more

Hi pals,  A conversation on TikTok is suggesting the microtrend era we’ve come to love to hate, is seemingly over. But that doesn’t mean trends are dead.  We discuss this shift and reference fashion analyst Mandy Lee's TikTok on the subject. Underconsumption core is also trending at the moment. Will this stick around or is it just 2024's version of deinfluencing?  Plus, when it comes to fashion influencers, should we be expecting more of them? We reference this TikTok by user Rian Phin and Viv Chen's substack The Molehill.  Next, "fruity boys" i.e. straight men with traditi ..read more

How are we feeling, babes?  After we spill the deets of our Book Club getaway, we dive headfirst into the week's wildest internet stories. This includes Sheer Luxe launching an AI bot as their new editor (at a time when journalists are losing jobs worldwide), and adidas pulling their latest campaign with queen, Bella Hadid. Yikes.  Brat has been taking over our feeds but this week marks Charli XCX's foray into US politics. We discuss why nothing seems real at the moment and reference this article from Dazed by Günseli Yalcinkaya.  We also reference a newsletter from Taylor Loren ..read more

Alyssa Huynh is the Vietnamese-Australian writer you’ve most likely seen across your social media pages. With her pink aesthetic and educational text posts, Alyssa is creating anti-racism resources for the online generation.  The writer has also just released her debut book, Safe Space, a part-memoir, part-anti-racism resource in which she shares her personal experiences with racism in Australia – including in the dating space.  In this ep of Culture Club Chats, Alyssa discusses the model minority myth, internalised racism and what allies can do to help people of colour.  You ca ..read more

In today's ep, Jas & Mags debrief about the latest round of media redundancies that have hit ~very~ close to home. The Devil Wears Prada looks like it's back for a sequel (good luck, Miranda) and Vogue US has appointed a Kennedy as its election political correspondent. Is this an iconic choice or good old nepotism?  Next, we discuss Katy Perry's flop rebrand and ask if she's simply capitalising on the hyper pop train. We reference journalist Eilish Gilligan and this piece titled Why Are Mainstream Pop Stars Suddenly Getting Hyperpop Makeovers? by Kyle Munzenrieder.  One of 2 ..read more

Hi pals,  In today's episode, we chat about Emma Robert's 'Nepo Baby' comments and Paul Mescal's latest pap shots with a certain indie musician.  Next, do cheaters deserve to be exposed online? It's a question that was asked following the viral clip of a man on a United Airlines flight this week. We reference the article Exposing Cheaters Isn't Always A Flex by Angelina Chapin for The Cut and this TikTok.  New friendship discourse dropped this week. What the hell is a 'medium friend' and why is the New York Times optimising friendship? And next, are people choosing their friends ..read more

Maggie is back from her holiday so let's get into it.  Justin Timberlake was arrested last week and made Jas realise media literacy is DEAD.  Next, Jas is being served 'No Sugar' videos on her TikTok. Is she alone in this or is it the next iteration of diet culture disguised as wellness?  Pop music is dominating 2024 but not everyone agrees. We discuss two pieces with differing opinions. One is for British GQ titled How Pop Music Got Its Personality Back by Daisy Jones. The latter is for the Wall Street Journal and is titled Why Pop Music Is So ‘Meh’ Right Now by Neil Shah. We a ..read more