Material Concerns: Jurassic Park Pt. I
You had so many great questions about Hannah's forthcoming book, Clever Girl and our Jurassic Park episode all about spectacle —and we answer a lot of them in part one of this Material Concerns episode! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more!
Jurassic Park x Spectacle
Hannah and Marcelle discuss what made Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) the ultimate CGI summer blockbuster, the history of American spectacle, and the monstrosity of the movie's out-of-control lady dinosaurs!
The Last of Us x Adaptation Theory
In this episode, we're talking about the HBO series The Last of Us, which was adapted from the popular video game of the same name!
Dirty Dancing x Nostalgia with Andrea Warner
In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah are joined by Andrea Warner (she/her), the author of The Time of My Life, an exploration of Dirty Dancing as a deeply feminist film.
Making Worlds Preview: Dimension 20 with Lucia Lorenzi and Clare Mulcahy
Material Girls is on Spring Break! But don't fret! We unlocked an episode of Making Worlds, our Patreon-exclusive video podcast hosted by Hannah McGregor.
Making Worlds is dedicated to the liberatory possibilities of other worlds!
Disney x Pinkwashing
Tune into this episode about the happiest place on earth to find out! In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through a history of the term pinkwashing.
Athleisure x Optimization with Anne Helen Petersen
We're thrilled to be joined by Anne Helen Petersen for this episode about the popularity of athleisure! Together we begin with a history lesson from Hannah about WWII's effect on the fashion industry, particular women's clothing and the rise of spandex. Hannah offers some insight from cultural critic Jia Tolentino and her essay, "Athleisure, barre and kale: the tyranny of the ideal woman." We then move on to some helpful framing from theorist Michelle Foucault, sociologists Daniel Nehring and Anja Röcke, and feminist scholars Julie Brice and Holly Thorpe. We talk neoliberalism, fatphobia, and, of course, our culture's obsession with optimization.
Les Misérables x Encoding/Decoding with Erin Keif
If you're a fan of Les Mis, or any musical, you'll appreciate this really special episode that covers Stuart Hall's theory of encoding/decoding, while also getting into the lyrics and musicality of the megamusical: Les Misérables.
Taylor Swift x Intimate Publics with Margaret H. Willison
Given last week's release of 1989 (Taylor's Version), we just had to have Swiftie and Tay-lore expert Margaret H. Willison (she/her) on the show to talk about one of the (if not THE) most influential pop stars of the last decade.