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Pop Syllabus

Pop Syllabus with Christiana Mbakwe Medina

Pop Syllabus is a show where host Christiana Mbakwe Medina deconstructs the zeitgeist and answers the big cultural questions. How did we swing from body positivity to thin-being-in? Why do so many people trust wellness influencers over medical doctors? And how did tech oligarchs become the new celebrities? Think of Christiana as a cross between a messy news anchor and guerilla academic. Each week, she and an expert guest will unpack a buzzy topic, and help us understand the moment while going through it.

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28 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 4 min
English

Episodes 28

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April 29 · 1 hr 8 min
Why Open Relationships Are More Common Than You Think With Dr. Amy Moors
Non-monogamy is everywhere right now, and so are the opinions about it. In today’s episode, Christiana sits down with psychologist and Chapman University Professor Dr. Amy Moors to unpack open relationships, ethical non-monogamy, and why more people are exploring love outside the traditional mold. Dr. Amy Moors research Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:07 Meet Dr. Amy Moors 03:31 Defining non-monogamy 04:30 Defining polyamory and open relationships 05:50 Different types of polyamory 07:06 Who engages in consensual non-mongamy? And how common is it? 10:25 Loving multiple people 14:10 Stigmas towards people who practice consensual non-monogamy 17:35 Christiana’s familial experiences with polygamy 21:35 Both monogamy and non-monogamy can be messy 22:40 How societal inequities show up in relationships 25:19 Lindy West, millennial feminism, and trad wives 27:04 Gender ratios among non-monogamous couples 28:10 Measuring “success” among non-monogamous relationships 31:01 Couples who open their relationships after being monogamous 34:20 Why is non-monogamy seemingly everywhere? 39:18 Americans don’t like to talk about sex 41:45 LGBTQ+ couples and non-monogamy 44:28 Learning from people who practice non-monogamy 46:16 Non-monogamous parents and their children 53:20 Non-hierarchical polyamory 55:30 Finding the time to sustain non-monogamous relationships 57:42 The future of consensual non-monogamy 01:04:30 Where to find Dr. Moors’ work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 22 · 1 hr 11 min
Are They a Star, Celebrity or Famous Person? with Sam Sanders
No matter where you find yourself on the internet, celebrities’ lives are constantly in front of us, but who’s actually a star and who’s just famous? From icons like Beyoncé to rising names like Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney, Christiana sits down with award-winning reporter and podcaster Sam Sanders to play “star, celebrity, or famous person” and break down what really makes someone last in pop culture. Follow Sam: Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack | Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 15 · 57 min
Hypergamy & Sugar Dating With Dr. Megan Sawey
#SugarBaby culture is everywhere online. But why is it making such a big comeback now? As money gets tighter and “SugarTok” gains traction, conversations around sugar dating and hypergamy are becoming more mainstream. Christiana sits down with Cornell lecturer Dr. Megan Sawey to examine what’s driving the trend and what it means for modern dating. Megan’s research on sugar dating Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:17 Meet Dr. Megan Sawey 07:20 Understanding hypergamy and dating up 12:29 Sugar dating in relation to sex work 17:55 Sugar dating as an entrepreneurial endeavor 31:50 Sugar dating and the digital intimacy economy 33:50 Sugar dating and politics 37:20 How sugar dating is portrayed as heteronormative in media and marketing 41:45 Sugar daddies and how sugar dating is regulated 45:20 Sexual racism and sugar dating 48:28 Sugar dating for men vs. women 51:07 The future of sugar dating and hypergamy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 2 · 1 hr 3 min
A Sexual History of the Internet With Mindy Seu
The internet didn’t just change sex. Sex built the internet. So who actually gets credit for shaping the digital world? Today, Christiana speaks with Mindy Seu, author of A Sexual History of the Internet, to unpack how sex, desire, and the labor of sex workers quietly built the foundations of the internet, and why that history is still left out of the conversation. Follow Mindy on Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 00:56 Meet Mindy Seu 01:32 Cyberfeminism 05:04 How sex and sex workers have influenced the evolution of the internet 10:10 Sex workers and cryptocurrency 12:05 Defining “sex work” 23:36 Why don’t more people know about the sexual history of the internet? 26:40 The physicality of technology 32:26 Female body parts named after men 33:51 How technology and the sex industry are influencing each other 35:36 How the sexual nature of the internet is affecting girls and women 38:31 Digital black books for sex workers 39:30 Sex workers currently experimenting with technology and artificial intelligence 42:05 OnlyFans 45:54 The internet as a utopic fantasy space 47:30 The future of the internet and AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 1 · 53 min
Taylor Swift & Swiftynomics With Misty Heggeness
If you’re a Swiftie, this episode is for you. Today, Christiana sits down with professor and author Misty Heggeness to break down her book Swiftnomics and how Taylor Swift turned fandom into a $4 billion touring empire, and what it reveals about consumption, influence, and the rise of a new economic model led by women. Misty’s website: https://www.mistyheggeness.com/ Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack | Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 00:42 Meet Misty Heggeness 04:07 Swiftynomics and studying Taylor Swift as an economic muse 09:20 How do we scale swiftynomics? 11:13 Women creating space for other women 15:08 Swiftnomics vs. Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” movement 18:00 “Pearl clutchers” vs. “granolas” 20:00 Women leaving the workforce and being economically sidelined 31:44 “Masterminding” the systems 36:08 Hoarding wealth 42:45 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce 49:40 The future of Swiftynomics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 18 · 58 min
Why “Valley Girls” Are Totally Misunderstood With Koa Beck
Like, why did the “Valley Girl” become America’s favorite punchline? Today, Christiana sits down with journalist and author, Koa Beck, to talk about how the Valley Girl stereotype took off in pop culture, why it has been so misunderstood, and how it reflects America’s bigger anxieties about young women and femininity that still shape how we see them today. Follow Koa: Instagram Subscribe to Koa’s Substack Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack | Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 00:28 The Valley 01:25 Defining the “Valley Girl” 05:03 Valley speak and the valley girl accent 08:10 From the valley girl to the modern day influencer 17:35 The history of the Valley Girl 24:31 Why the trope of the “Valley Girl” is white 26:44 Why the valley stereotypes are associated with girls 31:00 How the concept of the “Valley Girl” became negative 40:00 The Valley Girl and sex 44:29 The Valley Girl and influencer culture 48:19 The future of the Valley Girl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 11 · 1 hr 3 min
Hollywood’s Colorism Curse With Dr. Yaba Blay
Colorism isn’t new. It’s the curse embedded in Hollywood’s DNA. Today, Christiana sits down with scholar-activist Dr. Yaba Blay to unpack how colorism operates behind the scenes of pop culture, why lighter skin is still centered, and how these hierarchies shape everything from stardom to self-worth. Follow Dr. Yaba Blay: Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack | Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 00:37 Defining “colorism” 03:30 The relativity of colorism 06:04 How colorism functions in Hollywood 08:15 A history of colorism and skin bleaching 12:50 Gender bias and colorism in entertainment 17:02 Beyonce and colorism in the music industry 28:40 Moments that feel like societal shifts 33:00 How skin bleaching has transformed 37:00 Understanding the context around why people bleach their skin 42:55 Hair trends among Black women 51:00 Questioning society and capitalism (not just the individual) 54:20 What choices can we make in light of colorism? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 4 · 54 min
The Dangers of Looksmaxxing With Dr. Michael Halpin
Looksmaxxing is the internet’s latest male self-improvement trend — where your jawline is a strategy and your face is a project. Today, Christiana sits down with Associate Professor of Sociology at Dalhousie University, Dr. Michael Halpin, to explain what looksmaxxing really is, why cosmetic surgeries are on the rise, and how this corner of the Manosphere is reshaping masculinity and the way men see women. Dr. Michael’s research on looksmaxxing: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hn3HDozK8_GMWOVtv3do3joZ4Guyxlpp/view Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 03:35 Defining “looksmaxxing” 09:45 Who is looksmaxxing? 11:00 Lookism and why boys and men are looksmaxxing 14:50 How looksmaxxing and its harmful impacts are spreading beyond the manosphere 20:42 The PSL scale 24:40 How looksmaxxers and incels are subcultures within the manosphere 40:38 What can be done to stop harmful looksmaxxing 44:00 Looksmaxxing as an emerging health crisis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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