Everything Is Content

Hello EICabbages!

Strap in because today we're taking you on a tour of the most salacious, strange and shocking stories in the news. Russell Brand running for mayor, TERF nonsense in the running space, Hannah Spencer calling out Westminster's drinking culture and a murder used for sexist click bait.

From there we're taking on a topic that depressed us way back in 2024 after UK fashion and lifestyle magazine Sheerluxe introduced yet more AI influencers to its roster, with Brooke, Gigi, and Eden joining their OG AI-fluencer Reem. Comments on their socials are uniformly negative, but Sheerluxe seem undeterred. We discuss.

And last (but not least) we're talking circumcision after The Cut published a piece titled ‘‘The Men Who Want Their Foreskins Back". The story centres on a 30-year-old man who was circumcised as a baby and recently underwent reconstructive penis surgery- plus the thriving online community of men going to lengths to manually "restore" their own foreskins. Not a topic we know much about, but we share what we learned from the piece and how it's shaped our current opinions.

This week Oenone has been loving The Testaments on Disney+, Beef on Netflix, I Just Want You To Be Happy by Jem Calder (out 21st May) and The Cage on BBC iPlayer, Beth has been loving Expectation by Anna Hope and Ruchira has been loving Ex Machina, Search Party on YouTube and (secretly) Temptation Island on Netflix.

Links:

BBC - Influencer dies days after being hit by car in Soho
Hannah Spencer Instagram
Feminegra - Daily Mail's BBL Influencer Headline Sparks Backlash
The Standard - Russell Brand announced plan to run for London Mayor
Politics Joe - What it's REALLY like in Westminster | Hannah Spencer interview
BBC - Sheerluxe defends use of AI influencer
The Cut - The Men Who Want Their Foreskins Back
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy extra episode day EICulture critics, this week we're diving into the panic around bots, fake fans and inauthentic musicians.

US rock band Geese were dragged into a PR nightmare when eagle-eyed people noticed Chaotic Good, a digital marketing agency, claimed they were behind the recent meteoric rise of the band thanks to an orchestrated social media campaign. Just how manipualtive are these carefully-crafted popularity pushes, and do they detract from the artists' talent?

We dive into all of it with your help <3 love O,R,B xoxox

-----

Fake Fans

The wild Geese chase

The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello EICupcakes,

Moustache fingers up because we're diving into one hell of a millennial memoir this week. Lena Dunham is back into the zeitgeist with Famesick, her second memoir, detailing her unique experience of fame and chronic illness during her 20s and 30s. We dive into the lore, the controversies and the legend of Lena, including our wonderful experience at Intelligence Squared's event with her in convo with Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton.

A reminder we're chatting to the incredible Caro Claire Burke, author of Yesteryear, next week so get your questions IN for this one.

We are an ambitious independent podcast and would love if you could give us a review on Apple/Spotify, as it helps push us to other people and keep us going <3 love O,R,B xxx

------

This week, Oenone has been watching Euphoria episode 2 and reading Yesteryear. Beth has been enthralled by the reception to Losing My Friend Over Wegovy, while Ruchira has been intrigued by Zoe Kravitz' suspected engagement ring.

Lena Dunham has apologised for disbelieving a rape allegation – and made matters worse

Lena Dunham: My Apology to Aurora

"Life Is Just So" w/ Lena Dunham (Las Cultaristas)

The Interview (Lena Dunham)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Wednesday EICarrot cakes! This week we're tackling, maybe the only downside to being single for women?

Glamour columnist Chante Joseph, known for her viral Boyfriends Are Embarrassing piece, published a recent piece titled ‘Is the ‘single woman tax’ going to cost me my future?’ In it she dives into the very real financial burden of not being coupled up.

In the piece she speaks to Renée Sylvestre-Williams, the author of The Singles Tax: No-Nonsense Financial Advice for Solo Earners, who defines the ‘singles tax’ as the “financial penalty that single people are paying as a result of a society that has primarily focused on ‘the couple’.” She has some galling figures including the fact that retirement costs 44% more than for those in a couple. And if you’re single in London, you’re paying over £20,000 a year on living and lifestyle costs. She links this to the increased Hinge prompts joking about splitting rent and the fact that women are being encouraged to find a 6ft banker to couple up with.

We dissect this dire situation ,with your help! Thank you! We hope you enjoy. O,R,B x

Is the ‘single woman tax’ going to cost me my future?

The Singles Tax: No-Nonsense Financial Advice for Solo Earners

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey EIChameleons, we're back! And so is some questionable TV from Sam Levinson - we get into it, as well as controversial Coachella performances and a little Lena Dunham chat! But we will be discussing Famesick next week so get your copies ready!

Euphoria has returned to our screens, with its cast of characters now having graduated from high school and firmly transplanted 5 years into the future, in the wild, Wild West of the working Adult world. Stephanie Mcneal for Glamour writes, 'as I watched a close up of Sweeney licking water out of a bowl and endured a frankly disgusting scene of Cherry and Zendaya experiencing, let’s say, stomach issues, in a car after swallowing the drugs, I had to stop and ask the question: Who is this show for, exactly?’ - we have the same question!

Next up! Bieberchella! 'Depending on your level of fandom, the stripped-down vision, with minimal audience asides, read as either radically vulnerable or disappointingly self-interested, The effect was both frustrating – would it really kill him to do more than one verse of 2015 anthem Where Are U Now? – and endearing; many tears were shed to the image of the man singing back to his 13-year-old self', writes Adrian Horton for the Guardian.

Ruchira's Been Loving: I Swear, The L Word

Beth's Been Loving: Famesick

Oenone's Been Loving: Famesick, Yesteryear, Line Of Duty

Euphoria Season 3, Episode 1 Review: Who Is This Show for Now?

Euphoria has become the most toxic show on television

'Euphoria’ Season 3 is an unhinged disaster: review

‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Feels Like Entertaining but Disjointed Fan Fiction: TV Review

Bieberchella’s Karaoke Set Healed an Entire Generation

Justin Bieber at Coachella review – pop’s troubled prince mostly hits right notes in low-energy set

Sabrina Carpenter issues apology after Coachella moment sparks backlash: ‘Could have handled it better’

Sabrina Carpenter Apologizes for Mocking Arabic Call at Coachella

Karol G’s Historic Coachella Set Included Becky G, Wisin, and Tons of Latin Genres

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.