Pop Syllabus

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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.

  1. 8 HR AGO

    Inside Hollywood’s Obsession With “Perfect” Faces With Dr. Carl Truesdale

    In Hollywood, everyone wants a “perfect” face, but the goal now is to make it look like nothing was ever done. But behind that natural look is a growing set of procedures most people would never recognize. Today, Christiana sits down with Double Board Certified Facial & Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale to understand what’s driving Hollywood’s obsession with undetectable plastic surgery, from subtle lifts to revision procedures, as well as how cosmetic work among men and AI are shaping today’s beauty standards. Dr. Truesdale’s website  Follow Dr. Truesdale: 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  01:02 Meet Dr. Carl Truesdale  02:07 How Dr. Truesdale got into cosmetic surgery  03:50 Cultivating a diverse practice with cultural competency  09:05 The costs of cosmetic surgery  10:01 Thread lifts, fillers and botox  12:20 How Dr. Truesdale contributes to beauty standards and pressures  15:00 Psychological shifts for patients 17:00 Patients who are unhappy after their procedures   18:55 Dr. Truesdale on sharing his work on social media  21:46 Not being able to share the work he does for some celebrities  22:58 Celebrities who don’t share that they have had work done  25:20 Karama Brown  25:38 Lower blepharoplasty 26:06 Men getting plastic surgery  30:08 Looking younger longer  31:24 Revision surgeries   34:17 Knowing when to operate and turning patients away  34:57 Mid-facelifts  35:45 Responding to those who say plastic surgery is bad  39:10 A rapper whose “friend” paid for her cosmetic work  40:41 The future of plastic surgery, AI, and beauty standards  46:02 Christiana requests a free consultation from Dr. Truesdale   47:30 Dr. Truesdale doing his parents’ plastic surgery  49:00 Where you can find Dr. Truesdale online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  2. 29 APR

    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

    1hr 9min

  3. 22 APR

    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

    1hr 12min

  4. 15 APR

    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

    57 min

  5. 2 APR

    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

    1hr 2min

  6. 1 APR

    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

    54 min

  7. 18 MAR

    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

    59 min

  8. 11 MAR

    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

    1hr 3min
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Trailers

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    Companion
  • Creator
    Pop Syllabus with Christiana Mbakwe Medina
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Pop Syllabus

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