Material Girls

Witch, Please Productions
  • 4.9 (446)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
Material Girls

A scholarly podcast about pop culture hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman, produced by Witch, Please Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. FEB 18

    The Notebook x Melodrama with Vanessa Zoltan

    She's back! Beloved podcaster and author Vanessa Zoltan (she/her) joins Hannah and Marcelle to dig into one of the most famous "weepies" of the 21st century: The Notebook (2004). If you cry at the line "If you're a bird, I'm a bird," have the phrase "What do you want?" ringing in your head, or regularly view the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, then this episode is for you. Hannah first contextualizes The Notebook in early aughts America (think post 9/11 conservative politics) and Vanessa offers some info about Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook. They then jump into a theory section all about melodrama! You may be familiar with the concept — perhaps you've even accused a friend or family member of being melodramatic — but can you really define it? What about the idea of "a Melodrama of Failure?" Hannah turns to Elisabeth Robin Anker’s book, Orgies of Feeling: Melodrama and the Politics of Freedom, to bolster her thesis and the episode ends with a conversation about the relationship between the American Dream, sovereignty, Christian conservatism and heterosexuality. If you have thoughts, questions or comments, submit them over Instagram for our next Material Concerns episode! For more Vanessa, check out Hot & Bothered, the podcast she co-hosts with Hannah McGregor all about romantic films. You can also listen to her new show Let's Ask Taylor Swift anywhere you get your pods. Learn more about Material Girls on our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there! *** Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand. *Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  2. Material Concerns: Emotional Support Canadians Pt. I

    FEB 4

    Material Concerns: Emotional Support Canadians Pt. I

    In this Material Concerns episode, Hannah and Marcelle talk about being emotional support for Americans, fancy linen paper in the 1700s, memes, monoculture and more! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min

  3. JAN 21

    Comics & Memes x Culture Text with Neale Barnholden

    This week, longtime friend of the pod, Neale Barnholden (he/him), joins Marcelle and Hannah to discuss the materiality of comic books and their influence on modern-day meme culture! They talk reading conventions, colonization, de- and re-contextualization, as well as the raced and classed history of comics. Together, they then dive into Paul Davis's idea of "the culture text" (adaptations, parodies, references of the text created by culture at large). They consider how Richie Rich came to reference Donald Trump in 2016, how comic artist KC Green's dog in a burning house (the "This is Fine" meme) became ubiquitous, and how we might make sense of our current visual culture in relation to the "lurid" history of comic books. There's a lot to unpack in this episode and if you have thoughts, questions or comments, submit them over Instagram for our next Material Concerns episode! Follow on Neale on Instagram @ominousgarfield. Buy his book, From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich: The Materiality of Cheap Comics, at your local bookstore! You can also see more Neale on our Patreon! Learn more about Material Girls on our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there! *** Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand. *Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m

  4. JAN 7

    Material Concerns: An All-Team Holiday Bonanza & Wicked Pt. I

    As chaotic as the title suggests, this episode features our Witch, Please Productions team on mic! We've got Gaby, Zoe and Coach joining Hannah and Marcelle to discuss Wicked, listener-submitted questions, 2024 Spotify stats and more. As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  5. 2024-12-24

    Wicked x Paratexts with Leena Norms

    What is more zeitgeist-y than Wicked Part One? Well, arguably, the memes, interviews, and merch ABOUT Wicked Part One! In this episode Hannah and Marcelle are joined by the wonderful author, Youtuber and internet busybody, Leena Norms, to discuss this year's blockbuster— and the paratexts surrounding it. If you've been targeted an Elphaba eyeshadow palette, a Glinda-themed popcorn bucket, or anything online that says "holding space," then you've engaged with Wicked's paratexts. And guess what? We've got some theory to help you make sense of it all! Whether you loved, hated or still haven't seen the Wicked movie, this episode is for you. No* one was spared its marketing campaign. *good deed goes unpunished. For more Leena, head to Leenanorms.com and check out her new book Half-Arse Human! You can also see more Leena on our Patreon! You can learn more about Material Girls at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next episode with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon. *** Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand. *Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m

  6. 2024-12-10

    Material Concerns: Golden Girls, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Coach's Birthday Pt. I

    Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk Golden Girls, Friends, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Coach's Birthday! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  7. 2024-11-26

    The Golden Girls x Sex Positivity with Marshall Watson

    Over the course of its seven seasons, The Golden Girls had 25 million viewers and earned 68 Emmy nominations. Each of the girls, Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) and Betty White (Rose Nylund) won Emmy's for their performances and more than three decades later, the show is still in syndication. All to say, the show was popular! Beloved friend of the pod and The Golden Girls super fan, Marshall Watson (he/him), joins Hannah and Marcelle on this episode to talk about the progressive politics of show, the social issues that were at the center of its stories, and the reason(s) many queer kids, Marshall included, found comedy, representation, and hope from "four old queens" in the late 80s and 90s. A note about content: This episode focuses on the HIV/AIDs crisis and the decades-long failure of the American government to provide funding, resources, and care to marginalized communities most impacted by the virus. If you need to skip this episode, we understand and encourage you to take care of yourself! Quick Links: https://www.actuporalhistory.org/ https://www.dukeupress.edu/we-are-having-this-conversation-now You can learn more about Material Girls at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next episode with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon. *** Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand. *Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 6m

  8. 2024-11-12

    Material Concerns: Connections, Stolen iPads, and Genre Conventions Pt. I

    Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk phone games, the Witch, Please team as different types of witches, genre conventions and Twin Peaks! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more! *** Music Credits: “Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
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4.9
out of 5
446 Ratings

About

A scholarly podcast about pop culture hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman, produced by Witch, Please Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Witch, Please Productions
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2025
  • Episodes
    193
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Witch, Please Productions
  • Show Website
    Material Girls

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