177 episodes

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.

Material Girls Witch, Please Productions

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 444 Ratings

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.

    Material Concerns (Live!): Theory, Heart Flutters and Coach On Mic Part I

    Material Concerns (Live!): Theory, Heart Flutters and Coach On Mic Part I

    Welcome back to another Material Concerns episode! We recorded this episode live for all our Patreon supporters so you'll notice there's a slightly different vibe; namely, Coach is on mic! We talk theory, past episodes, what's making our hearts flutter these days, and more. If you want more, tune into Part II, all about the second half of Bridgerton Season Three, through our Patreon. Become a paid supporter at any tier and you'll get access to the video and to the audio!
    We'll be back in two weeks with a regular episode! Until then, xo!
    ***
    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
    Tupperware Parties x Cruel Optimism

    Tupperware Parties x Cruel Optimism

    Have you ever been to a Tupperware party? Or perhaps a Pure Romance party? Avon? Then you may be familiar with pyramid schemes! In this episode, Marcelle guides Hannah through the history of Tupperware parties and their rising popularity post WWII. She then offers some Lauren Berlant theory (which always makes for a good episode!!); specifically, their concept of "cruel optimism." If that sounds familiar, it's because we first visited this theory in our Queer Eye episode. Enjoy the episode and become a Patreon supporter today to attend our LIVE episode recording on July 12th at 5 pm EST!
    You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is HOW WE PAY OUR TEAM! We need your support to make the show. 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.
    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.

    • 1 hr 4 min
    Material Concerns: Dirty Dancing, Bridgerton and Summer Camp Pt. I

    Material Concerns: Dirty Dancing, Bridgerton and Summer Camp Pt. I

    We continue our summer slowdown with a new Material Concerns episode featuring answers to YOUR questions. As a reminder, we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. In this episode, they talk about how Dirty Dancing, summer camp, Bridgerton, the female gaze and so much more. If you enjoy the episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll get to hear Marcelle and Hannah discuss a bit more about Bridgerton.
    ***
    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.

    • 32 min
    The Last of Us x Adaptation Theory

    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! If you like the show, zombie content, playing video games, or thinking about how art gets transcoded across mediums, then this episode is for you! AND if you don't know what transcoding means, then this episode will really knock your socks off because Marcelle does a great job defining the word — as well as adaptation itself! Together, Hannah and Marcelle consider the process of adaptation and the intertextuality between original content and its adaptation(s). Of course, for all you Last of Us fans, they also talk about Long, Long Time — aka the Bill and Frank episode. And without spoilers!
    You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is HOW WE PAY OUR TEAM! We need your support to make the show. 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.
    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.

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Material Concerns: Summer Slowdown! Pt. I

    Material Concerns: Summer Slowdown! Pt. I

    We're starting a summer slowdown! That means we're still releasing episodes every two weeks, but every other episode will be a Material Concerns episode; an unscripted, more casual conversation between Marcelle and Hannah. They'll talk about how they're doing, what they're up to, research they didn't get to in "regular" episodes, content they're consuming and more! In this Material Concerns episode they give personal updates and chat about the other shows we have going on at Witch, Please Productions. If you enjoy the episode, head over to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease for Part II! The rest of the conversation is available at all our tiers. For just $5 USD/month you'll get to hear Marcelle and Hannah discuss The Tortured Poets Department. If you want to read Marcelle's hot take about Taylor's newest album, head to ohwitchplease.substack.com!
    ***
    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.

    • 35 min
    Dirty Dancing x Nostalgia with Andrea Warner

    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. We begin with a conversation about sexy films that made our younger selves all hot and bothered before heading into the segment "Why This? Why Now?" Hannah guides us through the difficulty that writer and producer Eleanor Bergstein faced in getting this movie made and distributed. We talk Reagan, Roe v. Wade, and nostalgia for the 1960s. Hannah then introduces us to American literary critic Fredric Jameson, cultural historian Bill Osgerby, and Russian-American cultural critic Svetlana Boym. Together, Hannah, Marcelle and Andrea parse through their respective work about postmodernism, nostalgia, late capitalism and the construction of history to get a better understanding of why Dirty Dancing is such a compelling film. We end the episode with a discussion of the appropriation of Black music in the movie, the power dynamics within Baby and Johnny's romance and the unique representations of mutual aid.
    If you love Dirty Dancing, join the club (with Hannah and Andrea)! If you haven't seen it, you get to be in a club with Marcelle. FOR NOW (we will get her to watch it!).
    You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!
    ***
    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.
    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.

    • 1 hr 3 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
444 Ratings

444 Ratings

skielly ,

So good every time

Great, illuminating conversations.

RIZZOHART ,

My favourite

I love this podcast and all of witch please soooo much. Thanks for accessibilizing the theory I wanna know about! It’s been an empowering experience to learn so much from you two, with the support of your team. Can’t wait for everything else y’all do! Xx Pamela

I was unimpressed ,

Yes please!

So funny. Excellent theory discussions. I love how you smartie pantses break it down in a very engaging and accessible way for all of us theory nerds. This feeds me in ways potter content couldn’t. Wonderful!

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