The Wingwoman Charlie and Frankie

It's our last episode before Frankie has a baby, so we're talking about the obsession with 'natural' births, and stigmatisation of anything but (and the gas and air ban, too). And we're discussing nepo babies big and small - from famous offspring on the catwalk to the bizarre details of the Beckham-Peltz wedding being aired in a lawsuit. 

Plus, how Charlie feels about being labelled as a 'dry texter', the Magic Mike review that no one asked for, and what cult watch Fleishman is in Trouble is stirring up - from the forty-something fuckability double standard to suburban claustrophobia. 

Links from the episode:

No gas and air in pregnancy? Women's pain is disregarded again - Frankie Graddon, The Times 

The hottest fashion accessory right now? A kid - Frankie Graddon, iNews

The Beckham-Peltz wedding is the ultimate tale of two nepo babies - Hannah Betts, The Times

Take it from a dry texter: short messages don't mean someone isn't interested - Daisy Jones, Vogue

Fine, I admit it - I am a 'dry texter'. It beats emojis or verbal diarrhoea - Emma Beddington, The Guardian

I chose to move to the suburbs for my children. That doesn't mean it's made me happy - Lucy Foster, Vogue

This week we're in the mood for love - or rather raunch. While Frankie's plotting a Magic Mike spectacular, Charlie's getting back on the dating horse and hoping for a Diet Coke Break from the builders next door - though she fears reality won't match up to expectation.

We're discussing Rihanna's Super Bowl half-time show and the transformative effect her public pregnancies have had - and continue to have - on the perception of motherhood. She's made moulded breast plates a maternity must-have for starters.

Also on the agenda: how the new slew of grown-up rom coms are proving sex doesn't stop at thirty. How to beat the cost-of-living crisis one Amalfi lemon at a time. And, the very worst dates we've been on.



Links from the episode: 

Rihanna's baby bump and the rise of the millennial pregnancy 'reveal' – Frankie Graddon, The Times

I wish I had the Bank of Mum and Dad to keep me afloat – Charlie Gowans-Eglinton, The Times 

Clever ways to be frugal - and still keep up appearances – Steven Doig, The Telegraph 

This week, we're keeping up with the Joneses - and while Frankie has just Modern House-ified her flat in the hopes of selling it (no plastic toys, no visible TVs), Julia Fox's no-fuss house tour on TikTok offers a glimpse of a cool-girl alternative to Mrs Hinch bathrooms and 'sad beige' nurseries. Even Marie Kondo has given up on tidying; so is an unmade bed the latest in Insta-authenticity? 

Plus, we're talking about milestone birthdays and bucket lists (with just a week to go until 35, Charlie's ambitions are small but specific), why straight men don't talk about dating, and the debt that Frankie owes the Magic Mike film franchise.

Links from the episode:

Should I worry about UV damage while getting a gel manicure? - Jennifer G. Sullivan, The Cut

Marie Kondo's life is messier now - and she's fine with it - Jura Koncius, The Washington Post 

Why do hardly any straight men write about sex and dating? - Imogen West-Knights, The Guardian

My boyfriend, a writer, broke up with me because I'm a writer - Isabel Kaplan, The Guardian

You can train a baby but a load-bearing dad's another matter - Harriet Walker, The Times

This week, Charlie isn't leaving her house and ignoring plans (we're calling it ghost-uary) but she's got some dodgy-yet-comfy slippers to keep her company. Apparently the youth are all doing it. Meanwhile Frankie's experiencing a body hair phenomenon and found a recipe that will cheer up winter evenings.  



The word on the streets of Manhattan is that Aidan and Carrie are back together. We have questions: does he still love turquoise jewellery; has he built an eco home; what thread-count are his plaid shirts? And, what happened to Smith Jerrod?



We also discuss Prince Harry's memoir and ask: are we in the era of sharing our truth too much? Plus, are you a visual thinker, a verbal thinker or an over thinker? And could identifying the way we think change us for the better? 



Links from the episode: 

How should we think about our different styles of thinking? – Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker

Depression rooms and doom piles: why clearing the clutter can feel impossible – Dana G. Smith, New York Times 

Rachel Roddy's courgette pasta 

Nigella Lawson's chicken in a pot with lemon and orzo 

This week, without one single proper resolution between us, we've discovered that we're not really self-improvement types. Instead, Charlie's making plans to not make plans, and while Frankie wouldn't mind a bit more downtime, it will have to wait - first, she has some exciting personal news to share. 

Plus, the book that Frankie recommends reading at the start of every new year, the best TV we watched on our festive break (complete with theme-tune singalong) and the shows that we're looking forward to, and the pros and cons of social media 'friendship homework' - with the shock news that Frankie doesn't actually watch half of the memes that Charlie sends her. Happy new year! 

'Twas the episode before Christmas and Charlie has narrowly escaped a snowy disaster (thank God for her middle-class gardening boots) while Frankie has caught the winter lurgy and cancelled her party plans. Boo hoo. 

Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary is giving us lots to discuss: should the Royals be treated like celebrities; has the media gone too far; how much does an Hermès blanket cost? Also on the agenda, how does sitting for a nude affect body image? Charlie reveals all, literally. 

Plus: profiterole towers, pre-breakfast arguments, seafood sauce and fridge stress – it's Chriiiiiiiiiiiistmas!  



We'll see you in the New Year, until then - have a good one xx