It's Been a Minute

NPR

Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

  1. 1 HR AGO

    American fashion isn't as liberal as you think

    The president wears...Prada? Despite her modeling past, fashion-obsessed First Lady Melania Trump has not graced the cover of Vogue during President Trump’s tenure. And that’s not necessarily surprising– Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of American Vogue, is a longtime advocate for the Democrats. But there’s definitely been a shift. That’s why it’s been so curious to see Trump associate Lauren Sánchez Bezos on the digital cover of Vogue. And it was definitely peculiar to see longevity-obsessed venture capitalist Bryan Johnson and looksmaxxing influencer Clavicular walking the runway. Is the American fashion industry making a conservative turn? Or is this just business as usual? To answer this question, Brittany is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning critic, Robin Givhan. From fashionable First Ladies to President Trump’s favorite shoes - Robin gets into how fashion, politics, and our desire for relatability collide in the court of public opinion.  Want more about fashion? Check out these episodes:Fast fashion vs. Trump: why women may pay more in the tariff warsThe MET Gala is tonight, and it's already historic. Here's why. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    44 min
  2. Why can't we be normal about polyamory?

    1 DAY AGO

    Why can't we be normal about polyamory?

    Is polyamory about more than just how many partners you have? According to a YouGov survey from 2023, on a scale of zero being completely monogamous and six being completely non-monogamous, one third of Americans put their answer somewhere above zero. And there are a lot of different types of non-monogamy, but one of those types – polyamory – has been in the discourse as of late. The polyamory that writer Lindy West describes in her new book, Adult Braces, has spawned a thousand takes: her path to polyamory was admittedly kind of dicey, and it spawned discussion about what polyamory means. Polyamory can stand in for a set of political beliefs, class associations and other signifiers that have nothing to do with how many partners one has. But why does a choice about relationship structures feel so weighty, and why can't anyone be normal about it? To discuss, Brittany is joined by Christopher M. Gleason, lecturer of American history at Georgia State University and the author of American Poly, a book about the history of polyamory in America. (00:00) Lindy West and polyamory panic(02:41) Polyamory's surprising political origins(07:02) Can polyamory "fix" relationships?(12:41) Misconceptions about polyamory (and why it has so many haters) For more episodes about relationships, check out:What really counts as "cheating?"The joy of breaking up with dating appsMe and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what? Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    24 min
  3. Do you feel poor when you watch TV? That's by design.

    4 DAYS AGO

    Do you feel poor when you watch TV? That's by design.

    Do you feel poor every time you turn on Bravo television? You're not alone - the beautiful homes of the rich and famous showcased on reality TV shows from Keeping Up with the Kardashians to the Real Housewives of Atlanta are meant to be something of a fantasy for audiences everywhere. But what are the housing realities behind the glitz and glamour? And how are your favorite reality TV stars shaping your own ideas of home and stability? To find out, Brittany is joined by Jack Balderrama Morley, author of Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV, and Liam Dillon, staff writer at Politico who covers housing in California. Want more about cultural deep dives into Reality TV? Check out these episodes: Is this the end of reality TV?The molten center of 'The Real Housewives' multiverse Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    21 min
  4. The guys behind the men’s purity movement

    6 DAYS AGO

    The guys behind the men’s purity movement

    Are men ashamed of their porn habits? The majority of men consume porn, and most use it for masturbation, but two thirds of men under 25 think porn should be harder to access, according to research from the Survey Center on American Life. There's a broader discussion now among some men about the role of porn and masturbation in their lives – and manosphere figures like Andrew Tate and Hamza Ahmed are urging their listeners to stop watching it. Some men are cutting it out entirely: they congregate on Reddit pages like r/pornfree or use porn addiction alleviation apps like Quittr and Fortify. But what do men think watching porn says about them? And is this just “purity culture for boys”?  Brittany is joined by Rebecca Jennings, features writer at New York Magazine who wrote a piece about anti-porn men, and Scott Burnett, assistant professor of African Studies and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University, who has published research about men's anti-masturbation trends.  (00:00) Why are (some) men turning against porn?(03:49) Gen Z men and shame around porn(11:18) "Real sex with real women": how anti-porn men view women(14:30) The fear of losing control to porn addiction(19:15) Is this just "purity culture for boys?"(22:27) Desire can be embarrassing - but maybe that's okay For more episodes about gender, sexuality, and internet culture, check out:The price women pay for being onlineThe joy of breaking up with dating appsGen Z is afraid of sex — and for good reason Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    27 min
  5. The price women pay for being online

    21 APR

    The price women pay for being online

    The internet was built off women's labor. Will it ever pay them back? From the creation of Google Images to the overlooked - or criminalized - digital labor of sex workers, the internet has been built on the intellect, image, and likeness of women. So where does that leave us in a rapidly changing digital environment where algorithms, AI, and even beauty filters distort our reality? To answer these questions, Brittany is joined by artist and UCLA professor Mindy Seu. Her books, Cyberfeminism Index and A Sexual History of the Internet, uncover the desire at the foundation of the internet's inception and how the exploitation of marginalized creators has consequences for us all. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    44 min
  6. The strange politics of Pilates

    20 APR

    The strange politics of Pilates

    Pilates is great. Why are people being weird about it? Pilates is an exercise that has been around for a long time – around a hundred years – but it’s just now coming into vogue in a big way. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association report from 2025, Pilates is the fastest growing form of individual exercise in the United States: participation jumped by nearly 40% since 2019. And it’s gotten pretty big on social media. But there's something interesting happening with that social media content – sometimes, it seems less about the actual exercise and way more about what doing Pilates says about who you are as a woman. And of course, anyone can do Pilates, but on social media, there is a strong emphasis on it being for "girls" (and being for specific kinds of girls). So why is some questionable baggage getting attached to Pilates? And why can't we be normal about exercise in general? Brittany is joined by Madeline Leung Coleman, features writer at New York Magazine, who wrote a piece about why Pilates keeps getting people up in arms. (00:00) How Pilates became popular(02:21) Pilates got a hot makeover(04:10) Does Pilates really reduce inflammation?(08:29) The 'sculpt' body ideal (why celebrities are so thin and muscular now)(11:19) The real benefits of Pilates(14:43) Why (some) dudes are obsessed with finding a Pilates wife(21:39) Can we ever be normal about exercise? For more episodes about health, exercise and culture, check out:Is tech making us too obsessed with our bodies?The Swoletariat: a history of leftist fitnessExercise is more important than ever Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    25 min
  7. Christians are having a Trump-sized reckoning

    17 APR

    Christians are having a Trump-sized reckoning

    Across the country, Evangelicals are facing a moral dilemma -- is supporting government actions in line with their religious beliefs? The answer shows a rift in Evangelical communities, as government officials like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth use scripture to justify war and deportation. To parse through these questions of God and country, Brittany is joined by NPR Religion correspondent Jason DeRose, and Reverend Dr. Gabriel Salguero, president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and pastor of the Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida. (00:00) The Evangelical Dilemma: do the Trump Administration's actions line up with the Bible?(06:29) How the Trump Administration uses the Bible for political messaging. Is it Christian, though?(15:29) What is the line between church and state? And who decides?(20:06) The Evangelical belief that American Christians are under siege For more on belief and politics, check out these episodes:The not-so-secret lives of Mormon womenIs Christianity cool again? Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    24 min
  8. The casino-ification of literally everything

    15 APR

    The casino-ification of literally everything

    When you can bet on anything, everything changes.  Unlike sports betting, prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi give users the freedom to bet on anything that comes to mind. Will Lady Gaga sing at the Super Bowl? What words will Trump say in his next speech? Or worse… the assassination of a world leader. Those bets - which are illegal - is what has prediction markets in hot water and lawmakers hustling to put guardrails on the industry. It’s also what today’s guest predicted in our 2026 predictions episode at the top of the year.  NPR’s Bobby Allyn returns to the show to unpack the wild west of prediction markets and what the unfettered access to this market could do to us as a culture. Want more? Check out these IBAM episodes:2026 Predictions: Beyoncé retires, AI busts, Democrats lift weightsGet rich or die trying: how sports betting is changing our love of the game Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    21 min
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About

Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Information

  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.2k
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2025 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    It's Been a Minute

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