The VoxPopcast Vox Populorum

It’s been a weird week of American politics. And we can’t really keep up. Yeah, we know something big happened this week (the whole shakeup of the democratic nomination) but we recorded this episode last week after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. It oddly feels like old news now. But the thing is, we’re not a news show. We didn’t really want to talk about that specifically. But we were wondering, hey… why are people so fascinated with presidential assassinations and presidential assassination attempts anyway?







So, on this episode, Mav and Monica are joined by returning guest Stephanie Siler, to delve into the fascinating and grim topic of presidential assassinations. The discussion explores why certain presidents who were assassinated, namely Lincoln and Kennedy, hold lasting cultural significance, while others, like McKinley and Garfield, do not. How is the concept of assassination depicted in pop culture and why is it ingrained in the idea of the American monomyth. And even though we don’t focus on it, how do we situate Trump and other failed assassination attempts into that overarching narrative. It’s a crazy and interesting, albeit somewhat dark topic, so check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.







Citations and Links:









* The American Monomyth by Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence







* Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard







* How to Fight Presidents: Defending Yourself Against the Badasses Who Ran This Country by Daniel O’brien:











* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







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* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!

Recently an 18year old college student who calls herself alisha not alihsha posted a vlog where she argues in favor of what she calls “being a hater” in her video essay “Booktok, brainrot, and why it’s okay to be a hater” Somehow she went viral and became the topic of conversation for a bit on so-called “BookTok”, TikTokers devoted to… well, talking about books. But is she really a hater? And is it really ok? Or is she just talking about how she wants to be a literary critic in general. And now that we mention it, what is literary criticism anyway?







In this episode of VoxPopcast, hosts Mav and Katya, are joined by guest Nicole Freim, to delve into contemporary pop culture dynamics and how literary, media and cultural criticism really works. We discuss the significance of literary criticism versus book reviews, and the historical evolution of ‘high’ versus ‘low’ literature, with references from Shakespeare to popular modern works. We even talk about how critics on TikTok and other internet sites can contribute to academic discourse. Do you agree? Listen and let us know in the comments below.







Citations and Links:









* This episode’s Call For Comments











* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Nicole on Twitter: @nfreim







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast







* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!

Every once in a while we like to do something really different on the show. This is one of those times. Since the team is all on vacation in various places this week, Mav decided to record a show on the road. So, in this episode he sits down with his mom, Lynn, and her neighbors Carol and Sherry to reminisce and discuss the evolution of pop culture from their childhoods to the present day. The conversation covers favorite TV shows, music from different eras, the impact of technology on entertainment consumption, and cultural attitudes over the decades. We talk about everything from their own childhood experiences with pop culture to how they interacted with it and their children and their grandchildren with heartwarming and humorous anecdotes from throughout their lives. This was a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.







Citations and Links:









* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast







* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!

One of the best parts about being an academic is that you “get summers off.” One of the worst parts of being an academic is “your off days are just a time to do more homework.” That’s where Monica is, as she is currently knee deep in trying to write her PhD prospectus. But that leads to an interesting question. What is a prospectus anyway? We’ve done episodes on other parts of the PhD process, including “what is a dissertation?” But, in some ways the prospectus is even weirder. And Monica is working on hers now.







So on this episode, Mav and Monica work through the concept of just “what is a prospectus anyway?” and tips for writing one, as well as workshopping Monica’s. We wxplore the fascinating intersections of French couture, synthetic textiles, and Cold War geopolitics. Monica shares insights from her research on how fashion during the Cold War era revealed cultural exchanges between the U.S., USSR, and France, and demonstrated political power through synthetic textiles. And we discuss the importance of PhD work and dissertations contrasting theoretical frameworks in popular cultural studies with rigorous academic research. Join us to learn about what Monica is working on and then let us know what you think in the comments.







Citations and Links:









* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast







* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!

It’s that time again… we’ve had another year of Bridgerton and of course we had to analyze it. Think about it, it’s a show about British regency society. In some ways this might be the most cultured and sophisticated thing we ever do. Also, there’s a lot of sex. On this week’s episode of VoxPopcast, Mav, Hannah, and Monica are joined by Corinne Matthews of the Sex, Love and Literature podcast to offer an in-depth review of Bridgerton Season 3, encompassing its characters, plot developments, and cultural impact. We touch on everything from racial and queer representation on the show to the questions of overweight/fat/size discourse that were a big part of this season. Listen and then let us know your thoughts in the comments.







Citations and Links:









* Adapting Bridgerton: Essays on the Netflix Show in Context











* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Corrine on Twitter: @Corinne_Kathryn







* Follow The SLL podcast on instagram: @SexLoveLit







* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast







* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!

So how about that Barbie? No, not THAT Barbie… we did a show on the movie last year. No, what we want to talk about is enduring legacy of the concept of Barbie. Starting with the doll and going through to the movie, Barbie is just… always there. Or at least she has been for the last 65 years, ever since entrepreneur Ruth Handler saw a novelty sex doll on a shelf in Germany and said “that’s the perfect toy for little girls!” On this week’s episode we want to talk about WHY Barbie has had such an enduring legacy. So, Monica, Hannah and Mav invited returning guests and doll and toy historians Jehnie Burns and Jonathan Alexandratos to talk all things Barbie from her evolution, to her impact on gender perceptions, collector nostalgia, and queer representation. We also talk about… The X-men and Happy Meals… and more sex toys… it’s a wide ranging conversation. Listen and let us know your thoughts.







Citations and Links:









* This episode’s Call for Comments







* Mattel’s official Barbie timeline







* Jehnie’s blog, Barbies All the Way Down







* Jonathan’s book, Articulating the Action Figure: Essays on the Toys and Their Messages







* also check out Jehnie’s book Mixtape Nostalgia 











* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme







* Follow Jonathan on TikTok: @DanceWithToys







* Follow Jehnie on Instagram: @mixtapehistory







* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers







* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick







* Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous







* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast







* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast







* Subscribe to our YouTube channel







* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!