Binchtopia

Latest Episodes:

We Are All Memes Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

The girlies hop into the meme pool to investigate how memes are made, why they spread, and what happens when the worst moments of someone's life follow them forever in the memeiverse. Digressions include a mysterious case of Souping, the Binchtopia infirmary ward, and one listener's horrifying baby Jesus figurine.

Sources:

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Who's Afraid of Gypsy Rose? Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

The girlies dissect the case of America's newly freed sweetheart, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Julia puts her PhD studies to use and guides us through the history of Munchausen by proxy, opening up an exploration of why people make themselves and others sick, and how the "bad mom" trope reifies social anxieties around motherhood and care. Digressions include our time in the Stu, the depths of our notesapp, and a bold mailbox moments. To see the video version of this episode and to keep up with our bonus content, subscribe at patreon.com/binchtopia

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We Give You A Princess Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

In the first episode of the New Year, the girlies investigate a cultural concept that plagues us all in the new year: The Makeover. From the transformative promise of the American Dream to hit shows like What Not to Wear and The Biggest Loser, they discuss how "the makeover" seeks to ease cultural anxieties, reify the status quo, and affirm that changing ones appearance can change ones life. Digressions include one listener who found Eliza's twin at the Margaritaville restaurant in Orlando, another who hears our voices in their schizoaffective delusion, and the world's need for a one dance.

SOURCES:

Eliza

Julia

Makeover TV: Selfhood, Citizenship, and Celebrity by Brenda Weber

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The 2023 Lowbrow Roundup Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

The girlies hop on the mic for the last time this year to recap a timeline of the memes, celebrity relationships, and silly internet shit that captured our attention in 2023. Digressions include a failed STD test and He Need A One Dance.

If you'll miss us on our break, you can find bonus episodes, mediasodes, monthly zoom meetings, and more on Patreon

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Saving the Body of Christ for Later Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

The girlies open up the mailbox and dedicate an entire episode to your hilarious moments. We're with you through the hard times (salmonella Tinder date) and the good times (dislodging pasta from beneath your fingertip by cooking it soft). Thanks for another year of being our listeners. Digressions include predictions for who will be woman'd in 2024 and our made-up idioms.

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Baby's First Simulacra Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

The girlies return to the world of family vloggers to answer the important questions — how did the momfluencer come to be and why are we so obsessed with her? Can children ever meaningfully consent to being shared online? Did Jean Baudrillard predict our real life Truman Show with Simulacra and Simulation in 1981? Digressions include your newest NY Times covergirls, the Binchtopia Boy Draft, and one listener's experience as an assistant momager. Support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/binchtopia

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

*note: we hit the character limit for this description -- additional sources for this episode are linked on our Patreon!

SOURCES:

Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture

Simulacra and Simulation

Are We To Be Forever Trapped Between the Two? The Internet, Modernity, and Postmodernity in the Early 21st Century

Child-produced content and the simulation of childhood

New law entitles child social media influencers to a percentage of earnings

Why did Mark Zuckerberg cover his kids' faces on Instagram?

Their lives were documented online from birth. Now, they're coming of age

The YouTube Parents Who are Turning Family Moments into Big Bucks

Kidfluencers Are Today's Version of Chimney Sweeps

Research Brief: "Sharenting" and Child Influencers

Sharenting: parent blogging and the boundaries of the digital self

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honey, I Monetized the Kids Again Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

The girlies revisit a classic early Binchtopia episode to unpack the phenomenon of child-centric content — this time with sources! In Part 1 they discuss the history of child labor in America including the plight of minor miners, the exploitation of Shirley Temple, and why we LOVE watching videos of Trisha Paytas playing with Malibu Barbie. Digressions include Eliza's experience of buying Buddhism in Hollywood, Catholic mantras that go hard, and listener-submitted momager stories.

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

SOURCES:

History of child labor in the United States—part 1: little children working

History of child labor in the United States–part 2: the reform movement

There's No Business Like Show Business: Child Entertainers and the Law

More Than Pocket Money: A History of Child Actor Laws

Little Miss Fix-It: The Remarkable Life of Shirley Temple

Before The Good Ship Lollipop, Shirley Temple Did 'Baby Burlesks'

How cute things hijack our brains and drive behaviour

Assessing the cuteness of children: Significant factors and gender differences

Gendering Cuteness

Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting

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Please I've Been Dying to Talk About This Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

The girlies go soapbox mode to discuss two women in history that they can't stop thinking about: their special interest girlbosses. Julia tells the fascinating story of Annie Oakley, the most snatched sharpshooter of all time, and Eliza gets deep into the lore of Connie Converse, the mysterious (gay?) 50's songwriter who pioneered the genre before disappearing without a trace. Plus, more Kardashian discourse, an angel update, and homophobia-themed mailbox moments. To help keep these episodes ad-free, access bonus episodes, and support the podcast, head to patreon.com/binchtopia

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

SOURCES

The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter

Annie Oakley | National Women's History Museum.

What the True Story of Buffalo Bill Reveals About the Myth of the Wild West

Annie Oakley: In A Man's World

Annie Oakley: The Person

To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman

The Art of Disappearance by Hanif Abdurraqib

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Eerie Episode: We Are The Witches You Couldn't Cancel Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

The girlies are back with another Eerie Episode™, this time covering all things WITCHES! They go back into the annuls to unpack the history of European witchery, the Salem Witch trials, voodoo, the current-day Wicca practitioners, and the Etsy spell sellers of today. They discuss "witch" as a socially imposed category and the evolution of witchy practices throughout history. Digressions include some Russian witch tea from a listener and Khloe Kardashian's unfortunate lot in this life as a Victim Soul.

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. Research for this episode was contributed by Ben Rosenfeld and Charlie Squire.

Sources:

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman

A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials

Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England

Why Do Witches Ride Brooms? (NSFW)

Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation

Drawing Down the Moon : Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today

Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America

Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Neopaganism and Witchcraft

Perceptions of New Orleans Voodoo: Sin, Fraud, Entertainment, and Religion

New Age and Neopagan Religions in America

Fantasies of Gender and the Witch in Feminist Theory and Literature

Witchcraft for Sale! Commodity vs. Community in the Neopagan Movement

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Eerie Episode: Vampires, Twihards, and The Gothic Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

The girlies venture into Vampire Lore™ in Part I of a series of Eerie Episodes. They explore the shocking disease that turned people into vampires, the impact of vampiric literature, how Stephanie Meyer bastardized Gothic traditions via Mormonism, and more! Digressions include a plug for our upcoming virtual live show, an earnest diary entry from a day-one Twihard, and advice for a binchie who can't stop dating people who want them to suck their blood.

Get tickets to our virtual Halloween live show here!

SOURCES:

Vampires: Real Origins, Legends, and Stories

The Bloody Truth About Vampires

Born to the Purple: the Story of Porphyria

Attention, Predation, Counterintuition: Why Dracula Won't Die by Mathias Clasen

The Weird and the Eerie by Mark Fisher

(Un)safe Sex: Romancing the Vampire by Karen Backstein

Twilight's Heteronormative Reversal of the Monstrous: Utopia and the Gothic Design by Kelly Budruweit

My Vampire Boyfriend: Postfeminism and "Perfect" Masculinity

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