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High Brow — Society & Culture
High Brow

High Brow is a chic podcast for cool girls and self-identified intellectuals. Hosted by Mina Le, the pod is an extension of her eponymous Youtube channel.

Follow Mina every Wednesday as she leads you through the culture & fashion landscapes, dissecting topics that probably resonate most with the chronically online… but through the lens of someone who has touched grass of course (or so she claims!).

Find Mina on Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @gremlita

Copyright: © Mina Le

Latest Episodes:

the oat milk industrial complex Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Mina discusses the items on her personal Christmas wishlist, the Met Costume Institute’s new exhibit "Women Dressing Women," her thoughts on the new Balenciaga show, the lack of "third places" in the U.S. and, in the same vein, the overpriced oat milk lattes that are RUINING community, also: children being worse than ever before?, Emma Chamberlain "discourse," and the potential return of big dairy.
Support the podcast on Patreon!
Instagram: @highbrow.pod
Send suggestions/thoughts/stories to highbrowbymina@gmail.com or leave a voicemail ‪(917) 727-8385‬
Reading List:
Third Places TikTok video
kids can't read and it's YOUR FAULT by Kyle Fitzpatrick
The 2023 Gen Z Gift Guide, According to TikTok by Casey Lewis (paywalled)
Got Milk? Not This Generation. by Kim Severson
US retail sales of oat milk decline in latest quarter after years of explosive growth by Elaine Watson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MILK SHAME, THE BANE OF DAIRY-LOVING ADULTS EVERYWHERE by Andy Kryza
Whole Milk Mounts Its Triumphant Comeback by Emily Sundberg
THE CRIMES BEHIND THE SEAFOOD YOU EAT by Ian Urbina

my priscilla (2023) review Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Mina starts off by talking about NYC party etiquette, but then delves into the topic of MOVIES – a topic she's been barred from speaking about... until now. Let's discuss Priscilla (2023), how it compares to Elvis (2022), and most importantly... Jacob Elordi vs. Austin Butler's portrayals. Also: tangents on Alfred Hitchcock, Jacob Elordi/Kissing Booth drama, David Fincher's The Killer (2023), and the importance of Letterboxd reviews (they are NOT annoying!!)
Support the podcast on Patreon!
Instagram: @highbrow.pod
Send suggestions/thoughts/stories to highbrowbymina@gmail.com or leave a voicemail ‪(917) 727-8385‬
READING LIST
Hitchcock/Truffaut: The Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut
Scriptwriting from soup to nuts. Swicord, Robin. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 7, Iss. 11, (Nov 1997): 28-30,3.
How Jacob Elordi Became The New King
Consensus Empire: Empowering the Spectator through Letterboxd Reviews
Not Another Lonely Assassin Movie

so no one wants to read anymore! Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Mina serves some of her Booktok hot takes, opinions on anti-intellectualism, the rise of literary it girls/writer influencers, her first-hand experience risking her life with mercury poisoning, and the history of depression era food (white american food is bland because of PROHIBITION?) (loading her food history commentator phase...)
Support the podcast on Patreon!
Instagram: @highbrow.pod
Send suggestions/thoughts/stories to highbrowbymina@gmail.com or leave a voicemail ‪(917) 727-8385‬
READING LIST
How can I donate hair / fur / fleece? | MatterofTrust.org
Are We Losing the Ability to Read Books? - Scott H Young
Skimming, scanning, scrolling — the age of deep reading is over
Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound
THE MAKINGS OF A LITERARY IT GIRL
Consumer Expenditures in the New York Metropolitan Area — 2021–22 : Northeast Information Office
The Great Depression diet: 4 ways our eating habits have changed since the 1930s
Creamed, Canned And Frozen: How The Great Depression Revamped U.S. Diets
Why Hunting Down 'Authentic Ethnic Food' Is A Loaded Proposition
HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF THE CANNING OF. FISHERY PRODUCTS

cannibalism? and rural fantasies Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Mina talks about how to launder your clothes, the ethics of wearing clothing made of human hair and also eating your friend's leg, urbanites cosplaying as farm girls (guilty), and the history of the dude ranch industry.
Support the podcast on Patreon!
Instagram: @highbrow.pod
Send suggestions/thoughts/stories to highbrowbymina@gmail.com or leave a voicemail ‪(917) 727-8385‬
READING LIST
How often should you wash your jeans? Levi’s CEO settles debate
Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion and Second-Hand Clothes by Andrew Brooks
Studio Zsofia Kollar — Human Material Loop
Victorian Hair Jewelry | Rosenberg Library Museum
Why the Internet Isn’t Fun Anymore | The New Yorker
TW: there are photos of the leg This Guy Served His Friends Tacos Made from His Own Amputated Leg
Foraging Classes, Wellness Yurts, and the Agritourism Fantasy
Romancing the West: Dude Ranching in Wyoming | WyoHistory.org
The History of Dude Ranches
How often should you wash your jeans? Levi’s CEO settles debate
The strange history of the dude and the American West | Aeon Essays

you should watch bad movies & not look at ratings Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Mina embraces Meg Ryan Fall™, asks the question "do the rats run this city?" (yes they do), her algorithm-induced David Byrne fixation, why review systems are no good (especially Rotten Tomatoes), what it means to be a "content creator" (barf?????), and online friendship etiquette.
Support the podcast on Patreon!
Instagram: @highbrow.pod
Send suggestions/thoughts/stories to highbrowbymina@gmail.com
Reading/sources list:
New York's Rats Have Already Won - The Atlantic
The Mongolia cashmere quote I mentioned is actually from this New Yorker article from 1999: The Crisis in Cashmere | The New Yorker
Talking Heads on the Return of ‘Stop Making Sense’ - The New York Times
The Decomposition of Rotten Tomatoes
Emma Thompson Is Right: The Word ‘Content’ Is Rude - The New York Times
The New Rules Of Friendship Online
Group-Chat Culture Is Out of Control - The Atlantic
Milk Experiment
Re: Google search engine results, the Wired article I read and got information from has been taken down since recording: A Note From WIRED Leadership
Here’s another article regarding Google interference - not sure if they do exactly what Wired first reported on, but still sounds bad whatever they’re doing: How Google Interferes With Its Search Algorithms and Changes Your Results - WSJ

becoming a girlblogger & tiktok "face reading" Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Also... PR girls, the Idaho cottagecore fantasy, Victorian book censorship, and fake alien abductions.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/highbrowbymina
Tumblr: https://horsegir1.tumblr.com/
Mina's list:
What Amanda Seyfried Can't Live Without
The Dostoevsky Dash: The Reasons for Dashed Out Information in Literature
Kurtis Conner: Stop Filming Strangers
Abby Cox: We Need to Talk about TikTok's Obsession with Face Reading and its Dark History
Nose form was shaped by climate
Orange Ya Glad You Didn't Buy That Vitamin C Mask?

new york fashion week hot takes Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Mina discusses her experience at New York Fashion Week. Also: why we all get upset about influencer attendance, the Kylie Jenner/Timothee Chalamet relationship, the hustle of working corporate in the industry, and how she gets a seat at a fashion show.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/highbrowbymina
Vogue Business' Debunking the Dream Series
Debunking the dream: Is working in fashion going out of style?
Debunking the dream: Is fashion’s lifestyle sustainable for employees?
Debunking the dream: Can fashion cool its burnout culture?
Debunking the dream: Who is allowed to succeed in fashion?

the big updates episode Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

Mina discusses some major updates for Patreon, Youtube, and the High Brow pod. Also: Hozier, Renaissance Faire turkey legs, the fashion influencer economy, the Real Housewives of New York City, whatever happened to Jeffrey Campbell, and “the commodification of taste.”
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Rachel's article:
Whatever happened to having taste?
Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture by Rachel Rubin
An ad for the 1963 Ren Faire
Who Jane Read, Who Read Jane: Austen's Readers and Favorite Books

in offense of modern farmhouse!!! Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

The director's cut version of Mina's the circus of celebrity house tours video. In this extended version, she discusses the modern farmhouse hgtv agenda, landlord-core, and celebrity property feuds, spurred on by your answers to the question "what is the ugliest interior design trend?"
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Sources
Residence of MR. And MRS. MICKEY ROONEY — Beverly Hills, California | Architectural Digest | SEPTEMBER 1964
A Tour of the White House
Mary Ann Watson (1988). The Presidency in a Bicentennial and Quadrennial Election Year || A Tour of the White House: Mystique and Tradition. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 18(1), 91–99. doi:10.2307/27550536
Kryczka, Anna (2014). Television and taste on the New Frontier: ‘A Tour Of The White House With Mrs. John F. Kennedy’. History and Technology, 30(1-2), 123–132. doi:10.1080/07341512.2014.934061
03 Apr 1963 - MONACO...with Princess Crace as guide - Trove
A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy
Things You Didn’t Know About "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Influential Reality TV | TIME
The Unshakable Allure of the Celebrity House Tour
Robin Leach's 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' paved the way for 'MTV Cribs' and the Kardashians - The Washington Post
How Russia's Shared Kitchens Helped Shape Soviet Politics : The Salt : NPR
Stargazing: Celebrity, Fame, and Social Interaction By Kerry O. Ferris, Scott R. Harris
Greta Garbo: Hollywood's Most Mysterious Star - Variety
The Streisand Effect: When censorship backfires - BBC News
Cribs turns 20! We look back at the MTV series' most ridiculous homes
20 Most Ridiculous Things Seen On MTV Cribs
Inside Grey Gardens With Gail Sheehy -- New York Magazine - Nymag
The tragedy of Grey Gardens: was the landmark documentary actually an exploitation movie?
Grey Gardens Original Documentary Trailer
We Need to Talk About David Harbour and Lily Allen's Bathroom
Inside RuPaul’s Dramatically Glamorous Beverly Hills Manse | Architectural Digest
WATCH: Bretman Rock House, Beauty Room + Closet Storage Tour
The story of the shopping mall in Barbara Streisand's house
Merchandizing the Void - Dilettante Army
The Modern Farmhouse Is Today’s McMansion. And It’s Here to Stay. - The New York Times
Modern Farmhouse: The Style That’s Not Real, But Really Popular
Same House, New Costume
What Is It Like to Be a Late-Night Talk Show Guest?
A brief history of the many lies celebrities told on MTV Cribs
Redman: MTV Tried to Get Me to Rent a House for "Cribs"
EP#7: Redman's Legendary New York Yard | MTV Cribs Collections
Redman Shares All of the Hilarious Details Behind the Funniest Episode of ‘MTV Cribs’ Ever | Cracked.com
Two Truths & A Lime: Pulling Apart Dakota Johnson's Glorious Web Of Lies
Why does the internet love tree law so much?
Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page & Robbie Williams End Mansion Feud
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Silence is golden for Robbie Williams as he employs builders using '19th century hand-tools' to keep noise down during renovation after row with neighbour Jimmy Page over impact of work
A nun begged Katy Perry not to buy her convent — then collapsed and died - The Washington Post
Inside the Katy Perry Convent That Sparked a Real Estate War: Never-Before-Seen Photos
Katy Perry Is Finding Herself in Another Complicated Legal Battle Over Real Estate
Written by Mina Le and Ella Gray
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover Art by Lindsay Mintz

styling bundles, thrift store adventures, and the death of hot takes Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Mina talks about the Depop styling bundle grind, whether or not they're a viable purchase, and how to choose between the many personal shoppers out there. Also: Erewhon "Hailey Bieber" smoothie review, Goodwill bins trauma, changes in Asian factory labor and what that means for the rest of the world, the ethics of doxxing Selena Gomez haters, and why we're all tired of the "hot take."
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
READING LIST:
Gen Z loves clothing hauls and hates landfills. Enter the style bundle - The Washington Post
The Era of Ultracheap Stuff Is Under Threat - WSJ
"Opinion Fatigue" Is Setting In For Twitter, TikTok, & Instagram Creators
What Did People Do Before Smartphones?
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover art by Lindsay Mintz

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