Material Girls

Latest Episodes:

Comics & Memes x Culture Text with Neale Barnholden Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

This week, longtime friend of the pod, Neale Barnholden (he/him), joins Marcelle and Hannah to discuss the materiality of comic books and their influence on modern-day meme culture! They talk reading conventions, colonization, de- and re-contextualization, as well as the raced and classed history of comics. Together, they then dive into Paul Davis's idea of "the culture text" (adaptations, parodies, references of the text created by culture at large). They consider how Richie Rich came to reference Donald Trump in 2016, how comic artist KC Green's dog in a burning house (the "This is Fine" meme) became ubiquitous, and how we might make sense of our current visual culture in relation to the "lurid" history of comic books.

There's a lot to unpack in this episode and if you have thoughts, questions or comments, submit them over Instagram for our next Material Concerns episode!

Follow on Neale on Instagram @ominousgarfield. Buy his book, From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich: The Materiality of Cheap Comics, at your local bookstore! You can also see more Neale on our Patreon!

Learn more about Material Girls on our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!

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Material Girls is a show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.

*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.

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Material Concerns: An All-Team Holiday Bonanza & Wicked Pt. I Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

As chaotic as the title suggests, this episode features our Witch, Please Productions team on mic! We've got Gaby, Zoe and Coach joining Hannah and Marcelle to discuss Wicked, listener-submitted questions, 2024 Spotify stats and more.

As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more!

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Music Credits:

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Wicked x Paratexts with Leena Norms Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

What is more zeitgeist-y than Wicked Part One? Well, arguably, the memes, interviews, and merch ABOUT Wicked Part One! In this episode Hannah and Marcelle are joined by the wonderful author, Youtuber and internet busybody, Leena Norms, to discuss this year's blockbuster— and the paratexts surrounding it. If you've been targeted an Elphaba eyeshadow palette, a Glinda-themed popcorn bucket, or anything online that says "holding space," then you've engaged with Wicked's paratexts. And guess what? We've got some theory to help you make sense of it all! Whether you loved, hated or still haven't seen the Wicked movie, this episode is for you. No* one was spared its marketing campaign.

*good deed goes unpunished.

For more Leena, head to Leenanorms.com and check out her new book Half-Arse Human! You can also see more Leena on our Patreon!

You can learn more about Material Girls at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next episode with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon.

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Material Concerns: Golden Girls, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Coach's Birthday Pt. I Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk Golden Girls, Friends, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Coach's Birthday! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more!

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Music Credits:

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The Golden Girls x Sex Positivity with Marshall Watson Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

Over the course of its seven seasons, The Golden Girls had 25 million viewers and earned 68 Emmy nominations. Each of the girls, Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) and Betty White (Rose Nylund) won Emmy's for their performances and more than three decades later, the show is still in syndication. All to say, the show was popular! Beloved friend of the pod and The Golden Girls super fan, Marshall Watson (he/him), joins Hannah and Marcelle on this episode to talk about the progressive politics of show, the social issues that were at the center of its stories, and the reason(s) many queer kids, Marshall included, found comedy, representation, and hope from "four old queens" in the late 80s and 90s.

A note about content: This episode focuses on the HIV/AIDs crisis and the decades-long failure of the American government to provide funding, resources, and care to marginalized communities most impacted by the virus. If you need to skip this episode, we understand and encourage you to take care of yourself!

Quick Links:

https://www.actuporalhistory.org/

https://www.dukeupress.edu/we-are-having-this-conversation-now

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Material Concerns: Connections, Stolen iPads, and Genre Conventions Pt. I Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

Welcome back to Material Concerns! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah answer your questions. They talk phone games, the Witch, Please team as different types of witches, genre conventions and Twin Peaks! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more!

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Music Credits:

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Twin Peaks x Cult Television Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

In honor of spooky season, we bring you an episode about the beloved cult classic, Twin Peaks! This show from Mark Frost and David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, is widely understood as one of the most influential television series ever! And yet it its original run began April 1990 and ended just fourteen months later in June 1991. In this episode, Marcelle explores why this show, that began as a hit, fell in ratings so quickly. Hannah and Marcelle then discuss the power of cult followings and how pieces of pop culture are kept alive for decades after their initial heyday.

If you're a fan of Twin Peaks, or if you're someone who doesn't understand why it has had a lasting impact on television, then you're going to love this episode that gets into the details of the show's rise and fall and, most importantly, its fandom.

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You can learn more about Material Girls at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a bonus episode, but until then, we mean it — go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is HOW WE PAY OUR TEAM! We need your support to make the show. Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us on Patreon.

Music Credits:

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Bonus Episode: Azkaban & The Prison Industrial Complex with Adrian Angus Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

Today we’re dropping a bonus conversation into your feed featuring Adrian Angus, a dear friend of Marcelle's who passed away unexpectedly in September. This bonus episode was originally released as a Patreon perk back in March 2021. At the time, our flagship show was Witch, Please, a scholarly podcast about the Harry Potter world and this bonus accompanied our Book three episode about The Prison Industrial Complex with guest Mercedes Eng — which you can listen to wherever you get your podcasts.

October 19th, would have been Adrian’s 40th birthday, so it seems fitting to share this snapshot of Adrian’s joy, intellect, and insight with current listeners of Material Girls. If you enjoy this episode, you can join Witch, Please Productions in donating to the Black Public Defender Association in Adrian’s honor at: blackdefender.org/donate

Thanks for listening! <3

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Material Concerns: Dopamine Pt. I Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Thank you for your questions about dopamine, dinosaurs and cats! In part one of this Material Concerns episode, we also launch a new segment called "Make It Make Sense" where Hannah and Marcelle rely on no research to guess why certain things are popular! Thanks for your suggestions via Instagram! As a reminder, for just $5 USD/month you'll get part two, our extensive backlog, ad-free episodes, and oh so much more!

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Music Credits:

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Dopamine x Health Capitalism with Jesse Meadows Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

For this episode, we're joined by Jesse Meadows (they/them) to discuss the most zeitgeist-y neurotransmitter around: dopamine! Have you been targeted Instagram Reels and Tik Toks about increasing your dopamine levels or managing ADHD through pleasure abstinence? Well that may have more to do with tech bros, billionaires and health capitalism than you think! Tune in for a conversation about pseudo-science, "hedonic Calvinism," eugenics, Big Pharma, manipulative algorithms and more!

Check out Jesse's Dopamine Dispatch: https://www.sluggish.xyz/t/dopaminedispatch!

To read more of Jesse's work, we HIGHLY recommend subscribing to Sluggish: https://www.sluggish.xyz

You can also find Jesse's video essays on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slug.town

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