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ICYMI: The Latest Fad Diet Is Coming for Your Feeds Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

75 Hard, a new trend sweeping TikTok, is just another fad diet pretending to be a mental toughness challenge. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle revisit the world of diet culture to unpack exactly what makes 75 Hard so insidious, and why it’s so hard to curate a healthy approach to wellness culture on your TikTok feed. They also down a gallon of water during the episode, something we do not recommend you trying at home.

And don’t forget to check out Decoder Ring’s history of hydration.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

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Slate Money: Movies: Citizen Kane Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.

Ben Smith, media columnist for The New York Times, joins Emily and Felix to discuss the urtext of business-themed movies, Orson Welles’ 1941 film Citizen Kane. They discuss Charles Foster Kane’s real life counterpart William Randolph Hearst, the portrayal of Jewish characters in the 1940s, and how much (or little) the media industry has changed since Kane’s day.

Email: slatemoney@slate.com

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck

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Decoder Ring: Tattoo Flash Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Time does funny thing to everything, but especially to tattoos. Today, four stories about tattoos whose meanings have shifted with the passage of years, decades, or centuries: first, a look into an archive of 300 preserved tattooed skins, then a personal investigation into into the Tasmanian Devil tattoo, the story of the Zune tattoo guy, and finally mistranslated Chinese character tattoos.

If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more.

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Working: Author J. Robert Lennon on the Importance of Revision Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to J. Robert Lennon, author of numerous short stories and novels. In the interview, Lennon discusses his daily writing practices, the importance of revision, and the creation of his new novel, Subdivision, which features a supernatural world with its own unique makeup and logic. Lennon also talks about his recently published short story collection, Let Me Think.

After the interview, Isaac and co-host Rumaan Alam discuss Lennon’s process of taking notes and drawing material out of his subconscious.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Lennon shares the origins of a short story he wrote called “Falling Down the Stairs.”

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus.

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ICYMI: In the Heights Sparks Gender Euphoria on TikTok Jul 24, 2021

Show notes

How did a clip from In the Heightslead to a new TikTok face filter that has helped some of the app’s users express their gender identity? On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle trace the timeline of this trend, and how it ended up causing a number of trans and nonbinary users to experience gender euphoria.

Even though this is a wholesome trend, In the Heights isn’t free from criticism. As we mentioned on the show, you can read more about that in the New York Times and Slate.

And we discussed the Wall Street Journal investigation into TikTok's algorithm.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

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Spoiler Specials: Space Jam: A New Legacy Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate’s senior editor Allegra Frank is joined by Slate staff writer, Karen Han, to spoil Space Jam: A New Legacy, the long-awaited sequel to the original 1997 Space Jam starring Michael Jordan.

This time, LeBron James finds himself trapped in digital space by a rogue AI villain. In order to get back home and save everyone, LeBron must team up with the Looney Tunes gang to win the ultimate high-stakes basketball game and save the day.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Morgan Flannery.

Hosts

Allegra Frank is a senior editor at Slate.

Karen Han isstaff writer at Slate and you can read her review here.

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The Waves: What Does Bill Cosby’s Release Mean for the #MeToo Movement? Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, author and professor of history at Georgetown University Marcia Chatelain and Slate staff writer Lili Loofbourow dissect Bill Cosby’s release from prison, and what that could mean for the #MeToo movement. First they unpack exactly what happened in the Cosby case. Then they get into the potential ripple effects it could have on victims seeking justice more broadly.

Recommendations

Lili: The Netflix show Money Heist.

Marcia:As much Real Housewives on Bravo that you can handle.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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ICYMI: Is BYU Virginity Club Real? An ICYMI Investigation. Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

Instagram has seen a recent influx of college “virginity club” accounts featuring sharp, funny memes about remaining chaste. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle put these accounts under the microscope. Is anything about these accounts real, or are they just a grift for merchandise and music promotion? After some internet sleuthing, they track down the creator of the most popular account, for “Brigham Young Virginity Club,” and put him on the spot.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

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Culture Gabfest: Deepfake Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by Isaac Butler, co-host of Slate’s Working podcast. First, the panel discusses the documentary Roadrunner about Anthony Bourdain. Next, they talk about the Apple TV show Schmigadoon. Finally, the hosts are joined by Laura Miller to discuss her review of Michael Wolff’s Landslide.

In Slate Plus, the panel further discusses their thoughts on Roadrunner.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Cleo Levin.

Outro music is "Back to Silence" by OTE

Endorsements

Dana: The Kitchen Confidential audiobook

Isaac: The documentary And Everything is Going Fine and the novel Secrets of Happinessby Joan Silber

Steve: “A Just and Loving Gaze” by Deborah Casewell in Aeon

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus.

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Outward: Milestones Mourned and Celebrated Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

A year-and-a-half into the pandemic, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan look back at all the times we did not get to share our milestones -- good, bad, or just big -- with other queers. If a queer comes out in the forest where no one can hear them are they still queer? Yes, but perhaps less joyfully than if they had been in community. The hosts then speak with Lucia Lucas, the first female baritone to perform a principal opera role on the American stage as Don Giovanni.

Items discussed on the show:

A recent assault at Nellie's gay bar in DC draws protests.

Richard Branson wore a rainbow ribbon during his space flight.

Breakthrough COVID infections strike Provincetown.

The Sound of Identity, a documentary about Lucia Lucas's appearance as Don Giovanni.

Gay Agenda

Bryan: director's cut of Studio 54

Christina: How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff

Rumaan: two wistful and sexy short stories read by author Douglas Stuart on The Writer's Voice podcast.

This podcast was produced by Katya Kumkova.

Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.

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