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Pop Syllabus: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Pop Syllabus with Christiana Mbakwe Medina
Pop Syllabus is a show where host Christiana Mbakwe Medina deconstructs the zeitgeist and answers the big cultural questions. How did we swing from body positivity to thin-being-in? Why do so many people trust wellness influencers over medical doctors? And how did tech oligarchs become the new celebrities? Think of Christiana as a cross between a messy news anchor and guerilla academic. Each week, she and an expert guest will unpack a buzzy topic, and help us understand the moment while going through it.
Latest Episodes
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- 2 days ago55 min
Deconstructing the Kardashians with MJ Corey
Whether you love them or hate them, it’s hard to argue the Kardashians didn’t completely change the way we think about fame. So how did this family go from reality TV to becoming the blueprint for modern celebrity and one of the most powerful forces in pop culture? In this episode, Christiana sits down with author MJ Corey to talk about her book Deconstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto and trace the evolution of the Kardashians and what their success really says about them. Together, they do what the internet has always done best and overanalyze the Kardashians, getting into fame, branding, controversy, and where this endlessly fascinating family goes next. Follow MJ on Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 00:52 MJ Corey’s first time watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians 03:08 Understanding postmodernism to understand the Kardashians 03:50 Kim Kardashian and ethnic ambiguity 04:55 Comparing the Kardashians to iconic American brands 08:50 Kris Jenner, the O.J. Simpson trial and revisionist history 13:00 The Kardashians, cultural appropriation and Black romantic partners 22:00 The Kardashians as early adopters of technology 25:25 The Paris robbery and trial 31:09 How the Kardashians will be remembered 32:15 Who will be Kris’ successor? 34:12 Predicting Kim’s future in politics 36:20 Which grandchild is most likely to be the next star? 37:40 Does Kim venture into podcasting? 38:10 Does SKIMS IPO? 38:28 How many more times will Kim Kardashian get married? 40:00 When will Kris Jenner retire? 42:04 What’s the future of Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet? 44:29 Which Kardashian is mostly likely to make a hard pivot? 48:30 MJ’s biggest prediction for the Kardashians/Jenners in the next five years Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 1 weeks ago56 min
The Celebrity Couples Game with Erin Lim Rhodes
Celebrity couples today don’t just date, they trend, and every move instantly becomes part of the cultural conversation online. In this episode, Christiana sits down with E! Entertainment host Erin Lim Rhodes to play our signature Celebrity Couples Game and debate some of pop culture’s most talked-about pairs, from Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, and more. Expect hot takes, chaotic rankings, and a few moments that will definitely have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about these couples. Follow Erin on Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:03 Meet Erin Lim Rhodes 04:24 Erin’s move to Singapore 06:18 Getting hired by E! 11:46 “The Rundown” and using social media 18:29 The Celebrity Couples Game 19:30 Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner 20:43 Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade 24:36 Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra 28:40 Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 33:14 Olandria and Nic Vansteenberghe 36:28 John Legend and Chrissy Teigen 41:57 Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco 48:49 Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago1h 15m
The Conversation We Need About Womb Health With Dr. Kemi Doll
Womb health is still one of the most misunderstood areas of women’s care, especially for Black women. In today’s episode, Christiana sits down with gynecologic oncologist and author of A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing to walk us through fibroids, endometriosis, and the symptoms that are often dismissed, plus what women should be asking about care and diagnosis. Dr. Kemi’s website Follow Dr. Kemi Doll: Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:00 Meet Dr. Kemi Doll 03:40 How Dr. Doll’s background has informed her work 07:30 Understanding womb suffering 08:55 Black women with womb suffering getting misdiagnosed 10:47 Womb condition #1: heavy menstrual bleeding 23:40 Options for people with the BRCA1 gene 25:36 Womb condition #2: endometriosis 35:29 Teenagers and young women with womb suffering 39:05 Womb condition #3: fibroids 51:18 Womb condition #4: endometrial cancer 01:01:28 Advice for dealing with doctors and medical institutions 01:08:45 Combining holistic wellness with medicine 01:11:55 Setting boundaries in order to heal 01:13:00 Where to find Dr. Kemi Doll’s work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago45 min
The Pop Culture Debrief: Mess, Drama & Headlines (Christiana Solo Episode)
Welcome to another week in pop culture, where nothing is calm and everything is a headline. In this episode, Christiana flips through the latest tabloids and magazines, breaking down celebrity chaos, unhinged headlines, and the editorials everyone can’t stop talking about. Sydney Sweeney, Doja Cat, Timothée Chalamet, Anne Hathaway, and more all show up in this week’s rundown as Christiana shares her hot takes on what’s worth the hype and what’s just noise. Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:50 Sydney Sweeney’s “Magazine Milkies” Moment 02:59 Sofía Vergara’s Sketchy Skechers Ad 03:54 Sydney Sweeney’s Viral Lingerie Editorial 08:15 Why Everyone Is Suddenly Obsessed With Tyriq Withers 10:04 Twilight Taylors 10:22 Is Robert Pattinson the New Leonardo DiCaprio? 12:40 Teyana Taylor as Lady Liberty 14:26 Inside the “MAGA Land” Editorial 21:54 Doja Cat on Vogue 24:48 India’s Growing Influence on Pop Culture 27:10 Bhavitha Mandava, Versace & Fashion’s Rising New Faces 29:08 Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Transformation 34:20 Sarah Michelle Gellar’s People Magazine Cover 35:48 The Royal Roundup: Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle & More 37:22 Anne Hathaway’s Best Oscars Look 38:14 Sarah Michelle Gellar Is Making a Comeback 40:19 Harry & Meghan “Exiled” From Hollywood? 43:21 Christiana’s Top Magazine Recommendation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- May 6, 202652 min
Inside Hollywood’s Obsession With “Perfect” Faces With Dr. Carl Truesdale
In Hollywood, everyone wants a “perfect” face, but the goal now is to make it look like nothing was ever done. But behind that natural look is a growing set of procedures most people would never recognize. Today, Christiana sits down with Double Board Certified Facial & Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale to understand what’s driving Hollywood’s obsession with undetectable plastic surgery, from subtle lifts to revision procedures, as well as how cosmetic work among men and AI are shaping today’s beauty standards. Dr. Truesdale’s website Follow Dr. Truesdale: Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:02 Meet Dr. Carl Truesdale 02:07 How Dr. Truesdale got into cosmetic surgery 03:50 Cultivating a diverse practice with cultural competency 09:05 The costs of cosmetic surgery 10:01 Thread lifts, fillers and botox 12:20 How Dr. Truesdale contributes to beauty standards and pressures 15:00 Psychological shifts for patients 17:00 Patients who are unhappy after their procedures 18:55 Dr. Truesdale on sharing his work on social media 21:46 Not being able to share the work he does for some celebrities 22:58 Celebrities who don’t share that they have had work done 25:20 Karama Brown 25:38 Lower blepharoplasty 26:06 Men getting plastic surgery 30:08 Looking younger longer 31:24 Revision surgeries 34:17 Knowing when to operate and turning patients away 34:57 Mid-facelifts 35:45 Responding to those who say plastic surgery is bad 39:10 A rapper whose “friend” paid for her cosmetic work 40:41 The future of plastic surgery, AI, and beauty standards 46:02 Christiana requests a free consultation from Dr. Truesdale 47:30 Dr. Truesdale doing his parents’ plastic surgery 49:00 Where you can find Dr. Truesdale online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Apr 29, 20261h 8m
Why Open Relationships Are More Common Than You Think With Dr. Amy Moors
Non-monogamy is everywhere right now, and so are the opinions about it. In today’s episode, Christiana sits down with psychologist and Chapman University Professor Dr. Amy Moors to unpack open relationships, ethical non-monogamy, and why more people are exploring love outside the traditional mold. Dr. Amy Moors research Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:07 Meet Dr. Amy Moors 03:31 Defining non-monogamy 04:30 Defining polyamory and open relationships 05:50 Different types of polyamory 07:06 Who engages in consensual non-mongamy? And how common is it? 10:25 Loving multiple people 14:10 Stigmas towards people who practice consensual non-monogamy 17:35 Christiana’s familial experiences with polygamy 21:35 Both monogamy and non-monogamy can be messy 22:40 How societal inequities show up in relationships 25:19 Lindy West, millennial feminism, and trad wives 27:04 Gender ratios among non-monogamous couples 28:10 Measuring “success” among non-monogamous relationships 31:01 Couples who open their relationships after being monogamous 34:20 Why is non-monogamy seemingly everywhere? 39:18 Americans don’t like to talk about sex 41:45 LGBTQ+ couples and non-monogamy 44:28 Learning from people who practice non-monogamy 46:16 Non-monogamous parents and their children 53:20 Non-hierarchical polyamory 55:30 Finding the time to sustain non-monogamous relationships 57:42 The future of consensual non-monogamy 01:04:30 Where to find Dr. Moors’ work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Apr 22, 20261h 11m
Are They a Star, Celebrity or Famous Person? with Sam Sanders
No matter where you find yourself on the internet, celebrities’ lives are constantly in front of us, but who’s actually a star and who’s just famous? From icons like Beyoncé to rising names like Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney, Christiana sits down with award-winning reporter and podcaster Sam Sanders to play “star, celebrity, or famous person” and break down what really makes someone last in pop culture. Follow Sam: Instagram Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack | Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Apr 15, 202657 min
Hypergamy & Sugar Dating With Dr. Megan Sawey
#SugarBaby culture is everywhere online. But why is it making such a big comeback now? As money gets tighter and “SugarTok” gains traction, conversations around sugar dating and hypergamy are becoming more mainstream. Christiana sits down with Cornell lecturer Dr. Megan Sawey to examine what’s driving the trend and what it means for modern dating. Megan’s research on sugar dating Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack Merch available now! Sponsor Pop Syllabus: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com 01:17 Meet Dr. Megan Sawey 07:20 Understanding hypergamy and dating up 12:29 Sugar dating in relation to sex work 17:55 Sugar dating as an entrepreneurial endeavor 31:50 Sugar dating and the digital intimacy economy 33:50 Sugar dating and politics 37:20 How sugar dating is portrayed as heteronormative in media and marketing 41:45 Sugar daddies and how sugar dating is regulated 45:20 Sexual racism and sugar dating 48:28 Sugar dating for men vs. women 51:07 The future of sugar dating and hypergamy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About Pop Syllabus
Pop Syllabus is a show where host Christiana Mbakwe Medina deconstructs the zeitgeist and answers the big cultural questions. How did we swing from body positivity to thin-being-in? Why do so many people trust wellness influencers over medical doctors? And how did tech oligarchs become the new celebrities? Think of Christiana as a cross between a messy news anchor and guerilla academic. Each week, she and an expert guest will unpack a buzzy topic, and help us understand the moment while going through it.
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