We’re on hols this week, hunnies, but ofc we weren’t going to leave you without an ep! So, we’ve dug into the archives and stitched together one of our very first specials: a *very* juicy two-parter on the iconic Noughties ‘It Girls’ Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie, which feels extremely relevant right now thanks to the publication of the amazing new book Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. In this deep-dive, we cover everything from the toxic rise of tabloid culture and the paparazzi, to how this era ended up shaping celebrity and pop culture as we recognise it today. We know most of you haven’t heard this one yet and so we want to rectify that, bc we’re very proud of it!

We hope you enjoy and we’ll be back to usual business next week! We would love to hear your thoughts, pop culture recs and future special ideas so DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

.

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

It’s wedding szn hunnies so we get into the bonkers and wonderful world of weddings, from the most absurd and insufferable wedding tropes to our favourite wedding pop culture, including two excellent book recs. Plus, a few top tips from recent bride Kathleen!

We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things weddings or ideas for future bonus eps, so DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

Recs/reviews

• The Fence
• The Wedding People, Alison Espach
• You’re Cordially Invited, Amazon Prime
• The Materialists, in cinemas August
•  The Ballad of Wallis Island
• Father of the Bride
• Bridesmaids
• The Bachelorette
• An Attempt to Make Sense of the Jennifer Lopez Wedding Industrial-Complex Canon, Vulture
• Four Weddings and Funeral
• Shotgun Wedding
• Ticket to Paradise
• Crazy Rich Asians
• The Princess Diaries
• All Hail the New York Influencer Who Posted TikToks Throughout Her Wedding, The Cut
• The Happy Couple, Naoise Dolan
• Dear Dolly, Should we let a pet dog come to our wedding?

.

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

The backlash against Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover supposedly satirising the male gaze has left us grappling with difficult questions, from how much moral responsibility Sabrina owes her young fans to whether this satire serves any greater purpose. Tying in with the release of Laura Bates’s brilliant new book The New Age of Sexism, we debate everything from how messy female ‘empowerment’ has become and what misogyny actually looks like in our terrifying age of AI. On theme, too, is our review of Alex Cooper’s new documentary about her meteoric Call Her Daddy fame: how does her sexual agency compare to Sabrina’s? And on a lighter note we start off with a juicy debrief on Dua Lipa’s new British Vogue cover. Enjoy hunnies!

We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!

Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.

Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠

Recs/review

• Dua Lipa, British Vogue
• Dua Lipa, SkinnkTok and the Labubu doll craze
• Pop Culture Takes Up Smoking Again, New York Times
• Why Are People Mad at Sabrina Carpenter Again, The Cut
• How Sabrina Carpenter Dream-Come-True'd Her Whole Life, Rolling Stone
• The New Age of Sexism: how the AI Revolution is reinventing misogyny, Laura Bates
• Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Conversation With Lana Del Rey, Pitchfork
• Girl on Girl, Sophie Gilbert
• Call Her Alex, Disney+
• There's more to Alex Cooper than the 'Call Her Daddy' documentary suggests, Washington Post

.

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

It’s a big week for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, with the judge dismissing Baldoni’s $400m countersuit against Lively and his $200m defamation suit against the New York Times. Who is now winning and where does that leave the trial in March? We bring you up to speed with all the latest developments, as well as news of another legal drama: nine women have accused Jared Leto of sexual impropriety. Now his ‘Mars Island cult’ feels very disturbing indeed. First up, though, we’re talking babies: from Nara Smith’s fourth pregnancy announcement to Jamie Laing’s podcast rebrand. Plus, a primer on Billie Eilish’s new boyfriend, as well as a much overdue debrief on Maya Jama’s adorable hard launch with Ruben Dias. And is the fallout from Bonnie Blue's now cancelled sex stunt valid? Finally we review BBC’s What It Feels Like for a Girl, which might just be the best show of 2025!

Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!

Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.

Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠

Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com

Reviews/ recs:

• Chicken tarragon lasagne, So Good by Emily English
• Pearl, Netflix
• Sinners, AppleTV
• Newlyparents podcast
• What It Feels Like For a Girl, BBC iPlayer
• 'All of us felt like we had touched gold': What It Feels Like for a Girl, the BBC’s electric coming-of-age tale, Guardian
• Jake Dunn Is Fiercely Protective of BBC Trans Drama ‘What It Feels Like for a Girl’, Hollywood Reporter
• What It Feels Like for a Girl star Ellis Howard on frank sex scenes, that toilet brush moment, and the emotional finale, British GQ
• Paris Lees and What It Feels Like For An Icon, Polyester
• Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400m defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, BBC
• How Many Times Will Blake Lively Have to Beat Justin Baldoni in Court for It to Matter?, Slate

.

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

A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We dive into a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of many of your deeply honest and moving DMs, which proved to us just how devastating – and common – friendship break-ups can be. We cover everything from ghostings and estrangement to boundaries and therapy-speak, as well as how politics, exes and different life stages can lead to rifts and resentment. Hopefully, if you’ve been through something similar, then this ep will help you feel less alone!

We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things friendship, so DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

Recs

• Bad Friend, Michelle Elman
• Bride Wars
• We Need to Talk about Our Ex Best Friends, Elle
• Bad Friend, Tiffany Watt Smith
• The Lingering Wounds of Friendship Breakups, Elle
• The White Lotus S3 E8, HBO
• Will Our Friendship Survive Your Baby, New York Magazine

.

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

On today’s show: BookTok is engulfed in controversy after an Australian rugby star was seemingly handed a book deal after just a month of posting on BookTok and with no former writing experience or manuscript to his name. We discuss the accusations of white male privilege, the inner workings of influencer publishing and whether we need more ‘literary men’ in our age of incel culture. Plus, is Sydney Sweeney selling droplets of her used bath water to male fans genius marketing or normalising objectification? And, following the news of Bella and Gigi Hadid’s secret sister, how wise is genealogical testing? Finally our usual film and TV recs (including a very honest And Just Like That review), and a highly revealing update on the Beckham feud.

Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!

Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.

Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠

Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com

Recs/reviews

• Sydney Sweeney, Dr Squatch ad
• The Elysian, Elle Griffin, Substack
• The disappearance of literary men should worry everyone, New York Times
• Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
• The Principle of Moments, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
• Evenings and Weekends, Oisín McKenna (audiobook on BookBeat)
• The Gift, BBC Radio 4 podcast
• You’ve found a lost relative. Now what? Vox
• The Better Sister, Prime Video
• Long Bright River, c4
• Overcompensating, Netflix
• And Just Like That, NOWTV
• The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Disney +
• Mormon wives on swinging scandals, friendship fallouts and religious backlash, BBC

.

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

Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa’s *very* hard launch and rumours of multiple joint TV projects has got us wondering: is this a rare example of a PR relationship? We dive in! Plus, an explainer of TikTok’s Odd Muse drama: can founders get called out without it being bullying? Also, a little look at Kris Jenner’s face lift and how one surgeon seems to be becoming the most popular man in Hollywood. And of course we had to debrief on the Netflix show starring Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy that everyone is talking about: Sirens. Why are we so obsessed with eat the rich satire and gorgeous cult leaders?

Please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too!

Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle rewards credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Borrow responsibly. £15 a month. 18+ and UK only. Rep 66.0% APR var. T&Cs apply.

Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠

Try BookBeat for free for 60 days (w 40 hrs of listening) and stream millions of audio using our code straightup at bookbeat.com

Recs/ reviews

• Pure flourish sleep tape
• My brain finally broke, New Yorker
• How to fix your focus and stop procrastinating, Johann Hari
• Aimee Smale on Working Hard, Hardy Working podcast
• Nine Perfect Strangers, Prime Video
• Sirens, Netflix
• Maid, Netflix
• Netflix’s Sirens will leave you with questions, Hollywood Reporter
• ‘Sirens’ Creator on the Power of Lilly Pulitzer, Michaela’s Bird Obsession and Turning Greek Myth Into New England Nightmare, Variety
• It must be nice to be a West Village girl, The Cut

.

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

From Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips to Kayla Jade and Ari Kytsya, OnlyFans influencers are everywhere. In this bonus ep, we’re deep-diving into the porn star meets social media matrix. How did OnlyFans become such a cultural and economic powerhouse? And who are ‘bops’ and ‘mattress actresses’ taking over TikTok? This special covers it all: sex stunts, stigma, empowerment, Margot’s Got Money Troubles, the celebs making millions on OF, explainers on our fave creators and the problem with sex extremism.

We really hope you love this bonus special! We would love to hear your thoughts on all things OnlyFans, so DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. Plus follow us on TikTok @straightuupod too! And please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify – it really does help keep us going x

Recs

• ‘We’re not influencers’: Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips tell us why anger over their sex stunts is ‘misdirected’, Brit Dawson for Cosmo
• Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
• Everyone's a sellout now, Vox
• Kayla Jade on TikTok, @blueeyedkaylajade
• Story time with Kayla Jade podcast
• Ari Kytsya on TikTok @notburnttoasthehe
• I Slept With 100 Men in One Day | Documentary by Josh Pieters
• Keily Blair, OnlyFans: ‘We are an incredible UK tech success story’, Financial Times
• OnlyFans and the Myth of Owning Your Own Hustle, Vanity Fair
• I’m an  Ex Playboy model. My son 12 was banned from a sports team because of my job.
• 7 top OnlyFans creators on how it changed their lives, GQ
•  Why are we shaming Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips, but not the masked men queuing up to have sex with them? Glamour
• Virgin Island, Channel 4
• From Bonnie Blue To Boysober: Why Sex Extremism Is Doing No One Any Good, Elle

.

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