Straight Up

Ariana Grande’s tour has been getting rave reviews, but the increasingly feverish discussion around her weight has us asking whether it’s more harmful to comment or stay silent, and what this and the tragic case of Jason Arday tell us about how journalists can lose sight of the real people behind headlines. Also this week: romantasy fans rejoice as Sarah J Maas reveals the covers, titles and blurbs for ACOTAR 6 and 7, Nicole Kidman faces backlash for looking “unrecognisable” on the cover of Vogue and the passing of actor Hayden Panettiere.

Join the ticket waitlist for our book club on Wed 2 September via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

DTF St Louis, HBO Max
The A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Sarah J Maas
The Last House, Netflix
The Invite
Camp Miasma
How do you assign a star rating to Ariana Grande? Ellie’s Substack
When the Snowflakes Pretend They Played No Part in the Avalanche, Conquest of the Useless Substack
“Where Am I Going? And What’s Next?”: Nicole Kidman Is Keeping Her Heart Open, Vogue
We call her Emma podcast
This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden Panettiere

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Nara Smith came on Call Her Daddy to rebuke her status as “poster girl” for the tradwife movement, but do we buy her rebrand? We discuss whether her content glamourising hyper-feminine domesticity causes real-world harm or whether she’s being held to unfair standards. Plus, rave reviews of masterpiece non-fiction thriller London Falling, the epic third season of House of the Dragon, and Epstein-coded serial killer drama Furious.

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

London Falling by Patrick Radden-Keefe
Patrick Radden-Keefe on How to Fail
Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan
House of the Dragon, NOWTV
The House That Dragons Built, HBO
Furious, Disney Plus
“Furious” Is a Crime Drama for a Post-Epstein World, New Yorker
Cape Fear, AppleTV
Nara Smith: Stop Calling Me a Tradwife, Call Her Daddy
Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke
 The Tradwife Illusion Meets the Anti-Trump Reality, New York Times
“You Can’t Just Be Showing Matcha-Pilates-Alo”, Vulture
Influencers Are Being Paid to Spread the Mormon Church's Gospel, Bloomberg
Emilie Kiser: The Loss That Changed Her Forever, On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in cinemas
Gary Stevenson: “I was obsessed with making money”, The Louis Theroux Podcast
We Call Her Emma, Tortoise Investigates
.

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

This week we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes on a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of lots of deeply honest and moving DMs from the huns. 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 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. If you’ve been through something similar, then hopefully this ep will help you feel less alone!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

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.

This week we’re diving into Jia Tolentino’s viral essay on the new age of cosmetic enhancement, from how algorithms are changing our faces to whether Botox really helps women get ahead at work – and why our own feelings on tweakments have recently radically changed. Also on the show: Olivia Wilde’s brilliant new film The Invite, where she and Seth Rogen play a miserable middle-class married couple, Apple’s sci-fi dystopia Silo, dispatches from the newborn trenches, and the latest doc exploring the ethics of reality TV, The Love Island Curse. Enjoy huns!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠

Recs/ reviews:

On whether having a baby ruins your life or not, Sam Parker, Substack
Silo, AppleTV
The Invite, in cinemas
The Drama, available to rent
Half Man, iPlayer
The Curse of Love Island, Prime Video
Our incredible September book club pick Where Are the Kings, by Donal Ryan – pre-order your copy here
Our Plastic Surgery Nightmare, The New Yorker
How 'The Botox Psyop' Broke Our Brains in the Name of Beauty, Diabolical Lies
.

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

We are so excited to be reunited and resuming normal service this week with a very overdue pop culture catch up! First up: reviews of Christopher Nolan's much talked-about Hollywood epic The Odyssey and "perimenopausal" crime caper Ride or Die starring Hannah Waddingham, before we dive into the fascinating new Katie Price docu-series. Plus: the new data showing that nine out of 10 of Britain's best-selling novels feature a murdered woman, and the Chris Martin-curated World Cup halftime show, from its bizarre performances to Madonna and Justin Bieber's reported feud. Enjoy huns and don’t forget to put Wednesday 2nd September in your diaries for our next book club at The Hoxton Holborn!

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews:

The Odyssey, in cinemas
Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out, Guardian
Chastity, nodding and enormous pores: will women also love Nolan’s Odyssey?, Guardian
Obsession, in cinemas
Ride or Die, Amazon Prime
‘An overnight success after 25 years? Delicious’: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham on sexism, stunts and stardom at 51, Guardian
Lucky, Prime Video
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, NOWTV/ Sky
Nine out of 10 bestselling novels in UK have one thing in common: a woman is murdered, Guardian
9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why, Marie Claire
Hawk, Netflix
.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.