Straight Up

From Lena Dunham announcing the birth of her baby girl via surrogate in a fashion piece for Vogue, to Ed Sheeran’s PR disaster over Palestine and free speech, this week both celebs have found themselves at the centre of debates they’d tried to side-step. Is commercial surrogacy inherently “anti-feminist”? And can stars really be apolitical in this day and age? Also on the show: we review Sharon Horgan’s brilliant new series YOUTH, all about ageing anxiety and dating in your 50s.

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

Recs/reviews

YOUTH, HBO Max
Sharon Horgan: My sexual shelf life and dating over 50, The Times
Lena Dunham Is a Mother! The Sweet, Singular Story of How She Prepared, Vogue
Whose Babies Are These? A Chinese man hired a Florida surrogate, then didn’t pick up his kids, sparking a custody battle that could upend the industry, The Cut
When Political Reality Collides With Ed Sheeran, New York Times
Ed Sheeran wants to stay out of politics. By quitting his tour, his support acts have exposed the hollowness of neutrality, Guardian
‘With Gaza, I Couldn’t Not Speak Out’: Ms. Rachel on Controversy, Fame, and the Future, Rolling Stone
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This week we’re revisiting our ep on the dark side of the therapy boom, from unqualified therapists planting false memories in vulnerable people and an obsession with labels to ‘therapy boasting’ on Hinge and the weaponisation of ‘therapy speak’. Plus, what makes a good therapist, and can AI offer an accessible alternative to what has become a luxury? We’ll be back with our usual pop culture debrief next Thursday!

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:

Dangerous Memories podcast
My therapist told me Mum had abused me. She hadn’t, Times
The therapist who planted false memories, Pandora Sykes, Substack
How the language of therapy took over dating, NYT
Nobody has a personality anymore, Substack
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns users not to trust ChatGPT agent with sensitive or personal data, Decoder
Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens, NYT
He Had a Mental Breakdown Talking to ChatGPT. Then Police Killed Him, Rolling Stone
What does bad therapy actually look like? Stylist
Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help? BBC
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Mega-influencer Alix Earle’s new reality show has dropped on Netflix and so we’re unpacking it all, from all the details of her feud with Alex Cooper to the family’s bizarre dynamics. Could Earle Meets World be Gen Z’s answer to The Kardashians? Also this week: series two of The Gentlemen starring Maya Jama, as well as the brilliant film spin-off of French comedy Call My Agent! featuring an excellent cameo from George Clooney.

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:

Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan
The Gentlemen, Netflix
Call My Agent! The Movie, Netflix
Earle Meets World, Netflix
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Ali G is back after more than 20 years, sparking a backlash over the character’s racist stereotypes with cinemas saying they’ll boycott the new film. And speaking of controversial comebacks, the planned John Galliano exhibition at the Met has been pulled, so this week we’re discussing cancel culture, second chances and when some things are better left in the past. Also on the show: the sky-rocketing of push-up bra sales, breastfeeding in public, Bonnie Blue’s baby announcement and Olivia Wilde’s new film, plus the Lindsay Clancy trial.

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

Get our book club pick Where Are the Kings here
FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture (our ep)
Outcome, AppleTV
Toy Story 5, SkyTV
Furious, Disney Plus
I Want Your Sex, in cinemas
Eyes Down Here: Push-up bras are back with a vengeance, The Cut
Not My G, More Brit (ish) Than Ever Substack, Afua Hirsch
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Is Making a Very Bad Mistake, New York Times
Lucky Boy, Tortoise Investigates
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Why do so many adult men seem stuck in arrested development? We review the buzzy new novel from the “male Sally Rooney” Jem Calder, whose rom-com I Just Want You to Be Happy charts a dysfunctional age-gap relationship between a 35-year-old man-child and 23-year-old woman. Also on the show: our thoughts on the backlash to North West’s “age inappropriate” Dazed cover, Meghan Markle’s new career move, Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s hard launch and a possible sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

We’ve released a final batch of tickets to our book club on Wed 2 September! 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

I Want You to be Happy, Jem Calder
I Want You to Be Happy is the excruciating millennial novel everyone will be reading this summer, The Independent
Alice and Steve, Disney Plus
Prue Leith – On leaving Bake Off and finding love again at 70, Experience is Everything
Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s Dating World Tour Continues in London, Vogue
North West: ‘Music is what I wanna do with my life’, Dazed
Fresh Hell, Tina Brown’s Substack
.

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