As us Aussies (& southern hemisphere friends) enter the Summer, I thought it might be a good time to reshare this episode on suntanning. We know suntanning is bad for our health, but why do we even want to tan our skin in the first place? Let's unpack where the trend comes from, and its links with race, class and health.
Thanks so much for tuning in! See you next fortnight with a brand new episode! xx
Instagram: @fromthedivingboard
TikTok: @charlichatss
What are we locking in for? Unpacking the 'religion' of self-optimisation culture & locking-in as an aesthetic as we approach the new year. How to avoid burn-out & stay ambitious without having to set new year's resolutions that make us feel worthless... let's talk about it!
& THANK YOU for all of the love this year!!! I truly am beyond grateful for your support. Make sure to follow the podcast to keep up with any new uploads! Bring on 2026 xxx
Instagram: @fromthedivingboard
TikTok: @charlichatss
00:00 intro
01:18 thank you!
05:05 the December of it all
06:54 The Great Lock In of 2025
18:38 new year, new me
23:20 a better way to make resolutions
28:12 my burnout experience
Earlier this year, Avi Schiffman’s poster campaign for his brand Friend—an AI-pendant promising to “listen, respond, and support you”—was vandalised almost as soon as it hit New York’s subway walls. Yet while critics mocked the idea of an artificial ‘friend,’ Schiffman smiled; the backlash was part of the plan. In this video, we unpack the loneliness epidemic, what friendship looks like under neoliberalism, and why AI companionship is becoming appealing in a world that worships convenience and rejects friction.
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
timestamps:
00:00 intro04:00 loneliness & the internet10:34 anti-social media17:22 frictionless friendship22:05 is it all just rage bait?29:30 our conflict avoidance crisis
A few weeks ago, British Vogue did the impossible - she broke the internet with long form content. The article was called ‘Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?’ and everyone had something to say about it. Today we’re unpacking the theme of ‘decentering men’ from a slightly different angle - is it men we should blame, or systems of patriarchy & capitalism (& can it be both?)
Huge thank you to Chanté Joseph for starting this incredible conversation!
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
timestamps:
00:00 intro
01:45 is it embarrassing to have a boyfriend now?
11:35 the vacuum of it all
27:05 ‘single’ as an aesthetic
33:37 echo chamber mentality
thank you for watching!! xx
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
timestamps:
00:00 intro
04:16 Bali, the Paradise Myth & moral absolutism
15:40 influencers in Afghanistan
21:48 ‘self discovery’ through tourism
26:40 do travel boycotts work?
33:50 final thoughts
Why is it that women are far more likely than men to have 'buy now pay later' debt? From morally questionable 'girl math' advertising to rebrand debt as 'cute,' to regulatory loopholes and sneaky marketing - let's dive into the world of buy now pay later. We'll also unpack whether the buy now pay later industry has 'commercialised' social welfare payments, and take a look at recent regulatory amendments in Australia.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed, please hit follow, rate 5 stars & leave a comment!
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
00:00 intro
01:08 the rise in cute debt
09:03 eat now, pay later
12:10 the commercialisation of social security
14:53 the gendered market
19:06 new Australian regulations
Ocean Vuong recently stated that cringe culture is holding us back from following our dreams - but why is the fear of being cringe so pervasive among young people right now? A chit chat podcast episode unpacking surveillance culture, our obsession with being 'nonchalant' and widespread apathy, and how these factors may influence our fear of judgment.
Thank you for listening!! So curious to hear your thoughts!! Make sure to follow, rate 5 stars & leave a comment xxx
timestamps:
00:00 cringe culture
04:00 Ocean Vuong & surveillance culture
10:40 idolising nonchalance
17:18 redefining ‘cringe’
21:30 I am cringe but I am free
Unpacking nostalgia as both a cultural coping mechanism and a political tool, to examine its role in shaping online identity as well as mobilising conservative political movements.
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
#tradwife #tradwives #2016core #nostalgia #genz #genalpha
What I've been reading recently & whether I think they're worth the hype (they are) xxxx
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What do Sydney Sweeney & American Eagle's 'good jeans' advert and Jojo Siwa's constant rebranding suggest about personal branding, outrage marketing, and the commodification of identity? Is there ever anything harmless about profiting off of anger and outrage? And how does this look in an era of increasing political polarisation, echo chambers and rising intolerance?
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
Why do relationships feel so strained right now? Let's unpack the capitalist history of marriage, the nuclear family, and why centring platonic friendship could be the solution we all need right now.
Also... we have been selected as a Spotify RADAR Creator!! THANK YOU for supporting FDB - so much love!
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Source list found on YouTube.
Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
What does the Bezos-Sanchez wedding represent in an era of major wealth inequality, and what's the solution? Let's unpack whether charitable donations by the extreme wealthy are enough, what taxing the rich really means, and whether billionaires should exist...at all.
Based on the incredible theory of limitarianism by Dr Ingrid Robeyns.
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Business enquiries only: charlichats@outlook.com
Gen Z have decided that Carrie Bradshaw is the ultimate villain & should be booted off SATC. Yet without her flaws, would Carrie even be worth watching? Let's unpack the unrealistic standards that we hold female protagonists to, and why now, more than ever, we need more flawed female characters on screen.
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Source list found on YouTube.
The Cannes Film Festival decency rules brought a conversation about 'decency' in fashion, and whether celebrities have gone 'too far' in revealing their bodies on the red carpet. Is this just another case of policing what women wear? Or does the conversation run deeper - how are women's bodies portrayed in public spaces, and who gets to undress? ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺timestamps:00:00 intro03:41 the nude dress15:10 bodies in protest 25:22 final thoughts
socials!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charli.chatsSubstack:https://charlichats.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=4708658sources:Naminata Diabate - N*ked AgencyJessica Mandanda - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/understanding-the-radicalism-of-naked-protests-as-a-decoloniality-tool-for-feminist-activismHenriette Richards - https://theconversation.com/bold-statement-or-a-product-of-misogyny-what-bianca-censoris-naked-dress-says-about-fashion-on-the-red-carpet-249001Viginia Troli - https://amp.abc.net.au/article/105282066David Smith - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/11/ivory-coast-women-defiantUnladylike podcast - https://www.unladylike.co/episodes/188/naked-protests
I quit TikTok! So I'm sharing the long form media I've been consuming instead of (or in addition to... let's be honest,) doomscrolling.
Listen to hear my recommendations on books, substack pieces & articles to read at the moment!
Psst! Did you hear? Gossip may not be AS bad as you think it is - well... in certain contexts, and depending on whose talking... actually I just heard this on the grapevine & may not have the facts straight so you should probably just listen to find out more...
From rumour spreading & slander to whisper networks that exist to support oppressed people in society - what do we actually mean when we condemn gossip, and is it as bad as we think? In this episode we unpack gossip from a critical feminist perspective & consider its role in the #MeToo movement, among others.
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#MeToo #gossip #feminism #criticalfeminism #thewhitelotus #bridgerton
Why are teens using wrinkle cream before they have wrinkles? Why is baby botox booming before 25? How does politics shape our views about beauty? From anti-aging influencers to a total erasure of older women in media, this video unpacks how our culture turned aging into a crisis... and why we’re so scared of it happening to us.
socials!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charli.chats...TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charlichatss
From Ozempic to the pilates body to the AI chubby filter on TikTok, it's no question that our social media feeds are starting to give mid-2000s (in the worst possible way). It feels like we're collectively unlearning any efforts to achieve body positivity and neutrality, and I want to know why. Are beauty trends a microcosm for what's happening in the political and social zeitgeist, and if so, what does the resurgence of skinny mean?
Instagram: @charli.chats
TikTok: @charlichatss
Let's get chatty about the quarter life crisis. Are you in it? Or are we just living in an era of excessive self-optimisation culture, cost of living increases and an obsession with anti-aging...
Instagram: @charli.chats
TikTok: @charlir0se
Substack: https://charlichats.substack.com/
#quarterlifecrisis #genz #selfoptimisation #tiktoktrends
Kamala is brat, Trump has weird vibes and Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl half time performance was political commentary. Today we're unpacking how pop culture & politics are barely distinguishable, whether modern media has shaped this, and what the 'attention economy' means for culture. This episode was inspired by OliSUNvia, "drowning in entertainment: the age of distraction", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZ5Y... - I highly recommend for a further deep dive into this topic!Follow me on Instagram!