

High Brow
High Brow
High Brow is a chic podcast for cool girls and self-identified intellectuals. Hosted by Mina Le, the pod is an extension of her eponymous Youtube channel.
Follow Mina every Wednesday as she leads you through the culture & fashion landscapes, dissecting topics that probably resonate most with the chronically online... but through the lens of someone who has touched grass of course (or so she claims!).
Find Mina on Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @gremlita
Follow Mina every Wednesday as she leads you through the culture & fashion landscapes, dissecting topics that probably resonate most with the chronically online... but through the lens of someone who has touched grass of course (or so she claims!).
Find Mina on Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @gremlita
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 9, 2023 • 1h 14min
online aesthetics, subcultures, and 'girl' internet (feat. evan collins)
This is an extended version of the aesthetics episode that came out on Monday. Mina addresses your babygirlification concerns, shares audience experiences navigating online aesthetics, and includes insightful commentary from Evan Collins, co-founder of CARI (the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute).
Take a look at the CARI website when you have the time!
You can support their valuable work through donations.
Subscribe to the Patreon!
SOURCES
How the Zoot Suit Became a Symbol of Resistance for Mexican-American People | Teen Vogue;
Pachuco – Subcultures and Sociology
Column: The Zoot Suit era is when white America learned to stereotype young Latinos as threats
How the Beat Generation Became "Beatniks" - JSTOR Daily
Mods - Museum of Youth Culture
The Story Of Subculture: GOTH - UNDERGROUND
What is emo, anyway? We look at history to define a genre
What is a Subculture?.
The Feminine Presence in Youth Subcultures: the Art of Becoming Visible1 Wivian Weller
Youth Culture, Higher Ed, Flappers: The Origins of Youth Culture in the 1920s
Inventing the American Teen-Ager | The New Yorker
The Origin of the Teenager - Boundless Theatre
Researching Subcultures, Inc.
Fashion Subcultures And Youth Identity | The Dyás Wearable Art
Is youth culture a thing of the past? | Apollo Magazine
Yomi Adegoke: Has The Internet Killed Subcultures? | British Vogue
The Fountain of Youth | National Geographic
Supersonic youth: who said subcultures were dead? - The Face
Category:Core Suffix | Aesthetics Wiki
What Health Goth Actually Means | The FADER
Health Goth | Aesthetics Wiki
14 Unforgettable Vaporware Products
How Vaporwave Was Created Then Destroyed by the Internet
History of Vaporwave
The whitewashing of the art hoe movement | Diggit Magazine.
#Arthoe: the teens who kickstarted a feminist art movement | Art and design | The Guardian
"That's So Aesthetic": Subcultures That Stand for Nothing in the Connected Age — louisarogers
Trends are dead
What is monoculture? - Vox
On TikTok, there’s always a new ‘girl’ aesthetic
Tomato girl summer trend: It's an old idea with a surprising new twist.
Digital culture and entertainment insights daily: Girl Internet
Corporate girlie aesthetic dominating TikTok is proof that Gen Z isn't just about 'quiet quitting'
It’s time to ‘embrace the rodent energy’: Content creator declares 2023 Rat Girl Summer Rat Girl Summer rodent energy
The Creator of 'Feral Girl Summer' Explains How to Be Your Most Chaotic Self
Hot Girl Walks are all over TikTok. Here's what you need to do one right
What Is Girl Dinner? - The New York Times
Hot girls walked so girl dinner could run
Popeyes is now offering 'girl dinner.' Here's what's included | CNN Business
De-Influencing TikTok's 'Blueberry Milk Nails' Trend
WHY ARE PEOPLE UPSET ABOUT THE ‘BLUEBERRY MILK’ NAIL TREND?
The year of garbage internet trends - Vox
Fashion has reached peak trendcore, and we're all tired

Aug 2, 2023 • 49min
babygirlification, the rise of converse, and plastic surgery mania
Join Mina as she shares audience getting-off-social-media tactics and rambles on about Cillian Murphy, being a girl's girl, Paris Hilton's hyperbaric oxygen chamber, Samba fatigue, and where to shop for vintage clothes online.
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Reads:
Why everyone online is calling these Hollywood men 'babygirl'
Having Sambas Fatigue? These Celebs Make a Case for This Classic Sneaker Instead
Hollywood Elite Rushes to Get Plastic Surgery Before SAG-AFTRA Strike Ends | Allure
Recs:
http://gem.app
https://afterschool.substack.com/
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover Art by Lindsay Mintz

Jul 26, 2023 • 48min
not reviewing b*****, stalking your friends, and the tiktok age filter
Mina discusses the SAG strike and how that's impacting Hollywood, but also my content, Find My Friends addiction, dealing with the TikTok age filter, and how the tourism industry is making American tourists more annoying than need be.
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Mina's reading list:
“Orange Is the New Black” Signalled the Rot Inside the Streaming Economy
All the Actors Strike Questions You Were Afraid to Ask
Fran Drescher on Her Disgust With Hollywood Executives
IS TIKTOK’S AGED FILTER ACCURATE? NOT REALLY, EXPERTS SAY
Find My Friends is becoming another form of toxic social media
Stop trying to have the perfect vacation. You’re ruining everyone else’s.
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

Jul 12, 2023 • 52min
solo traveling, unfollowing etiquette, and it girl democracy
Mina talks about her first time solo traveling in Italy a few weeks ago, making and losing new friends on vacation, unfollowing politics in the Instagram age, tangents on Sarah Jessica Parker and 60s high society, and the so-called democratization of "it girls" and the internet's shift towards hyper-individualism... or not???
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Her reading list:
Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball by Deborah Davis
NYT article about the event if you don't want to read the whole book:
50 Years Ago, Truman Capote Hosted the Best Party Ever
Why Sarah Jessica Parker Keeps Playing Carrie Bradshaw
The Shrinking Influence Of "It Girls" - mixed feelings
CORRECTION: THE CUT ARTICLE, NOT THE NEW YORKER: ‘It’ Girl Inflation: You’re an “It” girl! You’re an “It” girl! Everyone’s an “It” girl!
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

Jul 5, 2023 • 1h 9min
in defense of the bridezilla
This is an extended version of Mina's the "perfect" wedding dress is a myth video, including digressions in royal weddings and bridezilla discourse, as well as some crazy wedding stories from the listeners!
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Written by Mina Le, Ella Gray, and Sophie Carter
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz
SOURCES
The Fake Poor Bride
How 20-Year-Old Queen Victoria Forever Changed Wedding Fashion | Vanity Fair
Creating her space - Philippa, princess of England, queen of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and Vadstena Abbey | Mia Åkestam - Academia.edu
A Natural History of the Wedding Dress - JSTOR Daily
Etiquette of Trousseau - White Wedding Dress Origins - Godey's Lady's Book, August 1849
White Wedding Dress: The History Of The Most Popular Bridal Gown | British Vogue
The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashions by Edwina Ehrman
The exchange of the princesses
Royal Weddings Are a Fairy Tale. They Used to Be High-Stakes Diplomacy.
The royal weddings that shaped European history - Vox
Modernising royal weddings: a historical perspective
Public reception - Royal Weddings
History's most lavish royal weddings
Grace Kelly’s bridal gown is cited as a masterpiece and best-remembered bridal gown of all time
4 Ways Royal Weddings Have Influenced the Modern Wedding Industry | Wed Society
The Ugly Incest Secret Behind History's Royal Families
Tongan crown prince marries second cousin
Wedding Costs: Who Pays for What Traditionally?
Japan’s Princess Mako marries and loses royal status.
Royal flush? How much are taxpayers paying for the Royal wedding? - Full Fact
Royal wedding 2018: Who's paying? - BBC News
Princess Beatrice’s Tiara Came With Deep and Symbolic Royal Connections | Vanity Fair
The Evolution of Bridal Style Through the Years
They Were the First - NYTimes.com
"Pity June Bride! War Trims Trousseau." UPIs 20th Century Top Stories, May 08 1943, ProQuest. Web. 21 June 2023.
Queen Elizabeth II bought her wedding dress with WWII ration coupons
Bridalwear Through the Decades: How Historical Events Have Impacted Bridal Fashion
What To Wear To A Wartime Wedding | Imperial War Museums
Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding Dress
A Brief History of the Strapless Wedding Dress - Racked
How Did Priscilla Presley Find Her Dream Las Vegas Wedding Dress?
Priscilla Presley Didn't Like Wedding Dress She Wore to Marry Elvis
The Story Behind Bianca Jagger's Seminal YSL Wedding Suit
Vera Wang said Mariah Carey's voluminous 1993 wedding dress was influenced by Princess Diana
25 Years Later, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Wedding Dress Still Stuns | Vanity Fair
Everything We Know About Meghan Markle's Wedding Gown
Our Legacy - Becker's Bridal - Michigan Bridal Shop
Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter Dies at 99; Built an Empire of Tulle and Satin - The New York Times
How David's Bridal went from bridal-dress domination to the 'Walmart of weddings' and its second bankruptcy filing in 5 years
The best and worst wedding dresses worn in movies
A history of wedding dresses
This is the Average Wedding Dress Cost in 2023
Count Down to a Wedding: Bucking Tradition by Wearing a Short Dress
How ‘bridezilla’ became this summer’s biggest sexist slur
AITA for refusing to go to my best friend's wedding because of her bad attitude towards my girlfriend? : r/Bridezilla
The Average Wedding Cost in 2022, According to Data
The Agonizing Wedding Expectations Behind the Sexist 'Bridezilla' Stereotype
Opinion | A Feminist Defense of Bridezillas - The New York Times
When the Bridezilla label was thrown my way, I realised no one was safe from this sexist trope
Strapless wedding gowns: They’re unflattering. Why are they so popular? Section: DoubleX
It's OK to Spend $12.50 on a Wedding Dress Now

Jun 28, 2023 • 1h 17min
Ozempic, Shein, and Karl Lagerfeld's Diet Book (with Aubrey Gordon)
Mina interviews writer, podcaster, and activist Aubrey Gordon!
Find Aubrey's books (and other relevant info) here and columns she's written here.
Listen to her podcast with Michael Hobbes, Maintenance Phase.
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

Jun 21, 2023 • 1h 14min
PR Relationships, Parasociality, and Gaylor speculations (with Dr. Kate Kurtin)
Director's cut version of Mina's The Cult of Celebrity Relationships video, featuring discussions on age gap relationships, Machine Gun Kelly + Megan Fox, and an interview with Dr. Kate Kurtin on what we're all misunderstanding about parasocial relationships.
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
SOURCES
Emotional arousal when watching drama increases pain threshold and social bonding - PMC
Crazy Love: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Epic Romance | Vanity Fair
Burton and Taylor, private lives played out in public | Elizabeth Taylor | The Guardian
“ELIZABETH TAYLOR IS WED TO BURTON” New York Times (1923-); 16 Mar 1964.
“The Burtons Draw Thousands of Sightseers” By NEIL SHEEHAN. New York Times (1923-); 25 June 1964.
Burton and Taylor, private lives played out in public | Elizabeth Taylor | The Guardian
The Unsinkable Jennifer Aniston | Vanity Fair | September 2005
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston’s 2000s tabloid battle, reprise - Vox
How Jennifer Aniston’s fertility became everyone’s obsession | Zoe Williams | The Guardian
Like A Virgin: How Purity Culture Harmed Britney Spears & A Generation Of Pop Stars
Justin Timberlake has finally apologised to Britney Spears, so why did they break up in 2002?
Why Are We So Fascinated by Celebrity Love Lives? – SheKnows
power couple Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com
Baudinette, T. (2023). Idol Shipping Culture: Exploring Queer Sexuality among Fans of K-Pop. In S. Kim (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to K-Pop (Cambridge Companions to Music, pp. 249-264). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108938075.020
Resnick, Kendall, "When Admiration Turns to Obsession: A Case Study on Taylor Swift Fan Theories" (2021). Student Research Submissions. 439.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/439
Taylor Swift fans are upset over reports of her breakup. A psychologist explains why : NPR
Sydney Sweeney was living her 'best life' filming with Glen Powell despite drama
Was Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's Relationship Fake? A Thorough Investigation
Why Famous Women Marry Gay Men
All That Heaven Allows' Examines Rock Hudson's Life As A Closeted Leading Man : NPR
Rock Hudson's Wife Secretly Recorded His Gay Confession — Revealed 55 Years Later
What Makes a Man: Rock Hudson’s Laborious Life | Vanity Fair
FBI Records: The Vault — Rock Hudson Part 1 of 1
Love In the Age of the Celebrity Fauxmance & PR Relationships
A Paparazzo Explains How Staged Celebrity Photos Really Work
INTERVIEWS
Brad Pitt talks about Angelina Jolie with Diane Sawyer
Britney Spears - Interview with Diane Sawyer @ ABC Primetime (2003) [TV Rip AI]
Written by Mina Le, Ella Gray, and Sophie Carter
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

Jun 14, 2023 • 1h 2min
the problem with "The Industry"
Join Mina as she talks about private parties, Marvel fatigue, and Netflix's broken streaming model!
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Her reading list:
How to Hire a Pop Star for Your Private Party
How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Swallowed Hollywood
The Binge Purge
Get started with Athena Club today by shopping in-store at Target nationwide.
Edited by Mina Le
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

5 snips
Jun 7, 2023 • 1h 9min
The Mythology of Quiet Luxury (with Amanda Mull)
This is the director's cut episode for Mina's how do rich people actually dress? video, with explorations on hypergamy, cosplaying as poor, and a special interview with Amanda Mull on the mythology of quiet luxury!
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
SOURCES
Changing patterns of conspicuous consumption: Media representations of luxury in second homes by Trudie Walters
African American Dress by Helen Bradley Foster
The Structure of Indian Society: Then and Now By A.M. Shah
Alimony panic, gold diggers, and the cultural foundations of early twentieth-century marriage reform in the United States by Brian L Donovan
How the Great Recession influenced a decade of design
How Do Recessions Impact Fashion Trends? Beyond the Hemline Index
How 2 recessions changed what we wear
Fashion trends in an uncertain economy | Reuters
What is Recession Core? - FASHION Magazine
Recession Core Just An Opportunity For Celebrities To Cosplay Being Poor
If You Pay Attention to One Trend This Season, Make It “Quiet Luxury”
Why do we buy into ‘stealth wealth’ and the class who wear it? | Fashion | The Guardian
Why the super-rich love understated dressing - BBC Culture
There’s Nothing Silent About Quiet Luxury
The End of Hypergamy: Global Trends and Implications - PMC
Sofia Richie Grainge and the Fantasy of the Young Rich Wife | Glamour
The Female TikTokers Rebranding Gold-Digging As ‘Hypergamy’
Justine Lupe on Willa, the Sex Worker Tied Up in ‘Succession’ – Rolling Stone
There's No Secret to How Wealthy People Dress
The old black | Art | The Guardian
I Tried Steve Jobs' Productivity Hack to Reduce My Decision Fatigue
Fashion and the Evolving Vision of of Workwear | Grailed
Carhartt Is the Uniform of Both the Right and the Left - Racked
‘Funny’ and unreal: How blue-collar workers feel about workwear as fashion
Written by Mina Le, Ella Gray, and Sophie Carter
Edited by Sophie Carter
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz

May 31, 2023 • 1h 4min
What is American Fashion (with Avery Trufelman)
Mina and guest of the pod Avery Trufelman discuss all things rich people fashion, American Ivy, Ralph Lauren mania, and trend predictions for the future.
Check out Avery's podcast Articles of Interest and her accompanying Substack.
Keep up with High Brow on Instagram!
Subscribe to the Patreon!
and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
Edited by Mina Le
Music by Olivia Martinez
Cover by Lindsay Mintz