Material Girls

We had to talk about the Barbie movie! We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, only this time we only answered questions you submitted about Greta Gerwig's blockbuster hit. We talk mainstream feminism, satire, the limits and possibilities of camp, aesthetics and so much more! If you needed a hearty discussion about the movie after viewing it as a thinking person in 2023, then we have you covered! Thanks for submitting such thoughtful questions.Part II of this bonus is available on Patreon to all of our tiers! Join today for just $5 USD/month to hear the rest of the conversation! Head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!And, if you liked this episode, please share it with family and friends! Word-of-mouth is the primary way we reach new listeners who are interested in feminist materialist critique, pop culture and laughing at and from within *the discourse.* Share the show today!Note: Hope Rehak's Newsletter, mentioned in this episode, is called Obsessions This Week!***Material Girls is a new show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.We'll be back in one week for a regular episode!*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had to talk about Barbie! This episode is all about Barbie dolls and way they took over the toy industry in the 90s. We've since recorded an episode about the movie which will be available on our Patreon in the coming weeks.For now, please enjoy this episode that touches on liberal feminism, petro-capitalism, the history of Big Plastic, Barbie (the metonym!) and so much more. Over the course of an hour, Marcelle leads Hannah through a theory-informed breakdown of why Barbie, created in 1959, had her biggest moment in the early 90s and how we might begin to make sense of discourse surrounding Greta Gerwig's blockbuster, Barbie — the movie.If you like this episode, please share it with family and friends! Word-of-mouth is the primary way we reach new listeners who are interested in feminist materialist critique, pop culture and laughing at and from within *the discourse.* Share the show today!***Material Girls is a new show that aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.We'll be back in two weeks for another episode, but until then, be sure to check out all the bonus content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. You can learn more about the show at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease!*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's here! Welcome to the first episode of Material Girls, a scholarly podcast about pop culture co-hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman.This show aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.In this pilot episode, Marcelle leads us through a discussion of Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, and a mini lecture on tender masculinity. She pulls on theory from bell hooks, Robert Morrell, Chris Haywood and Thomas Johansson (among others) and ultimately makes a claim that Hannah dutifully picks apart — in a totally academic, non-bullying way!!!We'll be back in two weeks for another episode, but until then, be sure to check out all the bonus content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. You can learn more about the show at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease!*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment. Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on thealbum “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Material Girls! A new show from the team behind the beloved podcast, Witch, Please. Every episode you'll get your pop culture fix with some academic theory added to the mix. Join feminist scholars Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman for episodic dives into the zeitgeist. Together they ask the materialist question "why this, why now?" about books that are on everyone's nightstands, songs that are on rotation, movies that have captured Twitter discourse — and so much more. Subscribe to the feed and get ready for the pilot episode coming July 25th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well Witches... we're here, at the end of Witch, Please the podcast. If you've been following us on Instagram, then you know that we are so grateful for the last eight seasons AND we're so excited for our new flagship show: Material Girls, a scholarly podcast about popular culture.You'll notice that, much like our usual Wrap Up episodes, this final episode is pure chaos. We were lucky enough to record this final Witch, Please episode in person which means what we lack in sound quality and coherence, we (hopefully) make up for in glee and games. Tune in for the giggles, stay for the Devastating Fun Facts™ and listen to the very end for a blooper Coach decided to keep in.We hope this is a fun episode for you but fear not, we'll be back in two weeks with **serious theory** in our pilot episode of Material Girls. And heads up! We're keeping our Witch, Please feed, so stay subscribed to be notified when Material Girls drops! If you're wondering about our other show, Gender Playground, you can head over to ohwitchplease.ca/gender-playground to learn more.AND if you want to be a part of this next chapter featuring more perks and more content than ever before, head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease to support Witch, Please Productions, feminist media for a radically* inclusive world. We need your support now more than ever!*fuck terfs we're taking back radical*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final regular episode, we decided to revisit Fan Studies! We begin with a review of our episodes on Foucault and authorship, Michel de Certeau and the tactics of the disempowered, Jane Tompkins and circulation and Michael Warner's idea of discourse publics. Even though it's our last regular Witch, Please episode, don't be fooled, our Transfiguration segment is a HEADY one and Hannah leads us through mind-bending theory about affective economies and affective economics (two different things!!). If you like feminist theory, you'll love the discussion of Sara Ahmed's 2004 article “Affective Economies," and if you're a media theory nerd (which we suspect you may be...), you'll appreciate when Hannah brings Henry Jenkins into the mix to think about the relationship between media industries and fandoms.Ultimately, the conversation, inevitably, gets a bit meta and we apply our newly discovered/uncovered/learned theory to the test with a discussion about the changing face of the Harry Potter fandom, the fandom around Witch, Please the podcast and the radical possibilities AND limits of both.For this episode, we invited our Faculty Club to join in for OWLS so if you hear some unfamiliar voices and brains at work, that's why! Big shoutout to our Faculty Club (a high Patreon tier) for helping us with this last episode and for the financial support. You're why Coach has the hours to add so many sound effects. Hoot, hoot. ***Hey you! We're launching a new show called MATERIAL GIRLS! We've shared our first two episodes on Patreon to get the input of all our Patreon supporters as we develop the series which will launch this summer after we wrap up the Appendix Season. Join our Patreon today to listen to the first episode of our new show and to get access to a ton of audio perks like unedited audio, bloopers, comics, Q&As, and so much more! Become a supporter at patreon.com/ohwitchplease. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. We need your help to start this next chapter of Witch, Please Productions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're thrilled to share the pilot episode of Gender Playground!Gender Playground is a new show from Witch, Please Productions and is co-hosted by longtime friends Marcelle Kosman and Raimi Marx. This podcast is all about gender-affirming care for the kids in your life, and YOU are the intended audience! Whether you're a caregiver, parent, family-member, chosen-family-member, teacher, doctor, childcare professional, or just someone who wants to create a more loving world for kids, this show is for you!This first episode is about gender expression and gender euphoria. In it, Marcelle and Raimi talk about Marcelle's daughter playing dress up, Marcelle's desire to balance her daughter’s creative freedom and safety, and what caregivers can do to better expand their own imaginations around gender and self-expression within and beyond the binary.For more resources and information about today's topic(s), head to ohwitchplease.ca/gender-playground!Note: We briefly touch on the current panic around "permanence" and although we don't name the buzzword "detransition" in this episode, we are aware that it's used in mainstream discourse to limit access to gender-affirming and life-saving care for trans and nonbinary youth. We will touch on this topic more in the following episodes and we plan to dedicate a full episode to it once we can sustain the show past our mini-season.Until then, head to ohwitchplease.ca/gender-playground for some useful research on the low rate of detransition.Links to the Recommendations from Our Pilothttps://www.flamingorampant.com/https://jesslove.format.com/picture-bookshttps://booksaremagic.net/item/oh62l0dfkY5ldh2RwcbyWghttps://socialjusticebooks.org/sparkle-boy/https://modernrascals.ca/Heads up! We’re trying to reach $7000/month in Patreon support by August 1st to ensure the sustainability of this new podcast! We’ve produced a mini-season of four episodes to test whether there’s an audience for the show. With financial support from our listeners, we’ll be able to produce new episodes that continue tackling this complex issue from a place of joy and love.Join our Patreon today to get access to the following three episodes released over the next few weeks and to show your support of this show. Head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease, find a tier that works for your budget and DM us to let us know you joined in support of Gender Playground! Thanks for listening. We really hope you enjoy the show!Special thanks to the folks that made this episode and its accompanying resources happen: Reese Carr, Erik Magnus, Gaby Iori, Zoe Mix, Hannah McGregor, Hannah Rehak and AJ Jaramaz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, Hannah and Marcelle are joined by comedian and podcaster Ely Kreimendahl (she/her) for a discussion about shame, relationships, being adults and podcasting! If you haven't already fallen in love with Ely's show, Shame Spiral, check it out! Now is the time! We'll be back in two weeks with a regular Witch, Please episode that adds to the Appendix! Note: This conversation was recorded in February 2023!Enjoyed the episode? Get more bonus content just like it on Patreon! You can become a supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content include episodes, interviews, bloopers, comics, merch and more. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Nia (they/them) for a conversation about critical adoption studies — a field of scholarship that explores adoption as a legal, political, and economic institution that severs and creates familial bonds. We begin with a review of our episodes on motherhood, class, feminist literary theory, queer theory, critical race theory and the nation-state before heading into a chat about narratives of adoption. Through a closer look at the way Harry and Voldemort are both positioned as orphans with vastly different destinies, we consider how their unique relationships to kinship, motherhood and reproduction inform our understanding of them as a hero and a villain, respectively. ***HEY!!! We're launching a new show! We've shared our pilot on Patreon to get the input of all our Patreon supporters as we develop the series which will launch this summer after we wrap up the Appendix Season. Join our Patreon today to listen to the first episode of our new show and to get access to a ton of audio perks like unedited audio, bloopers, comics, Q&As, and so much more! Become a supporter at patreon.com/ohwitchplease. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're so excited to be joined by Aubrey Gordon (she/her) for an episode about anti-fatness in the Harry Potter series. We begin with a quick review of disability studies, monstrosity, and sentimentality before jumping into a conversation about anti-fatness, body positivity and fat liberation. Aubrey is the co-host of (beloved podcast) Maintenance Phase and the author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat and "You Just Need to Lose Weight" and 19 Other Myths About Fat People. With her help, we talk about the relationship between eugenics, white supremacy, mass media (specifically young adult fiction) and anti-fatness as it shows up in our relationships, the books we read, our political landscape and beyond.If you've been waiting for us to do a deep-dive on Dudley, then this episode is for you! What can we make of his forced dieting throughout the series? What ideology underpins the characterization of Petunia as it relates to her son's weight? Why do we read Molly Weasley's parenting differently? We also discuss Hagrid, Madame Maxime and Horace Slughorn as they align with familiar stereotypes of fat people. We love Aubrey and we figure you're already a super-fan! Still, it's worth noting that if you want more Aubrey you can learn more about her at her website, check her out on Twitter or Instagram, read her books, and listen to her incredible podcast with Michael Hobbes, Maintenance Phase.***HEY YOU! We're launching a new show! We've shared our pilot on Patreon to get the input of all our Patreon supporters as we develop the series which will launch this summer after we wrap up the Appendix Season. Join our Patreon today to listen to the first episode of our new show and to get access to a ton of audio perks like unedited audio, bloopers, comics, Q&As, and so much more! Become a supporter at patreon.com/ohwitchplease. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Please leave us a review instead — it truly helps sustain the show. Of course, you can always follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.