Be There in Five

In this deep dive, Kate examines the history, controversy, nostalgia, turnaround, inappropriate t-shirts, catalogs, and employee policies of iconic retailer Abercrombie & Fitch through the lens of the comeback it's making now. Part-research, part-personal anecdote, part-crowdsourced, this analysis takes both a serious and lighthearted approach to analyzing the influence of a brand that is both nostalgic and historically problematic. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code BTIF to save an additional 15% off your first order Go to HelloFresh.com/bethereinfive16 and use code bethereinfive16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts Your new nail life is here! Visit OliveandJune.com/BTIF for 20% off your first Mani System Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to Prose.com/bethereinfive WORKS CITED https://fusion.tv/story/32813/a-decade-of-tastelessness-finally-grounds-abercrombie-fitch-into-irrelevance/amp/ https://web.archive.org/web/20210326015634/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-29-cl-16389-story.html https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/feeling-minnesota https://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-fitch-crazy-history-2011-4#the-retailer-hit-some-road-bumps-along-the-way-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-clothing-brand-abercrombie-and-fitch https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2001/09/10/a-brand-to-fit-all-ages/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1938914.stmv https://www.complex.com/style/2013/05/controversy-fitch-a-history-of-abercrombies-most-flagrant-fuck-ups/girlcott https://www.glamour.com/story/abercombie-to-ditch-sexualized https://www.randyhortoncreative.com/abercrombie https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-23-na-thong23-story.html https://money.cnn.com/2003/12/02/news/companies/abercrombie_catalog/index.htm https://echoapollo.com/companies/134?form_type=10-K https://web.archive.org/web/20100331165338/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/06/business/the-media-business-advertising-abercrombie-fitch-extends-a-print-campaign-to-tv.html https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/03/business/media-business-advertising-come-hither-abercrombie-fitch-invites-other.html https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/news/a5981/abercrombie-douchey-tshirts/ https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/abercrombie-fitch-employment-discrimination/

Katelilah is a quarterly tribute to radio icon Delilah where Kate answers listener voicemails spanning a variety of topics. This week, Kate tackles: How do I deal with a passive-aggressive mother-in-law?FMK: mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar What about the US/American psyche makes MLMs thrive here relative to other countries? What TS adjacent music is perfect for walking down the aisle? (Links below) What is Kate's marriage advice for a newlywed couple? What are the cliche phrases Kate can't stand? How does she feel about "we live on a floating rock" "it could be worse" whataboutisms? How does Kate feel about how people police women's speech in the name of feminism? How to impress new significant other's parents upon first trip home? What do you bring buy make do say? A segue leading to mall modeling culture And more! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Allform is offering 20% off all orders for our listeners at Allform.com/bethereinfive Everlywell is offering a special discount of twenty percent off an at-home lab test at everlywell.com/bethereinfive Get 25% off when you go to LIQUIDIV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout Don't fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/bethereinfive - it could save you THOUSANDS a ye TS links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKYUVHbCR1E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pMYJEPsZrU

This week, Kate is joined by an old friend and former colleague Charlene Polite Corley (who is now more importantly VP of Diverse Insights & Partnerships at Nielsen) to talk about a variety of topics in the realm of marketing careers, market research data, and the importance of representation in media. They talk through their early days in the big city, discuss data quality in a splintered media landscape, bounce around through topics like media literacy and data privacy, and eventually walk through Charlene's specific role in providing insights that help inform and hold the media industry accountable for their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Charlene shares the importance of developing research that focuses on the needs and values of historically excluded groups and they talk through how data can be responsibly used to improve the quantity and quality of content that tells the stories of diverse communities in both advertising and entertainment. Enjoy! Works Cited: https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/report/2021/being-seen-on-screen/ https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/a-cultural-turning-point-breaking-our-silence-on-racial-injustice/ https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2021/understanding-the-importance-of-tv-among-black-families/ For 20% off your first Aurate purchase, go to AurateNewYork.com/bethereinfive and use promo code bethereinfive Get this New Year's Bundle before it's gone by going to ButcherBox.com/BETHEREINFIVE Get 10% off your entire first order, free samples with every order with promo code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAmalibu.com. Plus orders over $50 get free shipping! Use promo code BETHEREINFIVE at ue.com/fits to get your pair of UE FITS for just $169 during their holiday sale

This episode is for lovers of 2021's episode "Pussycat Dull," when Kate read listener stories about nostalgic and embarrassing attempts to make romantic interests jealous in our youth. This week, Kate similarly crowdsourced stories about doing this in a religious context, asking listeners for their funny stories about weird things they did in the name of love who were part of youth groups, retreats, camps, and/or trips that hyperfocused on young women finding and/or praying for their future husband at the ripe age of 15. From strategic pew alignment to get some "peace be with you" sugar, to tales of a rendezvous behind the ropes course, these stories certainly do not disappoint. To quote Jock Jams, lllllllet's get ready to stumble! Enjoy. For more stories, go to patreon.com/bethereinfive SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Visit ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE and turn healthy habits into a Ritual. Visit Audible.com/bethereinfive or text BETHEREINFIVE to 500-500 to become an Audible member today. New members can try Audible for free for (30) days. Go to Zocdoc.com/bethereinfive and download the Zocdoc app to sign up for free and book a top-rated doctor. Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattresses mattress orders as well and two free pillows for our listeners at HelixSleep.com/bethereinfive

Musings about DCOMs, recent events, wearing your metaphorical seatbelt, the mystery of literal seatbelt purses, Kate's educational plastic surgery consultation gone awry, things that haven't changed all that much from when she was 21 and now in 2021, a lot of random interjected thoughts about famed scripture-forward bags of Forever 21, and some closing thoughts for the year that are less of a bid for better days, and more of a plea to be better to yourself in 2022. She apologizes if this episode isn't holly jolly enough; listen at your own risk. Love you happiest holidays! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS This Holiday, ButcherBox is giving new members one pack of bacon for FREE in EVERY box, plus $20 off each box for the first five months of your membership. That's free bacon for life and up to $100 off! Sign up at butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE You can grow thicker, healthier hair AND support our show by going to Nutrafol.com and entering the promo code BETHEREINFIVE to save FIFTEEN DOLLARS OFF your first month's subscription -- this is their best offer ANYWHERE and it is only available to US customers for a limited time

This week, Kate is joined by podcaster, writer, producer (and fellow influencer culture enthusiast) Caroline Moss (from Gee Thanks, Just Bought It) to discuss literally everything and nothing about conspicuous consumption. They do a lighthearted snorkel through many topics, such as 2010s fashions, the Dyson airwrap, the elusive cowl neck, going out tops, Michael Kors watches, bloggers pretending they shop at Wal-Mart, DSLR phases, early Bachelor influencers, sponcon pet peeves, and what they think wear now that they'll laugh at later. They also reminisce about the utter chaos of NYC's "Fashion's Night Out," where thirsty pashmina-wearing transplants from the suburbs (like Kate & Caroline) went celeb spotting for the sake of the *economy* in the BIG APPLE. Eventually, they review (and lightly roast) some men's gift guides and 2011 women's gift guides that remind them of simpler (and more lacquered) times, which delightfully sends them on a detour through some charming copy from a favorite alliterative blog of yesteryear. Lastly, they quickly discuss some products influencers promote that are not overrated, according to Caroline. Enjoy! Works Cited: https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/remembering-fashions-night-out-2009-10-years-later.html Gee Thanks, Just Bought It on instagram @geethanksjustboughtit Find more gift guide recs at geethanksjustboughtit.com Hey Ladies: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails: https://amzn.to/3p8nllW

This week, Kate does a classic stream of consciousness style episode, exploring a variety of topics, from existential mopiness c/o the Garden State soundtrack to contemplating the concept of where "home" is as an adult, in addition to lighter fare such as her investment in two Tiktok stars' relationship and an alarming parasocial relationship with her fav twins, Scout & Violet. She also discusses the Sex & The City reboot "And Just Like That," as well as Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the Dyson Airwrap, advent calendar Tok, and some personal thoughts about entering into the next phase of potential child-rearing. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/bethereinfive. Don't miss out on this limited time offer! Uncommon Goods. We're all out of the ordinary Prose is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to Prose.com/bethereinfive This holiday season, stock up and share your new favorite clean skincare and bodycare with your friends and family. We even have a special discount just for our listeners. Get 10% off your first order with promo code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAmalibu.com. You'll get free samples with every order and orders over $50 get free shipping Get 25% off when you go to LIQUIDIV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout

This week, Kate is joined by licensed therapist Amanda White (@therapyforwomen) to discuss the proliferation of mental health content (and digital diagnoses) on Tiktok and Instagram. In the past year or so, there's been an uptick of quippy, short-form videos that deliver information about serious mental health topics (that would require a lot of individualized therapy to formally diagnose) and they are often oversimplified in a clickbait format on social media, creating a spectrum of helpful to harmful. They talk about how sharing this information can be incredible in its ability to spark a conversation, encourage people to pursue mental healthcare, and help people feel less alone by finding community in a diagnosis. On the flip side, this content can needlessly label common behaviors as being a problem and over-attribute them to broader issues that need fixing or can leave people with an oversimplified diagnosis without any resolve or ongoing treatment. Beyond that, these videos often undermine the great deal of education/training needed to adequately diagnose conditions in a highly subjective field. This isn't about hot takes; this is a conversation about exploring nuance within a complicated topic, and Amanda helps Kate identify what is helpful vs. harmful (and when it depends!) to better navigate her own headspace as she scrolls in the deep. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS This Holiday, ButcherBox is giving new members one pack of bacon for FREE in EVERY box, plus $20 off each box for the first five months of your membership. That's free bacon for life and up to $100 off! Sign up at butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattresses mattress orders as well and two free pillows for our listeners at HelixSleep.com/bethereinfive Head to bookofthemonth.com and use CODE BETHEREINFIVE to get your first book for $9.99 Right now Ritual is offering my listeners 10% off your first three months. Visit ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE and turn healthy habits into a Ritual Get 20% off your first mani system when you use promo code BETHEREINFIVE at oliveandjune.com/BETHEREINFIVE

Part 2 of Kate's Red (Taylor's Version) Review, covering mostly All Too Well (10 minute version) and the related short film. Also snorkels Nothing New and shares overarching thoughts about the new lyrics, the Jake G of it all, the scarf as a metaphor, and more! Support our Sponsors Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code BTIF to save an additional 15% off your first order Support our show by going to Nutrafol.com and entering the promo code BETHEREINFIVE to save FIFTEEN DOLLARS OFF your first month's subscription Use code BETHEREINFIVE for $5 your first order at broadwayroulette.com To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/bethereinfive.

Part 1 of 2 discussing Red (Taylor's Version) Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattresses including KIDS mattress orders as well as two free pillows for our listeners at HelixSleep.com/bethereinfive Get 10% off your first order with promo code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAmalibu.com. You'll get free samples with every order and orders over $50 get free shipping For 15% off and free shipping on your first pair of Marc Fisher LTD shoes, head to marcfisherfootwear.com and enter code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout Prose is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to Prose.com/BETHEREINFIVE