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The Culture Journalist is a podcast about culture in the age of platforms. Episodes drop every other week, but if you want the full experience — including bonus episodes, culture recommendations, and our eternal parasocial friendship — we recommend signing up for a paid subscription. What was the girlboss, and how did it evolve from a term of empowerment to something (let’s face it) extremely cringe? Emilie just got done reading Marissa Meltzer’s book on the story direct-to-consumer beauty juggernaut Glossier and its enigmatic founder Emily Weiss, and we couldn’t think of a better person to discuss it with than this week’s guest, TrueAnon co-host Liz Franczak.

There’s an old parable that writers use to create an engaging story, using a protagonist and a tree as the central elements: at the beginning of your story, you have (let’s say) a boy and a tree. Before you get too far into the book, the boy should climb the tree. By the second act he’s stuck in the tree, and you start to throw rocks at him. By the start of the third act, you’re lighting the tree on fire.

I enjoyed “Toy Story 4,” though I’m not terribly happy they made it. That may sound strange, but here’s why: “Toy Story 3” was a very conscious end to the animated franchise. In it the child Andy, now all grown into a young man, gave away his toys to little Bonnie, and quite literally rode off into the sunset. Cowboy Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys, who come to life when humans aren’t around, had completed their life’s journey and started anew.

When author Abdi Latif Ega arrived in Harlem, it did not take him long to encounter a scent reminiscent of home. It was 1987, and he was a musician and student pursuing a degree in music theory. The scent, an oil sold in stores across uptown, was called Harlem Rose. But it was known by another name, Somali Rose, due to its traditional ingredients: frankincense, sandalwood, anise, musk and a twist of green moss.

Travel back to November 2020 with me. The world was in a weird place due to COVID, but the NBA was trying to get moving on its offseason. The Boston Celtics were in a tough situation. One of their premier players in Gordon Hayward was angling his way out of there. There were some very publicized sign-and-trade discussions between Boston and Indiana that ultimately broke down when Charlotte offered Hayward $120 million.

There was a point in my life when I was choked on spermatozoa and full of Ayn Rand up to my forehead, and I wanted to be a trader. I pictured myself sitting at my desk, surrounded by twelve computer monitors, full of charts, ripping around stocks and futures like a jerk. The older you get, you realize how hard that is. It’s not hard when things are going well. It’s not hard when you are making money.

In this day and age, our reliance on social media platforms has led numerous brands to target young audiences through investing in influencer support and promotions. Popularity on the viral app, TikTok, has sold products including CeraVe skincare, Aerie crossover leggings, The Ordinary acne solutions, Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara, and even fitness items such as weighted hula hoops. I won’t lie and claim that I’m not guilty of hopping on these trends—in fact, I will not hesitate to drop my entire college savings at the sight of some superb marketing or cave into the pleasures of retail therapy.

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A few months ago I received an email from an event organizer at East Tennessee University. He was asking if I’d consider speaking at a protest rally being staged the night before a draconian anti-drag show law was going into effect in that state. I went gladly, of course. I was impressed by how many people from Tennessee and elsewhere could clearly see the danger posed by such laws to our democracy as a whole.