Strong Opinions Loosely Held

Sales are down on magazine covers that bear their faces. Ratings are low on their reality TV show. Seemingly no one cares about the Kardashians. So why are they everywhere, including our site? Ann Helen Peterson uses her Phd in celebrity to explain and dig into the role celebrity plays in post-modern American popular culture.What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Women are now more likely than men to have bachelor's degrees. And childless women in their 20s currently out-earn men. So why are our Instagram feeds filled with images of date nights, engagement rings, cat eyes, cupcakes, and waist-trainers? Are we becoming Betty Draper 2.0, or are we using the illusion of perfection to escape the reality that relationships are hard? New York Times Journalist Hannah Seligson and Stone Fox Bride founder Molly Guy weigh in.What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Vocal fry. Upspeak. Overuse of qualifiers — it seems like we can’t open our mouths without being criticized. Elisa Kreisinger talks to public radio journalist Sally Herships and politics writer Amanda Marcotte and asks: if a woman is saying something intelligent and all you hear is the way it’s being said, is that her problem or yours?What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Michelle Byrom was on death row for 15 years. Hours before her execution, her conviction was overturned. Refinery 29’s Vanessa Golembeski talked with Byrom weeks after her release to question the bias baked into a system that’s supposed to protect women.What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Is virality a science or a spiritual connection? And what role do women play in it? Leading virality scholar and Wharton associate professor Katherine Milkman, PhD, and Soul Pancake’s Correy Stoner O'Neal offer two different perspectives. Does positivity go viral because we want to seem like good people or because we actually are?What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld

Angela Washko is a feminist artist who tried to find common ground with the internet's most infamous misogynist. To say they occupy different corners of the world would be an understatement. How do you find commonality with someone who is the antithesis to your beliefs? And if you needed another reason to love Denmark, we have one.What are your Strong Opinions? Let me know! Instagram: @popculturepirateTwitter: @popcultpirateHashtag: #SOLHpod #StrongOpinionsLooselyHeld