Anne Helen Petersen+

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Everything you’re missing from the Culture Study Universe

Notre Dame, Davidson, Wash U, Northeastern, Emory, Rice (we talk about all of th

Notre Dame, Davidson, Wash U, Northeastern, Emory, Rice (we talk about all of these and their strategies in the comments, but there are so many more)

I could talk about the ways schools have spent the last 25 years trying to chang

I could talk about the ways schools have spent the last 25 years trying to change the paragraph next to their name in U.S. World News & Report's rankings FOR HOURS. This convo is about Vanderbilt, but you can do the same for so many schools www.patreon.com/CultureStudy...

somehow he omits that he had to text my hairdresser and have her match extension

somehow he omits that he had to text my hairdresser and have her match extension color, PERM THEM, and then affix them

More than 65,000 people have been displaced by the Spokane Complex Fires — and h

More than 65,000 people have been displaced by the Spokane Complex Fires — and hundreds have lost their homes. If you have even $5 to go towards short and long term assistance, here's a trusted community source: innovia.org

A ridiculously good time talking with @sunsetandecho.bsky.social about The Hair

A ridiculously good time talking with @sunsetandecho.bsky.social about The Hair (and the Women) of The Odyssey. Nolan created a world where women's armpits don't exist, what a marvel! www.patreon.com/CultureStudy...

I dunno we just know he's a REAL JOURNALIST because he wears a baseball cap

I dunno we just know he's a REAL JOURNALIST because he wears a baseball cap

This would be SUCH a better movie

This would be SUCH a better movie

- What is BJ Novak doing - The charisma with the developer + the charisma with

- What is BJ Novak doing - The charisma with the developer + the charisma with Adrian Granier in the first movie suggests to me that maybe these movies are trying too hard to make Andie straight - the plane scene is ridiculous

- Who, WHO, is this charisma-less developer man supposedly dating Andie? - Not

- Who, WHO, is this charisma-less developer man supposedly dating Andie? - Nothing about the FAST-FASH SCANDAL is ever explained - Emily Blunt is with Jeff Bezos??? - What job does Andie actually want? - Why does her book proposal have giant font at the top like a 4th grade book report

finally watched DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 and guys I love a genre film but that shit

finally watched DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 and guys I love a genre film but that shit was bad

It's so fucking weird

It's so fucking weird

You need a guy who's spanning that dangerous bridge between incredibly hot and s

You need a guy who's spanning that dangerous bridge between incredibly hot and slightly repulsive, like a crush who intermittently gives you the ick — HELLO, BEN AFFLECK

I find the thought experiment of Affleck in the role so delightful (and, as seve

I find the thought experiment of Affleck in the role so delightful (and, as several Classics scholars have pointed out....it would also be much more in line with the way Odysseus plays in the translated text).

I wrote about Matt Damon's fit for Nolan's understanding of the Odyssey — you ab

I wrote about Matt Damon's fit for Nolan's understanding of the Odyssey — you absolutely need a star who is *your guy* and whew, that's Damon: www.patreon.com/CultureStudy...

Yep. I can always access them via Wayback Machine but it's not the same. (Same f

Yep. I can always access them via Wayback Machine but it's not the same. (Same for 90% of the other writing I've done on the internet)

Details here: www.status.news/p/buzzfeed-h...

Details here: www.status.news/p/buzzfeed-h...

You've convinced me!!!

You've convinced me!!!

Latest news re: ongoing cuts to BuzzFeed / HuffPo mostly just makes me realize t

Latest news re: ongoing cuts to BuzzFeed / HuffPo mostly just makes me realize those hundreds of pieces I wrote over six years (that are already riddled with weird ads and lost images) are probably going to disappear sooner rather than later

I over-identify with my dog Beverly: an obstinate, enthusiastic, verified garbag

I over-identify with my dog Beverly: an obstinate, enthusiastic, verified garbage-monster. But I cannot understand how she wakes up and consistently poops before she pees.

A very good reference though

A very good reference though

exactly, I read it!

exactly, I read it!

Why would you send me the AI results of a Google search on this?

Why would you send me the AI results of a Google search on this?

SWITCHED ON POP PLEASE DO THIS FOR ME I'VE BEEN REFRESHING MY FEED CONSTANTLY

SWITCHED ON POP PLEASE DO THIS FOR ME I'VE BEEN REFRESHING MY FEED CONSTANTLY

Please don't send me to anything produced by the studio, I've seen it and it's f

Please don't send me to anything produced by the studio, I've seen it and it's fine but dull

I've watched/read some cursory stuff on Ludwig Göransson Odyssey score but would

I've watched/read some cursory stuff on Ludwig Göransson Odyssey score but would love something long and juicy — the equivalent of what Switched on Pop did for the Wuthering Heights score. Ideas???

Oh I was misreading here — the mutiny is at year 13 (ish?) which includes the 10

Oh I was misreading here — the mutiny is at year 13 (ish?) which includes the 10 on the beach at Troy

(I also love this specific bodega, where I bought firewood (???!!) at some point

(I also love this specific bodega, where I bought firewood (???!!) at some point in 2015

I love New York, I love summer, I love high-density housing, I love monoculture

I love New York, I love summer, I love high-density housing, I love monoculture

Gah this was excellent in so many ways www.talkscratch.com/colette-shad...

Gah this was excellent in so many ways www.talkscratch.com/colette-shad...

Totally agree, especially re: the first ep — but then it does some things that H

Totally agree, especially re: the first ep — but then it does some things that Heated Rivalry doesn't

It was in production at the same time!!! Which is part of the reason why the "kn

It was in production at the same time!!! Which is part of the reason why the "knock off" comments are super interesting to me

If you want a juicy hour on Off Campus — the corniest AND hottest new show on te

If you want a juicy hour on Off Campus — the corniest AND hottest new show on television — we've got that for you: culture-study-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/bon...

I put together some *very detailed* notes about six years of running a successfu

I put together some *very detailed* notes about six years of running a successful newsletter — including thoughts on churn, paywall placement, how to avoid getting sick of your own voice, cadence, and so much more www.patreon.com/posts/very-d...

CURSORY GOOGLE

CURSORY GOOGLE

Did you go to Brandi this weekend at The Gorge? I've been to multiple sold-out s

Did you go to Brandi this weekend at The Gorge? I've been to multiple sold-out shows before but have never dealt with lines and lack-of-space like I did last night — obviously it was still incredible, but would love to hear from anyone who has insight on WTF changed

'romanticize' doesn't mean what Evie Weekly thinks it means

'romanticize' doesn't mean what Evie Weekly thinks it means

"Stories show what it looks like when someone is denied care, a founder relocate

"Stories show what it looks like when someone is denied care, a founder relocates a company, or a family leaves a state they love. Data shows these aren't isolated incidents, but part of a broader pattern affecting workforce stability and economic competitiveness." www.patreon.com/posts/156113...

People are so bad at distinguishing between daily income and wealth

People are so bad at distinguishing between daily income and wealth

bless Scaachi embedded.substack.com/p/my-interne...

bless Scaachi embedded.substack.com/p/my-interne...

Ha I packed this one!

Ha I packed this one!

"I want my daughter to see the possibility of pride w/o hubris..especially me as

"I want my daughter to see the possibility of pride w/o hubris..especially me as her mother, when so many social forces conspire to deny women the permission to celebrate anything except pregnancy & the achievements of their husbands & children." katemanne.substack.com/p/some-nice-...

This is super interesting to me — boomers radicalizing, Gen-X taking up (traditi

This is super interesting to me — boomers radicalizing, Gen-X taking up (traditional) boomer politics (which is always what they said would happen to millennials, because Gen X was too cool and alternative etc etc etc)

no because the writers didn't get paid directly at the magazine — the money usua

no because the writers didn't get paid directly at the magazine — the money usually went to the EIC and the corporation

What's the future of newsletters look like? I increasingly think it's high-level

What's the future of newsletters look like? I increasingly think it's high-level curation — like, here's a place where you can bundle three subscriptions to the 20 smart newsletter writers who aren't repulsive, trafficking in conspiracy, or white supremacists

absolutely

absolutely

Ah yes Rec Cross Jesus

Ah yes Rec Cross Jesus

I live on an island and the online companies simply cannot handle the complicati

I live on an island and the online companies simply cannot handle the complication — whereas the local agency is like ah yes of course

And I bet the flowers are FAR SUPERIOR! Maybe slightly more expensive, but also

And I bet the flowers are FAR SUPERIOR! Maybe slightly more expensive, but also not FedEx'ed from Colombia and can't be delivered on a freaking Saturday!

I think I saw too many Progressive commercials and somehow absorbed the fact tha

I think I saw too many Progressive commercials and somehow absorbed the fact that agencies are for chumps???? When in fact they are for people who don't want to waste their fucking time???????

Many millennials absorbed the belief that the easiest & cheapest way to do anyth

Many millennials absorbed the belief that the easiest & cheapest way to do anything is to do it online — including getting something like home insurance.....when in fact it is A BILLION times easier to call up a local agency and have them handle everything

imagine telling the Pope to "get his act together"

imagine telling the Pope to "get his act together"

My thinking remains: if you don't have time to do something (that's not, like, o

My thinking remains: if you don't have time to do something (that's not, like, organizational) and are forced to rely on AI as a result, YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO TO MUCH

american masculinity is a pathogen

american masculinity is a pathogen

I just received a pitch to come on a New Jersey high schooler's podcast that was

I just received a pitch to come on a New Jersey high schooler's podcast that was so good I had to run it through an AI-detector (100% human-written!!)

top of the New York Times suggests we might not be taking this *quite* as seriou

top of the New York Times suggests we might not be taking this *quite* as seriously as we should

TCBY sponsor me now!!!

TCBY sponsor me now!!!

Years ago I subscribed a far-right/Tea Party-adjacent newsletter in Montana — to

Years ago I subscribed a far-right/Tea Party-adjacent newsletter in Montana — to keep tabs on how their thinking was shifting.... ....and this is current take on Iran

All the Good Stuff You're Missing on Culture Study

It’s all over at Culture Study’s new home on Patreon.

If you're missing the Culture Study Gift Guide....

Somehow it's even better than last year

Your Next Procrastination Read...

Everything You Missed at Culture Study This Week

Did You Miss Something in Your Sunday Routine?

The Broken Logic of The Best Place to Retire

On Patreon: FIFTH ANNUAL CULTURE STUDY SOUP EXTRAVAGANZA

Good morning to everyone still reading on Substack!

A Soggy Post-Halloween Expanse of Links & Recs

Come over to Patreon!

Friday Thread [OVER AT PATREON]: Where Do You Live and Why Do You Love it?

Hi Substack Readers — if you haven’t heard yet…..Culture Study is now on Patreon!

BIG NO-KIDS ENERGY

Making a Different Way of Life Visible

Big News: Culture Study is Moving to Patreon!

You asked for it: we're moving somewhere more sustainable

What Kin-Building Actually Looks Like

The Future of Family

Friday Thread: What Do You Accidentally Know a Lot About?

Today’s Friday Thread prompt comes from Culture Study reader Jordan, who asks:

That's a Rich Text (2025 Edition)

Peak Grazing Table, Rivian-Core, Luxury Advent Calendars

Definitive Media Texts of Your Micro-Generation

Drew Barrymore's eyebrows in MAD LOVE

Ballerina Farm Goes Full Wellness Brand

wtf is "HYDRATION THE WAY NATURE INTENDED"

What's Hitting You Where It Hurts?

On Tuesday night, I was putting finishing touches on the Interview with a Hospital Librarian. I saw an email in my inbox from Substack: my account had been flagged for bot activity, and no emails would go out until I confirmed that there was no bot activity. Oh

How a Hospital Librarian Spends Their Days

Undoing the Shoddy Work of AI Bots

Tuesday Thread: Soundtrack to Autumn

Fall as shit around here

Know Your Dads

Baseball Dads, Bad Car Dads, and the Dads of One Battle After Another

Friday Thread: Your First Memory of Beauty

Take some time with this one

Shape the Future of Culture Study!

I’ve been writing Culture Study for five years — and doing the Culture Study pod for two.