Concert tickets are more expensive than ever, and according to Live Nation, 2023 was the biggest year ever for concert turnout and ticket sales. So why are indie artists turning to OnlyFans to pay the bills? This is PART ONE of our new series, Money Troubles. And for the next few weeks, we're looking into the ways everyday people are trying to make ends meet... and what it says about how our culture views labor, basic needs, and even our favorite pastimes. In this episode, Brittany sits down with NPR culture reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento to get into the economic factors driving musicians to digital sex work and what that says about the music industry's dwindling middle class.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The leftward shift of Gen Z women is one of the most dramatic political trends happening right now. Polling data from Gallup found that 40% of young women aged 18-29 self-describe as liberal compared to 28% of the same demographic at the beginning of the century. So what's causing a new generation of young women to move to the left?Brittany is joined by founder of the Up and Up Newsletter, Rachel Janfaza, and New York Times reporter, Claire Cain Miller. Together they discuss what we should make of the growing political gender gap between young men and young women.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration wants their recent tariffs to function as incentives for Americans to produce more of our own goods in our own factories. And one poll shows that 80% of us say the country would be better off if more Americans worked in manufacturing. But why do people on both sides of the aisle want these jobs back so much? What have we lost culturally with the loss of factory jobs that we want to bring back? And ultimately - how does the fantasy of bringing more factory jobs back stack up against the reality of how American manufacturing works today? Brittany is joined by Vox senior correspondent Dylan Matthews and Montclair State University associate professor Jeffrey Gonzalez to find out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

They did THAT. The biggest designers and celebrities showed up at the 2025 Met Gala, everyone from Rihanna to Madonna. And in this special bonus episode, Brittany and her guests break down the best and worst looks of the night.Culture writer Shelton Boyd-Griffith, Editor-In-Chief Antoine Griffith, and Brittany award the highs and lows of the night to Teyana Taylor, Rosalia, Colman Domingo, Miley Cyrus, Diana Ross, and more. Who was on top, and who was on the bottom of the list?Editor's Note: After this episode published, a representative of Henry Taylor, who collaborated with Pharrell Williams on the outfit worn by Lisa Manobal to the 2025 Met Gala, said in a statement to Vulture that none of the images of the women on the outfit were of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's the first Monday in May. AKA it's time for the annual Met Gala. Or as some call it, "fashion's biggest night." Celebrities will walk the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art hoping their looks live up to the annual theme of the gala. This year's theme is a special one. It's called "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," and it's the very first Black fashion tradition to be selected for the theme of the Costume Institute's fundraiser. Brittany and her guests, culture writer Shelton Boyd-Griffith and editor-in-chief of Black Fashion Fair Antoine Gregory, discuss how celebrities can be sure to be on theme and how the theme is rooted in the very first fashion statements made by enslaved people.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Have you been feeling a little Conclave-pilled lately? Well, you're not alone. In the aftermath of of Pope Francis' passing, the world is buzzing at the eligible bachelors who could lead the Catholic Church. So what should we expect for the real-life Conclave? And why does it matter even if you're not Catholic?Brittany is joined by Jason DeRose, NPR's Religion Correspondent, Antonia Cereijido, host of the LAist's Imperfect Paradise podcast. Together they discuss how the Conclave works and what impact Pope Francis' legacy will have on the direction of a church with over 1.4 billion followers worldwide.Follow Brittany on socials @bmluseLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pencil skirt. Kitten heels. Tiny glasses. And a little dark edge. These are just some of the elements of one of the most enduring fashion trends of the past couple of years: the office siren. But we're not just seeing this twist on office norms in fashion: we're also seeing it in TV shows like Severance and Industry, and with musicians like The Dare and FKA Twigs. So what are people expressing by reimagining office fashions? Brittany is joined by NPR's Life Kit producer Margaret Cirino to discuss the "freakification" of office wear — its long lineage in fashion, and what office tensions this trend is speaking to right now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Body modifiers like Ozempic and other weight loss drugs have gotten attention for how skinny they can make you. But what if you're a boy who wants to get BIGGER? For young men, there's another drug getting more and more popular: steroids.Fit and muscular bodies get celebrated on social media, and many men turn to steroids to match what they see. But with that comes the rise of "muscle dysmorphia," a kind of body dysmorphia where a person feels that their muscles aren't big enough.Brittany sits down with Roberto Olivardia, a alinical psychologist and lecturer at Harvard Medical School, to talk about how a drug, once primarily associated with professional athletes pursuing performance enhancement, is now the drug of choice for boys and men struggling with negative body image.For more, check out Roberto's book, The Adonis Complex.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Have you seen ADHD content pop up in your feeds? Are you getting a lot of it? In the past few years, there's been a surge in the number of adults diagnosed with ADHD, and at the same time more and more people online are going viral with "signs" that you might have it too. Whether with our doctors or friends, we're all talking a lot more about adult ADHD. Is this a perfect storm of online content leading to more diagnoses? Or is there more to the story?Brittany is joined by culture journalist Kelli Maria Korducki, who wrote about this for The Guardian, and Manvir Singh, assistant professor of anthropology at UC Davis, to get into it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Have you heard of Bryan Johnson – tech centimillionaire turned longevity evangelist? He made headlines when he started getting infusions of his own son's blood as a part of his quest to live forever. And he turned that quest into "Don't Die," a movement he's calling a religion. Johnson is pretty intent on longevity – but he's not the only one. Other tech magnates are bought in, too. But in the words of Freddie Mercury, who wants to live forever, and why? What does all of this have to do with the prediction of an AI takeover, and what does this mean for how we think about what's "human?" Brittany is joined by journalists Michelle Santiago Cortes and Tara Isabella Burton to get into what might be a new religion of longevity.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy