Dolls of Our Lives

Seeing the American Girl Store Through Silver Eyes

In October, we set out one morning for NYC to take a VIP tour of the American Girl Store. What happened next cannot be described in a mere text box. Did we do a photoshoot on a train? Did we learn about a heretofore unknown to us diagnosis? Did we read the main floor display of the store through the lens of 90s figure skating? Listen as we explore the store, visit the doll hospital, fix a hair crisis, and more.    Original air date: January 27, 2020See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum

People often say that fame comes with a price. But how high should that price be, especially for women? This month, we read Sarah Ditum's Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s, a pop history book that explores this question. Through Toxic, Ditum re-evaluates the lives and careers of nine women who made headlines in the period she calls the "upskirt decade" or "tabloid 2000s." From Britney Spears to Jennifer Aniston, Ditum offers a new perspective on  people who were constantly under the microscope of Perez Hilton --  and the glare of paparazzi cameras. We talk about Ditum's nine short biographies and consider how this book serves as a history of the internet.   Original air date: March 27, 2024See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families by Charly Palmer and Karida L. Brown

Just over 100 years ago, W. E. B. Du Bois created a magazine just for children. The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun reached thousands of children in the early 1920s...including (the fictional) Claudie Wells. For this month's episode, we reviewed a 2023 tribute to The Brownies' Book curated by a team of scholars and artists. Their Love Letter to Black Families includes material from the original Brownies' magazines, such as poems by Langston Hughes and historic photographs, along with newly commissioned collages, essays, and tributes. We talk about how this book that was largely made in homage to Du Bois and the Harlem Renaissance speaks to children and adults living in the contemporary, post-2020 world.   Original air date: February 23, 2024See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

International Relations: Meet Michelle Kwan

With the 2022 Olympic Games warming our hearts and making us wish for brand new ice skates, we knew it was time...time to learn more about the one and only (Ambassador) Michelle Kwan! Join us in reading Heart of a Champion, one of Michelle Kwan's many autobiographies. Some people might wait to finish high school before writing a memoir, but Michelle had lived enough to write a book at 17. We talk about Michelle's years of training, her family's commitment to greatness, and of course, "the Tara Lipinski of it all." No coach has put us in, but we are ready to skate.   Original due date: February 24, 2022 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Britney…

There may be a timeline where we do not cover Britney Spears's new autobiography. But this is not that timeline--and in this universe, our  December 2023 Patreon episode is all about The Woman in Me. We talk about the highlights from Britney's book that have already gotten the most media attention (namely, a boy band member's indiscretions). But we also dive into the less discussed, yet profound and surprising insights Britney offers about recent years in her life. From her upbringing in Louisiana to her Vegas residency, this book is filled with great Britney lore and a good deal of tragedy. We discuss Britney's voice as an author and the continued reckoning led by other mistreated early '00s pop stars. Original air date: December 20, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.