Since we originally published this episode in May 2024, there has been significant developments for Lyle and Erik Menendez, brothers... more

When Madonna performed “Like A Virgin'' at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, she scandalized the audience and... more

In 1984, a relatively unknown 26-year old Madonna appeared at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Dressed like a rock... more

Girl dinner. Hot girl walks. Weird girls. Clean girls. Rat girls. Snail girls. Everywhere we look, it seems, a certain... more

Lyle and Erik Menendez, two Beverly Hills brothers, were convicted of murdering their parents in a tabloid case that captivated... more

Hanging out with Monica Lewinsky for her first profile in a decade. Booking Jessica Simpson for a weight loss reveal... more

She made history as the first Black Miss America, then dramatically lost her crown in a scandal that would see... more

You may know her as the Grammy-nominated singer, or for playing the cunning and iconic  Wilhelmina Slater on “Ugly Betty.”... more

In 1991, America’s sweetheart Sally Field starred in a movie about an American woman’s desperate escape from her abusive Iranian... more

As we revealed in part one, the 2007 Rutgers women’s basketball team was having a Cinderella season when radio host... more

Long before Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were shattering records and making national headlines, there was the 2007 Rutgers team.... more

For a certain generation of girls, the trading of lip gloss was akin to sharing secrets — there was hierarchy,... more

It was the iconic and irreverent magazine that shaped a generation of 90s girls, teaching them about pop culture, fashion... more

You asked, we answered! In this episode, Jess & Susie take a trip down memory lane — responding to “in... more

Exactly 25 years ago, the blockbuster teen comedy “American Pie” launched the term “MILF” into the stratosphere — that is,... more

And what does that even mean? In this episode, Susie and Jess unpack how ageism has been used to diminish... more

What did a generation of strivers learn about what it means to get ahead from “The Devil Wears Prada”? Was... more

How do you turn the classic raunchy teen comedy on its head? Emma Seligman, writer and director of the critically... more

In part one, Jess and Susie revisited a famous episode of The Golden Girls, in which Blanche mistakes the word... more

“Not ‘Lebanese,’ Blanche. Lesbian!” The line originated on The Golden Girls in 1986, after a lesbian friend of Dorothy’s came... more

Get ready for more In Retrospect! From the dramatic dethroning of the first Black Miss America to the enduring legacy... more

It was an era bookended by Anita Hill and Monica Lewinsky. It gave us MTV’s “boxers or briefs,” popularized the... more

If you’re looking for a little comfort this holiday season, look no further than a classic Hallmark Christmas movie. There... more

Why didn’t she fight back? Why did she stay? For as long as abuse and sexual violence have existed, there... more

Robin Givens’ honesty about her violent marriage to Mike Tyson led to a nasty backlash. In the aftermath of that... more

In 1988, the actress Robin Givens and her husband Mike Tyson, the heavyweight champion of the world, gave a television... more

The men in the office called them “Dollies,” and they had had enough. In 1970, 46 women who were not... more

In Part 1, Jess and Susie dissected how a salacious Newsweek report about women’s likelihood of getting married sparked a... more

It was a 1986 cover story with a claim that spread like wildfire: A single woman over 40 was “more... more

A recent Republican debate stirred up an age-old discussion about high heels: Who is allowed to wear them, how high... more

Mistakes? We’ve made a few. In the spirit of IN RETROSPECT, Susie and Jess share some of their professional regrets—from... more

Amy Fisher would go to prison for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her much older “boyfriend” Joey –... more

In 1992, Amy Fisher, a teen girl from Long Island became a tabloid sensation almost overnight – when she shot... more

The princess of pop's much anticipated memoir, “The Woman In Me,” is finally out. This week, Jess and Susie speed-read... more

Can you understand U.S. cultural history without understanding Axe Body Spray? Listener, you cannot. In this mini-episode, Jess and Susie... more

So Pacey lost his virginity to his high school English teacher. But what do we… call that? Was it a... more

It was 1998 and teenage Jessica was crammed onto the couch in the basement of a friend’s house in Seattle,... more

It’s “problematic.” In this mini episode, Jess rants about her dislike of this overly simplistic label (used to describe everything... more

In 1988, Oprah Winfrey revealed on her hugely popular talk show that she’d shed 67 pounds, which she illustrated to... more

When lifeguard CJ Parker, played by Pamela Anderson, ran in slow-mo down a sandy California beach in her iconic cherry... more

Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett met a decade ago in a newsroom, and have gone on to hold some of... more

What did a generation of young women—and men—learn about sex and relationships when the most iconic romance on TV’s most... more

Do you have a piece of pop culture from your past that, looking back, makes you cringe? We sure do.... more