Brittany Luse

Who gets to have a safe pregnancy?Across the internet, women are sharing their experiences with the physical and emotional difficulties of pregnancy. But for Black women, the complications, negative health outcomes, and even death are more common. Today, Brittany is joined by Dr. Khiara Bridges, Earl Warren professor of public law at UC Berkeley School of Law and author of Expecting Inequity: How the Maternal Health Crisis Affects Even the Wealthiest Black Americans to talk through why wealth and status can't outrun racism at the doctor's office.Want more on women's health and wellness? Check out these episodes:Sex is pleasurable. It should feel safe too.It only takes 30 minutes to be a good mom.

Who gets to have a safe pregnancy?Across the internet, women are sharing their experiences with the physical and emotional difficulties of pregnancy. But for Black women, the complications, negative health outcomes, and even death are more common. Today, Brittany is joined by Dr. Khiara Bridges, Earl Warren professor of public law at UC Berkeley School of Law and author of Expecting Inequity: How the Maternal Health Crisis Affects Even the Wealthiest Black Americans to talk through why wealth and status can't outrun racism at the doctor's office.Want more on women's health and wellness? Check out these episodes:Sex is pleasurable. It should feel safe too.It only takes 30 minutes to be a good mom.

Generative AI has been creating race-based content, and the results are...uncomfortable.Brittany’s been getting served a lot of AI generated videos of older Asian men, who seem to be feng shui experts of some kind, espousing the benefits of having a “lazy wife” in your household. But it doesn’t stop there. Today’s guest, Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of the audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, has been ringing the alarm about AI generated videos featuring Black women. Some are AI slop, while others perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Black women -- and there’s a market for it.Bridget joins the show to get into how generative AI has skewed perceptions around race, gender, and privilege online.Bridget's first audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, is available for pre-order now from LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI and comes out July 14th from Simon & Schuster. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Insta

Do we owe our parents? Even in the best of scenarios, caring for an aging parent can be difficult  and intense. But for those who may have had a complicated, fraught, or even abusive parent-child relationship, caring for the person who harmed them can be triggering. So, what options are there?To answer that question Brittany is joined by Washington Post advice columnist, Carolyn Hax, and Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, adjunct professor at Northwestern University, and the author of Love Every Day to talk through the complexities of managing - or completely opting out of - caring for your parents. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

Is a return to analog the way to a better future?While vinyls, DVDs, and CDs might be considered ‘vintage’ to some, for others it’s a way to fight against subscription fatigue. Price hikes, licensing battles, and storage issues can make music, films, TV shows - and even your own photos - inaccessible.  And sometimes without warning, your comfort watch might just vanish from all streaming platforms.So what does agency look like for the modern consumer? And how has the expectation -- that you own what you pay for -- shifted so dramatically?To answer that question, digital archivist K.D. Kemp and culture writer at The Cut, Cat Zhang, join the show to break down how physical media and buildable tech could empower us to envision a better future. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. 

What does America look like to visitors?We're finding out in real time as fans and athletes from all over the world visit the United States for World Cup matches across the country. From Ranch dressing, to the wonders of all-you-can-eat buffets, tourists are getting a taste of all the USA has to offer, but how do we square the warm welcome for the World Cup with the United States' recent stances on immigration? Brittany is joined by immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd, and NPR reporter Juliana Kim to find out.Want more global perspectives on culture? Check out these episodes:How often do you think about the American Empire?Make life harder (and better): Learn another language.Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.This episode was produced by Liam McBain and Corey Antonio Rose. It was edited by Neena Pathak. Our Supervising Producer is Cher Vincent. Our Executive

Two big horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, just smashed all box office expectations. So much of their success has been driven by Gen Z, which is now the biggest moviegoing demographic. But what makes a movie a Gen Z movie? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse talks about this trend with Sam Adams and Reanna Cruz. If you want to hear more about these movies, check out these episodes: In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screenZendaya brings 'The Drama,' we bring the spoilersConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+

What we wear and how we wear it is more important than its artistic value.When some people think of fashion, the Met Gala or maybe even luxury designers may come to mind. But what about the old college sweatshirt that gets you through the cold or even the brightly colored gym set that pushes you to go that extra mile? Is that not fashion? Perhaps the concept of fashion has been framed as an external commodity to be sought after, rather than an authentic expression cultivated through the rhythm of a well-lived life.Brittany Luse sits down with CNN Senior Style Reporter and author of CNN’s Big Style newsletter, Rachel Tashjian Wise, to answer all those questions and more.Want more on fashion? Was that the worst MET Gala ever?American fashion isn't as liberal as you thinkSupport Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

“Baby woman” is the girlboss’s Wario. “Baby woman” is a term coined by Shannon Keating in a piece for The Cut to describe a particular kind of affect some women have: it’s not just girlishness, but also some abdication of adult responsibility. And Shannon’s seen some baby women behavior out in the culture, from Lena Dunham to Amanda Batula. But what drives some women to be baby? And what do they get out of it? To find out, Brittany is joined by Shannon Keating, freelance writer, and Ashley Reese, writer, culture critic, and author of the Bad Brain Substack. For more episodes on the women’s relationships to themselves and culture, check out:The price women pay for being onlineNumb girls & the humiliation of caring too much"Girl Math" does not add up to financial freedomSupport Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse

Do you have what it takes to be "High-T?"Service members are about to find out, as Defense secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military will be screening men for low testosterone, a hormone found in both women and men that supports bone mass development, red blood cell production, energy levels, and more. It's an important marker of overall health in men, but will it push the United States military to the 'leading edge of lethality' as promised by Hegseth? To get into the facts and fictions around testosterone, Brittany is joined by NPR health correspondent Will Stone, and Dr. Helen Bernie, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Medicine and associate professor of urology at Indiana University.Want more on gender and health? Check out these episodes:Boundaries, bodies, and better sexThe key to thriving later in life: menopauseSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.