logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
1h 4m

Is the Beauty Industry a Cult? Linguisti...

KIRBIE JOHNSON AND SARA TAN
About this episode

Amanda Montell is a writer, linguist, and author of the critically acclaimed book Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, which has earned praise from readers and critics alike, including publications like The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Harper's Bazaar. Amanda is currently developing Wordslut for television with FX, while working on her second book, Cultish—about the language of cults from Scientology to SoulCycle—slated for publication in June 2021 (which she gave us a sneak peek on). Amanda's other writing has been featured in Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Byrdie, and Who What Wear, where she formerly served as the Features & Beauty Editor. We marked this episode as explicit because of the converation, which is respectful but may be considered explicit to some.


On this episode, Amanda dives deep into the somewhat problematic language we use in the beauty industry, advice for how we can redefine the way we talk about ourselves and our bodies, and why it's actually really progressive of us to say like so freaking much. 


You can follow Amanda on Instagram @amanda_montell and pick up your copy of Wordslut here



See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Up next
Jul 8
Our Top 6 Beauty Tips We've Learned in 6 Years of Podcasting
This week, we’re celebrating six amazing years of Gloss Angeles with six beauty lessons and tips we’ve picked up along the way. From how to sharpen your brow pencil without a sharpener to strategic powdering and drenching your face in setting spray, we’re sharing our personal gam ... Show More
32m 12s
Jun 27
From Girlfriends to Global Icon: The Beautyblender Story, As Told To Us By Founder Rea Ann Silva Herself
Hi Glams! Just general PSA that we will be taking the week off next week. See you for our anniversary on 7/8! She’s the mastermind behind one of the most revolutionary tools in beauty history: the Beautyblender. This week, we are joined by legendary makeup artist and founder Rea ... Show More
58m 44s
Jun 24
What Was Really Going on With Those Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Set Photos
This week, Kirbie and Sara are dishing on two new products they cannot stop using: Kosas’ latest mascara that somehow does it all and Colourpop’s juicy Glossy Lip Stain that delivers major shine with surprising staying power. Plus, the internet is in a tizzy over Carolyn Bessette ... Show More
31m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
628: Amanda Montell | Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Amanda Montell (@amandamontell) is a language scholar and author of critically acclaimed Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. Her latest book is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, which explores how cults co-opt the words we use in order to control us ... Show More
1h 12m
Feb 2024
Human Conditions: ‘The Second Sex’ by Simone de Beauvoir
Judith Butler joins Adam Shatz to discuss a landmark in feminist thought, Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949). Dazzling in its scope, The Second Sex incorporates anthropology, psychology, historiography, mythology and biology to ask an ‘impossible’ question: what is a woma ... Show More
11m 56s
May 2021
Interview with Elissa Washuta
In this week’s episode, Kendra talks with Elissa Washuta the author of White Magic, which out now from Tin HouseThanks to our sponsors! Go to AncientNutrition.com right now and enter promo code readingwomen at checkout. Go to Acorn.tv and use the code ReadingWomen to get your fir ... Show More
53m 36s
Apr 2022
Liana Finck Reimagines the Story of Genesis
The cartoonist Liana Finck’s new book, “Let There Be Light,” recasts the story of Genesis with a female God who is a neurotic artist.“At the very beginning of this book, she’s existing in a void and she just decides to make something,” Finck says. “And it’s all fun and games unti ... Show More
37m 32s
Nov 2019
#231 Elaine Welteroth: On Quitting Your Job & Carving Out A New Path
Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist, author, judge on the new Project Runway TV show and now author of memoir More Than Enough. I quoted her in my book The Multi-Hyphen Method because she is a thriving multi-hyphenate who I often looked to as an inspiration along the ... Show More
34m 23s
Sep 2023
cultish, a talk with amanda montell [video]
[video available on spotify] today i present to you, amanda montell: a writer, linguist, and fellow podcast host. amanda has written three books. one of them, the age of magical overthinking, is about to come out. today i want to zoom in on one of our many common interests. she w ... Show More
50m 33s
Sep 2023
Lisa Jewell
This week, Georgina Godwin meets bestselling British novelist Lisa Jewell. The Londoner started out working in the pattern room at fashion chain Warehouse but, after taking creative-writing classes, she realised that she wanted to be an author. It was a bet with a friend while on ... Show More
27m 4s
Jul 2021
Wait… Am I In A Cult? Ft. Amanda Montell
This week, Sara and Danny host writer, language scholar, and podcast host Amanda Montell, for a fascinating conversation about about cults and what makes them so effective at garnering our attention. They cover cult-ish groups and organizations from Scientology to SoulCycle and e ... Show More
50m 43s
Apr 2016
#3 Ashley C Ford - Talking Permission, Productivity & Asking For More
Ashley C Ford is one of my favourite people to follow on Twitter. You might recognise her voice from a very popular episode discussing Friendship on Lena Dunham's podcast 'Women Of The Hour'. She left her job at Buzzfeed a year ago to work on multiple different projects. She’s wr ... Show More
30m 16s