Think Gilded Age hair is super 19th century? Uhhh - think again! The hairstyling practices and salon culture that we’ve come to know today draw major inspiration from the American salons of the Gilded Age (which of course drew inspiration from the French salons across the pond…vive la France)! What mysteries are hiding underneath the pompadour poofs of Gilde ... Show More
Today
Reframing PRIDE, Liza Meownelli Updates, Janet Jackson Sighting, Anti-ICE Protestors
This week, we’re talking: Liza Meownelli Updates, Pride 2026, posture, AC, allergies, caffeine decreasing, workout faces, Carly Rae Jepsen’s new era, earthquakes, Janet Jackson, American Spelling Bee, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Damon Landor’s locks, anti-ICE protesters, Sunscr ... Show More
36m 58s
Jun 24
How To Tap Into the Energy, Vibe, and Spirit of PRIDE 2026 — w/ Peppermint
This week on Getting Better, JVN sits down with actress, activist, performer, and NYC Pride Grand Marshal Peppermint for a conversation about the energy, joy, resilience, and community that make Pride so powerful. From starring in Survival of the Thickest to leading one of the wo ... Show More
39m 37s
Jun 22
What My Cannabis Break Taught Me, the Swampy Reflection Pool, PRIDE Spelling Bee, Sunscreen Daywear Tips
This week, we’re talking: Liza the Cat Updates, why the World Cup is low-key tea, hazards of cruising, Diet Coke erasure, JVN’s cannabis break, PRIDE Spelling Bee, the cage fight & the peeling reflection pool, sunscreen advice, a shoutout to JVN’s husband Mark, and the gay bat. W ... Show More
34m 10s
Apr 2025
Medieval Codicology (WEIRD MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ART & MEMES & SNAILS) with Evan Pridmore
<p>Medieval art memes! Human-faced animals! Drunk monks! And a preponderance of snails. Middle Ages manuscript expert, art history communicator, and Medieval Codicologist Evan Pridmore covers: what those golden illuminated Middle Ages manuscripts were made of, who drew them, why ... Show More
1h 14m
Jul 2025
Siobhan Phillips on Marianne Moore ("Armor's Undermining Modesty")
"What is more precise than precision? Illusion." I talked with my friend, the scholar Siobhan Phillips, about Marianne Moore's poem "Armor's Undermining Modesty." Siobhan Phillips is a professor of English at Dickinson College, where she teaches courses on American literature of ... Show More
1h 47m
Apr 2025
S09E02 - Art Deco⏐Raymond Templier, a passion for speed
Movie stars have always worn jewelry. In the 1920s, the Art Deco style gradually took over red carpets and film reels. Worn by some of the greatest actresses of the day, from Louise Brooks to Brigitte Helm, Art-Deco jewelry was the epitome of modern beauty. Raymond Templier, one ... Show More
14m 23s
Nov 2024
S07E03 - Literature⏐Salammbô, the quintessential femme fatale and the unique brooch by René Lalique
“It was in Megara, a suburb of Carthage, in the gardens of Hamilcar…”This is the opening sentence of Salammbô, Flaubert’s great historical novel, which has become a cult classic. Just like its heroine … the Carthaginian princess with dazzling finery and a tragic destiny.Salammbô ... Show More
13m 8s
Mar 2025
Reality TV Sociology (‘TRASH’ TV) with Danielle Lindemann
<p>Nude strangers. Icy roads. Brain rot. True love. Class warfare. Queer visibility. Scripted ad libs. Sociologist, professor, author of the book “True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us,” and straight up Reality TV Sociologist, Dr. Danielle Lindemann studies human behavior thr ... Show More
1h 14m