In the Manosphere-dominated podcast landscape, one of the biggest podcasts aimed at women sounds like a child's television show.
Glass squad It is hosted by two best friends, fashion influencer Paige DeSorvo and comedian Hannah Burner. Summer house. In 2020, the pair began their Instagram lives every week, eventually releasing a podcast.
since then, Glass squad It has become one of the top-ranked shows on the Apple podcast. Last year, there were 44 million downloads. DeSorvo and Burner have just put together a sold-out national tour and are now releasing their first book How to laugh: A guide who doesn't take life too seriously. The book promotion included guest appearances recently Tonight's show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
In some respects, Glass squad Feels like Alex Cooper's obvious daughter Call her dad. The show is primarily appealing to Z Gen Z White Women. (Their fanbase calls themselves “Zigglers.”) They have similar conceits to Cooper's first iteration of pods. The two girlfriends have honest and sometimes frivolous conversations about dating, gender, mental health and other aspects.
It resembles a casual text chain between two best friends. In a recent episode, DeSorbo updated listeners about her UTI, and Berner joked about PMS's intense match. “I like to let Giggler know where we are in the cycle,” Berner said.
Intimacy and kinship between hosts have become a promising feature of recent women-led podcasting. My best friend chats about his own genre. The audience also makes you feel like one of the gangsters.
“It really feels like you're faceting your best friend,” says self-proclaimed gigler Alexa Tock. “You get a very close relationship with them. It's like you have a conversation with your friends every week.”
Affinity fans feel they are talking not only about the increasingly trembling roles the podcast has taken in our lives in post-pandemic, but also about the way women's friendships have become commercial businesses.
How the podcast became our new BFF
The casual gabfest among women is not a new invention in the field of podcasting. Some of the best examples were organic efforts by friends seeking public outlets to discuss personal life and interests.
Popular products from the early podcast boom are Call your girlfriend A podcast hosted by Anne Friedman and Aminatou Suu. The two long-distance friends caught each other in their lives, having insightful and informative conversations about culture, politics and gender. My favourite murderhosted by comedians Georgia Heardstark and Karen Kilgariff, the two companions unite on their interest in true crime stories. BuzzFeed-Then-Slate Podcast Thirst Aid Kit We saw hosts Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins salivating their latest celebrity crash verbally.
These older examples are a little more produced and refined than the off-cuffs of the hyper personal atmosphere Glass squad. However, podcasts like DeSorvo and Burner feel like a natural advancement in this setup. This “group chat” phenomenon has recently expanded the world of podcasting. Rem says thishosted by his best college friends, Harris, Payton Dix, and the Ringers Jam sessionhosted by workmates Amanda Dobbins and Juliet Litman. The growth of this genre is particularly visible on social media. Tiktok and Instagram reels thrilled with clips of two women sitting in a pink or beige studio, and in Tiktok's terminology, they have a YAP on seemingly insignificant issues.
Naturally, this chammy dynamic is also seen in the popular podcasts hosted by the sisters. There's a pop culture show toasthosted by controversial brother duo Jackie and Claudia Oshley, and it managed to become a mainstream hit. The newly released podcast of Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher, Maher's house, Featuring her sisters Adriana and Olivia, it is described as an audio version of the sibling group chat. It's already working well on the Apple Podcasts chart.
Hit Netflix Series No one wants this A new warning has been raised to The world's first podcasthosted by show creator Erin Foster and her younger sister Sarah. The Netflix show depicts a fictional version of the podcast, with Kristen Bell standing in Foster.
“Does this format feel more abundant in culture?” says Nicholas Quah, a podcast critic for Vulture. “The answer is yes, and it relates to the fact that podcasting has been normalized. It will become part of the media diet for everyone.”
quah adds that these loosely structured, barely scripted podcasts are everywhere.
The barriers to entry are low – they do not require journalistic skills or expertise on a particular subject. Instead, the prerequisite is a friend's sense of chemistry and relevance. Over time, listeners will gain knowledge about the history of the host, along with Pet Peves and other details. By listening Rem says thisFor example, audiences will learn about Harris and Dicks' core college memories, past relationships, and parental habits.
Podcast Girly embraces gossip and confusion while “podcast brothers” aim to improve themselves
The emotional and social effects that come from seeing women interact with each other may feel particularly familiar to fans of real-life shows. It's not surprising that you're probably fond of podcasts Glass squad It is a natural extension of reality star's own branding. You can expect almost every real housewife, including the well-known duo, to launch their own podcasts based on already established personalities and friend dynamics.
These podcasts inevitably begin to mimic reality television by offering both mindless entertainment and a deep and engaging connection to talent.
By design, the host creates its own share of extracurricular gossip for listeners to have conversations. When Litman announced his pregnancy Jam session A few weeks ago, fans ran to the Nycinfluenersnark Subreddit, sharing their excitement and curiosity about the news, and also thinking about what the show would look like when they took maternity leave. When Desolvo is disclosed Glass squad She had a panic attack, Reddit fans immediately tried to investigate the cause.
Glass squad There is the added benefits and pressure of a very public off-air persona of a friend. The show is also a place where you can discuss news moments created outside of podcasts. When the tabloid reported that Desolvo had split from his three-year partner, Southern Charm Star Craig Conover, last December, fans knew they could tune Glass squad For the inner scoop. The same feedback loop happened last month when Burner received a backlash for comments she made in an interview with Megan Tatarion at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Listeners predicted the next episode. There, Burner dealt with the virus incident.
Quah says that “encouraging a sense of confusion and scandal” has become central to young women building their brands through podcasts.
The way these shows accept gossip and intimate conversations can be easily written down as cheap tactics to attract listeners. However, it is no coincidence that these podcasts have become “Women's Empowerment Sites” forums, and that these podcasts have become “Women's Empowerment Sites.” This is a prominent distinction from the world of “Podcast Brothers” like Joe Rogan and Andrew Hooverman, talking to crazy self-help experts and promoting an individualistic lifestyle of self-improvement.
Like Glass squad The audience continues to grow in the future. These flirty podcasts occupy a significant space in women's lives. They are independent friends, gossip subjects, and much needed space to feel understood.
