STARGIRL

*Full episode on Patreon*Hello from the final weeks of the Wood Snake year ;) …. This week, we pick up where we left off with “Metal Season," to dissect the ever-accelerating Chinese-ness of internet culture these days. We talk more TCM (seasonality, womb health, qigong morning routines, etc.), the newly mainstreamed fascination with the Chinese Zodiac system, and the ways I’m choosing to let the Year of the Horse vibes wash over me and spur me into clarity & aligned action.Plus: 2016 nostalgia acceleration machine, Fetty Wap out of prison, UDA virality and the overly-masculine approach to hip-hop dance, the shifting signifiers of health and beauty, and why, as always, it’s important to not primarily view your life/other’s choices/the world through a political lens and to instead connect to intuition so you can be self led. Shine on!Links:“This Is What Year of the Horse Means for You” Morgan Fargo in Vogue (2026)“Why everyone is now Chinese” Elle Jones on Substack (2026)Anne Hathaway sings North London ForeverFetty Wap’s label welcomes him back after he returns from prisonUDA: LSU Hip Hop finals 2026, LSU Hip Hop Finals 2022“The hip hop category feels to Jabbawockeez” dre.shady on TikTok

This week we’re joined by Laura Gunder, a classical Pilates teacher, ex-professional ballet dancer, and the creator of The Emergence Podcast. Laura shares her story: her career as a ballerina, the identity transformation upon leaving the ballet world, and how she found a new relationship with her body and movement in the fitness world. She also sheds light on the difference between Classical and contemporary Pilates, gives her thoughts on the explosion of franchised Pilates studios in the last decade, and offers concrete advice for anyone new to the fitness industry. This episode is for former dancers, early-stage fitness professionals in need of lifestyle tips, those who owns their own business in NYC, and anyone inspired by systematic, formal movement styles <3Laura’s IG and website Links:The Emergence Podcast (and on Instagram)Emma’s interview on Emergence

This week we’re joined by the writer Vanessa Lily Chung to (finally!!) tackle Anne Hathaway, an unassailable Stargirl whose Dream / Threat has always been totally vague but universally felt. We explore our own girlhood memories young Anne (Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, The Devil Wears Prada) and the latent “makeover” dream therein, reflect on the near-decade of #Hathahate, trace her comeback in the last few years via her fashion and beauty renaissance, and speculate on the major 2026 she’s about to have with TDWP II, Mother Mary, The Odessey, and more. Plus: Vanessa’s fascinating racial misidentification with Anne as a young woman, Anne’s obsession with playing “sick girls,” the psychology of the default brunette, and the Threat of plainness. Vanessa Lily Chung is a writer from Brooklyn. Her criticism has appeared in The Baffler, The Brooklyn Rail, and The Henry James Review. Follow her on IG or email her at vanessalilyc@gmail.com.*Emma’s opening a few more personal training spots for Winter 2026. If you’re interested in learning more, book a free consult call here!Discussed:Performances mentioned: Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married, Love and Other Drugs, Get Smart, Bride Wars, The Dark Knight Rises, One Day, Les Mis, Interstellar, The Intern, Ocean’s 8, Eileen, The Idea of You, Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada II, The Odessey, Verity#Hathahate archive in The Cut (!!)Anne at the 2008 OscarsAnne in pink Prada fake nipplegate momentAnne in Les Mis Fantine vibes…People Magazine cover July 2008: “The Princess and the Con Man”Lip Sync Battle: Anne Hathaway “Wrecking Ball” (2015)Anne on Mark Maron (2017)Anne at Cannes 2022 (internet-breaking)Anne in Interview Mag (2022)Anne and Emily Blunt Variety Actors on Actors (2024)Anne recent Vogue profile (2025)Mother Mary preview (2026)STARGIRL episode on Bianca Giaever (2023)

Happy New Year everyone! We’re back with the next episode of The Body Series, a client testimonial with my dream personal training client Miss Andrea! She shares her experience turning to strength training after a decade of the group fitness churn, the long-term, sustainable way she’s approaching body recomp in preparation for her wedding (!!!), why real consistency (+ accountability) has 10-xed her results, and the confidence she’s gained by leveling up the way she treats herself. I adore Andrea and am so excited to share her light with you all! <3This episode is for: 2026 brides, Type A babes who tend to go ham and burn out, ex-athletes who want to reconnect to their adolescent identity, women who don’t yet feel comfortable in the gym, and anyone who’s feeling called to glow the heck up….Interested in personal training? Sign up for a free consult call to learn about how I work and see if it's a fit <3

This week, I share my observations on the dominant cultural patterns of Fall 2025, most of which can be traced back to the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) craze sweeping through New York and hot girl Internet circles (think: breakfast soup, seasonality, heightened Lunar awareness, lymph and fascia care, etc.). Also discussed: the grifter energy of the online healer community, leaning into political grayness with health-related interests/intuition, some recent mainstream criticism of GLP-1s and SSRIs, and reflections/intentions after my birthday last week <3Links:Alix Earle on DWTS (Maleficent, Maneater/Sports Car Mashup)Emily Gates on TikTokBallerina Farm addresses criticism for the first time (to my knowledge?)Sigh Swoon Ayahuasca Recap VideoALP Sponsors Red Scare after Dasha gets dropped from her agencyGetty Museum Twelve Days of Medieval Illuminations exhibitTCM on TikTok“How the Right Coopted Psychedelics" Justin Smith-Ruiu in GQ“The MAHA-Fueled Rise of Natural Family Planning” Caroline Kitchener in NYT“More Teens are Taking Antidepressants. It Could Disrupt Their Sex Lives for Years” Daniel Bergner in NYT“Life in Beige: Are GLP-1s Worth a Life Devoid of Pleasure?” Allison P. Davis in The Cut

This week we’re joined by Dr. Aumatma Simmons, a naturopathic doctor and double board-certified endocrinologist, and the founder of the Holistic Fertility Institute and Madre Fertility. Dr. Aumatma shares her journey from conventional to naturopathic medicine, research that complicates the prevailing myth of mid-30s fertility dropoff, her views on traditional intervention models (egg freezing, IVF, etc.), simple things that people can do to support their fertility (read: Vitality), and why she views fertility as the optimal lens through which to assess health

Lily Sperry is a writer and brand consultant. She runs the newsletter Health Gossip. In this magical episode, we discuss the origins of her project, the larger esoteric fairy-girl moment we’re living through, and why creation is the ultimate antidote to ennui. Plus, Lily shares her definition of “health” as maintaining a “clear channel,” and we reflect on the benefits of not centering our days around consumption, why New York can feel hostile to femininity, and the connection between femininity and fertility. Thank you Lily for your wisdom and grace! Links:Health Gossip on Substack@health.gossip on InstagramLily on Instagram

*Full episode on Patreon*Checking in after a busy fall season... in this month's letter, I reflect on the current biggest sources of meaning in my life (work, creative partnership, my marriage, dance, and spirituality), voice my desire to be a formal student again, get nostalgic for the first time I encountered D'Angelo, and keep the good vibes going after the STARGIRL party last week. Sending love XOXO!

This week we welcome the writer Marisa Meltzer back to STARGIRL to discuss her new book It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin (out this week!). We discuss the myth of Jane Birkin and Marisa’s project to animate her beyond a 2D moodboard figure, and use Jane as a vessel to revisit classic STARGIRL conversations such as Artist vs. Muse, Narrative Control, and Nature vs. Artifice. We discuss Jane’s lifelong Lolita energy, character as a mother, natural aging process, and comfortability as a vessel for others’ creative and sexual projections.Plus, I reflect on seeing Addison live after 5+ years of indulging my fixation in my imagination, give my take on the various Showgirl vibes in culture right now, and answer the elephant in the room: Is Jane Birkin a Stargirl or an It Girl?Discussed:It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, Marisa Meltzer (2025)Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Life of Emily Weiss’s Glossier, Marisa Meltzer (2023)STARGIRL episode on Emily Weiss with Marisa (2023)“Do the right thing Addison Rae…” @_artsartsarts on X“Addison Rae Wants More Than Virality” Alex Hawgood, W Mag (2025)Alix Earle on DWTS (so good!)“Margaret Qualley Manifested This Cover Story” Willa Bennett Cosmopolitan (2025)The Power Notebooks, Katie Roiphe (2020)“Why I Got a Neck Lift at 41 Years Old” Sophie Pavitt in The Cut (2025)Jane B. par Agnes V. (1988)

*Full episode on Patreon*Occasioned by her recent return to Outdoor Voices, this week we go long on Ty Haney. We examine Ty’s original mission to separate exercise from performance (and how that was internalized as a “demand” to “play”), revisit the tired, left-of-basic criticism that fitness is classist, catch up on Ty’s various Futurist ventures in her time away from OV, and analyze OV’s attempt to stay relevant as sportswear fashion trends evolve. Plus, urgent conversations such as: Is Ty’s Web3 Cowgirl vibe landing? Does fangirling over Elon Musk in 2025 need to *mean anything*? Why is my cultural imagination surrounding Austin, TX circa 2016 so vivid?Mentioned:STARGIRL episode with Lauren Gerrie - a must-listen for the soul <3“Ty Haney is Back at Outdoor Voices” Brooke LaMantia, The Cut (2025)“Ty Haney Is Back at Outdoor Voices, this time with a new collection” Cara Salpini, Retail Dive (2025)Ty on Pia’s Pod podcast (2025)“Outdoor Voices Blurs the Line Between Working Out and Everything Else” Jia Tolentino, New Yorker (2019)“How Toned Arms Became a Status Symbol — And an Impossible Standard” Anne Marie Chaker, Time (2025)“Ourdoor Voices Founder Ty Haney Has Moved On. Mostly” Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz The Cut (2023)“My Week with Ty Haney’s CBD for Workouts” (review of Joggy) Dominique Pariso, The Strategist (2023)TYB on Instagram“Ty Haney is Elon Musk’s Reply Guy” @grandeillusion on Substack (2025)“Casting Resilience: Entrepreneur Ty Haney’s Advice for Leaders? Go Fishing” Jessica Militare, Forbes (2025)“The New Exercise Boom and the Woman Who Saw It Coming”, Suzy Weiss, The Free Press (2025)“What Should We Call Athleisure Now?” Vanessa Friedman, NYT (2025)“You’re a Boomer if You Wear Leggings: The Rise of Big Workout Pants” Rory Satran, WSJ (2025)NikeSKIMS (and overview of criticism it’s received)

Welcome Lauren Gerrie, a true downtown icon and "The Body Series" embodied ;) Lauren is the co-founder of MOVES dance class, a culinary artist (and formerly Marc Jacobs’ personal chef), a figure model, and so much more. Today she shares her wisdom: how dance helps us to re-inhabit sensuality and freedom, why being in tune with your cravings > following “food rules” and trends, why expensive convenience is not your best life, and the importance of rituals that elate and unify. Above all, Lauren is a joy seeker: living proof of all things vital and wild. <3Follow Lauren on Instagram and learn more about her workSubscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon

The scroll always stops for Miss Victoria Paris! In this Feel Good episode, we explore Victoria Paris’ explosion onto the cultural consciousness and how she became the playbook of how to blow up on TikTok. We reminisce about her early content (inventive workout GRWMs, death by Stairmaster, Suede Brooks, her obsession with her “low ass,” etc.), trace her style and lifestyle evolution, examine the backlash over her spending, weight loss, and 24/7 approach to streaming, and fawn over her cute ass girlfriend Nico <3 Plus: the expectations of NYC vs. LA influencers, why Sabrina Carpenter is not a Stargirl, and why I legitimately get depressed every time a creator I adore leaves New York… LOVE YOU VP thanks for always keeping the Glint alive <333Book a free consult call to learn more about personal training with me & join the waitlist!“Sabrina Carpenter Is Glad You Like Her Sexual Content” Mel Ottenberg in InterviewSydney Sweeney original STARGIRL episode“Victoria Paris Wants to Big Brother Her Life” Emily Sundberg (!!) in Interview (2021)“Chasing Boys with TikTok Princess Victoria Paris” Brock Colyar in The Cut (2021)Victoria on Avery Woods’ podcast (2025)TenFour jewelry Victoria Paris “What I would wear to work if I was a flight attendant” (pause on facial expression when she wheels in the suitcase) “It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl” Brock Colyar in The Cut (2025)Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York (2021)

*Full episode on Patreon*Happy end of Summer! In this month’s letter, I offer my observations on the only cultural conversations that have captured my attention in 2025: New New Spirituality & Overall Metaphysical Vibes: Astrology’s mounting cultural importance, the craze around this year’s 8/8 portal, wavy ranch-y fashion, psychedelics, the non-toxic movement, push toward natural fibers, etc. The Politicization of Fitness: The growing interest in fitness is accompanied by a certain strain of panic about the “dark side” of a cultural value around health, fitness, and the body. Plus, the binary of Body as Machine vs. Body as Garden and how you can tune inward to sensation before exploding outward from neuroses…The Mythos of the Modern Conservative Women: I’ve been fascinated by the media’s obsession with “defining” and “understanding” the modern conservative woman. What’s going on here?Then, I give an update on my capital-h Healing Summer and invite you into a fall of spaciousness, routine, and uber clarity… Links:Gabi (sigh swoon) on 8/8 portalSTARGIRL Ep. 39 where I predicted this metaphysical folkloric return“Pop’s Prosperity Gospel: How Addison Rae Ushered In a New Spiritual Style” Biz Sherbert in AnOther Mag“Zen and the Art of Being Jennifer Aniston” Julie Miller in Vanity Fair “2024 was the year of the Chad” Angelica Frey interviewed me about physique posting for Fast Company “Is Pilates Political?” Calum Marsh in the New York Times “Getting Fit is Great — But It Could Turn You Into a RightWing Jerk” Zoe Williams in The Guardian“Can President Trump Run a Mile?” Zach Helfand on the return of the Presidential Fitness Test in the New Yorker“Demin, Dating, and Conservativism: Inside a ‘Make America Hot Again’ Party” Mandy Taheri in NewsweekSydney Sweeney for Bai Coconut Water… why

This week we’re joined by Kaila Yu, author of the new book Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.Kaila tells her story: from growing up in Southern California idolizing pinup models to working in the import car scene to appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and touring internationally with the girl band Nylon Pink. We discuss the concept of the Asian fetish as it exists in pornified mass media vs. real-world relationships, its roots in American military occupation, and the genesis of the ABG trope, influence of Stargirl Sung Hi Lee, Sam Rockwell’s monologue from White Lotus, and more. Kaila also shares her ultimate dissatisfaction with performing an object of desire, how she got sober, and how she’s re-inhabited her body after decades of alienation from it. Big thank you to Kaila for all that you shared <3 Buy Fetishized at your local bookseller and follow Kaila on Instagram and TikTok!

Welcome to the first installment of my newest episode type, Client Testimonials, where you hear directly from my incredible personal training clients about their experience working with me as a coach.This week we hear from Miss Meghan, a true dream client based in Austin, TX. Meghan shares her full glow-up story: moving beyond her lifelong junk food habit, getting out of chronic pain, losing weight and lowering her blood glucose levels, building comfortability in the gym, feeling better naked and in her clothes, all while consistently building strength. We also discuss the perspective shifts inherent to a devotional gym routine: We debunk the idea of “fitness culture” as a bland normie influencer zone (it’s actually an earnest and sensual freakshow), explore how it feels to anchor yourself to a new definition of glamour more rooted in health, and discuss the agency and liberation that comes from calorie awareness (no, learning what you’re putting in your body doesn’t have to be a neurotic, restrictive, isolated hellscape). Thank you to Meghan for your time and all that you shared <3***Announcement:***Interested in personal training with me? I am currently running a Back-to-School promotion — my first ever — for early access on Fall 2025 spots. Here’s the 4-1-1:Receive 15% off any package when you sign by September 1stLimited spots available for a September or October 2025 start dateThis means you could save up to $300If you're interested, book a consult call with me — we’ll discuss your goals, exercise/injury history, and my current offerings, and see if it’s a fit to work with each other. Hope to see you in the gym soon!

This week we tackle ingénue Margaret Qualley with the help of my friend and the writer/trend forecaster Holly Friend. We analyze Margaret’s recent re-introduction as an explicit sex object (The Substance, her Bond Girl potential, etc.), and the many intertwined celebrity dramas that make up her myth. We explore her ugly duckling origin story, insistence on her own girlishness, luminous elven beauty, infamous lip bite, and career ambitions, and dive into the Dream/Threat latent in her marriage and creative partnership with Jack Antonoff. Subscribe to Holly’s new Substack Recurring Character and follow her on IG!Discussed:Margaret Qualley alter ego “Lace Manhattan” releases new musicLena Dunham on Girls Rewatch podcastBlonde Margaret hamming it upMargaret’s infamous Kenzo World campaign“Lights! Camera! Margaret!” profile in i-D (2025)“Margaret Qualley is a Maverick in the Making” AnOther Mag (2022)W Mag photoshoot with Margaret and Mikey Madison (2020)Margaret Qualley Once Upon a Time in Hollywood TikTok edits“Crush” Rachel Antonoff SS14 campaign“Tiny Moves” Bleachers music video (2024)

*Full episode on Patreon! Join the STARGIRL Patreon for access to exclusive content <3 *I often get asked how to "increase" or "find" your inner Stargirl. I don't think that's something you can engineer (we feel it when it's over-produced), but I do think there are concrete ways you can strengthen your sense of self by living more on-purpose. In this month's letter, I reflect on the top 5 things I believe have improved my confidence and allowed me to live more freely: getting in shape, developing a conscious relationship to drugs & alcohol, taking pride in my most important relationships, tuning out the voices/discourse/hot-button issues that don't actually interest me, and finding my voice by using my voice. As I always say, it's gonna get weirder before it gets less weird <3 Cheers to a lifetime of learning to trust yourself <3

Happy Addison Week! In this special episode we return to the original Stargirl Miss Addison Rae to review her debut album Addison, out last week. We talk audiovisual worldbuilding, heavy-handed references, her first real live performances, plus the attendant media rollout, Internet hysteria, and collective impulse to claim that we saw her first. We also circle back to the Artist vs. Muse debate, and I argue that her uniquely uncomplicated portrayal of her own sexuality has the power to heal internalized misogyny in 2025. We end on the question, “How does watching Addison make you feel?” and hear some responses from listeners from “little girls playing mermaids” to “embodied sensual force.” Hell yes!*Subscribe to the STARGIRL Patreon for access to exclusive episodes and more!*Discussed:STARGIRL episodes: Addison Rae Part I (May 2022), Addison Rae Part II (December 2024)Podcast interviews: Popcast, Zane LoweAddison by Caroline Tomkins for the NYTAddison profile in ELLEAddison album reviews: Pitchfork, the New Yorker“Body Doubles and Aquadisease” Nymphet Alumni

Lauren Kanski is the founding coach on Ladder, a strength training app that offers progressive overload training in a variety of modalities. In the five years I’ve followed her on Instagram, Lauren has had a tremendous and direct influence on my life: from getting me curious about the kettlebell to connecting me with leading voices in the health and fitness industry to inspiring me to embark on a career in fitness myself. She is a real-life Stargirl and was born to lead. In this episode, we discuss Lauren’s unique path in the fitness industry (from pre-med to teaching yoga to grinding as an Equinox trainer to founding one of today’s leading fitness apps), her tough love attitude as a coach, why calorie awareness is vital to long-term weight management, and her journey with sobriety, her marriage, and her faith. Huge thank you to Lauren for this beautiful and heartfelt episode. <3 !Follow Lauren on Instagram and join team Body and Bell on the Ladder app

This week we’re joined by internet sensations Amelia and Evan of Girls Rewatch podcast to discuss Lena Dunham, two years after we first knighted her as an original Stargirl. We discuss Lena’s work and life post-Girls (Sharp Stick, her new show Too Much, and her marriage, chronic illness, and perma-hibernation mode) and assess the past 10 years of self-conscious scripted comedy (White Lotus, Broad City, Fleabag, Sex Lives of College Girls, Severance, Insecure, And Just Like That, etc.). We also analyze Gen Z’s reclamation of Marnie and reminisce about the Dream of mid-2010s creative Brooklyn advanced by the best TV show of all time. Listen to / watch / follow Girls Rewatch podcast, and follow Amelia and Evan <3Links:STARGIRL Episode 12: Lena Dunham Part I (2022)Sharp Stick Lena’s movie from 2022Too Much, Lena’s forthcoming show“Lena Dunham’s Change of Pace” Rachel Syme in The New Yorker (2024)