It's Been a Minute
NPR
Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 27, 2026 • 18min
The hard work of having "good taste"
Kate Wagner, architecture critic at The Nation, and Kyle Chayka, New Yorker writer on tech and culture, discuss taste as learned practice, how communities and media shape it, and whether AI can truly replicate lived aesthetic judgment. They debate tech’s role in distributing culture, AI’s impact on creative labor, and the value of amateur making and shared practice.
17 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 21min
The morbid lifelessness of modern beauty
Jessica DeFino, beauty reporter and critic behind the Flesh World Substack, explores the rise of a macabre 'morgue gaze' in modern aesthetics. She discusses revived fascination with Carolyn Bessette, trends like mannequin skin and cadaver fillers, ties to longevity tech and dissociation, and how anti-aging obsession shapes lifeless ideals.
Mar 24, 2026 • 36min
Many women don't want kids. And for good reason.
Sarah McCammon, a journalist studying demographic trends and policy, and Emma Gannon, author who writes about child-free life, discuss why many decide not to have children. They explore economic pressures, cultural stigma, changing parenting norms, class and political meanings of being child-free, and how policy and social expectations shape reproductive choices.
4 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 20min
Don't get got by big MILK
Andrea Freeman, a law professor who studies the politics of food, and Yasmin Tayag, an Atlantic writer on the future of food, dig into the surprising government push for whole milk. They trace industry influence, historical milk politics, racial and cultural symbolism, and why milk debates now intersect with gender, environment, and declining consumption.
8 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 21min
Meet the billionaires who control your media
David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent who tracks media ownership and industry impacts, and Mandalit Del Barco, NPR culture correspondent covering film, TV, and industry labor. They unpack the Ellison–Paramount/Warner deal. They discuss consolidation across franchises and news, debt and streaming costs, data advantages and political ties, and what this could mean for storytelling and workers.
Mar 18, 2026 • 17min
The unbearable fear of being cheated on
Shannon Keating, a culture journalist who covers dating and online communities, and Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a writer on relationships and therapy culture, dig into why fear of infidelity looms so large. They discuss surveillance tech, shifting definitions of cheating, emotional cheating, and how hypervigilance and public shaming reshape modern romance.
8 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 33min
The beauty industry has an Epstein problem
Jessica DeFino, reporter and author of the Flesh World Substack who covers beauty culture and power dynamics, joins to unpack ties between the beauty world and powerful figures. They trace the industry’s obsession with youth, name financial and social entanglements, and debate how beauty functions like a secular religion shaping worth and sacrifice.
9 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 20min
Is tech making us too obsessed with our bodies?
Lindsay Gellman, a health and business reporter who digs into industry trends and privacy, and Adam Clark Estes, a technology correspondent who tests multiple trackers firsthand. They discuss how wearables became mainstream and why people get hooked. They contrast different relationships to tracking, question whether metrics equal health, and raise concerns about who profits and how data privacy is handled.
Mar 13, 2026 • 16min
Young women are struggling, too. Why can't we see it?
Meg Jay, clinical psychologist specializing in young adulthood, and Faith Hill, Atlantic writer on culture, discuss why young women’s mental health is often ignored. They examine how the twenties are a peak time for anxiety and depression. They compare struggles across genders and probe structural causes like costs and policy gaps. The conversation questions why male distress makes headlines while female suffering is normalized.
Mar 11, 2026 • 28min
Sinners vs. One Battle After Another: who should win Best Picture?
Robert Daniels, associate editor at RogerEbert.com who writes on film and representation, and Nadira Goffe, Slate culture writer who analyzes race and fandom, debate Sinners versus One Battle After Another. They discuss why fans pit the films against each other. They trace historical Oscar parallels, unpack marketing and visibility, and examine portrayals of Black characters and revolutionary politics.
