Writing by Jen Susca

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on October 22, 2018) Podcasts are available on popular streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple, which surpassed 550 billion episode downloads last March. Recent data as of June 2018 revealed that approximately 550,000 shows are currently available to stream on Apple alone. The average podcast listener will tune in to seven shows a week, making the podcasting realm as competitive as the music and film industries. Subjects range from pop culture, to crime, to philosophy and much more. And there’s no saying who will succeed as a podcaster- some of the most listened to shows are hosted by doctors, actors, and the guy next door. With so many options and a podcast for virtually any subject, the hardest part of listening is choosing what show is worth playing. Here are some podcasts that are worth a listen. 1. The Moth Radio Hour This Peabody Award-winning show presented by PRX began in 1997 and features live performances of people telling t

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on August 8, 2018) In the digital age, dating apps and sites are in their prime with no indication of going anywhere. In fact, their usage and success increase every year, with the majority of users ages 18-24, indicating that the popularity of online dating will only continue to rise. Today about 1 in 5 relationships starts online. Online dating in its infancy was something a lot of users were embarrassed about- there used to be an inherent desperation associated with it. Many viewed joining eHarmony or Match.com as a last resort after unsuccessful real world encounters. In 2018, however, the inundation of technology, social media, and the existence of apps for just about everything has allowed online dating to flourish. Dating apps and sites can be invaluable in finding and meeting a potential partner. That being said, the dating profile you create can either make or break your chance at romance. Here are some tips on how to set yourself u

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on October 5, 2018) Millennials as a generation have defined themselves by their love of specialties: local goods, fresh produce, organic everything, unique plates, signature coffees, and craft beer. Their desires have aligned with the economic push for sustainability and contributed significantly to small business prosperity. This new producer-consumer relationship has been unexpectedly symbiotic: word of mouth has evolved into the social media realm, and any product that can be tastefully laid out and properly filtered has a good chance of being shared on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The reach of any singular company is now global thanks to this insatiable desire to share. The consumer of 2018 wants to have an experience that is, in a way, limited. No one cares to share a picture of a 6-inch meatball sub from Subway- anyone can have that experience. The intrinsic value of non-corporate, non-chain stores and restaurants is

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on October 10, 2018)  Lindsay Lohan went live on Instagram Saturday, September 29th, and posted a video of what was perhaps a well-intentioned encounter that went horribly wrong. Upon seeing a family that appeared homeless, Lohan jumped out of her car and rushed to the rescue. In the video , she is seen recording in selfie-mode, sounding inebriated as she mumbles in English, Arabic, and Russian to the family while waving her phone in their faces. Lohan apparently believed the family of four were Syrian refugees as they sat huddled under a blanket on the street. The family smiles back at first, but says nothing back, making it unclear whether or not they understand her. She initially insists on taking the boys and putting them up in a hotel room to watch movies and play video games, but when the mother refuses, Lohan offers to take the whole family, then immediately changes her mind take just the mother and the sons. After about seven minu

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on September 22, 2018)  This week’s pop culture news stories centered around two separate feuds between hip hop stars: on one end of the spectrum, Eminem versus Machine Gun Kelly; at the other end, Nicki Minaj versus Cardi B. Both fights involve an older, seasoned rapper attacking a younger, newer artist whom they feel threatened by. What is the difference between male versus male and female versus female rivalries, and why did one end in a shoe colliding with a forehead at the Harper’s Bazaar ICONS party? Rumors of bad blood between the two female rappers have been ongoing ever since Cardi first emerged on the hip hop scene. For years, Nicki has been the prevalent female rapper, and Cardi is the first woman to pose a real challenge to Minaj’s status. At 25 years old, she is ten years Nicki’s junior. The assumption that the two women were in competition was only fueled by alleged subtweets, disses on tracks, and tight-lipped comments during

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on September 14, 2018)  The tennis court is probably one of the least likely places one would expect to find embroiled in controversy regarding gender equality, but for the past week it has been just that. Serena Williams, handily considered to be the greatest female tennis player in the world, lost the U.S. Open on Saturday, September 8th, and it was not for lack of athletic ability. The champion, 20 year old Naomi Osaka of Japan, cried as she received the grand prize amid a sea of boos, while standing next to her childhood idol. In the press conference following the match, Serena was asked how she would explain the events of the day to her daughter. Certainly someday her child will happen upon what is already the infamous video of legendary Serena Williams calling umpire Carlos Ramos a “thief” and slamming her tennis racket on the court, snapping it in half. Williams lost the title, received a $17,000 fine, and endless criticism and moc

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on September 9, 2019) And America becomes further divided. In this tumultuous political climate that has positioned the right and the left at seemingly more extreme odds than ever, the most recent source of internet polarity is an athletic apparel brand. Nike, one of the most powerful companies in the world, has released the first ads for their 30th anniversary “#Justdoit” campaign, and the face of it is not exactly America’s sweetheart. On Wednesday, September 5, 2018 Nike tweeted “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough. #justdoit” along with a video ad. The short clip features a slew of athletes overcoming adversity, including a girl playing football, a wheelchair-basketball player, a young wrestler without legs, and several Nike sponsored athletes. Among the chosen representatives are Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, and, to the shock of America, Colin Kaepernick. This is the company’s first ad featuring the S

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on August 31, 2018)  Around midnight this past Sunday, August 26, comedy fans were shocked at the familiar, albeit notorious figure that took the stage at New York’s Comedy Cellar. Louis C.K., the disgraced comedian and central figure of the #MeToo Movement, arrived at the club and asked the emcee if he could perform for the first time in nearly ten months. It was actually C.K.’s second set of the night, having performed at Governor’s of Levittown, a comedy club in Long Island earlier in the evening to a lukewarm crowd. The audience at the Comedy Cellar, however, was apparently much more forgiving as C.K.’s unexpected return earned him an ovation. The set lasted about fifteen minutes, and the material was not anything particularly unusual. The Comedy Cellar’s owner, Noam Dworman, reported that C.K. unplanned set included banter about tipping servers, parades, and wordplay. Notably, he did not address the circumstances that led to his unpla

(Originally published on sommetdame.com August 19, 2019) The United States falls behind the world in terms of language: over half of the speakers in the world can use at least two languages. Comparatively, only 20% of speakers in the United States are bilingual. While English is the predominant language in the world, the utility of speaking more than one language is undeniable. Unfortunately, bilingualism in the home often fades out the longer a family has been in a new country. For example, immigrants to the United States from Italy may speak Italian to family members both old and young, but as the children grow up and the older generations pass away, the younger generations use less of their native language and rely more on the dominating language of the country, English. Eventually, the Italian usage within the family diminishes, resulting in monolingualism in the household. Spanish usage in particular in the United States is statistically increasing, leading more and more emplo

(Originally published on sommetdame.com August 10, 2018) In the Carter’s explosively popular and visually stunning music video for the track “APESHIT” from their unannounced joint album, the power couple took over the Louvre Museum in Paris. The significance of Beyonce and Jay-Z's ability to film the hit from Everything is Love in the Louvre not only speaks to the power of their celebrity, but also to the expansion of racial diversity in popular culture. The couple uses the backdrop of one of the most well-known museums in the world to place themselves in the center as representatives of wealth, beauty, luxury, opulence, talent, and especially black excellence. Jay-Z and Beyonce stand amid pieces of priceless art and the implication is clear: they belong. The album and music video dropped simultaneously on June 16, 2018, and the couple has continued their reign on their “On The Run II” Tour and, most recently, Beyonce’s historic Vogue cover. In the September 2018 issue, Be

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on August 6, 2018) Imagine going out to dinner with your significant other and a friend you have not seen in years spots you, says hello, and asks if your significant other is your father. This is the often awkward reality facing individuals involved in relationships with significant age gaps. One study that classified relationships with an age difference of ten years or greater as being May-December found that approximately 8% of heterosexual couples have this age gap. Relationships of an older woman and younger man only made up 1% of these relationships. This statistic goes back centuries to the longstanding tradition of marriage between an older, wealthy man and a young, fertile woman for status and the maintenance of fortunes. The 1% will likely see marginal growth in the future, but it is still tied up in negative connotations. Most couples meet through friends, during school, or increasingly via social media apps. Therefore the tenden

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on July 23, 2018) Chance the Rapper has announced his purchase of the Chicago news website,  Chicagoist , via his new track "I Might Need Security". In a press release, the native of the West Chatham neighborhood stated, "I’m extremely excited to be continuing the work of the Chicagoist, an integral local platform for Chicago news, events and entertainment...I look forward to re-launching it and bringing the people of Chicago an independent media outlet focused on amplifying diverse voices and content." Chance the Rapper may only be twenty-five years old, but he has leveraged both his wealth and celebrity to the next level to become a proud representative of Chicago. Through his philanthropy, Chance has demonstrated his ability as an artist to engage with his community and reach beyond his music. In 2017 he donated 1 million dollars to Chicago Public Schools and raised an additional 2.5 million. He has taken an active

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on July 23, 2018) Fear of being a spinster has evolved into fear of being in an unhappy marriage. Marriage and motherhood, once the ultimate goals to be achieved as soon as possible, is not the means to an end that it once was. The sociological understanding of marriage has been developing since the first couple wed. Even from the twentieth to the twenty-first century there has been huge development in marriage as an institution. Women have had opportunities to gain independence financially with the involvement of women in the workforce during both World Wars and the successive women's suffrage movement. The expansion of women's involvement outside of the home expanded into more women seeking higher education, and ultimately accepting more lucrative positions that had previously been reserved solely for men. Today, the American workplace is considerably more integrated than it was decades ago, and this equalizing of the genders (while s

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on July 20, 2018) Now more than ever, people are faced with opportunities to create their image. Artists in particular have found the internet to be the most impactful way of developing and pushing their brand to get more followers. This intent, which in recent years had been called "swag", as evolved into what is today "clout." Merriam-Webster recognizes "clout" as a political term referring to pull or influence. However, the hip-hop community has taken this term and repurposed it as a word used exclusively to describe an individual's stature in regard to their power through social media fame, wealth, and style. The word is frequently associated with the SoundCloud rappers who use it and strive for it. SoundCloud has become a subculture in itself as a platform for unsigned rappers to release projects in the hope of gaining notoriety. The scene has been a means for the discovery of countless artists who hav

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on July 13, 2018) In the past decade, there has been much discussion about the rise of social media, but today, in 2018, social media is no longer on the rise. We are living in the digital age, with social media as the new form of socialization. While social media had previously been begrudgingly adopted by many companies as a necessary means of appealing to younger, more tech-savvy audiences, today it is a necessity, with virtually any company that does not sustain an online presence doomed to fail. This idea of an economy and lifestyle being driven by the internet has been solidified with Forbes' latest magazine cover, announcing that 20-year-old media mogul Kylie Jenner is slated to become the youngest self-made billionaire ever. Kylie has only been producing cosmetics for two years, yet her company is already worth approximately $800 billion. How did Jenner accomplish this at such a young age? To understand how Jenner has managed t