Lindy West Told Us Everything in Adult Braces. Was It a Mistake?

Remember the personal essay industrial complex? The 2010s era of Jezebel and xoJane where feminist writers put every raw, messy, private part of themselves on the internet? Lindy West was its brightest star. Her new memoir, Adult Braces, reckons with what that cost her, and with a marriage that turned out to be more complicated than the happy ending she sold us in her first memoir, Shrill.  Her book sent the internet into a spiral, enraged conservatives, disappointed some feminists, divided the polyamory community, and inspired her husband to send a very intense email to a Slate writer. Writer and comedian Ashley Ray joins Bridget to talk about the book, the discourse, and what all of it says about feminist writing, parasocial fandom, and whether the personal essay industrial complex of the 2010s has run its course. Ashley’s Harper’s piece - Lindy West and the Trap of Perfect Polyamory: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70801519/lindy-west-adult-braces/   Scaachi’s Slate piece - Lindy West’s How-Not-To Guide to Polyamory: https://slate.com/life/2026/03/lindy-west-polyamory-open-marriage-husband-roya.html   She Had a Cat Hair Ball in Her Vagina — or Did She? https://www.thecut.com/2015/09/she-had-cat-hair-in-her-vagina-or-did-she.html      Check out Ashley’s Substack Deep Trouble: https://www.deeptrouble.net/    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed.   Afroman wins lawsuit brought against him by cops who raided his house. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-03-19/afroman-verdict-defamation-invasion-of-privacy-lawsuit    Afroman's video "Lemon Pound Cake" https://youtu.be/9xxK5yyecRo?si=P7JWA54zklLCWVnM    Afroman's video "Will You Help Me Repair My Gate" https://youtu.be/oponIfu5L3Y?si=cgLpG_T6A-JPBbW-    Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot cancelled in strangely cruel and surprising manner by Hulu. https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/buffy-reboot-dead-hulu-sarah-michelle-gellar-chloe-zhao-1236692284/    Nicole Kidman glides behind Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend at the Academy Awards, stealing all attention:  https://www.threads.com/@rachelarich/post/DV8aFlADT6Q?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ   Former Rolling Stone editor Noah Schactman lands new job at NYT, despite controversial role in misleading reporting to protect a personal friend. https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/noah-shachtman-nyt-rolling-stone-baltimore-banner-tristan-king-missing-st-helens-oregon-corruption-scandal-mayor.php    Columbia Journalism Review analysis on Rolling Stone's inaccurate story about campus rape at University of Virginia: https://www.cjr.org/investigation/rolling_stone_investigation.php   Celebrated relationship therapist Esther Perel has a guest on her podcast who is in a relationship with his AI chatbot: https://www.estherperel.com/podcast    Mark Zuckerberg finally calling it quits on the Metaverse (mostly): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/technology/mark-zuckerbergs-metaverse-vr-horizon-worlds.html    Playwright Jeremy O. Harris called Sam Altman a nazi at a party: https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/tracewilliamcowen/jeremy-o-harris-openai-sam-altman-nazi  Specifically, Friedrich Flick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Flick    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not long ago, Sam Altman was bragging about how OpenAI doesn't make sex bots. Then, just two months later, announced the company would be rolling out erotic content on ChatGPT. So how's that pivot into adult content going? In the words of Dorinda Medley: "Not well, bitch." Soon after the announcement, there was a high-profile exit from OpenAI — over concerns the company wasn't handling the adult content pivot responsibly. And now Sam Atlman says it’s been postponed. So what does it all mean? Bridget sat down with friends Samantha and Anney over at SMNTY to break it all down.   Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Joey cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Do Normies Have The Right to Read Heated Rivalry Fanfic: https://www.gq.com/story/heated-rivalry-fanfic-privacy A writer is suing Grammarly for turning her and other authors into ‘AI editors’ without consent: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/a-writer-is-suing-grammarly-for-turning-her-and-other-authors-into-ai-editors-without-consent/ He Tried to Stop Adobe From Training its AI on His Photo Library – He Lost: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/11/he-tried-to-stop-adobe-from-training-its-ai-on-his-photo-library-he-lost/ Viral 'Quittr' Porn Addiction App Exposed the Masturbation Habits of Hundreds of Thousands of Users: https://www.404media.co/viral-quittr-porn-addiction-app-exposed-the-masturbation-habits-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-users/ Panic World’s episode on the NoFap movement: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qXJNaFl2dIzwXC9h8no4p Uber’s women-only option goes nationwide in the US: https://apnews.com/article/uber-women-safety-9c974f92dfd7fb25d504d173b2429d06 Listen to Alison Turkos on TANGOTI: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/she-was-sexually-assaulted-during-a-lyft-ride-now/id1520715907?i=1000555658403 Buffer Report: Declines in Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads Engagement: https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/featured/buffer-report-declines-in-instagram-linkedin-threads-engagement/ Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.socialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Women's History Month — and this year, honoring women's contributions feels less like a celebration and more like an act of resistance.  That's why celebrating women's achievements is more important than ever. So in this episode, I want to introduce you to someone who shaped the way we all experience technology, even if you've never heard her name: Susan Kare. She designed the visual language of the early Mac — the icons, the fonts, the look and feel that made personal computing something people actually wanted to touch. Her visuals were emulated across the industry, and their legacy is still hugely influential today.  Back in 2021, I joined Sam and Anney at Stuff Mom Never Told You to dig into Susan Kare's legacy — where she came from, what she built, and why it still matters.   Let me know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Hallow app beef update. Meta sued over false privacy promises about it's glasses. Gee, what a shocker. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q33nvj0qpo Google sued for wrongful death after a vulnerable user died by suicide after talking with its chatbot Gemini. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/father-sues-google-claiming-gemini-chatbot-drove-son-into-fatal-delusion/ Brothel workers unite! Workers push back against a contract trying to claim rights to their image. Consider donating to them if you can!  https://unitedbrothelworkers.org/ Advocates in the UK have been fighting nonconsensual image-based abuse, and winning. A new law makes the gross category of "semen-images" illegal. It's basically what you think. https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/semen-images-illegal-investigation and for context https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/glamour-campaign-10-downing-street A powerful piece by Kwaneta Harris & Leigh Goodmark describes the ways True Crime media exploits incarcerated women and makes them vulnerable to predation by creeps.  https://truthout.org/articles/incarcerated-women-featured-in-true-crime-media-face-flood-of-sexual-harassment/ A new global poll finds that Gen-Z men are twice as likely as their Baby Boomer grandfathers to hold misogynistic views of gender roles. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-gen-zs-gender-divide-reaches-politics-views-marriage-children-suc-rcna229255 [FUNNY] Pressing 2 for Spanish in the phone system of a Washington State agency leads to unexpected results.  https://apnews.com/article/washington-dol-spanish-accent-ai-3a1b8438a5674c07242a8d48c057d5a3# Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.socialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In last week's news roundup, we did a short segment about the Hallow App.  It's a subscription-based app that helps you pray and learn about scripture with celebrity spokespeople. It's also partially funded by Peter Thiel and JD Vance, people actively involved in building surveillance technology. We had some concerns!  A writer named Nancy Flanders did not appreciate the segment! She wrote an article for the anti-abortion organization  Live Action about our segment, strangely focusing on our criticism of Chris Pratt, even though he was just a minor part of the segment.  We love connecting with new audiences! To meet this new-found demand for our content amongst the anti-abortion crowd, we're taking a deep dive into the Hallow app.  We'll take a close look at their investors, those investors' connections to the Trump administration and creation of a surveillance state, privacy concerns with the app, and the motley crew of scumbags the app has hired as spokespeople. We'll also talk about Chris Pratt a little more. We know what you like.    Let us know what you think about Chris Pratt, or anything else, by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.      Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Love-at-First-Prompt/Bridget-Todd/9781668179826 In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Black History Month: Every time you drop a reaction GIF, thank Lisa Gelobter. She helped engineer the animation tech that made GIFs GIF. https://legacy.anitab.org/profile/lisa-gelobter/ Google apologizes after news alert about BAFTAs included a racial slur: https://deadline.com/2026/02/google-apologizes-bafta-ai-news-alet-n-word-1236734448/ Warner Brothers requested the slur be edited out from the BAFTAs broadcast: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/sinners-studio-reportedly-raised-n-word-use-with-bafta-immediately-during-ceremony-and-requested-removal The man with tourettes who shouted the slur questions the wisdom of putting a microphone in front of his seat: https://people.com/john-davidson-baftas-tourettes-incident-questions-seated-near-microphone-11913879 TikTok psychic in Idaho: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/northwest/idaho/article314779034.html Meta’s plans for AI facial recognition in smart glasses ‘threatens safety of all women and girls’: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meta-glasses-facial-recognition-domestic-abuse-b2923551.html Nicki Minaj's social posts are being amplified by a bot network: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/the-bots-powering-nicki-minajs-maga-war-00771317 Kansas revokes drivers licenses for trans people: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sends-letters-to-trans-people Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demands Anthropic allow its AI be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/24/pentagon-demands-ai-access/ Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.socialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Something has been in the works. Bridget shares what's next. LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. The story behind Hallow, the Christian app hawked by Gwen Stefani: https://mashable.com/article/hallow-prayer-app-gewn-stefani-jd-vance-peter-thiel  Elon Musk's Grok doxes adult performer on X: https://www.404media.co/grok-doxing-real-names-birthdates-siri-dahl/  Sleazy facial recognition app unmasks cam girls and sells their images: https://www.404media.co/underground-facial-recognition-tool-unmasks-camgirls/  New UK law requires platforms to remove deepfake nudes and revenge porn within 48 hours: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/18/tech-firms-must-remove-revenge-porn-in-48-hours-or-risk-being-blocked-says-starmer  The two DOGE bros in charge of cutting National Endowment for the Humanities grants literally just asked ChatGPT what to do: https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/19/doge-bros-grant-review-process-was-literally-just-asking-chatgpt-is-this-dei/  US civil rights agency sues Coca-Cola distributor for excluding men from casino work trip: https://apnews.com/article/dei-coca-cola-eeoc-lawsuit-andrea-lucas-867fd98ec6d05ab52e7e0a3711e9d492 White Men Learn the Hidden Cost of Suing for Discrimination: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/social-justice/white-men-learn-the-hidden-cost-of-suing-for-discrimination  A WIN FOR DEMOCRACY: Trump admin rescinds rule banning discussion of DEI in schools after losing court ruling. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/department-of-education-backs-down-on-unlawful-directive-targeting-educational-equity  Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify!  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.socialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.