Baby-sitters Fight Club
An editor and a therapist discuss The Baby-sitters Club, one book at a time, to explore what Ann M.
Martin's classic series reveals about growing up female in 1980s America.
03/11/2023
There are movies that are bad.
There are movies that are so bad, they're good.
And then there's Teen Witch.
Brooke and KK are back to discuss the Most 80s of Movies, a hallmark of the HBO childhood-to-therapist pipeline.
https://www.babysittersfightclub.com/episodes/teenwitch
01/01/2023
Stepping into 2023 like...
New year, new episode. That's right: It's FINALLY cookie time, y'all!
16/09/2022
No new episode today, but now would be a good time to brush up on the Freddie and stock up on cookies -- we'll be back soon to break down Troop Beverly Hills! (Or as the Finns call it, "Beverly Hillsin Bimbopartio.")
06/09/2022
For the inaugural BSFC at the Movies episode, Brooke & Kaykay dive into the EXTREMELY 1988 classic Working Girl, a love letter to the Staten Island Ferry, AquaNet, and capitalism.
SPOILER ALERT: It hasn't aged well. (Joan Cusack's eyeshadow, though? Perfection. Manifesting a remake where her character unionizes her fellow Wall Street secretaries -- the least the universe could do is give us a camp Norma Rae.)
23/08/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! This spread from Seventeen's August 1990 Fall Fashion Issue is giving cultural appropriation AND the worst wigs you've ever seen. Love the ($25!) No Excuses purple jeans, tho.
16/08/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The clothes in the "street style" section of Seventeen's August 1990 Fall Fashion Issue are on point. The models are about as believably "street" as the rappers in Teen Witch. As the old song goes: STOP THAT.
12/08/2022
FIGHT CLUB FRIDAY! Brooke and Kaykay are back to bid a fond farewell to The Baby-sitters Club series on Netflix. Also: Stick around 'til the end for an exciting announcement about the podcast!
10/08/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The final ad spread in the August 1990 issue of Seventeen showcases some sick L.A. Gear designs, young Milla Jovovich in head-to-toe acid wash denim, and...an empty director's chair with Michael Jackson's name on it? Okay!
02/08/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The August 1990 issue of Seventeen includes this gem of an ad for Exclamation -- send in a proof of purchase and $30 and you too could rock "The Exclamation Look"! (Would happily do so in 1990 and in 2022.) GLAM.
29/07/2022
Both Brooke & Kaykay have been busy as hell with all things non-BSFC lately, which means no Fight Club Friday this week (though everyday is Fight Club Friday in our hearts). Back on 8/12 with our final episode on the Netflix show!
26/07/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The August 1990 issue of Seventeen may have been a "Super Fall Fashion Issue," but no feature could top the style and charisma of this Merry Go Round ad. White embroidered stonewashed denim forever!
FIGHT CLUB FRIDAY! Brooke & Kaykay discuss lessons from the 5th & 6th episodes of season 2, including the joys of refusing to be defined by labels, healthy ways to navigate changing relationships, and how to keep it together around Surprise Clowns.
05/07/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The August 1990 issue of Seventeen included an extended advertorial from Maybelline that is insidious AF -- and features a future pop culture ICON. Check it out in our Story!
28/06/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! This week we're showcasing the "Talent" feature in the August 1990 issue of Seventeen -- including a profile of an up-and-coming Nicole Kidman. Because when the world is a burning dumpster heap, sometimes a little celebrity fluff can help keep you going.
**kscotus
21/06/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! Since our Summer Vacation covering Season 2 of the Baby-sitters Club on Netflix is keeping us in the present day, we'll spend the next 8 Teen Mag Tuesdays focusing on the August 1990 issue of Seventeen, which I happen to have :) Look for a new post from this issue each week this summer! (And yes, OF COURSE you'll see the "shocking" Satanic Panic article)
FIGHT CLUB FATHER'S DAY! Kristy is serving Good Dad Energy in the 2nd season of The Baby-sitters Club on Netflix. The first episode in our 4-part summer vacation series recapping the show is available now!
17/06/2022
It's gonna be a FIGHT CLUB SATURDAY for our episode on the first two episodes of Season 2 of the Baby-sitters Club on Netflix. Catch us in your podcast feeds tomorrow, y'all!
14/06/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! Let's play "Count the references to appearance" on the August 1990 cover of Teen -- that is, if you haven't been blinded by the neon parka. Teen's hottest tip for standing out in a crowd: Wear seasonally-inappropriate attire. THANKS, TEEN!
07/06/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The August 1990 issue of Bop includes over 20 pages devoted to ripping on NKOTB, apparently. "Why is Danny so insecure?" I dunno, maybe because you hit up Jordan & Jon's family for dirt and puberty-shamed Joe? GROSS, BOP. (Paula's hair tho? Spectacular)
04/06/2022
SOUNDTRACK SATURDAY! We thought about just adding SNAP!'s "The Power" ten times, but ultimately decided to mix it up with more sweet jams from August 1990. Still: Feel free to put the first video on repeat for as long as you see fit.
FIGHT CLUB FRIDAY! For our 50th episode (!!!), we're heading back to August 1990, when Mariah Carey's debut had the power on the pop charts, existential dread dominated the box office, and Ferris Bueller moved to...Santa Monica? Pop culture was getting, getting, getting kinda hectic, and so was the Ramsey household.
Brooke and Kaykay discuss the shifting family dynamics in Jessi's Baby-sitter and its exploration of the fine balance between interpersonal support and control, with diversions on friendship bracelets and private school field trips.
31/05/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The July 1990 issue of Sassy is serving quintessential Sassy: Fresh faced cover model? CHECK. Indie celebrity profile? CHECK. Environmentalism? CHECK. Self-aware commercialism? CHECK. If Dawn Schafer was a zine, she would be this specific issue of Sassy. HEY.
24/05/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The July 1990 issue of Seventeen features a 17-year-old (synergy!) Cameron Diaz on her first magazine cover, wearing clothes by Ralph Lauren and earrings by Claudia Kishi (we assume).
21/05/2022
SOUNDTRACK SATURDAY! June 1990 is a hard act to follow, but July 1990 did its best:
https://www.babysittersfightclub.com/soundtracks/bsfc-epss4
July 1990 was a month of classic American sensationalism: in the news (Satanic Panic! jingoism! copaganda!), in the theatres (spiders! ghosts! infertile women!) and in the Baby-sitters Club (a friggin' SHIPWRECK?!).
Brooke and Kaykay discuss the first Super Special that felt emotionally authentic, despite its ludicrous premise, and its celebration of ingenuity and integrity.
Note: This episode is yet another installment in our ongoing series, "Reading Logan Bruno and 80s/90s Diet Culture For Filth."
17/05/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The June 1990 issue of Seventeen heavily features fashion spreads inspired by Brazil and Jamaica, so of course the cover model is an 18-year-old named Barbara from Saratoga Springs. Sigh...
10/05/2022
TEEN MAG TUESDAY! The June 1990 cover of Teen Beat is serving you a different insincere smile for every day of the week. And why the hell were 9 year old girls supposed to care about "sexy shirtless shots" of NKOTB and "Tommy" being "the marrying kind"? Teen Beat: What a creep!
07/05/2022
SOUNDTRACK SATURDAY! Because we all need a dance break after this crap week. Fortunately the music of June 1990 is DOPE:
https://www.babysittersfightclub.com/soundtracks/bsfc-ep35
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