Afleveringen
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The Fashion episode was such a hit that I decided to revamp and re-release another set of industry-related confessions. With casting help from DeuxMoi, we're coming out from behind the scenes and exploring life in front of the camera as a model.
I open the episode with my own Tales of Taboo about my lulz attempt at a postgrad modeling career (you'll scream at the very off-brand national campaign I booked), and a few encounters with agents and casting directors that, as the kids say, 'altered my brain chemistry'.
(10:50) Then, our anonymous contributors are or were signed in LA, London, Miami, Milan, New York, Paris, Seattle, and Texas, and represented by well-known agencies such as One Management, Genetics, Heffner, Next, Select, and Women (plus some others Iâve been asked not to name). They tell equally juicy and shocking stories about:-what itâs like behind the scenes at Fashion Week & Miami Swim Week -working for controversial brands like American Apparel and Yeezy-lesser-known but higher paying sectors of the industry, like e-comm and fit modeling-the harsh realities of diet + exercise routines (maintaining 35 inch hips!!)-model houses, club promoters, and international âyachtingâ trips-loneliness and depression brought on by working abroad-agency debt, and what success ACTUALLY looks like
Plus, ON the record, we have agent Jane Belfry (@janebelfry) from BTWN Management breaking down the âbody positivity movementâ and model-turned-badass musician Dana Dentata (@danadentata) serving honest insight on everything from industry hyper-sexualization to working with icons like Ryan McGinley and Juergen Teller.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Which famous designer refused to pay for $100,000 worth of samples? What major eyewear company has a Chief Financial Officer with no credentials besides being a party magician? Where does being over a size 6 and an A cup make you "fat?" What really happens behind the scenes at Fashion Week?
I LOVE clothes. I love theatrics. I love escapism. What I do not love is when some people suffer greatly to compensate for othersâ greed. On the heels of New York Fashion Week, I decided to revamp and re-release one of my juiciest, most scandalous, most shocking, and all-time favorite episodes.
Our anonymous contributors went to hell and back in different parts of the exploitative, discriminatory, and deeply unglamorous Fashion Industry. With the help of DeuxMoi, I found ex-employees of American Eagle, BCBG, Dolce Vita, Halston, Free People, Linda Farrow, Stone Cold Fox, Victoria Beckham, Zac Posen, and some of the most famous- and infamous- fashion houses IN THE WORLD that I canât mention by name! From dreamy, druggy parties to nightmare celebrity clients, body shaming to illicit sex, criminally low salaries and even lower self-esteem, turns out fashion is everything and nothing you thought it would be.
In the words of one of our confessors: âweâre paying countries and people literally no money because we [the consumer] need fashion. I donât think people realize that.â
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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What do you think of when you think bisexuality? Promiscuous behavior? Polyamory? Lying, cheating spouses? Midlife crises? Burning Man? Or maybe you think ofâŠnothing: perhaps the biggest misconception is that middle-of-the-spectrum sexual orientation doesnât really exist. Au contraire, I believe that weâre ALL a little gay - some of us have just chosen, or found the freedom, to explore it.
In honor of Bisexuality Awareness Week, I decided to revamp and re-release this legendary episode from season 3. After my own on-the-record confessions (sorry mom & dad), our (VERY NSFW) anonymous contributors recount discovering their sexuality in a myriad of ways, like hooking up with their staff, rendezvouses with strangers from Grindr, or deep in the trenches of Berlin nightlife. We also hear tidbits about the LA orthodox Jewish gay community - so cool - and Skirt Club, a now-infamous, all-female sex party specifically for bicurious women around the globe. Bisexuality doesnât mean hypersexuality, though: for every story involving polyamory or threesomes, thereâs one about choosing the comfort of a committed heterosexual relationship and wondering if itâll be stifling in the long run.
While some contributors deeply wish for acceptance from the LGBTQ community, others donât feel the need to âprove themselvesâ. What they can all agree upon, however, is that bi-erasure and judgment - and a subsequent lack of identity - is real. As one of them so aptly said: âHell is other people. Not because they inherently suck, but because their judgments rule how we act.â
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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I open this week's episode with my own candid confessions about the challenges of my former long-distance relationship, and how that experience + watching 90 Day Fiance led me to become uncharacteristically judgmental of people in green card relationships. I'm so grateful for our anonymous confessors, who successfully expanded and changed my mind by calling and writing in with accounts of their international engagements & marriages...and divorces :)
(8:43) We hear from Americans with partners from Africa, Belgium, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, and Scotland, as well as a Peruvian woman (formerly married to a man from Rhode Island) who grew up as an illegal immigrant from 8-18. From rehab romance to being married by a one-eyed monk, invasive interview and customs processes to successfully sneaking around the government, supportive families to immense difficulties with cultural immersion, no two stories are the same - just as how no two relationships are.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Couples with large age gaps can cause polarizing reactions. On the one hand, age is a number and love is love - it knows no bounds or rules. Should one be lucky enough to find it, itâs always worth diving into head first, no? On the other, when one partner has lived considerably more life, is it kosher to subject a less experienced and often more impressionable partner to their baggage? Is desiring a younger woman implicative of some emotional deficit?
I open this week's episode with my own candid confessions about seriously dating a 35 year old when I was 22. I was mature then, but certainly not a grownup - and while I know he loved me, I look back now and realize how my youth and naĂŻvetĂ© were taken advantage of by somebody who wasnât ready to face adult responsibilities. Then (9:53), our anonymous confessors call and write in with stories about their own male partners who were or are considerably older. The age gap ranges from 13 to 31 years, with a variety of dynamics: boss-client, boss-employee, pilot-flight attendant, Shibari rope partners, and regular old meet-cutes. From navigating Viagra, party stamina, and awkward public PDA to step-children and ex-wives, our contributors hold nothing back in revealing the good, bad, and ugly realities of cross-decade (even inter-generational!) dating.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Ethical Non-Monogamy and Polyamory are becoming increasingly popular relationship structures (or, at least, are now more commonly discussed), but they're controversial and deeply misunderstood. Most people see ENM as glorified cheating: an excuse to have one's cake and eat it too. The acronym often conjures images of suburban swingers, wild sex parties in Bushwick or San Francisco, Burning Man, and, like, sister wives, and I have to admit that there was a time where I made similar assumptions. This week's episode schooled the hell out of me, and I'm grateful for it.
I open the episode with my own candid confessions about the positives and pitfalls of monogamy, why I desire more "traditional" partnership to add stability to my chaotic life, and the mistakes I made while getting serious with my last boyfriend. Then (13:05), our anonymous confessors call and write in with stories about ENM and Polyamory that are equal parts shocking and extremely enlightening. We hear from:
-a former conservative Christian in Texas who discovered ENM while coming to terms with bisexuality and beginning her journey as an escort
-a 30 year old woman whose partner fell into a simultaneous relationship with someone heavily pregnant
-a divorced 68 year old dating a polyamorous, bisexual sex worker 20 years younger
-a happily married, bisexual woman committed to raising her kids, whose her husband is permitted to use Seeking Arrangements when he goes on work trips
-a former conservative who found a Poly community at UC Berkeley and overcame jealousy by becoming a "cuck queen"
-a married man who entered the ENM scene with his wife after struggling with differing libidos
-a 30 year old in a gay, polyamorous married THROUPLE
-and more!
In producing this episode, I learned very powerful lessons about attachment, boundaries, communication, jealousy, societal expectation, and most importantly, the urgent need for more unfiltered honesty in relationships - especially monogamous ones. Regardless of whether or not you fundamentally agree with our contributors, I hope you find your mind expanded and your heart more open after listening.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Exercise gives many of us a sense of control, stability, and discipline. Boutique fitness, with its fancy methodologies and curated lights, scents, and sounds, capitalizes on another, more elusive (and highly monetizable) feeling: purpose. For up to $50 per class, weâre not only sold a vision of our best body, but also our best self. Weâre asked to set intentions, repeat affirming mantras, and see squatting and sprinting as a chance to âconquer the impossibleâ. The word 'community' is thrown around like cold towels. In a world thatâs lonely and often disappointing, itâs easy to see why endorphins can quickly become addictive and studios marketing power and positivity become clientsâ second homes. But for employees of these studios, the culture is a LOT darker.
I open up the episode with my own candid confessions about using barre and pilates as an emotional coping mechanism, especially when it comes to men and relationships; choosing body neutrality over body positivity; and my attraction to overpriced boutique fitness as a way to achieve the "clean girl aesthetic"...and therefore the semblance of a more put-together life.
Then (13:35), with the casting help of Deuxmoi, we hear from anonymous former employees of Bar Method, DanceBody, Flywheel, Laughing Lotus, Orange Theory, Pure Barre, Taryn Toomey's The Class, an unnamed Los Angeles Lagree studio, and a Western Pennsylvania SoulCycle dupe. They tell stories about psychologically abusive training camps, CEOs with God complexes, intense fat shaming, raging eating disorders, overt racism, and severe underpayment. They walk us through how instructors get clients hooked on certain workouts, and what makes a marketing campaign effective. They reveal some of the WILD codes of conduct (or lack thereof) found in employee and trainer handbooks. And, most importantly, they encourage us to take a long, hard look at why weâre often so willing to compromise our morals, on either side of the check-in desk, in pursuit of the âperfect body.â
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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$10,000 bottles of wine! 15 hour workdays! All-night cocaine benders! Psychotic head chefs! It's Season 4 of Tales of Taboo!
This week, we're exploring the high-octane world of high-end dining: the kinds of establishments that (literally) inspire books like Sweetbitter and movies like The Menu, where reservations are impossible and Chef is spelled with a capital C.
I kick us off by telling MY most absurd tales as a diner in fancy restaurants: a college friend's outpatient rehab in Chicago, the development of a weird friendship with a 69 year old British man, doing edibles with famous restauranteurs at the Beatrice Inn...
Then (starting at 11:43), we hear from current and former employees on the other side. In New York, confessors include the former events manager at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in Flatiron, a former waitress at another 3 Michelin star restaurant in Midtown, a former hostess at The Standard and Bowery Hotel's restaurants + The Waverly Inn, a former champagne slinger for a downtown cocktail group, and a line cook at a Lower East Side restaurant owned by a very young celebrity chef. In London, confessors include the former sommelier at Daniel Humm's Davies and Brook + another unnamed 2 Michelin star establishment, and a former waitress at two different Michelin star restaurants in Mayfair and Shoreditch. Elsewhere in Europe, a former assistant manager tells tales about an abusive executive chef at a Japanese Michelin star spot that was the first in its country.
Fine dining is controversial and divisive. It's glamorous escapism with a very grim underbelly; a way to create community, yet isolate a huge number of people who cannot afford it; facilitate artistic expression and pump pretentious bullshit. These nuances are why this world is so taboo - and enticing - and deserves to be discussed. Welcome back.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Thereâs a narrative jammed down our throats year after year, incessantly, everywhere we go, that the holidays are supposed to be âthe most wonderful time." Ironically, such a narrative often ends up reminding us (or forcing us to acknowledge) the things we do NOT have, and the ways in which life has disappointed us or not met our expectations. This is especially true when it comes to family members, who are placed at the center of all the songs, movies, and rituals. The truth is, way more people have dysfunctional families than they do the type to run 5Ks together and eat chestnuts around a fireplace. MOST families are dysfunctional, so the fact that there's extra pressure to appear perfect in December is...kind of insane!In stark contrast to standard Christmassy content, our anonymous confessors tell us raw and honest holiday stories about disownment and abandonment, divorce, death, missing and incarcerated siblings, alcohol and drug-abusing parents, extramarital affairs, mental illness, and loneliness. One confessor also recalls getting wasted and kissing her uncle, and another describes finding out her father in law had installed spy cams in his ex-wife's house to catch her with her foreign lover...
THIS is what The Season is all about!
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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What do you think of when you hear 'sex club'? Predatory men? Deviant behavior? An unhinged, unsanitary, Ancient Roman-style orgy?
I would liken it more to highly participatory immersive theatre - a contained place to become a different person for the night, or the person you secretly wish you could be. With a definitive start and end and (often) a price tag, the transactional element allows for very real physical, emotional, even spiritual experiences, with less real-life consequences.
This week, we hear from both participants AND performers at sex clubs and fetish parties in Australia, Berlin, New York City, Spain, and the UK - including myself! To kick us off, I share my own Tales of Taboo about the uniquely safe space they offered me for self-discovery at an insecure period of my sexual life. (I discuss this more in-depth on last season's bisexuality episode, too.) Then, our anonymous contributors regale us with stories of fabled clubs like Berghain, Haven, House of Love, Kit Kat Club, NSFW, Playscape, Skirt Club, SNCTM, Torture Garden, and Wonderland.
Their experiences range from The Good, like niche fantasies coming to life in Eyes Wide Shut-esque settings, sleeping with famous soccer players, and exploring the kinky, adventurous possibilities that exist within environments placing consent front and center...to The Bad, like getting stuck in the middle of circle j*rks or feeling lesser-than as BIPOC, queer and alternative-presenting people...and The Complicated, like being fetishized as a pregnant woman, developing body dysmorphia as a Dominatrix, and getting stuck in the middle of an incestuous glory hole threesome at a gay sauna!
Our contributors also have fascinating insight into monogamy, the nature of jealousy and cheating, and what it really requires to achieve sexual liberation.For more information about V, the fire performer confessor at 33:08, visit https://www.thehivefire.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/Thehivefire. Her business is the world's first all-female fire breathing collective!
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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What do you think of when you think âporn starâ? Party girls with f*cked-up childhoods? Sexual trauma? Misogyny and abuse?
This weekâs contributors, both anonymous and on-the-record, dismantle those stereotypes HARD by creating and participating in adult content that empowers them, provides them with bodily autonomy...and makes them very wealthy. Weâll hear from Marykate Moss (formerly Mackenzie, IG & Twitter: @marykate_moss), a Hustler covergirl whose videos have over 100 million views on PornHub; (19:03) a BBW performer using âbody worshipâ to re-frame how men see and treat fat bodies; (26:37) an erotic artist who took the plunge into porn during COVID (and became a master at online brand-building in the process); (35:22) Alice Callipyge (IG: alicecallipyge), a former teacher who dreamt of more income and a place to explore sexual fantasies; (46:34) and Amanda North (IG: amandanorthstar), a current sex therapy student with complicated feelings towards the adult industry she used to be a part of.
Whether mainstream power players or small independent creators, they all have equally valuable insight into relationships, fetishization, safety, wealth management, the path to sexual expression and liberation, and creating the self youâve always wanted to be - online and off.
Marykate's OnlyFans: https://onlyfans.com/marykatemossAlice's OnlyFans: https://onlyfans.com/adorable_aliceAmanda's film "Moist": https://vimeo.com/ondemand/moist
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Whatâs it REALLY like to manage a school shooting? Are students with special needs a "lost cause?" How does under-funding actually affect students and teachers? Are celebrity children as entitled as we think?
Confession: I recorded the intro you're about to hear ages ago, before receiving any submissions (NOT a usual occurrence but alas, I had taken my Concerta and was feeling extra productive). I thought I'd be curating a lighthearted inquiry into the lives of teachers, proving those authority figures we feared and revered as kids were fundamentally just humans trying to figure it all out. This episode became MUCH more than that - it's a juicy, shocking, enlightening and at times downright brutal look into the realities of educational systems in the U.S. and abroad. My intro does not accurately reflect how honored and humbled I am to help tell these stories - but it does show, as a graduate of a 'hippie' NYC private school, how much I needed to hear them.
Our anonymous contributors are or were teachers in Canada, Kentucky, Los Angeles, New York City, London, Seattle, Texas, and Utah, at schools ranging from the uber-elite (think: children of world-famous athletes, musicians, and tech entrepreneurs) to Title 1 public institutions housing hundreds of refugees from Africa and Syria. They share perspectives about:-being a white teacher for a predominantly black student body-teaching students with cognitive disabilities, as well as emotionally and physically violent behavioral issues-how to manage school shootings and lockdowns-establishing authority over (and gaining respect from!) rich, entitled children-the day-to-day reality of under-funding-social climbing amongst teachers in the private school system-tempestuous parent-teacher relationships-refugee crises in the U.S.
On both sides of the wealth spectrum, our teachers also have valuable insight into effective leadership, gaining a childâs trust, how to shape young mindsâŠ.and why middle schoolers shouldnât be allowed to wear Moncler.
A piece of wisdom from a contributor: âI truly feel that students want to be heard and need to be heard, and if you are a good listener, you can encourage them to speak.â
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Weâve been led to believe Herpes is a âdirtyâ âSTDâ â only sluts get it, and when they do, any chance of having sex or finding love is ruined. This episode proves that idea could not be further from the truth.
Our anonymous confessors share varying accounts of contracting HSV1 and HSV2, orally & genitally. From one-off Hinge dates to serious boyfriends to family members kissing their faces as children, no two stories are the same â but each have great insight into battling societal stigma, maintaining an active sex life, and mentally & physically recovering from a misunderstood, and incurable, virus.
Almost all of them say that despite facing obstacles, contracting Herpes ultimately bettered their self-respect by showing them their worth. Now THAT'S something we should want to pass around ;-)
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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The "Troubled Teen Industryâ is an elusive, corrupted, for-profit network of schools, programs, rehabs, and residences meant for "unstable," "out of control," "promiscuous," and drug-addicted young people. Some of these programs are notorious for kidnappings, forced medication, even brainwashing; all of them use emotionally or physically violent therapy and control tactics. These schools came to mainstream recognition with the release of Paris Hilton's 2020 documentary This Is Paris. In it, she reveals how her abusive experience at Provo Canyon in Utah led to lifelong trauma, dissociation, and the creation of her (fake) public image; in my intro, I reveal how watching the doc changed my life, forcing me to confront my own, very similar narrative.
Then, our anonymous contributors bravely tell all about their own experiences with parallel institutions to Paris': New Haven Residential Treatment Center, La Europa, an unnamed wilderness program, a specialized dyslexia boarding school, Outward Bound, another unnamed wilderness program in Costa Rica, CEDU, and a Lord of the Flies-esque, pedophilia-ridden hockey boarding school.
TRIGGER WARNING: though profoundly moving and illuminating of a complex subculture, this episode is dark.
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Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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First-person accounts of abortion are very difficult to find, and most of the essays and anecdotes available are riddled in guilt and grief. They often resemble an apology letter to the world (or oneself), rather than an honest description of a controversial medical procedure. Secrecy, shame, and lack of nuance within abortion rhetoric is what makes it so taboo.
Here you will find a collection of anonymous stories - ages 17 to 34 in the US, United Kingdom, Ecuador, and Germany - showing the range of ways women process terminating a child. Some are effortless and simple, some are physically painful, others are emotionally ugly. But whether seeing their abortion as a cause for profound guilt or a mere bump in the road, all of our contributors stand firm in their belief that it was the CORRECT decision for them.
One size does not fit all when it comes to any human experience, especially one that pertains to womenâs health and, to a certain degree, death. I hope this episode brings everyone a sense of understanding, acceptance, comfort and most importantly, community.
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Plastic surgery is more commonplace than ever, yet remains deeply taboo. Very few people are willing to openly discuss the realities: what drives them to want it, the intense recovery process, and whether or not physical alterations actually change mental and emotional wellbeing long-term. This week, weâre cutting deep â no pun intended.
Encouraged by controlling mothers, modeling agents, and media-fueled beauty standards, our anonymous confessors got labiaplasties, breast reductions, nose jobs and revisions, and gobs of facial filler. While some healed fast and say these procedures undoubtedly changed their sense of self-worth for the better, others experienced terrible (occasionally irreversible) side effects like leaking spinal fluid, lip bubbles, lopsided nostrils, and blood hardening.
I also interviewed 2 popular plastic surgeons (at 48:51) - Dr. Tony Youn (TikTok: @tonyyounmd) and Stuart Linder (TikTok: @dr.stuartlinder). We break down the most common complaints women have about their appearances (and the difference between insecurity and body dysmorphia), who really controls beauty standards (Men? Hollywood? Biology?), and which procedures the Kardashians and Bella Hadid have done, including the infamous - and potentially deadly - Brazilian Butt Lift.
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Which famous Washington D.C. members-only club is secretly filled with sex workers? Which politicians under Trump regularly visited rub and tugs? Which drug-abusing hotel heir brought an escort to Miami just to watch Wheel of Fortune with him?
I'm deeply annoyed by the conflation of all prostitution with sex trafficking, and the ongoing narrative that women who exchange physical & emotional intimacy for money were either forced into it or chose the profession as a result of severe trauma. In actuality, there's a subset of the industry filled with confident, empowered, and intelligent women earning six to seven figures by consensually, and literally, f*cking the patriarchy. It's my honor to share their perspectives this week.
Our anonymous contributors (and the beautiful Aspen Banks twitter: @aspen__banks) are or were high-end escorts in New York, Chicago, London, Singapore, Toronto & Montreal. Most have forgone agencies to work independently, advertising online to a global audience of wealthy and powerful men looking for a safe space and real connection. Our escorts' stories range from vulnerable to wildly kinky, but almost all agree that the work is, surprisingly, more emotional than sexual.
Some of our escorts thoroughly enjoy the sex that does happen and some despise it; some have traditional relationships outside work, and others canât make it happen. Some girls love the industry while others say itâs ultimately destructive. None are sure whether or not it's worth giving up for a more "normal" life. At the end of the day, sex work is WORK and sex workers are WOMEN. They are daughters and sisters. DECRIMINALIZE IT!
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Which professional soccer player shoved a $20 bill in a waitressâ mouth? Which famous actress with legal troubles had a waitress pretend to be her to evade the paparazzi? Which talent manager promised a waitress a spot on Love Island in exchange for sex?
As someone whoâs been clubbing for 13 years, Iâve long been fascinated with bottle waitresses. You know - those gorgeous girls in skintight dresses bringing over the magnums of champagne and sparklers. I saw their job as a tremendous position of feminine power: arm candy getting paid to party with important people in important places. I wanted to be one of them. OrâŠso I thought.
This weekâs anonymous waitresses worked for a super exclusive downtown New York hospitality group, Catch, the Tao Group, Soho House, Public Hotel (created by Ian Schrager of Studio 54), and a notorious high-end strip club in London. Our on-the-record contributor Allie (IG: @allie.keel) even worked some shady private parties in Malaysia when she was only 17!
At their best, they hung out with prime ministers & pop stars and made $10,000 in a night. At their worst, they were forced into deeply compromising situations to get tips, got taken advantage of by their bosses, picked up used heroin needles from bathroom floors, and sang âItsy Bitsy Spiderâ in slam poetry (!). In between, their lives, which began at 9pm and ended at 5am, lacked structure and purpose. They found it hard to establish romantic relationships. They crumbled under pressure to maintain the âperfect bodyâ (even their hands). And they worried about their impending expiration dates. What would come next?Learn the dirty truth about being a bottle girl while getting an intimate and cohesive look into how the world's most exclusive nightclubs operate.
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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Ever wonder what itâs really like to be a DRUG DEALER?
This weekâs anonymous confessors operate(d) throughout a variety of countries and circumstances. One lived in a house with 100 weed plants, and distributed to dispensaries in California before recreational legalization. Another sold Molly to club partiers â including an unnamed famous DJ and Vice Presidentâs son (!!). A husband & wife, LSD-dealing duo talk about providing their kids with a privileged life, but wrestling with what happens if they get arrested. And a former sorority girl-turned-coke dealer reflects on redefining the role of âsocial chair.â
All speak candidly about greed and guilt, as well as the physical and emotional highs. Some of our dealers got into the business wanting to protect their communities from poisoned drugs; others simply wanted money and clout. But all of them agree â not all drug dealers are dangerous. And as with each topic on this show, one size (or story) does not fit all.
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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More often than not, addiction is dramatically portrayed in the media as a chaotic but chic side effect of wealth and power, or an inevitable circumstance of poverty. Itâs not always black and white or economically driven, though: addiction is everywhere, nondiscriminatory, constantly shapeshifting. Much public talk of trauma, coping mechanisms, and self-medication exists in our post-pandemic world, but thereâs a massive difference between occasionally overindulging in wine or Xanax after a long day and upending oneâs entire life in pursuit of a high. The harsh day-to-day realities of addiction are rarely exposed, but secrets make us sick. So, Ietâs reveal them.
Our anonymous confessors are or have been addicted to alcohol, benzos, cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamines, and opiates. Their addictions took place everywhere from Wall Street to the street itself, Ivy League colleges to prison. Theyâve sold books out of dumpsters for 40 oz beers and treasured family heirlooms for one hit. They've become prostitutes. Theyâve bought pee off of sober people to pass drug tests, and overdosed in jail. Theyâve been wrongfully diagnosed with severe mental illnesses by trusted doctors and shamed by family, friends, and society.
Their âwhysâ run the gamut from the unhealthy influence of the hospitality & finance industries to the effects of generational and sexual trauma, but almost all can agree: an unfair stigma surrounds addicts, especially women. And absolutely nothing about addiction is worth aspiring to.
~Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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