Kim Kardashian’s Brand Is Blankness; ‘All’s Fair’ Is a Tacky Mess
The Atlantic staff writer and Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves author Sophie Gilbert joins Amy to talk about All's Fair. The new Ryan Murphy show starring Kim Kardashian has received uniformly dire reviews — yet has triumphed in the face of its badness with pretty respectable ratings. Is this the end of competency in culture? Did All's Fair's creators intend for this show to be so terrible? Plus what Kardashian's captivating blankness, on unflinching view in All's Fair, says about the state of culture today.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: All's Fair and its reception
02:27 The show's themes and stars
05:02 Why the Kardashians took off as reality stars
06:53 All's Fair's depictions of plastic surgery and the Kardashian-Jenner influence on plastic surgery more broadly
11:54 Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party and depictions of extreme wealth in popular culture
20:02 Are we reaching the end of competence in culture, as we are in politics?
24:15 Why girlbossing is back
29:07 Comparing All's Fair's fashion to And Just Like That's
32:32 What does Ryan Murphy really think of women?
37:21 How Kim Kardashian is handling the show's scathing reviews
41:16 Sophie on the most surprising thing she found when researching her book 'Girl on Girl'
46:49 Sophie's thoughts on Lily Allen's astonishing new album about the dissolution of her marriage
Links and resources:
Get Sophie's book: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
Read Sophie's All's Fair review in The Atlantic.
Read Sophie's essay about how money is ruining television in The Atlantic.
Read Jill Filipovic's essay, "The End of Competence."
Read Amy's All's Fair fashion review or listen to it as a podcast in Spotify or Apple.
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51:53
Anna Wintour's 10 Most Influential Covers
In honor of Anna Wintour's last Vogue cover as editor-in-chief, featuring Timothée Chalamet, Amy counts down her top 10 most influential covers from over the course of her career. Which ones would you add to the list?
(0:23) Why Timothée's cover was a big surprise
(1:18) What the social media commenters said about the cover
(3:01) The cover countdown begins
(6:08) Countdown halfway point
(9:14) Anna's number-one most influential cover
(10:08) Back Row commenters weigh in on Amy's list and make their picks
(12:20) Loose Threads (fashion news highlights) featuring All's Fair's terrible reviews, Kris Jenner's birthday party, and more.
This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published November 11, 2025.
Links & resources:
• Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter
• Anna: The Biography, by Amy Odell
• "Ugly clothes for ugly times" by Raquel Laneri
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Was Jane Birkin Unfairly Commodified by Hermès?
Amy interviews Marisa Meltzer, author of It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, about how Birkin became one of the most famous fashion icons of the sixties. Marisa talks about how she became the inspiration and namesake for the Hermès Birkin bag, and whether or not she was ever paid for this distinction. She also reveals how Birkin really felt about the Birkin bag becoming more famous than her — and much more.
(1:19) An excerpt from the audiobook of Amy's latest book, Gwyneth: The Biography
(2:52) Jane Birkin's early life and upbringing, including how she met her husband John Barry when she was 17; and how she ended up moving from London to Paris and meeting Serge Gainsbourg
(6:55) Birkin's significance as an icon of Swinging 1960s London
(8:28) Birkin was an It girl in the pre-tech age. Can you reverse-engineer being an It girl today? Or does the algorithm sap people of the required mystery?
(12:09) How romantic relationships vault It girls like Birkin and Gwyneth Paltrow.
(14:14) The Birkin bag origin story.
(18:57) Did Hermès unfairly co-opt Birkin's name for a massively profitable bag? How did she feel about it?
(22:16) How much Hermès paid Birkin for use of her name.
(25:57) How Birkin handled aging out of her It girl status. (Or did she become an It dame?)
(31:00) Was Jane Birkin ambitious?
(32:34) Amy and Marisa play a game: It girl or not an It girl? Featuring: Alix Earle, Lauren Sánchez, Anna Wintour, Apple Martin, and more.
Links & resources:
Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter
It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, by Marisa Meltzer
Listen to Amy's book Gwyneth: The Biography in Apple, Spotify, and Audible.
Check out Amy's biography of Anna Wintour, Anna: The Biography.
Credits: Produced by Amy Odell. Edited by Amy Odell and Jonathan Voytko.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Victoria Beckham's Netflix Show: Infomercial or Documentary? With Ryan Bailey
Amy sits down with Ryan Bailey, host of So Bad It's Good, to analyze Victoria Beckham's Netflix docu-series. They discuss how it compared to David Beckham's docuseries and RJ Cutler's docs about Martha Stewart and Anna Wintour; what makes Victoria so appealing; what the show blatantly left out; and how the Victoria Beckham fashion line is actually performing as a business.
For more, follow So Bad It's Good with Ryan Bailey.
Follow Ryan on Instagram and YouTube.
Read Amy's earlier review of Victoria Beckham in Back Row.
Time stamps:
(00:00) Introduction to Ryan Bailey and His Podcast
(01:09) Exploring the Beckham Docu-Series
(04:36) Family Dynamics and Tabloid Drama
(06:42) Victoria Beckham's Media Presence
(08:26) Victoria Beckham's Fashion Journey
(12:00) Insecurities in Celebrity Culture
(15:53) Business Success and Challenges
(21:17) Victoria Beckham's Fashion Brand and Industry Respect
(22:51) Target Audience and Market Positioning
(25:13) Body Image and Fashion Industry Challenges
(27:03) The Pressure of Being a Nepo Baby
(29:43) Owning Privilege and Public Perception
(30:48) The Future of Celebrity Brands
(34:24) Comparative Analysis of Celebrity Documentaries
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The Row's Sample Was WILD
The Row's sample sale just wrapped in New York City. The slew of haul vlogs fans of the brand posted after pillaging the sale resulted in some of the best content involving influencers since the Fyre Festival. What do these tell us about the brand and the current state of shopping culture? Amy explores.
This story originally appeared in the Back Row newsletter.
Also discussed in the show:
The only The Row haul parody you need.
Amy's earlier reporting on The Row from Back Row: Can the Olsens Make The Row the Next Hermès?
Banana Republic is GOOD, friends. Check out this shirt dress and this button-down.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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