We Are Spiraling | Podcast Guru

Details

We talk about curly hair to learn more about our culture — from how we perceive ourselves to how the world sees us. Priya Anand, an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured in Bloomberg, Businessweek, the Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed and Politico, turns her investigative eye to her lifelong obsession: curly hair. You might think: curly hair, how much is there to say? A whole podcast dedicated to this? I don’t want to hear someone ramble about all their hair lotions and potions! But there is so much to unravel about why so many people hide their ringlets as secret curlies, how politicians who wear their hair curly are vilified and what Hollywood's hostility toward curls means for our society.

Recent Episodes

How The Word Frizz Was Weaponized Against Curly People

The word “frizz” actually has a benign definition. Priya investigates the history of how this term was co-opted against us, first by a writer in colonial times and later (even now) by legacy beauty brands. She explains her philosophy around curly hair. Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok MAYURA waitlist and Instagram Find this show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

8 MIN

From Rumi To Today, Curly Hair Has Always Been Poetry

Throughout history, poets have, like me, been inspired to make curly hair a focus of their work. Curls have been used as a symbol of romance, charm and beauty. I share verses from Hafez, Rumi and Ovid, along with works by modern poets that resonated with me. I hope they make you feel like you are a work of art. Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok MAYURA waitlist and Instagram Find this show on Instagram and TikTok...

5 MIN

Hair Is Political: Meet the Lawmaker Putting Hair on the Agenda

New York state implemented a law this year requiring cosmetology schools to teach students how to work with textured hair. We speak with state assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, who pushed to make it happen. She explains why hair is a key part of her policy agenda, the role it played in her Haitian immigrant upbringing and what laws she hopes to pass next. Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok MAYURA waitlist and I...

24 MIN

How'd You Find This Podcast?

Today’s minisode dives into how we think about making and growing this show with an audio version of a behind-the-scenes story originally shared on WeAreSpiraling.com. I break down what actually happens when you get media coverage, and why founders are wrong to chase press validation from the get-go, from the perspective of a reporter turned founder. Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok MAYURA waitlist and Instagram ...

7 MIN

Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly: Part 2: Office Edition

There’s an unwritten dress code across corporate America: everywhere you go, there are secret curlies. We unpack why this isn’t just happenstance, just like how it’s not a coincidence that a disproportionate number of CEOs are white men over 6 feet tall. For part 1, find episode #2 (Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly?) in our feed. Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok MAYURA waitlist and Instagram Find this show o...

6 MIN