Anne Helen Petersen on Burnout and The Myth of “Having it All”

“Rachel Hollis is a manifestation of a larger ideology about women's place in society. That if you just try hard enough, all of these structural issues that are making your life really, really hard can be solved if you just wash your face. .” - Anne Helen Petersen

Anne Helen Petersen is one of our most essential cultural observers. Her work at Buzzfeed culminated in her 2020 book, Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. Now she’s using Culture Study, her Substack newsletter, to explore everything from The Unified Theory of Peloton to how to make friends.

In the episode, Laura and Anne unpack the faux empowerment of Rachel Hollis, the ways we sell quick fixes to systemic problems (like how a bath bomb will overcome the ways our society devalues women, and, particularly mothers) and the myth of “having it all.”

More than ever, this is one to share with your favorite people!

Readings mentioned in the show:
Culture Study - AHP’s newsletter and community.
Towards A Unified Theory of Peloton by Anne Helen Petersen
How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
“Girl, Wash Your Face” Is A Massive Best-Seller With A Dark Message by Laura Turner
A Quick Explainer On Why People Aren’t Happy With Rachel Hollis

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