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Miss Marie Nicola

@karmacake

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𝔼𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕡𝕠𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 & 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣
Pop culture historian, @altpoprepeat host & PEI sweetheart lost in Toronto. Sharing me & the moments I see!

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On August 5, I officially launch something that I've been quietly working on behind the scenes for a while. Since I've been providing my commentary to the media from BBC to Newsweek, DailyMail to Yahoo! Entertainment, I thought maybe I should channel it into something more dedicated.

Enter Past//Forward, a weekly Substack where I decode one of the week's trends through the lens of history.

I think the secrets to understanding culture hide in the chapters we never read. You could say Past//Forward is pop culture commentary with memory.

So come join me on this adventure. The first posts dive into trends you’ve definitely noticed.

Just click the link in the bio to subscribe... it’s simple, it won't cost you anything, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I'm so excited!!

#SubstackWriters #NewsletterLaunch #PopCultureAnalysis #CulturalCommentary #SlowContent #SmartReads #MediaStudies #AltMedia #ThinkPiece #PastForward #TrendForecast #InternetCulture #CulturalCritique #HistoryOfPopCulture #SmartReads #MediaLiteracy #PopCultureDecoded #SubstackCommunity taken in Toronto, Ontario by @karmacake

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a year ago

EEE! I was recently quoted in @bostonglobe by @alexagagosz talking about why influencers like @annmichaelhmaye are so popular these days. While we didn't get into the psychology of it in piece, it's a sign of the times. When the pendulum swings, there's mass geopolitical change and society feels shaky, domestic femininity makes us feel safe. It's why in the 1970s people were so crazy over the imagined version of the 1950s and why now, tradwives, quiet luxury, and relatability is so fashionable. We can relate and we need it. So hats off to Ann Michael Maye, she's adorable and I love that she served little flatbread pinwheels for an away game watch party... I found that pretty comforting. LOL

Link in Bio by @karmacake

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25 days ago

It has recently come to my attention that CDs sold over 16 million copies in the first half of 2026... and this is a growing number. Why are a supposedly dead technology having a moment in the sun... it gets weirder when half of the buyers don't even have CD players to behin with? Are CDs to Gen Z what Vinyl is to Millennials?

I don't hate it.

#cdrevival
#physicalmedia #musichistory
#popculturehistory #musicculture

Do CDs feel collectible to you now? taken in Toronto, Ontario by @karmacake

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a month ago

About last night in T.O. At the TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue, IT’S ICONIC Tour with @karmacake.

#itsiconictour #itsiconictour2026 #toronto #rap #femaleartist taken in RBC Amphitheatre by @karmacake

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a month ago

So I went and saw RuPaul’s show over at Harbourfront Centre on August 22, and it was a lot of fun.

RuPaul didn’t play his hits. I don’t think that was the point, to be honest.

What looked like a ’90s club night at Harbourfront ended up sending me down a big rabbit hole, taking turns around queer nightlife, house music, memories, and how cool it was that the night happened the way it did.

And if this was the meaning behind it, I’m so happy I caught onto it, because I had a blast... i loved time travelling with RuPaul!!!

Plus, I was also so close to RuPaul that I’m convinced he saw my face and maybe that is an auspicious sign of good things to come.

The new piece is up now. Link in bio.

#RuPaul #harbourfrontcentre #torontoculture #queerhistory #90sdancemusic taken in Harbourfront Centre by @karmacake

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a month ago

HIV keeps getting treated like it's history, while heterosexual women account for 1/3 of new diagnosis. Plus, women are still living with the consequences of research that excluded them and punitive laws that have failed to catch up to the science.

For Chatelaine, I looked at the conditions that made 3 exceptional women global advocates, and the systems they had to understand before they could force those systems to see them and other women. Link in bio.
#hivawareness #canfar #apla #advocacy #historyfacts by @karmacake

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2 months ago

This gem of a moment was seeded to me today on IG @karmacake. Maybe it’s time we relaunch @altpoprepeat?

#podcast #culture #popculture by @karmacake

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4 months ago

Virtual insanity with @karmacake and friends on New Year’s Day in Ottawa.

#ottawa #friendship #newyearsday #virtualrealityworld taken in Ottawa, Ontario by @karmacake

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9 months ago

Recently quoted in Upworthy on why every new generation is in conflict with the last. Are “kids these days” really the problem, or is there a legit cultural function to this ongoing pattern of generational friction?

Check out the article by clicking the link in bio

Big thanks to @wordsbyevanporter (sr. writer at Upworthy) for bringing me into the conversation. My dad actually called me to tell me this was a really good piece. FYI, that's a very rare compliment from very tough critic! by @karmacake

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a year ago

Tune in as @karmacake circles back around to the podcast for a plunge into Son of the White Mare, the 1981 animated fantasy adventure movie about a horse’s human son who embarks on a quest to save the world with the help of his superpowers and his two brothers. The phallic depiction of a sword and other sexualized symbolism, encouraging more respect for animation and the age ranges it can appeal to, reading this film through a socialist lens, and the impact that nostalgia has on obstructing boycotts stand out as a few talking points for this episode.
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#sonofthewhitemare #marcelljankovics #animation #animatedmovies #fantasyfilm #fantasyadventure #adventuremovie #trippy #hungary #psychedelic #socialism #hungariancinema #arthouse #feherlofia #folktales #80s #80smovies #movie #film #cinema #filmdiscussion #moviereview #moviepodcast #filmpodcast #podcast #podcastersofinstagram by @karmacake

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a year ago

Just a PSA... collective action works. Is you in or is you out?
**feet = feed by @karmacake

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a year ago

Life of a Showgirl is out now and yesterday, I was speaking with @margaret_carrero on @knxnews on why #TaylorSwift is so popular. I could keep on talking for ages about how Taylor Swift is a cultural event that redefined pop expectations... but i only had 5 minutes taken in Los Angeles, California by @karmacake

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a year ago