Reclaiming 30: A Pop Star Renaissance

For too long women have had a clock ticking in the back of their minds counting down to the day they turn 30. 30 years on the planet, an expiration date put in place by the nefarious duo known as the patriarchy and tabloid culture. The past decade has gifted us with a pop star renaissance where our fave girlies are reclaiming 30.

At some point, the patriarchy decided that being a 30-year-old woman meant you were past your prime. For pop music fans, it meant you had no music left to relate to, while pop music stars were shunned from the spotlight. Tabloids called them washed up, and questioned their choices, hating them whether they listened to their biological clock or not.

This week we’re joined by a long time fave of the pod Hannah Ewens to discuss how millennial women are reclaiming turning 30 and viewing it as more of a renaissance age rather than an expiration date. Join us for a look into how this generation of 30 year olds has grasped it as a second coming of age & made this big ole age feel like the start of something new.

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll LOVE these ones: How Girl Culture Popularized Indie Music (with Morgan Bimm) & The Power Of Male Fans & The Subjugation Of Fangirls (with Lucy Ford)

If you want to check out Hannah’s work you can do so here or follow her on Twitter or Instagram!

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Want to talk more? Find us: @name3songs | @sara_feigin | @jenna_million

Sources for Reclaiming 30: A Pop Star Renaissance

30 and falling: the new female frontier of emotional intelligence in pop (Rolling Stone, Hannah Ewens, 2022)

Why 30 is the golden age for female musicians (Evening Standard, Margaret Abrams, 2020)

‘We were sad of getting old’: how pop stars are growing up gracefully (The Guardian, Jude Rogers, 2018)

‘That’s it? It’s over? I was 30. What a brutal business’: pop stars on life after the spotlight moves on (The Guardian, Nick Duerden, April 2022)

Why Do We Treat 30 As If We’re About To Die At 35? (Grazia, Rebecca Cope, 2017)

Turning 30 is something to celebrate, so why are women conditioned to feel like it’s a bad thing? (Metro UK, Natalie Morris, 2019)

Stop Telling Women Their Most Valuable Asset Is Their Youth (TIME, Jessica Bennett, 2014)

It is time to reassess our obsession with women’s fertility and the number 35 (The Guardian, Arwa Mahdawi, 2021)