Welcome to CULTURE STUDY

Hi! I’m Anne Helen Petersen, and I write Culture Study.

If you’re new here, some basics. Back in 2020, I quit my journalism job to write the newsletter full-time. Every week, I send out two pieces (sometimes an essay, sometimes an interview) and two threads.

Some of Culture Study’s most popular pieces include:

• Taylor Swift and the Good Girl Trap

• Are You In The Portal?

• Bama Confidential

• A Unified Theory of Glen Powell

• How Your House Makes You Miserable

• What Happened to People Magazine?

• You’d Be Happier Living Near Friends. Why Don’t You?

I also publish long, winding, fascinating interviews with experts and scholars about things like:

• The Edenic Allure of Ballerina Farm

• The Resilience Myth

• Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center

• K-Beauty

• Momfluencers

• Jewish Summer Camp

And then there’s the threads, which regularly top 1000 comments. They’re by turns addictive and thoughtful and hilarious. Some recent favs:

• How Did You Buy Your House?

• The Pettiest Thing You’ve Ever Done

• How You’ve Changed Your Thinking on Ambition

• Your Childless Experience

• The Best Thing About Your Specific Age

Plus, monthly threads on What You’re Reading, What You’re Watching, you get the picture — they basically guarantee you’ll always be able to find something new and interesting to read/watch/cook/listen to. Find them all here.

You’ll also the get the ability to comment on posts, plus the weekly round-up of “Things I Read and Loved,” including the “Just Trust Me.”

But even if you don’t upgrade your subscription, you’ll still get a bunch of good stuff. I’m so grateful you’re here.

If you want even more Culture Study content — plus the occasional pic of island life in the Pacific Northwest — you can follow me on Instagram here.

© 2026 Anne Helen Petersen
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104