Listen To Sassy: Life In The 90s

Episode: May 1991 Teen Life: AIDS, Invisibility & Galactorrhea

Hosts: Tara Ariano, Pamela Ribon, David T. Cole
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the May 1991 issue of Sassy magazine, unearthing the joys, anxieties, and oddities of teen life in the early '90s. The hosts—Tara, Pam, and Dave—explore pivotal features from the magazine, including personal tales of living with AIDS, the debate over whether "guys make better friends," and a candid Q&A about body issues (hello, galactorrhea!). The trio balances humor with empathy, swapping their own teen stories and offering commentary filled with nostalgia, wit, and plenty of irreverence.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

Life Updates & 1991 Nostalgia

• Apologies for Lateness & Life Explosions
  • The team jokes about life chaos causing a late recording. "Everything in all of our lives exploded at the same time." (Karen, 02:06)
• First Jobs & Teen Milestones:
  • Karen reminisces about her first real job as a library page: "I got almost immediately promoted to be a reference page... you get to go to the basement where they had stacks." (Karen, 03:34)
  • Pam reflects on her boy-crazy ways and crushes. Dave celebrates (mockingly) his 19th birthday in Canada, where the drinking age is 19: "No, no, no. 19. 19." (Dave, 05:05)
• Cultural References:
  • Offhand jokes about '90s events and pop culture (NBA MVP Michael Jordan, Queen Elizabeth at a baseball game, jokes about made-up football teams, etc.)

Feature Analysis

1. "How This Girl Lives With The AIDS Virus"

• Summary:
  • A Sassy feature by Christina interviewing Kim, a young woman living with HIV after unprotected sex.
  • Discussion about the media portrayal of AIDS, notably the case of Kimberly Bergalis, and the problematic "innocent victim" framing:
    "The framing... was she didn't even do anything wrong. Unlike all these other sluts and whores who get AIDS the regular way." (Karen, 06:44)
• Personal Reflection:
  • Pam recounts a cringe-worthy AIDS oral quiz from her Mississippi school, delivered by a coach:
    "I remember thinking, this is not appropriate." (Pam, 10:03)

2. "She Says Guys Make Better Friends"

• Article Themes:
  • Little Pam (Karen) eats up the premise, relating to the ease and fun of being "one of the guys":
    "Guys are a cool hang. They aren't very complicated... They probably make you feel good about yourself being sometimes the only chick in their group." (Pam, 11:29)
  • Hosts discuss shifting from boy-crazy teens to adults who value female friendship, tracing the evolution via life experiences:
    "Roller derby very much helped. But before that, in high school, I... didn't know how to keep a girlfriend." (Pam, 12:14)

3. "You Spill It About Your Schools" (School Survey)

• Content:
  • Teen survey on schools—cafeteria quality, corporal punishment, SATs.
  • 39% didn't believe standardized tests measure intelligence; 70% reported feeling bored or tired at school.
• Reflection:
  • Hosts debate the impact and utility of such stats-laden features, noting stats would likely be higher if polled today.

4. "The Real World" – Fiction Feature

• Summary:
  • Sharon Solwitz's story about a loner protagonist; writing style elicits mixed feelings.
  • "I feel his eyes on my back like two little fleas..." (Pam, 16:03)
  • Pam loves the cool loner tone; Karen less impressed.

5. "Body Talk" – Springtime Bummer & Allergies

• Seasonal Allergies:
  • Discuss Austin as an "allergy center" and jokes about surviving without sneezing:
    "You have to leave the house. That's where the allergies are." (Pam, 19:15)

6. Health & Wellness Nuggets

• Diet Pills Danger (PPA):
  • Early warnings about phenylpropanolamine in diet pills.
    "The FDA did issue an advisory about PBA. It took until the year 2000." (Karen, 22:08)
• Lead in Produce Bags:
  • Pam is shocked: "Surely they phased that out... Nope." (Pam, 22:44)
• Teeth Grinding ("Bedtime Grind"):
  • Dave’s take: "Not attractive. Two, a pain in the ass to wear while you sleep. Feel like drooling all night long? Don't do it. Just grind your teeth to nubs." (Dave, 23:58)

7. El Paso Feature

• Local Teen Life:
  • The hosts riff on El Paso microcultures, high school ratings, and local eateries:
    "Coronado High School... is rated average by greatschools.org. That's an El Paso A though, right?" (Karen & Dave, 24:53–24:56)

8. "What He Said" – If You Were Invisible?

• Teen and Celebrity Dreams:
  • Standard boys-would-spy-on-girls answers. Joey Lawrence’s answer is slightly more high-minded (and then, “spy on Cindy Craw…”):
    "I would sprinkle peace dust all over the world... and spy on Cindy Craw." (Pam parodying Joey, 26:08)
• Hosts’ Take:
  • Joke about adult invisibility:
    "Because she's a woman and she's used to being invisible all the time." (Pam, 29:31)
    "If your boobs could be invisible, where would they go?" (Dave, 28:28)

9. Help Section: Galactorrhea, Deodorant, Nail Files & More

• Galactorrhea ("breast discharge") segment:
  • The trio jokes at length about the weirdness of boob biology, segues to lactation and sci-fi villain names:
    "Pretentious people call this breast discharge galactorrhea, which is also the villain of my sci fi epic I'm writing." (Dave, 33:47)
• Deodorant Myths:
  • On aluminum and cancer: "Apparently that is not true either. Scientific American says if it plays a role at all, it's negligible." (Karen, 36:38)
• Knuckle Cracking & Nail Files:
  • Dave's aversion to frosted glass and Emery boards:
    "If you put a frosted glass in my hand, I will immediately drop it... I feel like the emery board on the nails somehow evokes the same feeling in me." (Dave, 38:38–38:49)

10. Stuff You Wrote – Letters & Poems

• Notable poetic submissions and musings from teen readers are performed and playfully analyzed—Pam channelling Matthew McConaughey in her reading:
  • "What can I tell you that you don't already know that I know how rain looks when I'm standing on my head?" (Pam, 40:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On HIV Media Framing:

  • "She didn't even do anything wrong. Unlike all these other sluts and whores who get AIDS the regular way." — Karen, 06:44

• Teen Friendship Truths:

  • "Guys are a cool hang. They aren't very complicated." — Pam, 11:29

• On Seasonal Allergies:

  • "You have to leave the house. That's where the allergies are." — Pam, 19:15

• Galactorrhea Sci-Fi:

  • "Pretentious people call this breast discharge galactorrhea, which is also the villain of my sci-fi epic I'm writing." — Dave, 33:47

• On Invisibility:

  • "Because she's a woman and she's used to being invisible all the time." — Pam, 29:31

• Emery Board Phobia:

  • "That emery board is very much the same... as frosted glass, where if you put a frosted glass in my hand I will immediately drop it." — Dave, 38:38

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Life Updates – 00:30–04:42
• Jobs & Early 90s Stories – 04:42–05:38
• AIDS Feature Discussion – 06:13–10:23
• Guys as Friends Feature – 11:26–13:02
• School Survey Digest – 13:10–15:12
• Fiction Feature (Real World) – 15:12–16:56
• Springtime Allergies & Austin – 17:14–19:02
• Health Nuggets & Dangers – 21:51–23:02
• El Paso Teen Life – 23:58–25:32
• Invisibility Answers (What He Said) – 25:54–29:45
• Boob Talk & Galactorrhea – 30:36–36:23
• Nail File & Emery Board Disgust – 37:31–38:49
• Stuff You Wrote & Reader Submissions – 40:09–43:22

Tone & Language

The episode is full of self-aware humor and affectionate mockery, blending nostalgia for the Sassy era with a modern lens. Personal anecdotes, pop reference riffs, and tangents about everything from library stacks to invisible boobs interject authenticity and warmth. The language is colloquial, frequently irreverent, but deeply empathetic when discussing tough social topics.

For New Listeners

If you missed Sassy’s May 1991 issue (or the '90s entirely), this episode is a time capsule with the perspective of smart, funny adults who lived it. You’ll hear about the fears and hopes of Gen-X teens, get laughs about galactorrhea and invisible vices, and leave with a better sense of how much—and how little—has changed.