Podcast
Right Answers Mostly
Hosted by Claire Donald & Tess Bellomo · EN
History is just gossip! Join hosts Tess Bellomo and Claire Donald every Monday as they break down the juiciest stories from history and pop culture over a cocktail!
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Christian Dior: Couture, Scandal & The New Look
3d ago01:07:57Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re discussing the extraordinary history of Christian Dior and the designer who reshaped fashion forever. From the devastation of post WW2 Paris to the revolutionary debut of the “New Look” in 1947, Christian Dior created a vision of glamour, femininity, and fantasy that transformed the fashion industry forver. We explore Dior’s early life, World War II, couture during occupation, the rise of the House of Dior, the evolution of luxury branding, and the legacy that still defines fashion today. From couture salons to celebrity campaigns, this is the story of how Christian Dior became CHRISTIAN DIOR. Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! SOURCES: Vogue , Vogue on Christian Dior , The New Look, Wikipedia , Glam Observer , Time, The Independent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Calvin Klein: Underwear, Supermodels, and Scandal
1w ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeBefore Calvin Klein, underwear was something your mom bought in a three pack. After him? It was a personality. This week, we’re getting into the story of Calvin Klein, how a kid from the Bronx turned “clean and simple” into one of the most powerful fashion brands in the world. We’re talking jeans that made millions in a week, ads that changed culture, and the women who defined the look (and the vibe). Plus: the Kelly Rector influence, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s quiet takeover of the aesthetic, and the business missteps that almost took the whole empire down. Created and produced by Tess Bellomo & Claire Donald For more RAM and to learn about us, go here! If you are interested in THREE bonus episodes a month (pop culture, our own personal lives, and the full history episode at the end of the month) go here! only $7.99/month or save 13% when you buy annually! Thanks to Bellesa for sponsoring today's episode!EVERYONE who signs up wins a FREE WhisperVibe™ OR a FREE Rose toy with any Whisper™ order! https://www.bboutique.co/vibe/rightanswersmostly-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Inside the Met Gala: How Anna Wintour Runs Fashion’s Biggest Night
2w ago01:00:52Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re diving into the history of the Met Gala, from its origins as a high-society fundraiser to the global spectacle it is today. We break down how the event transformed under icons like Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour, and how it became fashion’s biggest (and most chaotic) night.Of course, we had to get into the drama. From the infamous Solange–Jay-Z elevator incident to celebs getting caught breaking the rules, we’re unpacking the night's biggest scandalsWe also share our favorite looks of all time, plus why this year’s Met Gala is sparking so much conversation, and controversy, across fashion and pop culture.Whether you watch for the fashion, the history, or the chaos…this is your ultimate guide to the Met Gala! Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! Sources: Vogue, The First Monday in May , Time, NYTimes, Wikipedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jean Harlow: Dye Hard Blonde
3w ago00:37:53Tap to summarizeBefore Marilyn, there was Jean. In this episode, we dive into the dazzling, and devastating, life of Jean Harlow, Hollywood’s original platinum blonde bombshell. (Wait until you hear how she achieved this look and you'll say thank you to your hair dresser next time..) From her meteoric rise to stardom to the image that redefined beauty, Harlow was truly to “dye” for. But behind the peroxide glow was a story of pressure, scandal, and a life cut far too short. Glamour, grit, and a legacy that still shines, this is Jean Harlow like you’ve never heard before. Created and produced by Tess Bellomo & Claire Donald For more RAM, go here This is a premium full episode. If you want to hear the full version, sign up here for $7.99/month for THREE bonus episodes, one that is the full history every month. You won't regret it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →River Phoenix: Hollywood’s Lost Star
Apr 2001:24:31Tap to summarizeRiver Phoenix was everything Hollywood wanted: talented, magnetic, and deeply beloved. So how did it all go so wrong? Joined by friend of the pod Hannah Aaron Brown, we unpack the life and tragic death of River Phoenix, from his unconventional upbringing and rapid rise to fame, to the pressures, people, and environment that surrounded him in his final years. Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! Follow Hannah on TikTok and Instagram and Listen to her podcast, Not Apsirational! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Anna Nicole Smith: The Blonde Bombshell Hollywood Broke
Apr 1301:23:57Tap to summarizeAnna Nicole Smith: A woman who went from small-town Texas to Playboy Playmate, Guess model, and reality TV star , becoming one of the most famous women in the world along the way. But behind the blonde bombshell image was a more complicated story: a whirlwind marriage to an 89-year-old oil tycoon, a never-ending legal battle over his fortune, and a media frenzy that turned her life into spectacle. This week, we’re diving into the rise, the chaos, and the tragedy of Anna Nicole Smith- a woman that was built up by Hollywood only to relish in watching her fall. Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! Sources: Buzzfeed , Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, People Magazine, You're Wrong About Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Brittany Murphy: What Really Happened?
Apr 601:02:10Tap to summarizeBrittany Murphy was one of the most beloved stars of the 2000s: funny, talented, and endlessly watchable. So when she died suddenly at just 32, the story shocked Hollywood. But the more you look into it… the more questions there are. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down Brittany Murphy’s rise to fame, the intense scrutiny she faced, and the details surrounding her death, from official reports to the rumors that followed. What was really going on behind the scenes? Did her husband, Simon really have something to do with it? And why does her story still feel unresolved? TW: this story contains many conversations around eating disorders. Created and produced by Tess Bellomo & Claire Donald For more RAM, go here! If you want to join our premium subscription where you get THREE bonus episodes a month, sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Josephine Baker: Spy, It Girl, and Revolutionary
Mar 3000:45:30Tap to summarizeJosephine Baker: a woman who escaped poverty, danced her way to fame, became the most famous woman in Paris, and then, plot twist, served as a spy for the French Resistance during World War II. And when the war ended, she didn’t slow down, she took that same power into the fight for civil rights, refusing to play by America’s rules. A story that sounds like fiction, but Josephine Baker did all of that, and more. Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! Sources: New Yorker, https://glreview.org/article/article-959/, PBS , CIA.gov, Vogue, Ebony, Biography.com, Harpers Bazaar , Wikipedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Mothers of Modern Gynecology
Mar 2301:02:19Tap to summarizeFor most of human history, childbirth belonged to women. Midwives guided mothers through labor, cared for newborns, and held generations of medical knowledge within their communities. But over time, birth moved from homes to hospitals, and from the hands of women to the authority of male physicians. In this episode, we explore the hidden history of childbirth, the rise of modern gynecology, and the women whose bodies shaped the field but whose names were nearly erased from it. At the center of this story are three enslaved women in the 1840s American South: Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy. Suffering from a devastating childbirth injury, they were subjected to years of experimental surgeries by physician J. Marion Sims, procedures performed without anesthesia or the ability to consent. Sims would later be celebrated as the “father of modern gynecology,” but the medical advancements credited to him were built on the pain, endurance, and forced labor of these women. We also trace the overlooked legacy of Black midwives, who for generations were the backbone of maternal healthcare in the United States. Once trusted community leaders and healers, they were gradually pushed out of medicine as childbirth became increasingly medicalized and controlled by white male physicians. Trigger Warning: This section of the episode addresses scientific experimentation on enslaved women and violation of their bodies. Created and produced by Tess Bellomo and Claire Donald For more RAM, go here! If you're interested in our premium channel for THREE bonus episodes for $7.99/month. Get added to close friends, hear about pop culture, and get to know us more! You also get the last FULL history episode here! HAPPY WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Shonda Rhimes: The Woman Who Changed Television
Mar 1601:16:00Tap to summarizeThis week we’re diving into the story of Shonda Rhimes, the woman who completely changed television. Before Rhimes, network TV rarely centered complicated women, diverse casts, or stories about power, ambition, sexuality, and work told from a female perspective. From Grey’s Anatomy to Scandal to Bridgerton, Rhimes built an empire by telling the kinds of stories about women that television had long ignored. We talk about her early life, how she broke into Hollywood, the rise of Shondaland, and how she reshaped what television looks like, and who gets to be the main character. This is Shonda Rhimes! Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo Follow us on social media, buy merch, and more HERE! Join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps a month here and save 15% when you buy annually! Sources: Television Academy , Vice, Wbur, Oprah.com, Theboar.org, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Wikipedia, Call Her Daddy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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