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- [00:00]
Amanda Montell
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Chelsea Charles
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Amanda Montell
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Chelsea Charles
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- [01:02]
Amanda Montell
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- [01:19]
Chelsea Charles
I feel like the gender expression hits such a nerve because it challenges this hyper conservatism movement that we're seeing as a direct reflection of the time. And it's like where masculinity is being aggressively policed in response to cultural shifts. So like you see the incels, the manosphere, the red pill bros. I think Bad Bunny is a direct challenge to that whole world and it's just so interesting to me.
- [01:50]
Teffy
Also, the people of color or anybody like Latin in the United States, they had to leave their country. So sometimes the ideology and traditions are all they have left. So for you to like question that or push against that, you're pushing against the only ideas of home that they have left.
- [02:06]
Chelsea Charles
This is Sounds Like a Cult, a show about the modern day cults we all follow. I'm your co host Chelsea Charles, an unscripted TV producer, lifelong student of pop culture sociology, and 1/4 of the dynamic quartet at Sounds Like a Cult. On today's episode, it's just me and our guests. Every week on the show we discuss a different zeitgeisty group that puts the cult in culture. From Lululemon to Harry Potter to Try to answer the big question. This group sounds like a cult. But is it really? And if so, which of our cult categories does it fall into? Is it a live your life, a watch your back or get the fuck out? After all, cultish influence falls on a continuum these days. And look, the word cult can mean a lot of things. It's subjective and context dependent, sometimes sensational, other times useful, other times cheeky and fun. This show, as those who've been listening for a while know, is all about analyzing the ways cultishness shows up in everyday life. To examine the ways in which we are all susceptible to cult influence, but to also compare how not all cults these days are created equal and to have a laugh about it along the way. Today we're diving into a movement built on fantasy of cultural salvation through sound, style and swagger. A fandom adored for its devotion, ritual and the promise of emotional and identity level transformation. Listen, culties. These aren't just music fans or reggaeton listeners. They're devotees of a vibe and a reimagined worldview. You've seen them everywhere. In chrome glasses, in leather pants, on TikTok, in stadiums packed like cathedrals, chanting every lyric as if it were scripture, treating a Puerto Rican pop star as both heartthrob and holy figure. Today we're talking about Bad Bunny. Now, culties, when someone reaches this level of worship, backlash and scandal are never far behind. Sometimes it feels like where do we even begin? Do we start with the parasocial entitlement of fans when he went public with his relationship with Kendall Jenner? Or the fans interpretation of his fans fashion choices as either an attack on hyper masculinity or simply performative activism? Or the recent uproar over him headlining the super bowl halftime show with conservative critics framing it as anti American or too sexual, while fans reframing the backlash as cultural persecution. But to understand why this hits so hard, we have to go back to the very beginning. Before the fame, before Beni became Bad Bunny. Okay, so Bad Bunny's origin story hits extra hard because it's a very Caribbean, very working class, a very I made it out narrative rooted in a real place, with real people. Born Bonito Antonio Martinez Ocasio on March 10, 1994, he grew up in the Almirante Cer barrio of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a small coastal town on the north central part of the island. His father, Tito Martinez, drove trucks for a living and his mother, Lisari Ocasio, was a schoolteacher who filled their home with salsa, merengue and romantic ballads, creating a musical backdrop long before he ever dreamed of being a global star. Now, before Benito had Muchanovia, he was just a kid in a church choir, singing every Sunday with his devoutly Catholic mother until he was about 13, which became the formative training for his voice and sense of performance. In high school, photos and memories show a young Bonito clutching a microphone at talent shows. Already tested thing the magnetic presence. After high school, he studied at University of Puerto Rico in audiovisual communications. While he simultaneously bagged groceries at a local grocery store. Young Bonito soaked up everything from Vico C and Daddy Yankee to salsa on family road trips. And he even made mixtapes for relatives before he eventually began dropping tracks on SoundCloud. Now he was a SoundCloud rapper, which spawned his initial online buzz. One of those early uploads, Dilez, caught the attention of Puerto Rican producer and reggaeton heavyweight DJ Luan Luyan. Heard that track online in 2016 and instantly saw something special in it. Signing Benito to his label. Hear the music and the rest is history. So, Culties, today we're joined by Teffy, one of the sharpest minds in pop culture. Someone who understands that celebrities don't just entertain anymore, they shape how we see ourselves. No one proves that right more than Bad Bunny, a global star, a cultural symbol, and a lightning rod for everything from gender to politics. As he heads into the super bowl spotlight, Teffy helps us unpack why his fandom feels less like a fan base and and more like a belief system. My fellow culties, quick breaking news moment. I could not let this episode go without acknowledging Bad Bunny's big win at the Grammy Awards. But more importantly, his choice to use that global stage to openly condemn ice, calling out the US Government's occupation tactics in the ongoing mistreatment of immigrant communities. In a moment where so many artists play it safe, Bad Bunny did quite the opposite. He leveraged visibility and cultural power to say something political. That wasn't just an award speech. It was a reminder that pop stardom can still function as protest. And if it made anyone uncomfortable, well, good. Okay, back to our scheduled programming. First of all, I just want to welcome you to the pod. We really appreciate you joining specifically to talk about the cult of Bad Bunny. I really want to know, what's your relationship with Bad Bunny?
- [09:08]
Teffy
I mean, growing up in Miami, you always wanted to be aware of new and up and coming artists. And I think one of the first times I really heard him was on J. Balvin tracks or he would be on carpets for events Like Premios Juventu. So he was like a new face in the Latin music world. And there is a kind of scarcity mindset when it comes to artists who are Latin and trying to become, like, mainstream. In Miami, for example, there's definitely people like, I've been listening to city girls since 700 BC. That's like my. One of my first memories. So piqued my interest. And his voice was very unique at the time. He had, like, a different pitch. He was, like, a lot lower. And then I think when he started becoming more comfortable being himself, people started to really pay more attention to him. I mean, his music was already so good, but there was a softer side that he started to let people see. And I think that also made people very curious because all of a sudden, he went from reggaetonero to. He reminds me of my brother. He became more relatable the more he became himself, you know?
- [10:11]
Chelsea Charles
Ooh, I love that. Okay, so were you listening to him in SoundCloud days?
- [10:16]
Teffy
No, but I do remember he said, be in a truck in the back of a truck with speakers driving around, like, Harlem in the Bronx. And my friends used to tell me, oh, that Bad Bunny guy is driving around blasting his music with his friends driving, and he would have a mic.
- [10:30]
Chelsea Charles
Oh, I love that.
- [10:31]
Teffy
I know. That's like some real, like, marketing, you know?
- [10:34]
Chelsea Charles
Yeah, no, absolutely.
- [10:35]
Teffy
Marketing, yeah.
- [10:36]
Chelsea Charles
So in your opinion, at what point do you think Bad Bunny stopped being just a musician and started becoming more of, like, a cultural symbol where people would project their values onto him.
- [10:50]
Teffy
Of course, his political songs also. A lot of Latin people love American country music because of the storytelling that happens. And Latin music is really, really similar. Marcelo Hernandez just had a stand up where American music, American country music specifically will be like, my girl left and I have no idea why I came home when she was gone. Where, like, Latin will be like, I know exactly what I did, but I wish you could come back so I could fix it. I can't believe I did that. I'm disgraced with myself. Started kind of incorporating that in reggaeton music. Reggaeton is a lot like hip hop, where someone's like, I got five of you bitches. What is Gucci Mane saying? A girls are like buses every 15. A new one coming next, next one coming. So there was like this softness qualities, this romantic quality. And then also talking about the love for his country. Yes. And I think when it comes to Latin, dad, there's a lot of, like, you have to be strong. Nothing get in the way. I think of, like, Jay Z 99 problems when he gets shot up 99 times and he's like, he's like walking. But there was this vulnerability and this transparency of loving his country and loving his girl or being like, I know I'm toxic, but I want to do better. If we could just have tonight those kind of sentiments felt more realistic and more approachable and more familiar versus have 20 chains on my neck, bitches in my DMS, that kind of change. I always say that whenever I dance to Bad Bunny, I'm like, why am I sobbing and throwing ass? Like I particular feeling of like sentiment and nostalgia, but also excitement for tomorrow. Cuz tomorrow might be a beautiful day and you can go to the beach.
- [12:18]
Chelsea Charles
What a complex storyteller like to make you cry and throw ass.
- [12:22]
Teffy
I went to see Bad Bunny in concert and I was like, well, I hysterically open mouth sobbing with my hands on my knees like crazy.
- [12:31]
Chelsea Charles
Okay, so I want to talk a little bit about that softness that you're talking about. His nail polish skirts, makeup and soft masculinity have been revolutionary for a lot of people, but also deeply threatening to others. Why do you think gender expression hits such a nerve?
- [12:50]
Teffy
Well, I think in my lived experience in a Latin community, I think that you can have the gay uncle as long as he doesn't talk about it. And like in the movies, he helps you with your blowout, he helps you get your makeover. And a lesbian honest to never be spoken to ever again. But we love her roommate. You know, these are things that are always kind of like hidden or kept secret. It's a lot of shame. So I think the modern approach to sexuality and Latin dad is so interesting to me because it's so, so different. And a lot of the music and a lot of the references and a lot of the things that he talks about and sing about are old music that our grandparents listened to or danced to. I think that a lot of the musical references, a lot of the double entendres and stuff, or even having Bad Bunny have his grandmother on a track being like, oh, life is so short. Whatever, whatever. There is this old school sentiment. And then to have Bad Bunny wearing a breastplate also is like insane. I think that he always honors who he is and where he comes from. And sometimes those two places don't meet an ideology. So that can be kind of conflicting for people. I can totally see my grandparents dancing to his music at a party and being like, oh my God, I know this sample. At the same time, seeing him maybe in nail polish, there is an expectation of masculinity that Bad Bunny is showing. Like, I have more money than God and I'm wearing a new set. That's really interesting and fun to see. Yep. I think a lot of young Latin people are so tired of the tropes and the gender roles. You know what? Not even Latin people. I think people in general are so sick of the ways that we're supp. Supposed to be in order to be successful. You probably know too, like, oh, if I don't climb this invisible corporate ladder, I'm never going to be successful. And the Internet and representation and seeing the different ways people live have changed the idea of success and what success means. And I love that.
- [14:41]
Chelsea Charles
I do, too. I resonate so deeply with everything you said because obviously, I think there are several layers to this. Right. Because there is some intersectionality there with Latin communities specifically, and just communities of color where we have to suppress certain layers to our identity because you have to be this model one thing to kind of fit in. And then the other layer for me is I feel like the gender expression hits such a nerve because it challenges this hyper conservatism movement that we're seeing as a direct reflection of the time. And it's like, where masculinity is being aggressively policed in response to cultural shifts. So, like, you see, like, the incels, the manosphere, the red pill, bros. I think Bad Bunny is a direct challenge to that whole world. And it's just so interesting to me.
- [15:37]
Teffy
Also, the people of color or anybody like Latin in the United States, they had to leave their country. So sometimes the ideology and traditions are all they have left. So for you to, like, question that or push against that, you're pushing against the only ideas of home that they have left. Because, like, my mom would be like, out there's the United States here. This is. You know what I mean? The way I'm raising you is the way that, like, I was raised in my country.
- [16:05]
Amanda Montell
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- [17:19]
Chelsea Charles
Okay, so I want to shift a little bit to talking about the Super Bowl. And when Bad Bunny was announced as a part of the super bowl circus, the Internet basically was split overnight. It suddenly wasn't just about music or football. It was about who gets to stand on the most American hyper masculine. Yeah, flag drenched stage for the world. And for his fans, his presence felt like more of a spiritual win for the Latin community and the gender bending cool. But for critics, it felt like invasion. And for me, that is exactly what teeters into cult like territory. So we're about to see Bad Bunny. I'm one of the most conservative American. Hyper masculine stages unimaginable. What does that moment feel like? Why does it feel so charged?
- [18:13]
Teffy
I mean, it's interesting you said the word invasion. Would it be so bad if we invaded back?
- [18:16]
Chelsea Charles
Okay.
- [18:17]
Teffy
You know what I mean? Like period. Sometimes I feel like when I look at these conversations online, it reminds me of like, I want the golden goose, daddy, and I want it now. Like, God forbid we have a good time. And I've gone to so many different weddings of different cultures. Persian, I've gone to Indian weddings. And the music is music. And I'm up there dancing. Do I know what they're saying? Who cares? Who gives a fuck? I just think the idea of what is good and American has become so boring and so rigid. I grew up in the United States where my dad was rollerblading down Ocean Drive in a yellow Speedo. That's my America. The America of people like shooting at tin cans of the rifle. I've never known that America. I would block that America. I'd be like, guys, America is really starting to kind of concern me. He's changing. So it's so weird because seeing him on stage is the America I'VE always known.
- [19:11]
Chelsea Charles
Yes. Oh, wow.
- [19:13]
Teffy
But I think the backlash has shown me just how much people don't like people who live and talk and grew up like me. So it's been a kind of a weird experience of people being like, this is America where people speak English. I'm like, I would love for you to go walk down Little Havana and order a coffee in English.
- [19:29]
Amanda Montell
Right.
- [19:29]
Teffy
I mean, maybe now you can, but not the America that I grew up in, you know? Right. So I think that people should stay angry, should stay mad. It's making him a lot of money. And there's nothing I love more than seeing a man and a manicure make a lot of money. You bitches want sensitive men, but you don't want to buy bisexual, eluding man who sang Spanish and can dance a little bit with his very beautiful curls. I can always rely on him to make me cry, to make me dance, and to have a good time. And you bitches want what? Creed. Go get Creed.
- [19:56]
Chelsea Charles
It is. And I hate to bring it back to Beyonce, but I'm always gonna bring.
- [19:59]
Teffy
It back, always bring it back to.
- [20:00]
Chelsea Charles
Beyonce to sell me Carter. It is oddly reminiscent of when there was so much backlash regarding the Cowboy Carter album. It's so funny. Cause Beyonce and I grew up three hours apart. She's from Houston. I'm from a town in Louisian, Lafayette. And you show up to the gas station, There are black people that are riding on horses at the gas station. We have trail rides. We have zydeco. Black people are speaking French in the grocery store. And when people tried to challenge this idea that there's no way that she's country, and I'm like, bitch, have you ever been to Houston? What are you talking about?
- [20:35]
Teffy
I think bitches are bored. I don't know if it's an unemployment crisis. I don't know if it's a boredom crisis. I don't know what it is. But I think bitches are really, really bored. Like, sometimes when I go online and people are like, oh, so you're telling me a Puerto Rican man is gonna be on stage? I'm like, I think Steven Tyler has probably seen more penis than Bad Bunny. And I look at Steven Tyler's wardrobe, and I go, where the fuck do I get those jeans? That's so gorgeous. I think that we are way more interesting as Americans than we let ourselves be. Like, we have so much to express, so much culture, so many languages. And when Bad Bunny says he's gonna do something, he always does. Whenever he says that, he's gonna show up on this day at that time to talk about whatever it album that talks about the love for his country. What is more American than getting up on a stage and talking about the love of your country and waving your flag, but unless it looks blonde and blue eyed, we don't want it. It's very annoying. And most of the Cuban people that I know are blonde and blue eyed. Make up your minds.
- [21:31]
Chelsea Charles
They are.
- [21:31]
Teffy
And they can cuss you out front to back. Oh, I go, all right, Maria. Fuck, it won't be late next time. Oh, my God.
- [21:41]
Chelsea Charles
Oh, my God. Okay, so what do you think scares people more? His Spanish lyrics or the refusal to perform masculinity in the right way?
- [21:53]
Teffy
I think what scares people the most is not knowing what he's saying.
- [21:56]
Chelsea Charles
Yeah.
- [21:56]
Teffy
Not being in on it. Because Americans like or like this idea of America, an eagle, like, behind me. America, being involved in everything, having your hand in everything, having control of everything thing. It's kind of like having, like, a overbearing mother. I sometimes I think of, like, that part of America that, like, red pill America as the mom. And Carrie, she's like your dirty pillows. You can't go outside and, like, locks her in the closet. Like Ms. Trunchbull and Ms. Trunchbull. That's how I picture, like, these people, they want control of everything. They want to know what you're doing, know what you're saying, know what you're wearing and why. And being left out of that, just in case they look stupid or they're out of control, scares them.
- [22:35]
Chelsea Charles
I could not agree more. And with me, it's always 0 to 100. It's never like, gray area. It just. I know that it's important to be able to think in nuance, but sometimes I'm just like. When those people have conversations, they don't know what they're talking about, and it scares them in a way. And people have conversations like, oh, yeah, when I'm in a nail salon, and I don't like when they're not speaking English.
- [22:58]
Teffy
You're talking about your lunch, girl. And if you care so much, wash your feet.
- [23:01]
Chelsea Charles
If you care so much, wash your fucking feet. Okay, so you're xenophobic. Just say you're xenophobic. It's totally fine. Just say you're nosy. I'm like, these people, Come on, dog.
- [23:12]
Teffy
Meanwhile, I'm on Google Translate asking for the WI FI password, being like. And they're like, oh, we don't have WI fi. I go, okay, I'm so sorry.
- [23:20]
Chelsea Charles
Say less.
- [23:20]
Teffy
And how can I make your day better, Elizabeth?
- [23:23]
Chelsea Charles
Yeah, just you. Because you are touching my feet right now.
- [23:25]
Teffy
Yes. No. The xenophobia is so weird to me because they're like. If you ask an American person where they're from, they're like, well, I'm a little bit of a man mix. And I'm like, what kind of mix? And they're like Danish, Swedish, a little Finnish, but mostly, like, French and also a little Sicilian. I'm surprised you want to be exotic so. So bad. You don't want to one thing. But they're like, but get these immigrants out of this country. I'm like, but you just said so. It's a very confusing. I think Bad Bunny makes people confront that part of themselves.
- [23:56]
Chelsea Charles
Absolutely.
- [23:57]
Teffy
And I like that.
- [23:58]
Chelsea Charles
It's so sexy. I just. Oh, my God.
- [24:01]
Teffy
I don't want him to push people's buttons. I want him to take the button and rip it off.
- [24:05]
Chelsea Charles
Yes.
- [24:06]
Teffy
And now what? Now you're shirtless and naked in front of everybody. Loser. Loser.
- [24:11]
Chelsea Charles
Oh, my God. Okay, so when Bad Bunny dates someone like Kendall Jenner or does something that fans don't like, the reaction feels like a betrayal. Why does this disappointment hit. Hit so hard with him? Like, why is that such a big deal?
- [24:29]
Teffy
Because once you start dipping your toes into political commentary or, like, if you are someone that is seen as, like, someone who's looking to preserve Latin spaces.
- [24:38]
Chelsea Charles
Yes.
- [24:38]
Teffy
And you start dating the finest white girl, it does seem like a betrayal of sorts. But again, it is part of the Latin experience. We have all done it. We have all been with people that don't care about our culture, where we come from, that want us to be part of their world, and they don't want to be part of our world. We have all dated someone that could care less about our beginnings or what's going on in our country or doesn't understand our music, doesn't care to learn our language. Like, we have all dated somebody like that or many people like that. So at the end of the day, it is forgivable because our ancestors also trusted people that felt the same way. But I think this parasocial relationship that he's created in the beginning, in order for him to survive as an artist, he has to let that go where before I think he was much. Even people like Taylor Swift, they were much more personal with their fans. But in order for them to live their lives and continue making music about mistakes and things they should have done or hindsight or, like, loving their community, they have to not be as parasocial. But I don't know a man on this earth that wouldn't date Kendall Jenner.
- [25:41]
Chelsea Charles
She's fucking beautiful.
- [25:43]
Teffy
She's beautiful. She's like independently wealthy. She has her own interests. Do I think that she's the best choice? No. I think that they were maybe too different and maybe both of them were not willing to meet each other in the middle, from what I have seen.
- [25:57]
Chelsea Charles
Yeah, but.
- [25:58]
Teffy
But c' est la vie. You know, people are way too hard on him for his personal choices. And you know what it is? I've made videos about this. He seems baggable. My cousin, that she could bag him if they saw each other. He is approachable and like normal. Like, he comes up as like normal and approachable and kind and loves his family. And we all have the same values. And because we have seen him hook up with fans, a bitch assumes that he is baggable. So being with Kendall Jenner kind of pops that balloon a bit for girls.
- [26:26]
Chelsea Charles
Here's my follow up. The age old question. Do we believe that this relationship was a real thing?
- [26:33]
Teffy
Yes, I do.
- [26:34]
Chelsea Charles
We do.
- [26:35]
Teffy
I have it on like, good authority that that was real. But I think there was a great, like, sexual chemistry and a newness. Probably Bad Bunny never in his mind thought that he could be with a Jenner Kardashian. And she also has never dated somebody probably Latin. There's like newness there, you know, very exciting stuff. And I do think that they did care for each other. I think that maybe he cared for her more, but I do think it was real.
- [26:59]
Chelsea Charles
All right, so in saying that, do you feel like. And this is where cult like themes will show up, where you have this figure and the followers tend to push their ideals and their beliefs on him and feel like this sense of ownership. Do you feel like fans have this sense of ownership? Because he represents something that's much more than people music, 100%.
- [27:24]
Teffy
He's also, I don't know a lot of musical stars, artists at his stature that are posting like Trump. He has balls to him. Like, he'll call out government officials by name. Like, especially in Puerto Rico, like the corruption. I don't know a lot of people that are so publicly against anybody that's hurting his community in any way. You know, like, yes, to not want to tour in the United States in fear that. That people will go to his concerts and get rounded up by ice. That is another step. And that's a check. That's a bag for him. He has a lot of pride of where he comes from. And I think that when it comes to people of color or immigrants, there's a big community mindset, like, we take care of us. But when you have a lot of Latin American trauma, it's a lot of looking out for yourself. And I think that's why there's a lot of conservative Latin Americans. So for him to still be that independently wealthy and successful and still care about community is also so special. So I think that means a lot to people, too.
- [28:19]
Chelsea Charles
Yes. That was actually a perfect segue to my next question, because I believe that Bad Bunny critiques capitalism, colonialism, exploitation, while also being one of the most profitable brands in music. How do fans reconcile with that very evident contradiction?
- [28:41]
Teffy
I don't think they do. And I think it's a really hard conversation. It's kind of like when you see somebody online being like, socialism, communism, and I'm like, but you have a $50 million penthouse, girl. I'll give you the wire right now. Wire to me right now. I think that's a tough conversation. But as long as celebrities or people of that status are seeing people like Bed Bunny continuing to send so much money to disaster efforts, elementary schools, at the end of the day, it's so sad to say he's doing more than many, you know?
- [29:13]
Chelsea Charles
Absolutely.
- [29:14]
Teffy
There's also the idea of, like, you can't win. It's like, if he does it by name, then, oh, he's doing it for pr. If he does it anonymously, well, he never does anything for anybody. Exactly. I do not envy that. I don't envy that.
- [29:26]
Chelsea Charles
Ooh, it's a tough life. That's a tough, tough life. This paradox we consistently flirt with as millennials are like people who live in a digital age, because it's so interesting, because it's like, people who we love in music and fashion have these very, very important roles to be truth tellers, if they so choose, I guess. But they challenge the system through their art, but they are also profiting heavily on the same systems that they're critiquing. And I fully, fully agree. Like, I'm just so happy that I just get paid to put a microphone in my face and share my opinion.
- [30:05]
Teffy
The cost of representation, it's kind of like this idea, like, wait, when your dreams start coming true, when you start getting your Emmys and Golden Globes and stuff like that, people are gonna say, you changed up. Yeah, she's different. And then at the same time, like, you see somebody Latin, you're just like, go, go, go, go, go.
- [30:20]
Chelsea Charles
Go.
- [30:20]
Teffy
And. But at the same time, don't forget where you come from. It's this whole thing about, we want you to be successful, but not too successful. We want you to be wealthy and rich and support your communities. But why do you have so much money? I know that you work so hard. Let him rest. But what are you spending your money on? It's kind of a. If you make it so much about community, nothing is your own. And he's the one touring and he is the one staying up late and he is the one working and he's the one making music and it's his words or whatever, so he. His wins. But we are like a joy police society.
- [30:48]
Chelsea Charles
Yes.
- [30:48]
Teffy
So sometimes I can't understand when he's like, fuck y'. All. Yeah, I can't blame you, brother. I can't.
- [30:53]
Chelsea Charles
Can't blame you. Okay, so my final question for you before we hop into a little game is if the Bad Bunny fandom is a cult, is it a healthy identity building cult or is it a fragile one that could crack the second he stops being who people need him to be?
- [31:15]
Teffy
I believe it is a society where there are people that are just like, do you? Do you? We're so proud of you. And then there are people that are so scared of, like, being forgotten and depend on him too much. Where they start to depend on him more than they do their own people in their surroundings, in their vicinity and their political figures. Where sometimes I have to remind people like, he does have influence and he does use it, but he is not your mayor. He is not your governor. He cannot form a coup on the city. He can represent so much. But it's up to us to take care of us. It's up to you to go across the street and ask your neighbor if she's okay if you haven't seen her in a couple days. It's not up to people like Bad Bunny. He can inspire you to do so, though. He can inspire you to go to a soup kitchen. He can inspire you to give back to your community and volunteer in other ways and show faces in other ways, share, donate, other fundraising opportunities. But you asking Bad Bunny to do more does not replace actually showing up for you communities. So that's kind of like where that line gets blurred. And I think a lot of people know that, but I think a lot of people can start maybe a little lazy and depend on him to do all the work when he needs us to.
- [32:18]
Chelsea Charles
I think Cardi B said it best. Watch your own damn kids.
- [32:21]
Teffy
What? Like, I'm sorry. I grew up with Janet Jackson and Madonna and Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera writhing on the floor. They didn't raise me.
- [32:30]
Chelsea Charles
They didn't raise me.
- [32:31]
Teffy
No. Yeah.
- [32:32]
Chelsea Charles
Tonya took care of me. I was the one sneaking and watching. Bet uncut. Okay, tip drill.
- [32:45]
Teffy
Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today.
- [32:52]
Amanda Montell
Well, I'm letting go of the worry.
- [32:54]
Teffy
That I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class.
- [32:56]
Amanda Montell
I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts.
- [32:59]
Teffy
Oh, my gosh.
- [32:59]
Amanda Montell
They're so fast.
- [33:00]
Chelsea Charles
And breathe.
- [33:01]
Amanda Montell
Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw.
- [33:04]
Chelsea Charles
The discount they gave me on my first order.
- [33:07]
Amanda Montell
Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.
- [33:13]
Teffy
1-800-Contacts. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi vehicle discount. Safe driver discount. New vehicle discount.
- [33:22]
Chelsea Charles
Storage discount.
- [33:23]
Teffy
How many discounts will you stack up?
- [33:25]
Amanda Montell
Tap the banner or visit usaa.com autodiscounts restrictions apply.
- [33:30]
Chelsea Charles
Okay, so we are going to play a quick little game. We play it a lot here on Sounds like a cult. And it is is called culti versus Cringe. Okay? So I'm gonna just throw out some stuff and you tell me if you think this thing is culti versus Cringe. So first things first. Calling him Benito like you know him instead of his stage name, Bad Bunny.
- [33:56]
Teffy
I think it's cute.
- [33:57]
Chelsea Charles
That's not an option. That's not an option.
- [33:59]
Teffy
It's culty. It's culty. It's culty.
- [34:01]
Chelsea Charles
Okay. For lying to another country because that's the only place you can get tour tickets.
- [34:07]
Teffy
Culty.
- [34:08]
Chelsea Charles
Why you think that's culty?
- [34:09]
Teffy
Because I did.
- [34:13]
Chelsea Charles
Can't be cringe. Okay. Beautiful feeling. Betrayed. When he dates someone that you do.
- [34:18]
Teffy
Not approve of, I think it's cringe. But I feel like we're so spoiled as a fandom and cult that that's what we're complaining about when people have had it much, much worse. Hello, Stan. For a day.
- [34:34]
Chelsea Charles
Try being a Kanye Stan. Try being a Nicki Minaj, Stan. Like it's hard out here for a pimp.
- [34:41]
Teffy
We are spoiled. Raw 10.
- [34:45]
Chelsea Charles
Defending him online like you're a part of his PR team. Are you in these people's comments, Teffy?
- [34:52]
Teffy
No, not in that way, no.
- [34:54]
Chelsea Charles
Okay. Okay.
- [34:55]
Teffy
Cause you don't know if somebody's undermedicated, over medicated. If they're not medicated, they should be medicated. It's just like. Like I'M gonna let you figure it out. What I do is I just block them. So maybe that's one. Okay with me.
- [35:06]
Chelsea Charles
Okay. No, that's real. That's real. You need to protect your piece. That's real. Treating his fashion choices like political statements.
- [35:14]
Teffy
Cringe. Let the men wear a board. Short. Whatever. Please.
- [35:18]
Chelsea Charles
This one is just so oddly specific. Crying at a Bad Bunny concert.
- [35:23]
Teffy
Culty. Culty and cute. Yeah.
- [35:26]
Chelsea Charles
Okay, okay, okay.
- [35:27]
Teffy
But to be fair, I can't watch, like, a fucking Disney commercial with a little girl on her dad's arms without sobbing. That's just me, you know?
- [35:35]
Chelsea Charles
No, I'm a crier, too. I understand. I took eight years of Spanish. Oh, there you go.
- [35:40]
Teffy
So you know what he's saying?
- [35:41]
Chelsea Charles
No, I don't. All I know is, hola, como estas?
- [35:45]
Teffy
Period.
- [35:46]
Chelsea Charles
But the feeling I get being surrounded by people who resonate it is, oh, my God. I can't describe that feeling. And so I cry because I'm having this feeling through osmosis.
- [36:01]
Teffy
Because we're good people.
- [36:02]
Chelsea Charles
Exactly. And then my final one is believing that Bad Bunny represents something much bigger than just music.
- [36:11]
Teffy
It's not culty. It's not cringe. It's correct.
- [36:13]
Chelsea Charles
Ooh, she ate that one little thing. She ate that. Okay, I want to get into our verse.
- [36:20]
Teffy
Okay.
- [36:20]
Chelsea Charles
Sounds like a cult. We always have a verdict after doing our cult analysis. And these are the three categories. Live your life, watch your back, or a get the fuck out. In your expert opinion, what do you think the cult of Bad Bunny falls into?
- [36:41]
Teffy
I just think they're just too much of Latin moms to be like, it's, watch your back, but we have your back. Back. It's, watch your back, but we have your back. It's kind of like Charlie's Angels when they're like, back to back, and they're like. But also they're like, did you shower three times today? Did you use a rag? Did you brush your teeth?
- [36:59]
Amanda Montell
Three times.
- [37:00]
Chelsea Charles
A rag is so.
- [37:03]
Teffy
Yes. Did you do behind your ears? It's like, live your life. Live your life the way that we want you to. And watch your back. We have your back. Do you have our back? But I don't think it'll ever be. Get the fuck out. Ever. Ever.
- [37:14]
Chelsea Charles
No, it will never. It will never teeter there. Okay. All right. That's beautiful. Well, I just want to say thank you so much for joining us. If our culties want to follow you and catch up with you. What are your platforms? Can you plug where you are online.
- [37:30]
Teffy
In this ether elloteffy I have a podcast called Teffy Talks with Vox and I have an advice column with the Cut magazine so you can find me there. I'll be hanging out there on that side side of the Internet.
- [37:44]
Chelsea Charles
Oh I love that. I love that. Well Culties, thanks so much for listening. Join us for a new episode next week and in the meantime, stay culty, but not too culty.
- [38:02]
Amanda Montell
Sounds Like a Cult was created by Amanda Montel and edited by Jordan Moore of the PodCappen. This episode was hosted and produced by Chelsea Charles. Our managing producer is Katie Epperson. Our theme music is by Casey Cole. If you enjoyed the show, we'd really appreciate it if you could leave it 5 stars on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It really helps the show a lot. And if you like this podcast, feel free to check out my book Cultish the Language of Fanaticism, which inspired the show. You might also enjoy my other books, the Age of Magical Notes on Modern Irrationality and Word A Feminist Guide to Teach Taking Back the English Language. Thanks as well to our network studio 71 and be sure to follow the Sounds Like a Cult cult on Instagram for all the discourse at Sounds Like a Cult Pod. Or support us on Patreon to listen to the show ad free at patreon.com soundslikeacult. Weight Watchers now offers access to affordable GLP1s. It works for members like I'm Haley.
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Chelsea Charles
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Teffy
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Teffy
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