Latest / Mini Scroll / MINI SCROLL: Brianna Chickenfry x Grace O'Malley (again), Alex Cooper's Unwell University + Selena Gomez engaged

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MINI SCROLL: Brianna Chickenfry x Grace O'Malley (again), Alex Cooper's Unwell University + Selena Gomez engaged · Mini Scroll

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  Hi everyone, welcome to Mini Scroll, the daily Internet
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  culture podcast bringing you the biggest stories from social
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  media, the creator economy and the digital space.
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  Every Monday through Thursday. I'm your host Lauren Meisner,
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  the founder of the youth digital media brand Centennial World.
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  Welcome back to mini scroll, everyone.
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  Happy Thursday. Let's just get straight into the
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  stories for today. So the first story that I have
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  for you guys is that Brianna Chicken Fry has quote UN quote,
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  exposed her friendship with Grace O'Malley.
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  In a new episode of the BFFS podcast released today, Brianna
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  opened up about the reality or her reality of her friendship
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  with Grace. So I won't rehash everything
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  I've talked about this 100 different times on this podcast.
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  But after Grace posted that series of Instagrams claiming
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  that Brianna shared the news that their joint podcast plan
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  Brienne Cutt was basically not coming back.
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  So Brianna posted that on Instagram stories, Grace posted
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  a three-part series saying that she was blindsided by this, not
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  blindsided by the news that plan Bri wasn't coming back, but
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  blindsided that Brianna announced it without letting
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  them do like a joint announcement.
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  So now that Instagram series set off an entire, like, backlash
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  against Bri. So Bri has sat down on the BFFS
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  podcast to address it. OK, so it started with Brianna
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  going on about how she gave Grace so much.
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  She said she moved to New York City with her.
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  She let her third wheel her relationships.
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  She basically implied that she like, handed her a career by
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  like, advocating for Grace to join her podcast, kind of like
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  giving her that platform. She then talked about how her
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  relationship with Grace changed when she started dating Zach
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  Bryan. She implied that Grace was
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  unable throughout that relationship to separate her
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  friendship with Brianna from her hatred for Zach Bryan.
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  And Bri said she was a bad friend in, you know, their
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  relationship when she was dating Zach because she was, like,
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  wrapped up in something so toxic.
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  And she thought that she and Grace at one point this year had
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  kind of hashed it all out. But then Grace like never
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  supported her, her she felt like she never supported her.
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  So she was like, there was this huge rift in our friendship
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  because of Zach. But she also kept saying that
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  these were two separate issues. Like she kept trying to I think
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  insinuate that Grace and Brianna having their issues was not
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  directly related to Zach, but there were issues in their
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  friendship because of Zach as well.
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  She also said she decided to end the podcast and the friendship
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  with Grace. So she said it was her decision
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  to do these things. She said she was tired of plan
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  just being an outlet for the Internet to bully her and she
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  was tired of Grace never standing up for her on social
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  media, given Grace knew everything that she was going
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  through this past year. And then she said that the
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  reason why Grace wouldn't stand up for her on social media was
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  that it made Grace look better to the audience and that helped
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  Grace's comedy career. She also talked about how the
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  audience pit them against each other, Which I do.
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  I do see that. I think next to Brianna, Grace
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  looked really, really good. And I'm not saying that Grace is
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  not a good person, but I'm just saying I think it was easy for
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  audiences to look at the duo and be like, oh, Grace is the good
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  one and Brianna is the mean one or whatever.
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  The one that we don't like. And there's good reason for why
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  people don't like Brianna. Chicken fry.
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  Like, absolutely. But I do think that
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  juxtaposition of the two of them together, it almost put Grace on
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  this pedestal for the audience. Friendships go through riffs and
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  breakups and stuff like this, like this.
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  This happens every single day. And.
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  Grace's, Grace's and I relationship like while I was
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  dating Zach like that these are two separate conversations.
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  Like I would go to her and be like, but I feel like because
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  you hate Zach so much, like you're you're forgetting to
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  separate that I'm your best friend.
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  Like you can like it's going to make me cry like.
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  You can hate him, but you can still like, be there for me.
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  And she never was. And and she like watched the
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  Internet, like just harp onto it for a fucking year.
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  And like I would this this started in May.
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  Like I went to her in May and I was like Grace, like, you know,
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  everything that I'm going through and you like thank you.
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  And you still like refuse to defend me online because it like
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  helps build you up. They talked about how none of
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  them at Barstool were aware that Grace was going to put out that
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  statement. And they did give her the
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  opportunity to speak on the podcast as well and tell her
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  side of the story. But I guess, I guess she
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  declined, at least for now. All right, so there was not a
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  lot of accountability being taken in this podcast episode.
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  At one point, Dave and Josh were trying to explain to Brianna,
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  both of you guys are hurt. Like Grace has done these things
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  because she's hurt and Brianna's like, but I'm hurt too.
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  It's like, yes. That is actually usually how it
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  works in any type of friendship relationship breakdown.
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  It's typically not just like one solo person feeling the weight
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  of another person's actions without any type of like,
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  retaliation, obligation or reason, right?
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  So yes, like, both parties can be hurt.
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  I'm going to say it sounds like both women feel like the other
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  one was really, really selfish and taking their friendship for
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  granted. That's kind of how it sounds to
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  me. It sounds like Brianna was
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  saying I went through this really horrible year.
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  She knew what I was going through and she was not willing
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  to support me. Like she was too selfish in
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  furthering her career to support me publicly on social media,
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  tell people to stop coming after me.
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  And from what Brianna said to it sounds like Grace felt like
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  Brianna was being selfish in choosing her relationship.
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  Like feeling like she ditched Grace when she got into this
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  relationship. Brianna also mentioned a time
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  when things went really bad with Zach and Grace.
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  I'm assuming it's that campfire story.
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  You know, she said there was like that bonfire, that they had
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  it with friends and then Zach was screaming at one of her
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  friends that she should get like her own life or career.
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  Sorry, I just had a coughing fit.
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  I'm not crying if it looks like I'm crying on camera.
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  So Grace, you know, everyone assumed it was Grace based on
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  the things that she said Zach had said to this person.
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  So anyways, I'm sure that Grace felt like Brianna was selfish
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  and choosing Zach and staying with Zach after he allegedly
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  berated one of her best friends like that, all of these things.
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  But Brianna made it clear, she made it pretty clear at the end
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  that she does not think there is a path forward for her and
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  Grace, which is really sad because they have been best
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  friends for so, so long. OK so the comment section is
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  like a disaster of people just like going after Brianna.
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  So Dave jumped into the comments section.
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  He wrote a pinned comment. He said this is Dave.
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  This pile on Bri here is insane. Nobody wanted to discuss this.
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  Bri originally said she wouldn't but she was getting so much hate
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  we had to. It's all anybody was asking
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  about. Facts are the only reason Bri
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  had to discuss this is because Grace posted that story online.
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  We were all past the drama until that post.
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  You may not like her explanation but she had no choice but to
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  tell her side. And yes, I offered Grace the the
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  chance to sit down and do the exact same thing with Josh and I
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  and Josh and I would try to be as impartial as possible like we
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  were with Bray. I think regardless, it's very
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  clear that both of these women need a big step back from each
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  other. I think they both have very
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  clear like a hurt feelings. Things got really toxic for them
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  this past year. They both need to focus on their
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  own stuff and hopefully one day they can come back together
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  because they've, you know, been friends for so long.
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  But honestly, sometimes it is true.
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  Like sometimes you stay in friendships or relationships
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  because it's like a sunken cost fallacy.
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  And sometimes it is better to just cut people off, even if you
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  have, you know, a ton of history with them.
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  OK, the next story that I have for you guys, Alex Cooper has
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  launched something called Unwell University.
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  OK, so this is like half baked news and you'll see why in a
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  second. But basically we all know that
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  in 2023, Alex launched her media brand, the Unwell Network.
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  So she has podcast casts, merch. A couple weeks ago she launched
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  a hydration drink also called Unwell.
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  So she's building herself a little empire right now on
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  TikTok and Reddit, users have been talking about something
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  called Unwell University. Not a ton is known about it yet,
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  which is why this is kind of half baked.
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  But here is what I could find. Amanda Brown for her college
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  campus.com in an article written yesterday said quote.
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  Apparently Unwell University is a college content creator
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  program that is aimed to showcase the stories of college
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  because any college girl knows that there are a lot and to
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  create a community. According to Unwell University
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  member Lila Ambrose Fleck, there are currently 40 creators who
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  are members of the program who are set to make content
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  throughout the month for Unwell. Many of the 40 creators of
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  Unwell University have taken to TikTok to talk about the Unwell
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  University program, highlight their college experiences,
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  upload content and introduce themselves.
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  So the program apparently launched in November and the
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  content so far is college students posting like get ready
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  with me is day in the lifes going out story times about like
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  messy partying and dating experiences and party
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  compilations, things like that. So I absolutely get the concept.
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  I think it aligns well with Alex Cooper's brand.
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  I do think it's an interesting concept.
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  I think it's a cool like fresh take on like the college
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  ambassadorship. But of course there are
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  criticisms. So so far the criticism against
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  this venture is that this content that the college
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  ambassadors or college like content creators are encouraged
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  to post, possibly even being asked to post, really glorifies
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  that kind of fast and loose college party girl lifestyle.
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  Like asking very young people, especially in the US, some of
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  them might not even be 21 yet, to talk about their experiences,
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  like blacking out and going on dates and hooking up with guys
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  and stuff. For the opportunity to be part
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  of something with Alex Cooper, that content could follow them
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  forever. Those story times could follow
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  them forever. And it's also an opportunity
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  because of Alexis Clout that would be so hard to turn down
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  for anyone, one Reddit user wrote.
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  One thing that does make me uncomfortable though, is sexual
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  assault is still prevalent and glamorizing this behavior
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  without discussing the risks involved, especially in college,
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  is like sending lambs to slaughter.
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  And in response, another user wrote that's why it's a big deal
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  slash not good for women who have money and are older to
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  encourage blacking out and unprotected sex to vulnerable
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  young women who are unlikely to go to their parents, etcetera
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  with questions. OK, so like the reception has
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  been very mixed. Like there is this criticism,
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  but then there's also tons of people who are like when I was
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  in college, all of these like party girl blogs were super
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  popular. Like Girls Gone Wild, Like that
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  was all centered around college girls.
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  And I completely get it. But I also think we can't look
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  at like the 2000s and the 20 tens and be like, well, back
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  then that was OK. So like, this is just the new
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  iteration of that because we all look back on those decades and
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  see how people and the media used to speak about women and
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  sexual assault and body positivity and even the words we
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  used to use back then, like we have progressed.
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  So I don't think that's necessarily like a strong
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  argument. I do think that Alex has a
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  responsibility. Like she's 30 now.
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  She is past that stage of her life.
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  She is incredibly successful. And I think any of us who had
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  that lifestyle at university or college can look back years
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  later and be like, those were the best years ever.
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  I had so much fun. But with some distance, I can
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  see all the times that I almost died or all the times where I
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  was almost in an incredibly dangerous situation if it were
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  not for some random stroke of luck.
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  And I think if I was going to have a giant platform of mostly
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  college aged women, like those are the things that I would want
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  to let them know. Like I had the craziest time at
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  university. I literally was so feral.
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  I was such a party girl. I loved that shit so much.
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  I had the best time. I would encourage women to have
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  fun and party and like just make all those friends and just like
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  have the best four years of your life.
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  And I'm from Canada, so I know it's a little bit different.
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  Like being in Australia now, I know that the university slash
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  college experience is quite different here than it is in
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  North America. But, you know, I had that like
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  very standard North American, like go away for uni and just
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  like live, you know, with my friends for four years and just
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  go nuts. Like, I get it.
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  I want everyone to have that experience because it is the
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  best. But there are so many risks
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  involved. And like being older, having
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  that distance, having my, you know, brain fully developed, I
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  look back and I'm like, OK, if I was going to have a big platform
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  of young women, I would be very considered about how I spoke
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  about that period of time. I think that is one of the
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  biggest issues that people have with Alex Cooper is she
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  positions herself as this big sister to all of these young
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  women, but she glorifies these things that can be so, so
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  dangerous and harmful to them. And like, I do think she can
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  give good advice and I do think she has those elements to her,
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  absolutely. But I think she is still kind of
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  stuck because this is like what she got famous for and This is
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  why she blew up. She's kind of stuck in, like,
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  those younger years. And I don't think she's quite
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  ready to go into the next stage of like, OK, what can we, like,
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  take away from this? And how can I properly, like,
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  educate young women who are listening to me on these topics?
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  How can I help equip them better for their experiences at
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  college? Because everybody deserves to go
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  to college and party and drink with their friends and have the
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  best time ever. But there are of course, tons of
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  really scary, dangerous bad things that can happen in those
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  environments as well. So how do you equip young women
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  who, like this Reddit user said, might not be comfortable talking
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  about these things with their parents or somebody in their
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  life? But I think the concept of
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  Unwell University and having this network of content creators
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  who are making like vlog content about their experience and stuff
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  like, I think that is a really cool idea.
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  And like I said, we don't know too much about it.
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  So to be honest, like what I'm saying here and the way that
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  people perceiving on well, university and the content
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  that's coming out like that might not actually be accurate.
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  So maybe watch this space. If there's any update, I will
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  definitely give it to you guys because maybe maybe I am not
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  being fair, maybe I don't have all of the information on
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  exactly, you know, what these ambassadors or these college
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  content creators are to be creating.
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  OK. And the last right that I have
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  for you guys, this happened literally 5 minutes before I sat
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  down to record Selena Gomez is engaged to Benny Blanco.
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  So we have very limited details, like I said, because it
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  literally just happened. But she announced on Instagram
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  today that they got engaged. The couple have been linked
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  since June 2023, and it looked like they got engaged from home
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  based on the photos. The ring is beautiful.
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  I have no idea what type of cut, how to explain it, but it's like
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  pointy on either end, an Oval in the middle.
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  Is that a diamond? I don't know.
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  It's beautiful. Of course, it's giant.
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  And I mean, she is in her like unbothered happy era.
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  And I'm so, so glad for her because I think there was a time
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  around the beginning of last year and even maybe like the end
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  of like 2022 where I think she was kind of going through it.
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  Like her documentary had come out.
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  And that was actually not as well received I think as she
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  might have hoped. She was being a little bit like
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  messy on TikTok and like a little bit shady in the comments
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  and stuff. And people were just being like,
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  Selena, please take a step back. And I think she did.
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  She started dating Benny. And regardless of how you feel
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  about him, I do think she seems at peace and happy now, which is
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  so sweet. All right, guys, that's it for
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  Mini Scroll today. Thank you so much for listening.
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  Please remember to rate, review and subscribe.
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  We are trying to reach 500 star ratings on Spotify by the end of
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  the year. We are getting there.
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  I think we're like 50 off. I love you guys and I will talk
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  to you. Oh well, there will be a deep
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  dive tomorrow as always and then I'll talk to you on Monday for
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  our last mini scroll week of the year 2024.
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  OK, I love you guys. Bye.