What Women Are Talking About
Diddy's trial, cosmetic surgery spon-con, the great tampon debate, Justin Bieber, bad texters, Blake Lively, Taylor's subpoena, men v. gorillas, and... minge on a tree. 🌸 🌳
Welcome to What Women Are Talking About – your weekly curation of news and pop culture from Australia’s #1 women’s podcast, Mamamia Out Loud. We’re all over the internet so you don’t have to be.
Let’s unpack together…
Diddy Debrief #1: How to avoid the grim headlines.
The trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs kicked off in New York this week, and the allegations are as dire as they are headline-grabbing.
It’s going to be a long haul (up to two months apparently) so to keep on top of what’s happening without feeling as if you’ve stepped in something putrid, we’ll do the hard work for you. The first Diddy Debrief? Catch up below.
Here’s everything you need to know so far:
Diddy is facing charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting people for prostitution. The court is bracing for testimonies and the possible naming of other celebrities allegedly involved in the 55-year-old rapper and producer’s infamous ‘freak offs’.
The jury has been selected, but not without a few hiccups. With names including Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West in the mix, a handful of jurors were discharged based on feelings of bias against various individuals.
Day one of the trial saw disturbing claims about Diddy’s treatment of ex Cassie Ventura, including threats to release explicit images and allegations of coercion.
If convicted, Diddy could face a life sentence.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors unsealed additional evidence, including financial records and testimony from alleged victims, further implicating Combs in a wider trafficking network. The trial continues, with more high-profile witnesses expected to take the stand next week.
An examination of ‘bad texters’.
It’s the modern paradox: everyone wants less screen time, but nobody wants to be ignored. Caroline O’Donoghue, author and host of the ‘Sentimental Garbage’ podcast, recently put words to the collective anxiety of being a “bad texter.” In her newsletter, she confessed that she hates her phone, hates texting, but hates the idea of hurting her friends’ feelings even more. The guilt spiral is real.
Here’s the kicker: we all say we want to unplug, but the second we’re left on read, it feels like social exile. Not replying? Morally neutral. Not getting a reply? Existential crisis. There’s a universal panic when the group chat goes quiet after your message, or when you’ve left your mum’s “just checking in” hanging for 48 hours. And yet, we’re all secretly hoping for a digital detox.
It’s a cycle of “I’m overwhelmed, but also, please don’t forget about me.” The group chat pressure is real, and the FOMO is relentless. So, are we all bad texters now… or just desperate for a break from our own notifications?
READ MORE about digital burnout here.
The most 2025 ethical dilemma yet.
Vibe check: Is it dodgy for celebs to promote cosmetic surgery for their own financial gain?
First up, Salma Hayek. The actor is now the face (and neck) of what’s billed as a noninvasive skin-tightening treatment. In an interview with The Cut, Salma admitted she felt that she was “starting to look like a turkey” but didn’t want surgery. Now she’s an ambassador of an ultrasound-powered collagen and the line between ‘personal journey’ and ‘sponsored transformation’ is blurrier than ever.
Then there’s Meghan Trainor.
The American singer posted a sponsored Instagram ad for her breast augmentation and lift, sandwiched between posts for laundry detergent and Elf Cosmetics. Just weeks after surgery, she’s fully healed, smiling, and encouraging her 18.3 million followers to book in with a board-certified plastic surgeon.
Got big feelings on this? Of course you do! Tell us in the comments below.
🎧 And if you want to hear what we thought, listen to our full conversation ⬇️
What’s up with Justin Bieber?
“I’ve done things that have hurt others.”
“I sometimes worry I’m going to be exposed if I tell people how selfish I am.”
“I’ve been really asking god to help me see the best in people.”
That’s Justin Bieber’s Instagram feed lately — a blend of existential angst, golf swings, and what appears to be an increasing reliance on substances that have fans genuinely concerned.
Of course, this isn’t the first time a celebrity has struggled in the public eye. But while Bieber has had a rocky 18-year career, the most recent events have triggered a whole new wave of concern. At Coachella last month, footage emerged of the disheveled star smoking while dancing erratically, as well as Instagram lives of him behaving strangely, to say the least.
But this isn’t just about a bad weekend at a music festival or some odd posts. While Bieber’s wife Hailey attempts to maintain a sense of normalcy by sharing glimpses of their family life, the contrast between her polished content and Justin’s increasingly erratic posts has only heightened concern.
The question now is whether we’re watching another child star’s cautionary tale unfold in real-time, or if this is simply the messy journey of a young man processing his complicated past in the unforgiving spotlight of social media.
🎧 We unpacked this on the show this week. Follow below to listen.
READ MORE: Justin Bieber just told us exactly what’s going on with him. It’s made the speculation worse.
The Great Tampon Debate
So, then. Men have a new hyperfixation.
100 men vs a gorilla. That’s the question men are talking about right now. Endlessly. You can thank their group chats for not letting this die: Could 100 men defeat a single adult male gorilla in hand-to-hand combat?
WATCH this explainer below to find out how to finish this debate with the men in your life.
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But our favourite response to this primate conundrum? Enter stage left, one Robert Irwin.
Do we get to read the Taylor Swift/Blake Lively texts? 👀
In Swiftie news this week, Taylor has been subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni’s legal team in the ongoing legal battle between the actor and his co-star, Blake Lively, over his alleged behaviour on the set of their movie It Ends With Us.
We have a few questions. Most notably… why? And what does that actually mean?
Taylor’s team released a statement which basically called the subpoena an action of “tabloid clickbait”. They claim that her only involvement with the movie was licensing her song ‘My Tears Ricochet’ which played in one scene and that “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie... she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.”
So, our next question… why? Why drag Taylor into this mess?
Well, it could be a strategic move by Justin’s legal team to expose text messages wherein Blake allegedly name-dropped Taylor to help negotiations for creative control of the project.
With the trial set for March 2026, there’s still plenty of time for more celebrity witnesses to be dragged into the courtroom with even Hugh Jackman being touted as another possible witness.
READ MORE:
Minge On A Tree. It’s a thing.
You read that right. Victoria Emes (comedian, ‘online mum mate’, fitness content creator) has some advice for us, and it seems to be taking tree-hugging to a whole new level.
