The Cult of Pantone (the Color Conspiracy)
Sounds Like A Cult
03/31/26
•61m
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What does it mean for a color to be official? This week, Amanda is joined by lexicographer and writer Kory Stamper (@harmless_drudge) to dive into the oddly powerful world of Pantone, the company that turned color into a global authority system complete with sacred swatches, cryptic numbers, and an annual prophecy known as Color of the Year. They unpack how Pantone became the high priest of hue, shaping everything from fashion runways to corporate branding. Why does the word cognac feel more chic than brown? And how did a company convince the world that a very specific white or millennial pink can define an entire cultural moment? Is Pantone simply helping us speak the same visual language... or are we all just obedient followers of the color industrial complex? Either way, pass the swatch book.
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Previous Episode
The Cult of OneTaste, Creepy Church of Orgasms
March 24
•60m
This week, Amanda and Chelsea dive into the cult of OneTaste, the controversial wellness company that built an empire around “orgasmic meditation.” To help break this one down, they’re joined by journalist Ellen Huet (@ehuet), whose reporting pulled back the curtain on the organization’s rise from buzzy Silicon Valley sex startup to full blown scandal that involved allegations of coercion, manipulation, and high control group dynamics. They unpack how OneTaste marketed intimacy as enlightenment and why so many got pulled into its orgasmic orbit. Is this a groundbreaking sexual wellness movement... or a textbook case of culty self help?
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Next Episode
The Cult of Kidfluencers
April 7
•57m
Welcome to the internet, where a kid can lead a cult. From Ryan’s Toys to Piper Rockelle, the world of child influencers is vast, brain-rotted and constantly changing. This week on Sounds Like a Cult, Amanda, Iman, and Reese have journalist and author of the book Like, Follow, Subscribe, Fortesa Latifi (@hifortesa) back on the show to get a look behind the curtain at the workings of the kidfluencer ecosystem. We reminisce on the kid and teen influencers of yore (hello Tana), discuss the parents at the helm of family vlogging operations, and unpack just how much we hope the kids will be alright.
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Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia.
Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE at The Bell House in New York on April 21st! Tickets at amandamontell.com/events
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