Shows
THEE MOMENTS with Jermaine CallandoThee Pamela Zabala MomentHiiiiii To all of my PEEPS, you guys and gals and theys and thems and everyone in between, I am Jermaine A. Callando it Time to have Thee Moment!!! Let's discuss things with thee Moment Pamela Zabala, thee lady that is doing it all, from being a Rising Scholar, to telling jokes, and being an awesome friend to be around. She has a widen prospect to life, a future DR, a future writer in a show or movie, and endlessly THEE MOMENT. I love that we get to have Thee moment with one another... Happy that you get to...2022-11-181h 05
Social DeconstructionWe demand pockets! On Natural Hair, Clothing and Dress Codes, and the Policing of AppearanceWelcome to episode 13! This is the season finale of Social Deconstruction with Pamela Zabala, but fear not! It’s not the end. I’m taking a few months off to travel and focus on my academic work. I’ll be back with the next slate of fabulous interviewees before you know it.
In this solo episode, I talk about the podcast’s journey this season and thank all of the listeners and guests for making this little project a great success. I also talk about something that I’ve hinted at and touched upon in several episodes, which is h...2022-07-1331 min
Social DeconstructionPero like, y’all: Alex Ximil on food authenticity, Taco Bell’s bad rep, the bougie-fication of work clothes, and being Latino in the SouthIn this episode I talk to Alex Ximil, fellow Latino and upcoming Raleigh comedian about Taco Bell’s bad rep, the bougie-fication of work clothes, and being Latino in the South. Alex grew up in North Carolina and New York and describes himself as a city boy living the country life. While I was skeptical at first about his defense of Taco Bell, I think he made a decent case in the end, and it led to a great discussion about the constant search for authenticity in food cultures. We also had a really great conversation about what it’s li...2022-06-2851 min
Social DeconstructionDrink the tea and clap when the plane lands: Helen Wildy on growing up an immigrant, becoming a citizen, and the celebrities of BelfastCould you pass a U.S. citizenship test? In this episode I talk to comedian Helen Wildy, a very funny person who hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Helen and I share a number of similarities (we’re basically Mary Kate and Ashley) but the biggest similarity we share is that we are both immigrants to the U.S. This episode we break down what that has looked like for us and what it was like growing up as a part of two cultures. One similarity we share (they just keep adding up) is that both my and Helen’s fa...2022-06-071h 11
Social DeconstructionLiving in Precedented Times: On Milestones, Racial Violence, and Juneteenth Ice CreamSocial Deconstruction is officially ten episodes old!!! Thanks so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed so far. In the opening of this episode, I share exciting updates to the podcast and highlight areas of growth over the last ten episodes. This includes, but is not limited to new cover art and the fact that we are now a global podcast!
The rest of this episode is dedicated to understanding the white supremacist logic behind the May 14, 2022 racist shooting in Buffalo, New York that claimed the lives of ten Black people and injured another three. The...2022-05-2428 min
Social DeconstructionThe Aesthetics of Wellness: Christine Byrne on Wellness, Diet Culture, and the Pervasiveness of Health InfluencersIn this episode I talk to journalist and anti-diet dietitian Christine Byrne. We sat down to talk about and try to define “wellness,” which we determined is a very broad concept that isn’t always defined well. Christine shares how she thinks about wellness in her work and we unpack some of the harmful messages that health influencers share on TikTok and other social media platforms. We also talk about our society’s obsession with measuring and tracking steps, calories, size, etc., and how these practices can be detrimental.
About the Guest
Christine Byrne, MPH, RD, LDN, i...2022-05-1054 min
Social DeconstructionSwitching it Up: Ashley Preston on Code-Switching, Self-Presentation, and Being Everyone’s AuntieIn this episode I talk to radio personality, comedian, and self-proclaimed auntie to everyone, Ashley Preston. In addition to being my plug for hard candy, Ashley and I often joke about our “white lady voices” and how that makes us “safe” Black women. In this episode, we unpack what that means and what that’s looked like for us growing up, in our professional lives, and in our creative endeavors. This was a really fun conversation and it addresses an issue that many people of color likely face at some point in their lives. This interview is also a little (re...2022-04-261h 20
Social DeconstructionNo place Like Home: Dr. Javier Wallace on Home, Identity, and Basketball TraffickingIn this episode I talk to Dr. Javier Wallace, a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University. We talk about the idea of home, and what it means to each of us as we work through where we consider ourselves to be “at home.” We also talk about the connections between ideas of home and identity, as well as the struggles that come with having ties to multiple places. Lastly, we talk about sports and Javier’s research on basketball trafficking, which stems from his dissertation, Sueños del Norte: Black Panamanian Hoop Dr...2022-04-121h 04
Social DeconstructionThe Wonders of Adulthood: Jenna Hall on growing up, milestones, spinsterhood, and hamIn this episode I talk to Raleigh-based comedian Jenna Hall about the scary and often confusing topic of growing up, or, as my fellow millennials put it, “adulting.” This is the first episode of Social Deconstruction where I interview another comedian, so you’ll notice the tone of this episode is a little different in the best way. It was such a fun conversation. We talk about what it means to be an adult, important milestones to adulthood, how we’ve experienced getting older, and the distinction between labeling things as adult vs. grown up vs. mature. We also talk a l...2022-03-291h 00
Social DeconstructionThe robots are listening! Golden Owens on virtual assistants, domestic labor, and the realities of reality TVIn this episode, I talk to Golden Owens, a PhD Candidate in the Screen Cultures program at Northwestern (full bio below). Golden studies the connections between virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri and the legacy of Black women’s labor. We then discuss whether these devices are eventually going to gain consciousness and wreak havoc on society and touch on the topic of representation and when it is and isn’t done well, especially thinking about it through the lens of reality TV, which we decided blurs the line between characters and people. Golden also tells us which reality TV s...2022-03-1552 min
Social DeconstructionA little extra? That's just my personality! Meghan on body positivity and creating communityIn this episode I am joined by Meghan De Maria. Meghan is a writer, editor, and the founder of PlusRaleigh, an Instagram page that aims to connect plus-size people in the Raleigh area for friendship and support. We talk about Meghan’s vision for Plus Raleigh, the body positivity movements, dating apps, TikTok, and body positive representation in television and movies.
About the Guest
Meghan de Maria is an editor and writer. She’s written for publications like Mashed and Glamour. She’s also the founder of PlusRaleigh, a space that aims to connect plus-size people...2022-03-0140 min
Social DeconstructionIt's not a Pie! Parker Lemal-Brown on Representation in HollywoodIn this episode I talk to my friend Parker about representation in Hollywood and how diverse experiences show up on the large and small screen. Parker is a writer and script consultant who is currently working as a showrunner's assistant on the Netflix hit show Bridgerton. (This episode does not contain Bridgerton spoilers!) We talk about what representation means and looks like, the first time we each felt represented in something that we saw on television or in a movie, and about how Parker, as a writer, thinks about representation in his own work.
Find Social Deconstruction...2022-02-2254 min
Social DeconstructionGotta Represent! On representation, being the first, the Olympics, and inclusion in the mediaIn this episode I talk about representation. What is it? Where do we see it? Where do we not see it? I discuss what it means to be the first or the only one in a room and share some of my own experiences. I also go on a few tangents about, among other things, boat shoes, the Olympics, and divorce.
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2022-02-2231 min
Social DeconstructionWhat even is an introduction?Welcome to Social Deconstruction! In this episode I introduce myself and the podcast and dive right into the first topic for thought: what even is an introduction? In this episode, I’ll be both introducing the podcast and talking about what introductions actually are. See what I did there? I’m introducing the podcast and talking about… yeah, you get it.
So my thinking behind this first episode is that I could give you a glimpse of what it looks like to explore the meaning behind something that we don’t usually think about. In this case, that thi...2022-02-2219 min
Social DeconstructionSocial Deconstruction - The TrailerAn introduction to the Social Deconstruction with Pamela Zabala podcast. Social Deconstruction is a biweekly podcast that breaks down the social meaning behind common ideas and delivers insight, commentary, and humorous takes on important topical issues.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @socialdeconpod and on Instagram @socialdeconstructionpodcast. 2022-01-2500 min