Shout Out to My Ex: The State of the Breakup

“This episode of our breakup podcast dives deep into ‘Situationships’ - what are they, why are they everywhere, and how do we deal with a break-up when it was never an ‘official’ relationship?” -Lucy Blakiston, co-host of Culture Vulture podcast

LB: This piece - “Thank u, next: Why Are You So Grateful For Your Ex?” was written by London Laura, a character in the SYSCA universe - and I ADORE IT. I love the idea of looking at your past relationships with love and admiration, rather than the common (and valid) feelings of regret and anger, and that’s what this piece does. It also makes you think - why are you grateful for YOUR ex?

LB: One of our contributors, Bel, actually recommended this to me during the research phase of our break-up podcast and woooosh - what a read! Without spoiling it, ‘Cat Person’ tells the story of a 20-year-old student who briefly dates a totally unreadable older man. It’s a story that is uncomfortably relatable, and it may or may not include cats. The messiness of this story is what makes it pierce you through the chest because unfortunately - you might see yourself reflected in multiple parts of the story. Good luck!

LB: This is a poem by my FAVOURITE author/ poet/ person of all time, Annabel Hawkins. ‘Heartbreak’ looks at the mundane parts of heartbreak, which are as important as those soul-crushing and gut-wrenching feelings. Just listen to this: “Feeling four out of ten. Getting out the bolt cutters.”

LB: In this podcast episode we discuss all things REVENGE. Why we feel it, what we should do INSTEAD of seeking revenge, and your revenge stories. From leaving polaroids around their ex’s house, to pretending that they’re getting back together and then literally moving countries - we talk about it all. We also offer up some tangible tips to curb that need to ‘get even’ and how to spot when it crosses the line from ‘harmless’ to ‘harmful.’

LB: This is one of the weirdest and most…beautiful things I’ve seen in regards to breakups. Krystal & Steven meet up three years after they broke up and sit across from each other to talk about the love they once shared, what broke them up, and how they dealt with the breakup. Super vulnerable, super refreshing.

LB: ”A couple of years ago, I started talking with someone I’d known back in high school. They were very lovely from the start, a military person who was VERY attractive, but they were now a few hours away and only visited twice while we were talking. Even within the six months while we were talking, they would start saying that I should move in or get married one day. Turned out, he was talking to my best friend and saying the same stuff to her the whole time. We only found out after the fact when they ghosted us both.”

This podcast episode goes into all things to do with online break-ups. With the rise of the internet, a global pandemic, and access to everyone, everywhere, all at once, how do we reconcile a break-up with someone we may not have ever physically met, but still felt deeply for?

LB: Celebrities - they’re just like us! Except their business is plastered all over the news, and apparently, collated in an article by The Cut for us all to gawk at. This piece looks at the ‘return of the messy divorce’ and how in 2023 we’re all kinda over the bullshit ‘conscious uncoupling’ narrative. We’ve been around long enough to know that the joint statement you released on your Instagram story about how you ‘still love each other’ is purely a PR move, and we want to see the messiness of real life reflected back to us, thanks!

LB: “After a divorce, soothing platitudes are plentiful. But when a situationship ends, there’s less support to be had no matter how devastated you might feel.” This piece is basically exactly what we talked about in our Situationship podcast, but in written form. Disenfranchised grief is a term that I hadn’t actually heard before reading this, but it refers to the grief you feel from a breakup that…wasn’t technically a breakup. But, we know that feelings don’t give a sh*t about technicalities so this was a nice way for our feelings to be validated.

LB: “The collection began in 2004, when Dražen Grubišić, a prolific visual artist, and Olinka Vištica, an arts producer, broke up. Afterward, Grubišić found himself trapped by an object that still held emotional value: a toy bunny that he and Vištica had each left with the other while traveling abroad. How would they deal with the bunny post-breakup?” Sorry but how have I reached the ripe age of 25 years old and never once been told about (or visited) the Museum of Broken Relationships??? Have you heard of it?? If not, let me tell you what you can expect. “Watches, stiletto shoes, espresso machines, self-empowering books, wedding gowns, angry dolls, axes, and breast implants” are all things that have been donated to this museum, because they left a scar on the hearts of the people who donated them.