To start the new season, in the forty-first episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson and CarrieLynn Reinhard are joined by unofficial third co-host Joe Belfeuil to discuss the star, screen, and political persona of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In this episode, the co-hosts review Schwarzenegger’s biography to understand where he came from and how hard he worked to develop his hard body, celebrity status, cultural capital and his political career. Their discussion considers how his career has commented on American masculinity — and even shaped the public discourse about what makes a man a man over the course of his forty plus years in popular culture. They wrap their conversation thinking about what should be a celebrity’s relationship with politics, comparing Schwarzenegger to Trump.

The end music comes from the main theme for Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris. And the primary clean-up editing was done by Jean-Michel Berthiaume.

As always, you are encouraged to become a part of this conversation by visiting any of the podcast’s social media sites. You can also talk with Christopher Olson on Twitter (@chrstphrolson) and at his academic blog seemsobvioustome.wordpress.com. And you can talk to CarrieLynn Reinhard on Twitter (@mediaoracle).