The Female Invest Summer Culture Guide 2025 - Part 1

Dear members,

As self-proclaimed pop culture addicts, we on the Female Invest team are always searching for the next great documentary, podcast, article, or series to dive into.

So in the spirit of avoiding decision paralysis - and as a public service to our dear members - co-founder Camilla and Head of Content Maiken have compiled a refined summer syllabus: the greatest pieces of culture we’ve consumed lately, and the ones we wholeheartedly think you should too.

It’s what we’d text our closest friend when they say, “I want something good, what should I read/watch/listen to this summer?”

It’s a list designed for long journeys, late nights, and the soft mental space that summer uniquely provides.

We hope you enjoy these bits and bops as much as we do.

Let’s get started…

Camilla recommends: Apolonia, Apolonia

First up is the film Apolonia, Apolonia.

I don’t remember ever being as mesmerised by a documentary. The moment it ended, I grabbed my husband and made him watch it with me all over again… immediately. To say I was spellbound would be an understatement.

Apolonia, Apolonia is an extraordinary documentary. It’s raw, intimate, and breathtakingly honest. Shot over 13 years, it follows French-Danish artist Apolonia Sokol, whose life unfolds on screen.

It all began when filmmaker Lea Glob, then a student at the Danish Film School, was assigned to make a portrait of someone. By chance, she found Apolonia, who was born in an underground theatre in Paris and raised among poets, actors, and artists in a wild bohemian collective.

She filmed her once… and never really stopped.

Apolonia is magnetic.

Her piercing green eyes, black hair, and fearless gaze grab you from the first frame.

We watch as she’s accepted into the prestigious Beaux-Arts de Paris and later moves through New York, Rome, Copenhagen, and Los Angeles - chasing success, battling rejection, and constantly questioning her worth as both artist and woman.

At one point, a professor tells her that her personality is more interesting than her art. It doesn’t shake her… because for Apolonia, they’re inseparable.

Some of the most haunting scenes unfold in LA, where Apolonia enters a sketchy “sponsorship” with art world power broker Stefan Simchowitz.

She works herself to the bone, producing ten enormous paintings a month… without even knowing if he’ll buy them in the end.

At this point, she’s the definition of a struggling artist: broke, exhausted, and barely able to afford food. The dynamic becomes a chilling metaphor for the patriarchy and power imbalances that still define much of the art world

But she fights her way out. Slowly, defiantly, she reclaims her voice - and her body - turning even her own naked form into protest and power. What begins as a coming-of-age story transforms into a feminist triumph.

Lea Glob, who occasionally weaves in her own life (and near-death), delivers something far greater than a biography.

This is a film about art, obsession, female friendship, capitalism, survival - and the cost of staying true to yourself.

It is, in the truest sense, a masterpiece.

Watch it. Let it undo you. Then watch it again.

(And yes - Apolonia speaks many languages, and the film moves fluidly between them. It’s available with subtitles and absolutely worth it.)

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Available on AppleTV

Maiken recommends: Adolescence

Adolescence is a four-part British miniseries and currently Netflix’s second most-watched English-language show…. for good reason.

At a time when gender dynamics feel more polarised than ever, Adolescence is essential viewing.

The story opens with the arrest of Jamie, a 13-year-old boy suspected of murdering a girl from his school.

But this isn’t your typical whodunnit. The real question isn’t who did it - it’s why.

And the answers are as unsettling as they are necessary.

What follows is a raw, claustrophobic portrait of broken systems, absent parents, and a generation of boys shaped by rejection, online cruelty, and deep loneliness.

Each episode unfolds in a single unbroken take, amplifying the tension to almost unbearable levels. I watched all four episodes in one sitting - I just couldn’t stop watching.

But the real power of Adolescence lies in its refusal to flinch. It stares directly at fragile masculinity, the silence of adults - parents, teachers, institutions - and the invisible forces warping young boys in the algorithmic dark.

This isn’t a show about a crime.

It’s about how loneliness, extremism, and cultural nihilism collide in a digital age. It’s about lonely masculinity  - and why understanding the manosphere is no longer optional.

I cannot recommend Adolescence enough.

Just watch it. Then send it to someone who needs to.

And if Adolescence stays with you (as it did with me), I’d recommend reading my Spotlight piece: Has Women’s Equality Gone Too Far?It explores how Gen Z boys are responding to modern feminism - and what we, as feminists, can do about it.

Available on Netflix

Camilla recommends: The Let Them Theory  by Mel Robbins

Here’s a great book to keep in your emotional toolkit, especially if you’ve been feeling drained by people-pleasing or over-explaining your choices.

In The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins makes a simple but powerful argument: when people doubt you, exclude you, or misunderstand you - let them.

Instead of wasting energy trying to manage others’ opinions, she invites you to focus on what really matters: your own clarity, peace, and direction.

It’s motivational, yes, but also surprisingly grounded and practical.

Robbins mixes vulnerable  personal stories with sharp insights and simple tools for breaking free from the exhausting trap of managing everyone else’s expectations. If you feel with any form of anxiety or stress, I think this book will be helpful.

It’s also a quick read - ideal as an easy and empowering holiday read.

And if you want more, Mel’s podcast is a brilliant companion: honest, energising, and full of real talk about growth, boundaries, and showing up for yourself.

I highly recommend both.

You can listen to the book in audio format or purchase it from most book stores.

Now, it’s your turn…

What are the shows, books or podcasts that have moved you lately?

Drop your recommendations in the comments -  and let’s build the ultimate watch/read/listen list together.