Women make fun of podcast bros dishing out random advice and it's hilariously on point

Two sisters, Caroline and Meg Baniewicz, recently went viral on Twitter with a video clip of them parodying alpha male finance podcasters and it's hilarious. In the clip, they pose as two podcast hosts and offer financial advice based on the language of male personal finance influencers. The genre, which often focuses on building personal wealth and tips for “gaming the system” with investments, has been accused of misogyny and elitism in the past. The sisters poke fun at the genre's rhetoric by mimicking it, joking that instead of thinking about what to eat at a restaurant, people should be thinking about how to buy the restaurant.

Caroline, who works in video production, said she got the idea for the parody from the “hustle culture” content she often sees on her social media feed. She found that most male personal finance influencers were out of touch with the financial reality and often ended up giving rather stupid advice. Her sister Meg, who works in finance, co-wrote the sketch with her, drawing on her own experience and the online discourse. The video resonated with many people having borne the rhetoric of male personal finance influencers online as well. Several Twitter users called it the “perfect summary for every finance bro podcast ever,” while others praised it as their “favorite genre.”

Finance influencers on social media have been facing a lot of criticism for offering advice that is at best subjective and at worst, dangerous. In 2022, eight personal finance influencers were charged with fraud after purposefully giving their followers investment advice for stocks they planned on dumping, thus generating over $100 million in profit. The Baniewicz sisters’ parody is part of a larger trend of people pushing back against the rhetoric of male personal finance influencers. Andrew Tate, one of the figureheads of the genre, has come under scrutiny for spewing hateful rhetoric about women and marginalized groups to a young male audience.

Caroline also made a satirical video about Andrew Tate’s antics in the past. She said that making fun of the rhetoric of male personal finance influencers was very comforting because it allows her to connect with others who feel the same way. “I'm laughing at them,” Caroline Baniewicz told BuzzFeed News. “And that’s probably the healthiest response. Like, this is so silly.”

The sisters said they wrote the sketch “in five minutes” drawing on the podcast videos they sent to each other ironically and from things they experienced in their lives. They said they have felt thankful for the response, particularly as it caught the attention of comedians like Nikki Glaser, who reshared it on her Instagram story. Her sketch further highlights the graft of 'podcaster bros' which is especially dangerous considering the volatility of the economy and the recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Meg said that she’s happy people are still able to make a joke out of the situation while many try to figure out the complicated landscape today. “It’s like everyone is lamenting together,” Caroline said.