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Society & Culture
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Through an intersectional feminist perspective, hosts Anney and Samantha dive into science, history, and culture to make sense of the everyday and unpack the stories that brought us to where we are today. This podcast aims to better understand the challenges facing women and marginalized folks all over the world and highlights the tools we can use to tackle them head on.
The Baby Weight-Loss Race
Celebrities' post-childbirth weight loss has become a standard feature of tabloids. Cristen and Caroline examine our collective fixation on these new moms' bodies and how it skews non-celebrity perceptions on how women should expect to look after they're done expecting. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:1506/05/2015
Baby Bumps
In 2002, tabloid editor Bonnie Fuller coined the term "bump watch" that stoked our pop cultural obsession with celebrity pregnancies. Cristen and Caroline discuss why we care about famous people's uteruses and how the Hollywood bump watch influences non-celebrity pregnancies and female body image. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41:3404/05/2015
Dolores Huerta's Grassroots Legacy
Labor and Chicano civil rights activist Dolores Huerta made history organizing underpaid farmworkers and exposing the plight of the people who feed American families. Cristen and Caroline celebrate her grassroots passion that defied gender and cultural barriers and continues to inspire. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41:2329/04/2015
Farmer Janes
Being a farmer's wife used to be the pinnacle role for women in agriculture, but that's changing fast. As more women reclaim land and run farms, Cristen and Caroline highlight how they're becoming seen as the rising gatekeepers of sustainable food production. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
40:4827/04/2015
Divorced Women
Society has always been a little suspicious of the divorced woman: Is she a gold-digging threat or a pitiful, jilted wife? Most likely, she's neither. Cristen and Caroline wade through the stereotypes to uncover the reality of life as a divorcee. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
44:1822/04/2015
Trophy Wives
Do beautiful women marry for money? Cristen and Caroline unpack the gender- and race-loaded stereotype of the Trophy Wife and investigate whether she really exists. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
42:1620/04/2015
Can science fiction save the world?
Science fiction writers like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin have long used this otherworldy genre to confront discrimination and inequality. Cristen and Caroline chat with Bitch Media's Sarah Mirk about the power of science fiction to create the equitable future we'd like to see in the real world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:3913/04/2015
Are women more passive-aggressive?
Sure, fine, whatever. What is passive aggression, and why is it associated stereotypically with women? Cristen and Caroline break down what passive aggression is, where it comes from and how it plays out among genders. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
55:3408/04/2015
Obsessed with OCD
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder and why does it happen? Cristen and Caroline separate mental health facts from pop cultural fiction about this commonly misunderstood disorder that affects millions of men and women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
50:3106/04/2015
A White, Marmorean Flock
Why did an exceptional group of ex-patriot, 19th-century female sculptors become known as a "white, marmorean flock"? Cristen and Caroline discuss their artistic sojourns to Italy and what it meant to be a female sculptor at that time. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
49:0201/04/2015
The Female Nude
The female nude is a cornerstone of Western art, so how should we interpret her importance? Cristen and Caroline investigate the art history and societal significance of these mysterious unclothed muses. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
54:1030/03/2015
The Professional Dominatrix
The dominatrix has become a common pop cultural trope and fashion theme, but mainstream depictions are often misleading. Cristen and Caroline discuss the cultural history of the dominatrix and what a professional dominatrix's job description entails. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
46:2425/03/2015
BDSM 101
Is BDSM a safe and healthy sexual lifestyle? Cristen and Caroline guide listeners through the basics of Bondage, Discipline, Dominance, Submission, Sadism and Masochism and why it isn't what '50 Shades of Grey' readers might think it is. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
53:1323/03/2015
The Real Queen Victoria
How did Queen Victoria's personal life set the tone for the entire Victorian era? Holly from Stuff You Missed in History Class stops by to dish about the fascinating life and times of the her favorite royal, Queen Victoria. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01:05:4818/03/2015
The Woman Pharaoh
Hatshepsut was one of the most successful kings in ancient Egypt -- who also happened to be a woman. Cristen and Caroline talk with Egyptologist Kara Cooney about Hatshepsut's rise to power, why her legacy was erased from history and what women leaders today can learn from this fearless pharaoh. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
48:3816/03/2015
Women in Architecture
Are men better at designing buildings? Cristen and Caroline explore this question the has perplexed the architecture industry since Louise Bethune became America's first female architect in the 1870s. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
46:5011/03/2015
Women in Construction
Women are a rarity sight on construction sites, making up .less than 10 percent of the building industry. Cristen and Caroline break down the particular challenges women in construction face -- none of which have to do with upper body strength. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
47:4809/03/2015
Slut Shaming 101
Slut shaming is one of society's favorite forms of policing female sexuality. Cristen and Caroline explore the history, science and psychology of slut shaming, and why it's often a girl-on-girl pattern. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
51:0704/03/2015
Stalking 101
Stalking wasn't illegal in the United States until 1989. Cristen and Caroline outline the different forms of stalking, differences between male and female stalkers, and how stalking is a form of dating violence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01:3102/03/2015
Haute Couture Feminism
Can high-end fashion and feminism ever mesh? Cristen and Caroline discuss the ongoing debates about how clothing fits with feminism from Women's Lib to Chanel's (in)famous fall fashion feminist "protest." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01:5125/02/2015
Where are the black female directors?
When the Oscars snubbed 'Selma' director Ava DuVernay, it left many with a bigger question about the absence of black female directors in Hollywood. In this Oscar season episode, Cristen and Caroline search behind the camera for women of color. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
42:1318/02/2015
Hollywood's First Female Directors
In 1896, Alice Guy Blache became the world's first female director who also went on to trailblaze a host of innovative film techniques. Just in time for Oscar season, Cristen and Caroline highlight a trio of women pioneers behind the camera whose incredible legacies were all but erased from silver screen history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
43:0416/02/2015
Premature Ejaculation
One in the three men are reported to suffer from premature ejaculation. But just how premature is premature ejaculation and why does it happen? Cristen and Caroline trace its medical history from inconvenience to pharmaceutical gold mine. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
32:3911/02/2015
Do women ejaculate?
Written descriptions of female ejaculation first appeared two thousand years ago, yet scientists still debate whether squirting really happens. Cristen and Caroline trace the medical history of female ejaculation and why squirting controversy persists in medical labs, porn studios and bedrooms today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
43:0509/02/2015
The Gay Best Friend
Pop culture tells us gay men and straight women make the best of friends, but why? Cristen and Caroline dissect the sociology, culture and evolutionary psychology of these relationships to figure out whether these presumed besties are a product of nature or nurture. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41:0804/02/2015
Shine Theory
According to Shine Theory, powerful women make the best friends. But does success in life and career get in the way of healthy female friendships? Cristen and Caroline take a closer look at success, jealousy and competition among ladypals. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:1802/02/2015
Stargazers, Part 2
Today's lady astronomers are following a trail that was blazed by brilliant women centuries ago, but it hasn't always been easy-going. Cristen and Caroline examine the state of this fascinating STEM field and the women who are helping to map the sky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
43:2928/01/2015
Stargazers, Part 1
Women have been making critical contributions to the field of astronomy since ancient times, but once it became professionalized in the modern era, many women were shoved aside. Cristen and Caroline look at astronomy's evolution and share the contributions of some of the stargazing pioneers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
43:1626/01/2015
Not Your Average Period Panties
Julie Sygiel reinvented the period panty with her company Dear Kate. Cristen and Caroline chat with this startup STEM major-turned-underwear entrepreneur about everything everything from venture capital to feminist dads and how Dear Kate is hoping to disrupt the lingerie industry. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
45:4321/01/2015
A History of Panties
The history of women's underwear is probably shorter than you think. Cristen and Caroline unpack the evolution of pantaloons to panties and how what women wear under their clothes reveals a lot about the world outside of them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
46:5419/01/2015
Women in Comics, Part 2
When the Underground Comix Revolution happened in the 1960s, women still weren't welcome in comics circles, but it didn't stop them from making their art and telling their unique stories. In the second half of a two-part podcast, Cristen and Caroline trace the rise of women like Lynda Barry and Alison Bechdel in indie comics to the current clamor for more women in today's mainstream comic book industry. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
40:3314/01/2015
Women in Comics, Part 1
In 1896, Truth magazine published the first comic strip drawn by a woman. In the first half of a two-part podcast, Cristen and Caroline trace the early history of women in comics from the origin of the newspaper comic strip to the Golden Age of Comic Books. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
44:4512/01/2015
Teenyboppers: From Musicomaniacs to Beliebers
Long before Beatlemania, 19th-century women threw themselves on stage to touch pianist Franz Liszt. Ever since, emotional teenyboppers have been misunderstood and ridiculed for their musical tastes. Cristen and Caroline spotlight the history of pop music fandom and why fangirls are considered the very worst kind of followers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
46:0307/01/2015
Why take Taylor Swift seriously?
One of the most powerful women in the music industry, Taylor Swift has amassed a global legion of fans through her catchy songwriting, social media savvy and star-studded dating history. Cristen and Caroline take a look at the country-princess-turned-pop-powerhouse's incredible career and why her critics ignore her talent. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
45:3205/01/2015
2014 Best of Stuff Mom Never Told You
What do big butts, revenge porn and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg all have in common? They were some of the most popular Stuff Mom Never Told You episodes of 2014 that got listeners talking. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:4831/12/2014
Night Shift Moms
Millions of working moms work night shifts to reap its possible parenting benefits. Cristen and Caroline look into the intersections of motherhood and shift work, as well as health risks associated with working while the kids are sleeping. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
39:5729/12/2014
Murder She Watched, Part 2
Angela Lansbury was 59 what she began starring in "Murder She Wrote" as Jessica Fletcher. Cristen and Caroline pick up their lady detective talk with JB Fletcher and why television has been friendlier to older women as crime solvers and how femininity is played on screen on Law and Order: SVU, Prime Suspect, Top of the Lake and other lady detective-driven shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:1224/12/2014
Murder She Watched, Part 1
Women detectives have been a prime-time staple since the 1950s. In part one of their investigation into female crime solvers on TV, Cristen and Caroline trace the literary origin of this beloved character all the way to Cagney and Lacey's game-changing roles. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37:2222/12/2014
The Chess Queens
Chess, one of history's oldest games, is considered a man's game -- but why? Cristen and Caroline examine how the queen piece revolutionized chess and subsequently kicked women players out of the sport. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
40:3017/12/2014
Why do women join cults?
Are women likelier to join cults? Cristen and Caroline investigate how destructive cults like the Manson Family work and why women join them and then debunk stereotypes about women in cults. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
38:4115/12/2014
The Only Girl in the Band
Cristen and Caroline chat with Belle & Sebastian member Sarah Martin about women in indie rock and what it's like being the only girl in the band. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
34:3010/12/2014
Shapely Ankles and Cankles
Why are women getting plastic surgery to slim down their ankles? Cristen and Caroline explore how slender ankles became a feminine beauty standard and the etymology and science behind the dreaded cankles. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
34:1708/12/2014
Eggsurance
Why is egg freezing the most hotly discussed health benefit in Silicon Valley? Cristen and Caroline put the science and success rates of oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, under the microscope to determine whether it really is the great workplace equalizer for women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
33:0503/12/2014
Uterine Fibroids 101
As many as 75 percent of women develop uterine fibroids, yet few are aware of this women's health issue. Cristen and Caroline break down what fibroids are, when they should be treated and why African-American women are at a higher risk of developing them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
29:1601/12/2014
Pocahontas and the Indian Princess Myth
The Pocahontas myth has perpetuated the "Indian Princess" stereotype since the 17th century. Cristen and Caroline explore how this stereotype mangles the true history of Native American women and mythbust the Disney version of Pocahontas. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
49:0526/11/2014
The Basics of Bitch
Where did basic bitches come from? Cristen and Caroline take an etymological journey through the history, gender politics and reclamation of women's most-used curse word. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41:0024/11/2014
Women Who Vape
The Oxford English Dictionary declared "vape" its 2014 Word of the Year, and it's not just men getting into vaping culture these days. Cristen and Caroline puff on how the rapidly growing e-cigarette industry is selling women on vaping and how it compares to how Big Tobacco lit up female smokers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
42:5819/11/2014
Why is Ebola killing more women?
Why is the Ebola virus killing more women than men in West Africa? Cristen and Caroline chart the spread of the Ebola virus and the gender roles that put women more at risk for contracting Ebola virus and other pandemics. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
36:5212/11/2014
Can nail polish prevent rape?
Nail polish that changes color in the presence of date rape drugs is just one of many products and apps being developed to prevent rape. Cristen and Caroline parse out the pros and cons this emerging cottage industry and whether it ultimately contributes to eradicating rape or perpetuating victim-blaming. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
40:5510/11/2014
How should lady lawyers dress?
The verdict on female lawyers' proper courtroom attire is murky at best. Cristen and Caroline investigate why workplace wardrobe is particularly vexing for women attorneys and how that reflects on broader gender equity issues in legal professions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
42:0505/11/2014