Stuff Mom Never Told You

Whether playing the theremin or crafting soundscapes for your favorite TV shows, women have shaped the electronic music industry from the beginning. Cristen and Caroline examine the role of these synth pioneers and women's place in today's billion-dollar electronic scene. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laverne Cox's breakout role in "Orange Is the New Black" was a watershed moment for transgender representation on television. Cristen and Caroline talk to trans activist and writer Raquel Willis about Cox's Hollywood activism, the Caitlyn Jenner interview and trans representation progress that still needs to be made. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transgender characters are beginning to come alive on television. Cristen and Caroline talk to trans activist and writer Raquel Willis about the pop culture's historical relationship with transgender narratives, stereotypical trans roles and the cis actors who've played them, and why trans TV matters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do people fear the single woman? In this episode, Cristen and Caroline talk to researcher Kinneret Lahad about why singledom is seen as so disruptive and why the Single by Choice movement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who needs marriage these days? Cristen and Caroline discuss the record number of Americans choosing to stay single and why single women tend to spark more controversy and panic than single men. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pin-up queen Bettie Page is more popular today than she was at the height of her career in the 1950s. Cristen and Caroline explore Bettie's biography, her pinup legacy and why many feminists consider her an icon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During World War II, pinups were the ultimate American sex symbols. Cristen and Caroline discuss the history and evolution of pinups, female pinup artists and why some women consider pinup fashion and imagery empowering today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interior design has been considered 'women's work' ever since Elsie de Wolfe became America's first famous decorator in the early 20th century. Cristen and Caroline investigate the feminization of interior design, the use of color and home decor and why 'decorator' became a dirty word in the industry. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nina McLaughlin's carpentry memoir "Hammer Head" is about so much more than woodworking. Cristen and Caroline chat with the writer and carpenter about the joys of the Japanese saw, the importance of patience and what it's like being one of the 2 percent of women in carpentry. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.