Podcast recommendations have become the new Netflix recommendations. Here are 5 empowering and educational feminist podcasts.
With so many podcasts out there, choosing one is beginning to feel as impossible as figuring out what to watch on Netflix. It seems like everybody and their dog has a podcast, nowadays. So, how do you decide which ones to invite into your earbuds?
While we’re still hungry for more truly feminist media in terms of television and movies, it seems like podcasts have that market cornered. There are so many amazing women out there discussing the issues that matter to them, and their peers, in audio format.
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Why not add a little female empowerment and feminist education to your podcast playlist? Here are 5 amazing feminist podcasts that we can’t recommend enough.
‘Stuff Mom Never Told You’
Like any HowStuffWorks.com podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You is impossibly informative and delivered in a wonderfully digestible format. After listening to Stuff You Should Know for years, I was thrilled to hear that the network also had a podcast that was specifically geared toward women and feminism.
Hosts Anney and Samantha engage in heavily researched discussions on a biweekly basis on topics surrounding feminism and the issues that affect women on a daily basis. “Marriage vs Ambition,” “The Opioid Crisis,” and “Women Supporting Women” are just a few of the many can’t miss episodes of Stuff Mom Never Told You.
‘Guys We F***ed’
Don’t let the title fool you, this podcast, subtitled “The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast,” is far more substance than shock. With comedians Krystyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher, no topic is off limits, but all topics are handled with care, intellect, and of course, comedy.
The podcast began as a way for Corinne and Krystyna to analyze their sex, dating and relationship habits after Corinne was unceremoniously dumped in a Panera Bread. They interviewed the men that had shared their beds to determine what went wrong.
From there, Guys We F***ed has grown to be a top charted feminist haven for strong, smart, sex positive women, or women who wish to inherit that description. Each week, the girls tackle a news item that’s centered around women’s issues, dissect personal details about their lives and relationships, and try to help their listeners through their own love lives, or lack there of.
Each episode also features an interview, and they’ve had some fascinating ones. From megastars Amber Rose and Fran Drescher, to former jihadists, to the man who controversially self-identifies as the “slut whisperer,” their catalog of curated opinions is vast.
On top of being hilarious and thoughtful women, they’re also incredible interviewers, able to hear people out on any topic, while still being steadfast and strong in their own beliefs. Sometimes things get heated, but Corinne and Krystyna always keep Guys We F***ed both fun and informative.
New episodes of the podcast are now exclusively available on the Luminary podcast streaming app, but some of their best episodes are still available everywhere!
‘Sooo Many White Guys’
Phoebe Robinson of Ibiza and the 2 Dope Queens podcast with Jessica Williams started her own podcast because she was “tired of being the token black woman in an ocean of white dude comedians.” Each week, she sits down for an interview with a fascinating person who is NOT a white guy on this feminist podcast. Except, of course, for her amazing “token white guy” episodes, once a season.
She’s spoken to huge stars from the God among women, Lizzo, to Reese Witherspoon, to Jameela Jamil, and she’s great at digging into the things that make these women so fascinating, beyond just what the whole world sees.
Body positivity, racism, success, love, and flipping the script are all topics that you can hear Phoebe Robinson and her guests take on with an unmatched mix of power and joy. She makes everything funny, but still manages to hit on the issues that matter. She also has a love for sound effects that makes me smile every time I hear one used on Sooo Many White Guys!
‘The C-Word’
Lena Dunham’s latest venture is in audio form. In the The C-Word (which is “crazy,” BTW), she’s joined by Alissa Bennett, self-proclaimed “historian of bad behavior,” to discuss “the life of women society dismissed by calling her mad, sad, or just plain bad.”
They’ve examined historical figures such as Jean Seberg as well as modern icons like Mariah Carey, and taken deep dives into the real story behind the women that a lot of people simply know as being “crazy.”
The two hosts have uncovered fascinating stories of these women’s lives and sparked amazing discussions about feminism, media, and gender on this feminist podcast. The podcast is currently on hiatus, but season 2 will be premiering on the Luminary podcast app, this fall.
‘Directionally Challenged’
The Vampire Diaries fans will be happy to know that they can still catch two of the show’s stars right in their earbuds. Candice King (Caroline Forbes) and Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan) have started a podcast together called Directionally Challenged, in which they “stop to ask for directions.”
“Surprise,” they say. Two women in their 30s don’t have everything figured out! They strive to break down the notion that at a certain point, you’re supposed to have it all together, and they push themselves to ask the questions that everybody is dying to know the answers to, but won’t ask because they think they already should.
Each week, the ladies welcome a different expert to give them some guidance. They’ve discussed anxiety with Bri Emery, friendship with Aisha Tyler and Carina MacKenzie, and even bipolar disorder with Alessandra Torresani, along with many other relevant, interesting topics.
Bonus, you can also hear many TVD alum on Directionally Challenged. Nina Dobrev, Julie Plec, Michael Trevino, and Claire Holt have all graced the mic at the podcast, sharing personal stories from the show and giving advice from their own experience.