Unladylike

Have We Reached Peak Baby Pressure?

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Birth rates are down, pronatalism is up, and having two kids isn't enough (allegedly). Cristen unpacks the trio of contradictions defining "real" Amer...

Transvestigation Nation

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do toned arms, “wonky” eyes, and collar bone angles prove about your gender? Nothing. Nevertheless, the digital phrenology of transvestigatio...

It’s not Hysteria! from Dr. Karen Tang and The Second Opinion

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing a special episode this week from Dr. Sharon Malone. On Dr. Sharon’s new podcast, The Second Opinion, women take back the conversation on hea...

Selling the Tradwife Dream (and So Many Supplements) with Jo Piazza

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling author Jo Piazza (Under the Influence) and Cristen don their milkmaid dresses to talk tradwives, elusive tradhusbands and the hustle. From...

Gender War Games Pt. 4: White Womanhood Activated with Material Girls

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When womanhood is reduced to a capitalist identity, who gets erased—and who gets empowered to do the erasing? In the final episode of Gender War Gam...

Gender War Games Pt. 3: Say It Til It's True with Amanda Montell

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When misinformation becomes a vibe, who gets caught in the crosshairs? In part 3 of Gender War Games, host Cristen Conger and linguist Amanda Montell ...

Gender War Games Pt. 2: The New Purity Culture with Cadence Dubus

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is wellness the new purity culture? In part 2 of Gender War Games, host Cristen Conger and Cadence Dubus (@brooklynstrength), founder of Brooklyn Stre...

Gender War Games Pt. 1: Womanosphere Rising with Diabolical Lies

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is feminism dead—or just shadowbanned? In part 1 of the Gender War Games miniseries, host Cristen Conger and Diabolical Lies co-hosts Caro Claire Bu...

Issa Rae on Friendships That Need to Go, from IMO

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing a new show from our friends at Higher Ground, hosted by Michelle Obama. On IMO, Michelle and her big brother Craig Robinson bring their candid...

Why Are Women So Scared of Sex Trafficking?

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do sex trafficking myths keep spreading—especially among suburban moms and TikTok girlies? Journalist Caitlin Dewey (Links I Would Gchat You) un...

"The Most Hated Woman" of 1988

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gold digger. Ice queen. Punching bag. Why was a 22-year-old Robin Givens villainized when her whirlwind romance with boxer Mike Tyson spiraled into a ...

Green Card Marriage (ENCORE)

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why waste a good passport marrying a fellow citizen? Is love strong enough to withstand deportation? Journalist and author Anna Lekas Miller shares wh...

Too-Perfect Teeth (ENCORE)

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the rise of the "perfectly imperfect" veneer ideal, it's the perfect time to revisit how beauty culture got here. (And subscribe to The Review of...

Good Guy Feminism

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Good men aren't hard to find. What's "good" is where it gets complicated. Sociologist Emily Carian returns to the pod to share what she learned interv...

Martha Stewart, Guru Jagat and a 'Grey's Anatomy' Fraudster (TEASER)

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**UNLADIES' ROOM PATREON TEASER** It's a good thing, this bonus episode. Unladies, we're talking about a trio docs out that I'm calling the Venn Diagr...

Men's Rights Activists 101 (ENCORE)

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They're trending, unfortunately. Sociologist Emily Carian explains what the men's rights movement is, who it attracts and why. Cristen also talks to E...

The End of an Unladylike Era

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cristen has a big update about the future of Unladylike and why now's the time to make bittersweet changes. Plus, What Is the Most Unladylike Thing Ab...

What Does Mexico's First Female President Mean for Feminists?

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did Nobel Prize-winning scientist Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo become Mexico's first female and first Jewish President? Cristen maps her path into poli...

You're Wearing the Wrong Bra Size

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prepare to burn your old bras and buy a new salad spinner! Custom bra maker, fitter and A Bra That Fits calculator creator Sarah McElvey blows Cristen...

Big Breasts: Blessed in the Chest or Burdened by Boobs?

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do big breasts get so little support when it comes to bra shopping, clothes shopping, healthcare and wellness? Inspired by The New York Times tren...

Poison Is a Woman's Weapon?

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's a Halloween treat from the Unladies Room Patreon! Cristen gets to the bottom of the lady-poisoner trope, where it came from and how true it reall...

Ask Unladylike: Dating Younger Men?

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How much is too much of an age gap in relationships, and do sexist double standards apply? Cristen answers a 31-year-old listener who feels self-consc...

The Woman Who Brought Down Diddy (TEASER)

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**UNLADIES' ROOM PATREON TEASER** Why did Casandra "Cassie" Ventura risk everything to come forward about the years of abuse she survived from her for...

Best Of: ADHD and Women

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when women's overlooked attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) gets diagnosed? Listeners share the "life-changing" power of fina...

The Politicization of Taylor Swift

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Taylor Swift endorsed Harris/Walz, she cited an “AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run” as her reason for sharin...

Tall Girl Therapy

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know doctors used to put "too tall" girls (aka, over 5'7") on estrogen to stunt their growth? They even called it "tall girl therapy." Cristen...

Best Of: Can REAL feminists eat cheese?

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are most women vegan, and should most feminists be vegan, too? Geographer Catherine Oliver maps out gender politics on our plates and the masculin...

The "Gender Wars" Election? (TEASER)

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**UNLADIES' ROOM teaser** What’s all the fuss about “historic” voter gender gaps? Does polling actually point to a “boys versus girls” US pr...

Kamala Harris and the Misogynoir Playbook

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How was Kamala Harris first introduced in the press, and what can it contextualize about her path from prosecutor to politician? Cristen digs into the...

Best Of: Sorority Rush in the South

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**CONSPIRACY, SHE WROTE episodes 1-3 are out now! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss new episodes every Thursday**Pack your rush...

Roxane Gay Stands Her Ground

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roxane Gay never envisioned herself as gun owner, until increasing threats forced her to reconsider what it means to be a Black feminist in a country ...

Best Of: Manifest Your BEST Life

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are good vibes the secret to success? Cristen revisits psychologist Dr. Gabrielle Oettingen, author of Rethinking Positive Thinking, who rewrites the ...

Conspiracy, She Wrote!

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing the debut episode of Cristen's brand new podcast Conspiracy, She Wrote. Where intersectional feminism meet conspiracy theories.Grab your r...

Why Olympic Gender Testing Is Women-Only

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From "peek n pokes" to chromosome testing, the Olympics has a questionable history of body policing female athletes. Tested host Rose Eveleth reveals ...

War Is a Feminist Issue

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When do we care about women in conflict zones? Feminist activist Lina AbiRafeh has spent decades doing exactly that and witnessing the disproportionat...

Best Of: Bad Nose, Good Nose

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Inspired an unlady told her big nose needed "fixing", this 2022 gem asks: What happens when refusing a nose job means defying family tradition? Filmma...

What's a NORMAL period?

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why is menstruation still so misunderstood? Ask Kate Clancy, the anthropology professor and period scientist who cared enough to study the relationshi...

Presidential Plot Twist?? (TEASER)

07 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**UNLADIES' ROOM teaser** Cristen's calling it. The presidential election in November ain't gonna be Trump v Biden. dun dun dunnnn!To hear the full, a...

Best Of: Flush the Pooptriarchy

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why is number two extra taboo for girls? This listener fave originally aired in 2019, but unlike Joe Biden, it does not get old. Cristen revisits a pa...

Boob Sweats and Body Odors

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the old saying goes, horses sweat, men perspire, and women glisten. In which case, call me a horse; I'm dripping. Cristen (and her signature sweat ...

Krista Tippett on Getting Quiet Inside, from Say More

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing a preview of the Say More podcast, where, in a special series, Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung is opening up the conversation about stres...

The Myth of Making It

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Samhita Mukhopadhyay is done sacrificing herself to ambition. Editorial director of The Meteor and former Teen Vogue executive editor, Samhita details...

Her-Fault Divorce

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Women initiate 70 PERCENT of divorces in husband-wife marriages. But why? Are no-fault divorce laws to thank/blame? Cristen digs through the legal his...

Deary Diary, pt. 2: Tea and History

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are diaries the ultimate form of authenticity? How do our stories shift when we're journaling for no one to see? On Theme co-hosts Yves Jeffcoat and K...

Dear Diary, pt 1: Secrets Women Keep

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do 400 years-worth of women's published diaries tell us about the kinds of secrets and feelings we keep to ourselves? From a 16th-century spiritu...

The Bumble Fumble

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did Bumble get its (celibacy-themed) rebrand so wrong? What does it tell us about general dating app burnout? Cristen revises the brand's millenni...

Hostess with the Mostest

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine having to host the Pope and the Chinese President. On the same day. Plus, a whole press corps and socialite circle is watching and waiting to ...

Bisexual Imposter Syndrome (ENCORE)

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NeW ePiSoDeS returning next week, unladies! In the meantime . . . What happens when women in long-term relationships with straight men realize they're...

"You Don't Look Autistic" (ENCORE)

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when adult women discover they're autistic? Cristen busts the gender stereotypes and neurotypical myths of Autism Spectrum Disorder with ...

Sneak Peek: The Last City

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Exiled from a world of engineered perfection, Demetria crash-lands into the brutal reality of the Outerlands. Distrusted by the defiant survivors, her...

Comstockery!

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Could an 1873 law that hasn't been enforced in nearly a century be a national abortion ban just waiting to happen? Legal friend of the pod Natalie Bir...

Monument Building with Diane Carlson Evans (TEASER)

21 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Unladies' Room Patreon preview**What does it take to erect a monument to women's history? Just ask Diane Carlson Evans, without whom the Vietnam Wom...

Black Girl Magician

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Magician Nicole Cardoza has never met another illusionist who looks like her. The reasons why are no stage magic secret. This episode, Nicole debunks ...

Magical Overthinking

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do vision boards and Princess Diana conspiracy theories have in common? They both rely on a kind of magical thinking called proportionality bias....

The Stay-at-Home Girlfriend Mirage (TEASER)

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Unladies' Room Patreon preview**A labor-free life of feminine leisure, and/or the ultimate self-care con? The SAHGs (stay-at-home girlfriends) of Ti...

Mean Girl Feminism

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between a white feminist and a mean girl? Not so much, as Kim Hong Nguyen explains this episode. From colonial era white women t...

When a Butch Loves a Femme

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are butch-femme roles in queer relationships just recycling the same old hetero his 'n' hers gender boxes? What happens when toxic masculinity invades...

Body Hair with Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa (TEASER)

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Unladies' Room Patreon teaser**With spring a few days away, tis the season to talk BODY HAIR! But my 2019 interview with spoken word artist and perf...

Introducing Stars and Stars with Isa

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what the zodiac can reveal about your favorite artists? Then you have to listen to Stars and Stars with Isa, the podcast where ...

The Cool Aunt

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the aunt tropes in pop culture–spinster aunts, sinister aunts, weird aunts, witchy aunts–why is The Cool Aunt so popular these days? More i...

The Cool Mom

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's not like a regular podcast episode. It's a cool episode. Right, Regina? Andi Mitchell and Sabrina Kohlberg from Pop Culture Moms take us on a pop...

The People vs. Frozen Embryos (TEASER)

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wtf just happened with frozen embryos, fertility clinics and IVF in Alabama?? Get ready for the un-true crime, sci-fi Jesus saga of LePage v Center fo...

A Football League of Their Own

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1974, what had started as a sexist gimmick became the first and only (so far) professional women's football league in US history. It wasn't a femin...

Is new Jezebel doomed to flop?

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The feminist blogosphere era officially ended last November when Jezebel, website and water cooler of millennial feminism, was shut down by its media ...

Small Dick Energy

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why is penis size and performance the go-to butt of the joke, especially when we're talking about shitty men? Is it punching up at misogyny, or just r...

Cave Diving with Jill Heinerth (TEASER)

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Unladies' Room Patreon preview**Grab your snorkel masks and oxygen tanks, unladies! We're revisiting my 2019 interview with cave diver and underwate...

More Than Best Friends

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if society exalted the love and commitment of friendship as highly as that of marriage and biological family? How would our lives change if close...

Your Mama's Kitchen: Samin Nosrat

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sharing an episode of another podcast we’re loving: Your Mama’s Kitchen, all about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals ...

Care + Capitalism

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If care workers make all work possible, then why aren't they better taken care of? And what if that predominantly low-income women of color workforce ...

Her-Fault Divorce (TEASER)

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**UNLADIES' ROOM teaser** Did y'all know women initiate 70 PERCENT of divorces in husband-wife marriages? Are no-fault divorce laws to thank/blame? Cr...

MRKH Syndrome

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At 16 years old, Molly McGlynn discovered why she'd never had a period. Diagnosed with MRKH syndrome, Molly was born without a uterus, cervix and an u...

The "Pretendian" Long Con (ENCORE)

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when someone who built their career on being Indigenous turns out to be ... a white lady? Award-winning writer and reporter Michelle Cyca...

Mormon Feminism with Kate Kelly (TEASER)

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Unladies' Room Patreon preview**With Real Housewives of Salt Lake City having a pop cultural moment, it's the perfect time for a reality check on wo...

Boy Moms & Girl Dads

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since when did parenting opposite-gender kids get branded as #BoyMoms and #GirlDads (not to be confused with "fathers of daughters")? Cristen unravels...

Why NOT Kamala 2024?

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ready or not, the 2024 presidential election is fast approaching. So why hasn't the Democratic Party pushed for President Biden step aside and run the...

The Daily Mail - FOR HER!

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The invention of tabloids was both revolutionary and regressive for women, and it all goes back to The Daily Mail (yes, that Daily Mail with the book-...

American Girl Dollcore

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did a line of expensive, educational dolls overtake 90s girlhood? Historians and Dolls of Our Lives hosts Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney tell u...

Unladies Room: Pelvic Floored

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The pelvic floor is so much more than Samantha Jones' kegels and postpartum prolapse. In this Unladies' Room bonus episode, pelvic floor physical ther...

Ask Unladylike: Bitch Boys?

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is it sexist when straight men call each other the b-word? Cristen tracks down how bitch has (and hasn't) evolved and advises an unlady whose boyfrien...

Actually GOOD Living w/ The Mash-Up Americans

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does a good life mean, especially when bad things are happening? The Mash-Up Americans creators and hosts Amy Choi and Rebecca Lehrer are celebra...

Beauty (Pageant) Diplomacy

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do Miss Universe, Miss World and international beauty pageants tell us about globalization and national identity, and why are pageants becoming M...

Supreme Court Is BACK with Strict Scrutiny

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

SCOTUS just kicked off a new term, and Strict Scrutiny hosts and law professors Leah Litman and Kate Shaw are here to explain how the Justices pick wh...

SHROOM BOOM 🍄, pt. 3: Psychedelic Therapy

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are magic mushrooms poised to become the next big mental health med, and if so, who stands to benefit? Psychologist and Chacruna Institute co-founder ...

SHROOM BOOM 🍄, pt. 2: Tripsitting

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Call the tripsitter! We’re macrodosing on magic mushrooms, psychedelic sexism and psilocybin breakthroughs with journalist and fact-checker Jennifer...

SHROOM BOOM 🍄, pt. 1: Mushroom Hunting

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the shroom boom. It's hard not to be a mushroom enthusiast considering all the practical and medicinal magic they can do. Not to mention, t...

Ask Unladylike: Married Last Name Change?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To change or not to change? That is the married-last-name question that actor, host and proud hyphenate Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins (Dear White P...

Too-Perfect Teeth

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are more young women trading in their natural teeth for veneers, and what does it say about beauty standards, class perceptions and the dental hea...

Is Life Coaching a Scam?

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are so many women getting into life coaching these days, and is it legit self-help? The Dream host (and certified life coach, technically!) Jane M...

What Tarot Cards Tell You

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do tarot cards really have secrets to spill? Investigative journalist and Ritually host Nelufar Hedayat shares what happened when she turned to tarot ...

Imposter Syndroming with Aparna Nancherla

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lifelong self-doubter, comedian Aparna Nancherla decided to get to the bottom of her angst, and things didn't quite go as planned. From a childhood ...

Re: Queer Enough

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the first-ever (!) mailbag episode, Cristen shares listener letters, DMs and life updates about dating apps, leaving academia, the bisexual closet,...

Momfluencers

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Commodified motherhood has come a long way, babies! Or has it? Now a multi-billion dollar industry, momfluencing also comes with a side of tradwives a...

Houston, We Have a Library Problem

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is one of the largest school districts in the country turning libraries into student detention centers? Debbie Hall, certified librarian and co-fo...

Learning & Unlearning with "Abbott Elementary"

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How are real-life teachers applying “Abbott Elementary” inside and out of the classroom, and what can all of us learn from it? Cristen talks to Br...

The Future Is Fe-Whale

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Long live White Gladis, orca queen of the deep. From today's yacht-sinking killer whale moms to 19th-century "devil fish," environmental historian Ann...

Sorority Rush in the South

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pack your rush bags, unladies! It's sorority recruitment season in the South. Elizabeth Bronwyn Boyd takes us beyond the spectacle of #BamaRush into t...

Ask Unladylike: Emotional Support Lady

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will going on record about your mental illness endanger your career? Mental health advocate, writer and podcaster Allison Raskin, aka Emotional Suppor...

The Homeschool Lobby

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How has homeschooling gone from being illegal in the US to wildly unregulated in many states? The Homeschool Legal Defense Association, aka the homesc...

Barbie Part 2: Legally Blonde

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Barbie has spent probably as much time in the courthouse as her Dreamhouse, suing over doll designs, feminist book titles, a literal bag of chips—yo...

Barbie Part 1: Welcome to the Dollhouse

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did Barbie—a voluptuous fashion doll for children—become the It girl of toy aisle in the early 1960s, and what has it taken Mattel to keep it ...