The Guilty Feminist
1 2018-04-15T20:15:23-07:00 Desiree Schmitt e630e5a827fa007be2dc313c10d5df871d92a382 29791 1 Four presenters of the Guilty Feminist podcast sitting together during the recording of one of the episodes. Retrieved from: https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/05/broad-casting plain 2018-04-15T20:15:23-07:00 Desiree Schmitt e630e5a827fa007be2dc313c10d5df871d92a382This page is referenced by:
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The Guilty Feminist Podcast
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'I’m a feminist…but’
The Guilty Feminist is a podcast founded and hosted by British comedian Deborah Frances-White. Using self-depreciating humour, Frances-White and guest presenters address “the major feminist issues of the 21st century.” (Walker) Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the podcast “focusses on the apparent challenge of living up to the expectations of feminism on a daily basis.” (Deslandes) The Guilty Feminist covers topics such as activism, male privilege, mental health, and rape culture – incorporating humour into each discussion. Every episode of the podcast begins with a confession relating to each presenter’s feminist-short comings. Bromwich notes the tone of the podcast in stating:
Rather than beating ourselves up over our imperfect feminism, the show offers a more inclusive, forgiving approach.
As of February 2018, the Guilty Feminist had been downloaded over 25 million times (Sanghani). Speaking to the popularity of the podcast, Frances-White notes “People relate to trying to do something good but flaking out at the last moment.” (Sanghani) The podcast is recognized as speaking to “a white, middle-class and heterosexual feminism.” (Deslandes) However, Suddain notes that the Guilty Feminist “is not exclusively a space for women.”
Frances-White and her guests use comedy to reveal “deeply personal, often troubling, experiences.” (Suddain) Frances-White was inspired to create this podcast after “severing ties with the patriarchy” of the Jehovah’s Witness denomination of Christianity (Sanghani).
The podcast is critiqued by Deslandes, in stating: "The enjoyment of Frances-White’s humour depends heavily on the audience of women being white, middle-class, heterosexual...For those who do not share this experience, it is likely to fall far short of the mark." In contrast, Walker recognizes the podcast as '"essential listening in 2018" because Frances-White "smashes gender stereotypes, is politically engaged and attempts to tackle inequality."
Frances-White remarks:It's a really exciting time to be a feminist and it's a fantastic time to have an establish feminist podcast.
