Feminist Podcasting
Feminism has embraced the podcast as a “tool of resistance.” (Tiffe and Hoffmann 118) Despite being marginalized in radio, as in broader culture, feminist voices have taken to podcasting as a platform to progress the feminist movement. Feminist podcasting is recognized as both a platform to purvey feminist discussion and as an act of feminism in and of itself (Engstrom 26). As a platform for the dissemination of information, the qualities of podcasting as being free (mostly), and publicly accessible, have allowed feminist audio media to reach a large and diverse listenership (Engstrom 23). The internet-based quality of podcasting “has created immense visibility for topics of feminist interest, including challenging claims to objective truth and institutional power structures.” (Doane et al. 119) Engstrom writes on podcasting as an act of feminism:“Oppositional and resistant in both its product and process, women’s media provide a means by which women, through communication, can challenge the dominant culture.” (Engstrom 21)
This idea is reflected by Tiffe and Hoffmann in noting that feminist podcasts allow women’s voices to “take up sonic space in a society that polices and criticizes traditionally feminine vocal tonality.” (116) Podcasting has provided the feminist movement a platform to tackle issues “burried, ignored, or distorted in mainstream media.” (Engstrom 20) The act of feminist podcasting “is significant in a world that teaches us [women] to take up less space and be quiet.” (Tiffe and Hoffmann 116)given that women’s literal and metaphorical voices historically have been excluded…I contend that the mere act of…producing a program, and then presenting it…constitutes a tangible performance of feminism (26).
Just as there exist various types of feminisms, and, also, various genres of entertainment, there exist various displays of feminist podcasting. Some examples of feminist podcasts include: Popaganda [sic] (produced by Bitch media – a nonprofit feminist media organization), which “explores larger themes” by offering “multiple perspectives,”; Black Widow, a “fictional erotica podcast…designed to help women become more comfortable with their sexuality,”; and, The Black Joy Mixtape, which offers “Black feminist perspectives on everything from police brutality to Beyoncé’s pregnancy announcement.” (Dionne) A further example can be found in the comedic podcast The Guilty Feminist. The various and multitudinous feminist podcasts represent, in a way, the intersectionality of the feminist movement. The importance of podcasting to feminism is furthered upon recognition that the medium provides a voice to traditionally marginalized voices and minorities within the feminist movement, including women of colour and queer people.