Unladylike
Where feminism meets fringe. Host Cristen Conger dissects the myths, messes, and media shaping modern womanhood—and un-womanhood. From bisexual imposter syndrome to tall girl therapy, gun culture to birth control backlash, she mentions it all—backed by deep research, sharp interviews, and just enough unseriousness to demystify the uncanny valley of 21st-century patriarchy without doomspiraling. Gender. Power. Culture. Context. Unladylike.
Episodes
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 Games, host Cristen Conger joins Material Girls co-hosts Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman to unpack how white womanhood is activated—politically, culturally, algorithmically—to reinforce systems of power. From tradwife aesthetics to terf rhetoric, strategic essentialism to stat...
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 (Sounds Like a Cult, Magical Overthinkers) decodes the cognitive glitches, language games, and algorithmic dynamics fueling today’s gender panic. From the illusory truth effect and magical thinking to the viral power of weaponized words, learn how belief is built—not by facts...
Is wellness the new purity culture? In part 2 of Gender War Games, host Cristen Conger and Cadence Dubus (@brooklynstrength), founder of Brooklyn Strength Virtual Fitness and Wellness Studio, breaks down how body control, aesthetic discipline, and "clean" femininity are being sold as self-care—while reinforcing the same old patriarchal power structures. From the rise of Ozempic and disordered wellness trends to body shame ...
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 Burke and Katie Gatti Tassin dissect how feminism got hyper-commodified, beauty became capitalism's favorite control tactic, and reactionary gender politics took center stage. From antifeminist burnout to algorithmic aesthetics, what's behind the right-wing, conspiratorial rebran...
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 perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us. Each week, they’re joined by a guest to tackle real questions from real folks just like you offering practical advice, personal storytelling, and plenty of laughs. Topics range f...
Why do sex trafficking myths keep spreading—especially among suburban moms and TikTok girlies? Journalist Caitlin Dewey (Links I Would Gchat You) unravels how viral misinformation, true crime culture and moral panic have turned Target parking lots into imagined danger zones. Caitlin and Cristen compare the realities of trafficking to "ladies, stay safe!!" rhetoric that insists we're always in danger.
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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 living nightmare? In this bonus from the Unladies' Room, Susie Banikarim (In Retrospect) tells us the story of how their brief and tabloid-frenzying marriage ended with Robin declared "the most hated woman in America" and why she still hasn't gotten the cultural redemption sh...
Why waste a good passport marrying a fellow citizen? Is love strong enough to withstand deportation? Journalist and author Anna Lekas Miller shares what happened when she "proposed marriage fraud" to a Syrian refugee and how borders, visas and passports decide who gets to be together. Her book is Love Across Borders: Passports, Papers, and Romance in a Divided World.
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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 Beauty by Jessica Defino!) Why are more young women trading in their natural teeth for cosmetic veneers? What does it say about beauty standards, class perceptions and the dental healthcare gap? Writer Jessica Goldstein drills down on the rise of cosmetic dentistry, aestheti...
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 interviewing male feminists and men's rights activists for her new book Good Guys, Bad Guys: The Perils of Men's Gender Activism. Highlights include: privilege renegotiation, women's roles in cishet men's paths to feminism and/or the manosphere and why a leftist Joe Rogan doesn't e...
**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 Diagram of Peak White-Womaning and Girlbossery (really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?): Martha on Netflix, Breath of Fire on Max and Anatomy of Lies on Peacock. I planned to watch none and ended up bingeing them all.
To hear the full, ad-free episode, join the Patreon.
They're trending, unfortunately. Sociologist Emily Carian explains what the men's rights movement is, who it attracts and why. Cristen also talks to Emily about the mental and scientific challenges of interviewing anti-feminist men for her research.
This episode originally aired in November 2022.
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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 About You: The Supercut!!!
Remember - the Unladies' Room Patreon stays open! That where I'll be recapping election results on Saturday's bonus episode.
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How did Nobel Prize-winning scientist Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo become Mexico's first female and first Jewish President? Cristen maps her path into politics, the baggage she brings from her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (aka AMLO) and what–if any–difference Mexican feminists think this Presidenta will make.
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This episode's sponsor is Wild. Use code UNLADYLIKE20 for 20% off your first order.
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's mind with everything you never knew you needed to know about bra sizing, bust measuring and what fit actually feels like. Shopping tips and your new favorite laundry hack included.
This episode's sponsor is Wild. Use code UNLADYLIKE20 for 20% off your first order.
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 trend piece on "The Power of a Smaller Breast," Cristen revisits past conversations with two listeners who got breast reductions and share why they made the decision to get that weight off their chest and differences it made. From the physical challenges like back pain and bra st...
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 really is. Highlights include Lucrezia Borgia, prunes stewed in rat poison, Agatha Christie's pre-murder mystery career, misogynist criminal science and one fatal cheesecake.
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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-conscious about dating a 25-year-old guy. Plus, we take a glance at "new MILF cinema," aka why Nicole Kidman is currently starring in everything.
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**UNLADIES' ROOM PATREON TEASER** Why did Casandra "Cassie" Ventura risk everything to come forward about the years of abuse she survived from her former boss and ex-boyfriend, Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy, aka P. Diddy, aka Diddy? Cristen break down that, the federal indictment Combs is facing and the culture of silence, violence and (in)famous parties that shielded him until now.
To hear the full ad-free bonus episode and ...
What happens when women's overlooked attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) gets diagnosed? Listeners share the "life-changing" power of finally discovering that it's not you, it's your brain wiring. For a deeper dive on what ADHD is, types of ADHD (hyperactive, inattentive, and combination) and the diagnostic gender gap, listen to the original episode, ADHD All Grown Up.
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