Most beauty pageants test the mettle of contestants in categories like the evening gown and swimsuit competition, the Mrs. America pageant has a history of judging contestants a bit differently. On today's show we'll look at the long and strange history of the pageant.
Then, when a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, the public cried out against sweatshop conditions and the deadly price of fast fashion - but fashion, it turns out, has been costing people their lives for a very long time.
Also today, #WheresRey? A dubious decision to bet against female action figures leads to an online backlash against toy companies.
Listen to the full show:
Mrs. America
Most beauty pageants test the mettle of contestants in categories like the evening gown and swimsuit competition, the Mrs. America pageant has a history of judging contestants a bit differently.
Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite , writer, editor and Jezebel contributor – which is where we found her article “The Long, Strange Life of the Mrs. America Pageant”
The Myth of the Female Fertility Cliff
"Having Kids in Early 20s Brings No Health Benefits" "NHS Chief Warns Women Not to Wait Until 30 to Have Baby" "Why It's Harder For Older Women to Have Kids" The headlines are often full of advice for women about when they should have children. But is there a right answer? Marnie Chesterton brings us this story.
You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
Fashion Victims
Alison Matthews David is Associate Professor of Fashion at Ryerson University in Toronto. She details the bizarre, frequently macabre toll of clothing in her book Fashion Victims: Dangers of Dress Past and Present.
Where's Rey?
Last month, the "Where's Rey?" movement gained steam on social media after fans discovered that Rey, the female protagonist from Episode VII – The Force Awakens was absent from several prominent product tie-ins.
John Marcotte is founder of Heroic Girls, a feminist website dedicated to advocating for strong female characters in comic books, movies, and more.
Song Exploder - Bjork
From a rock and roller and surrealism to a musician and composer whose work has been described as surreal. Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of the podcast Song Exploder delves into “Stonemilker”, a song from Björk's 2015 album, Vulnicura.
You can hear this episode again, and catch up on past episodes at SongExploder.net
