Straight to the Comments

Forget the turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree - this Christmas, we're giving you the gift of pure, unadulterated, delicious justice. From celebrity clapbacks and witty comment threads, to online backlashes, we’re looking at our favourite times women stood up for themselves. Get ready for a ride through body-shaming, mansplaining, trolling, and the perfect takedowns. For our last episode of 2025 you’re going to hear from Cher, Michelle Obama, Rihanna and Cardi B to name a few…   Follow the 3 Austrian Nuns from Clapback #10 on Instagram! @nonnen_goldenstein   References & clips Vogue article - In a Celebrity-Obsessed World, Have We Reached Peak Parasocial? By Anna Cafolla Psychology Today article - Relax and Take Good Care of Yourself. By Dona Matthews Psychology Today article - Do Happy Parents Raise Healthier Kids? By Michael Ungar Guardian article - ‘Mansplaining’ was once a contender for word of the year. Here’s why we should stop using it. By Zoe Williams Guardian article - ‘‘Smile? YOU smile.’ A new generation of stars is overthrowing the old Hollywood system, one ‘no’ at a time. By Priya Elan A.M. Bennett et al. (2023). What is she wearing and how does he lead?: An examination of gendered stereotypes in the public discourse around women political candidates. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol 205.  New York Times video post - Did Women Ruin the Workplace? / Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?  Compact Mag article - The Great Feminization. By Helen Andrews Women’s Agenda article - The workplace was perfect—until women showed up? By Rita Nasr The New Yorker Article - I’m the Woman Who Ruined the Workplace. By Ariel Dumas  https://www.boldvoices.co.uk/ https://hopenothate.org.uk/

This week, Lisa takes us back to the 1990s, the last decade that wasn't lived online. A time of Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy, Aerosmith music videos, BT phonecards, Sky magazine problem pages, waiting by the landline for your crush to call, and the intoxicating belief that anything was possible. But was it really better, or are we just romanticising the past? In this episode, Lisa examines the Top 7 things Gen X women miss most about the 90s, from magazines we devoured like instruction manuals, to slip dresses over white t-shirts, to dancefloors where no one was filming, to crushes that lasted months off a single glance in the corridor. Then Sarah unpacks the psychology of nostalgia, why it hits so hard, what we're really longing for, and how we might recapture that feeling. Questions or Comments you’d like us to cover?We love answering your questions and analysing the stories you’ve found. Send them to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s2tcpodcast Enjoyed the show?Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify and a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others discover the podcast.    

Following the Wicked press tours, there have been countless online conversations about Ariana Grande and her dynamic with Cynthia Erivo. So we're re-running our 2023 episode "Not a Woman’s Woman" with new analysis of the press tour that nearly overshadowed the films, including the constant crying, the hand-holding, the "holding space" meme, and why people online were both moved and alarmed. In the original episode, we examine the backlash towards Ariana after she was called "not a girl’s girl" by Lily Jay, the estranged wife of her Wicked co-star and now boyfriend Ethan Slater, and why Megan Fox is so often accused of not appealing to women. We break down labels like homewrecker, mean girl and pick me girl, and explore why some women are disliked by the sisterhood. Oh! And stay tuned for our Sunday episode all about the 90s. See you then. Clip used: Wicked press tour with PinkNews. Questions or Comments you’d like us to cover?We love answering your questions and analysing the stories you’ve found. Send them to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s2tcpodcast Enjoyed the show?Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify and a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others discover the podcast.

The second part of our Royal Special. Yesterday we broke down the patterns in the coverage and comments. But today we ask why Meghan Markle remains the lightning rod for public fury, even when the former Prince Andrew is in absolute disgrace? From the “Duchess of Pork”, to “Princess Pushy” and “Waity Katie” - the media loves a Royal nickname, but what does it say about what we expect from the Royal women? Join us as we breakdown why we love a royal scandal, question whether princesses are just supposed to look pretty and shut up, and explore whether Disney is to blame. In today’s episode, we also investigate how this latest scandal has reignited the debate about what purpose the British Monarchy plays in a post-Queen 21st Century.    Questions or Comments you’d like us to cover?We love answering your questions and analysing the stories you’ve found. Send them to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s2tcpodcast Enjoyed the show?Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify and a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others discover the podcast. References: Pod Save The King Podcast: Episode - The Prince Andrew Distraction: the unwanted gift that keeps giving. Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York (2025). By Andrew Lownie Carlsmith, K. M., Darley, J. M., & Robinson, P. H. (2002). Why do we punish? Deterrence and just deserts as motives for punishment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Article on Electric Literature.com - Cliff Huxtable Stole My Heart, Bill Cosby Broke It. By V.V. Ganeshananthan  Article on The Conversation - A problematic history of obsessing over royal women’s looks, from Camilla to the ‘ugly’ Elizabeth of Austria.  Bustle Article - The Complicated, Empowering, Messy History Behind Our Obsession With Princesses. By Lucia Peters Ms Magazine Article - Megxit and The Death of Fairytale Romance. By Laurie Essig BBC Article - The strange world of the Royal Family. By Hephzibah Anderson Al Jazeera Article - Taxpayer ripoff or bargain? The cost of the British royal family. By John Power The New Statesman Article - Abolish the monarchy. It’s more than Prince Andrew - the whole House of Windsor is rotten to the core. By Will Lloyd Article on Debunking Myths About Fairytales.com - Myth: Fairy Tales Are Narratives About Passive Heroines. By Anne E. Duggan Babak Ganjei on Instagram Megan Markle podcast interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show 

The Evil Queen may have obsessed over who is ‘the fairest of them all’, but today we are looking at the latest Royal scandal and asking - who really is the most hated, and what triggered it? The former Prince Andrew’s historic downfall has triggered an avalanche of attention-grabbing headlines, but this hasn’t stopped the constant Meghan Markle coverage. From morally bankrupt avocado toast, to Fergie’s weight watcher’s deal, and Princess Kate’s cancer, today we breakdown the patterns in the comments and delve into the way the media narrative varies for different members of the British Royal Family in part 1 of our 2 part Royal Special.   Clips used in this episode: Sarah Ferguson on The Oprah Winfrey Show Aired on 11/14/1996 Questions or Comments you’d like us to cover?We love answering your questions and analysing the stories you’ve found. Send them to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s2tcpodcast Enjoyed the show?Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify and a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others discover the podcast.