Unladylike Podcast

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 state violence, discover how white femininity gets mobilized as both soft power and backlash engine in the so-called gender wars. 

(00:00) Gender Equality Survey Says...

(00:59) The Real Societal Tension: Wealth Inequality

(03:37) Strategic Essentialism and Gender Categories

(08:37) Scapegoating and Transphobia

(12:01) Gender as a Technology

(14:45) Capitalism, Social Reproduction and Gender Roles

(18:46) Masculinity Crisis By Design

(26:44) Racial Capitalism

(31:18) The Political Weaponization of Gender

(39:59) Community Building Beyond Individualism

For ad-free bonus episodes and uncut guest interviews, visit patreon.com/unladylikemedia. Get in touch on Instagram @unladylikemedia, and/or subscribe to the newsletter at unladylike.substack.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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, but by feelings, aesthetics and repetition. 

(00:00) "Gender War" Is a Shapeshifter

(03:22) Decoding the Discourse

(05:07) Cognitive Biases and Gendered Disinformation

(05:56) The Illusory Truth Effect

(06:40) The Rhyme Is Reason Effect

(09:52) Algorithmic Influence

(10:46) This Is Your Brain On Gender War

(15:47) The Gender Nostalgia Trap

(23:52) Moral Overconfidence and Social Justice

(30:06) Radical Imagination

For ad-free bonus episodes and uncut guest interviews, visit patreon.com/unladylikemedia. Get in touch on Instagram @unladylikemedia, and/or subscribe to the newsletter at unladylike.substack.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 masquerading as moral virtue, what happens when femininity and fitness become political battlegrounds where women are expected to be skinny, soft, and silent?

• (00:00) Your Body Is a Battleground  
• (00:52) The New Right's Body Ideals
• (01:23) The Wellness Grind
• (03:16) Functional Strength > Weight-Loss Goals
• (05:48) Women's Fitness Mirage
• (11:13) The Ozempic Effect
• (15:18) America's Health Hierarchy
• (17:28) Politicized Exercise
• (21:15) Class, Wealth and Commodified Wellness
• (28:29) What's a Body to Do?

For ad-free bonus episodes and uncut guest interviews, visit patreon.com/unladylikemedia. Get in touch on Instagram @unladylikemedia, and/or subscribe to the newsletter at unladylike.substack.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 rebranding of women and gender—and who's profiting off it? 

(00:00) Feminism Under Siege

(01:34) Womanosphere Rising?

(02:56) Diabolical Lies podcast

(04:12) A Femininity Crisis?

(07:40) Feminine Hierarchy and Gender Panic

(13:45) Reactionary Feminism and Its Roots

(19:33) Evie Magazine and Far-Right Women's Media

(23:50) Antifeminism's Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

(28:24) The 90s Evie Magazine 

(29:32) Echo Chambers vs Reality

(41:27) Don't Underestimate Far-Right Women

(43:18) Conclusion and Call to Action

For ad-free bonus episodes and uncut guest interviews, visit patreon.com/unladylikemedia. Get in touch on Instagram @unladylikemedia, and/or subscribe to the newsletter at unladylike.substack.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.