5 must-see feminist podcasts

I don’t know about you, but I’m completely obsessed with podcasts. I listen to a lot of them, of a lot of types, at all times: on the vehicles, during cleaning, when I’m cooking, while walking and even at the supermarket. And never mind if, from time to time, I happen to stumble in front of the frozen food counter or in the fruit and vegetable department, too busy with what I’m hearing to remind myself to be in public. With podcasts I have discovered and explored a myriad of topics, but my favorites are and will remain those that address feminist issues. Here are the ones I consider unmissable:

MORGANA

Michela Murgia and Chiara Tagliaferri tell us the stories of women who are “a bit fairies and a lot of witches”, just like the mythological character of Morgana who inspired the title of the podcast. From well-known names such as Beyonce and Angelina Jolie to others less known such as Pearl de Vere and Maria Lai, passing through discussed and controversial characters such as Angela Merkel and JK Rowling: the women mentioned in “Morgana” are many, all very different, often uncomfortable, not always nice, but that’s why we like them so much.

FEMINIST PROGRAM

If you want to approach feminism but don’t know where to start, “Feminist Palimpsest” is a great place to start. In this podcast Irene Facheris talks with women, men and non-binary people on feminist themes of all kinds: inclusive language, sex work, toxic masculinity, rape culture, sex education, slut shaming and abortion are just some of the many topics addressed so far. And, despite the many expressions in English, these are things that affect us very closely.

MALE

Did we need another reason to love Francesca Michielin? Of course not, yet she decided to outdo herself and create a podcast to find out “what women are fighting for today”. She called him “Butchers” because people, based on their gender, are expected to abide by certain unwritten rules, without ever trying to break them. Are you a woman and do you play football? Are you a man and do you wear pink? It is not done. Except we’re in 2022, and we’re really fed up *.

DEAR, YOU ARE MASCHILIST

Yes, we women are also male chauvinists. On the other hand, we are born and grow up in a society that pours patriarchy from every pore, so it is not surprising if, all too often, we replicate its mechanisms. What matters is realizing it and working on it. The fulcrum of “Cara, you are male chauvinist” is just that. Irony and lightness are the key words: listening to Irene and Tereza’s podcast is like having a chat with your old friends, the ones with whom you can talk about everything without feeling judged.

ANTIBODIES

Why are we still being catcalled? What does drag art teach us? What does it mean to be a black woman in Italy? And why is it so difficult to have an abortion in our country? These are just some of the many questions that the journalist Jennifer Guerra tries to answer, together with experts and activists *, in her podcast “AntiBodies”. Which is called that because, against those who believe they can do what she wants with our bodies – regulate them, harass them, judge them – a good dose of resistance is needed.