Strong Opinions Loosely Held

A Preview

Here's a preview of what to expect this season!

S1E1: The Kardashian Industrial Komplex

Sales are down on magazine covers that bear their faces. Ratings are low on their reality tv show. Seemingly no one cares about the Kardashians. So why are they everywhere, including our site? Ann Helen Peterson has a her Phd in celebrity and explains and digs into the role celebrity plays in post modern american popular culture.

S1E2: Instagram Insecurities

Women are now more likely than men to have bachelor's degrees. And childless women in their 20s currently out-earn men. So why are our Instagram feeds filled with images of date nights, engagement rings, cat eyes, cupcakes, and waist-trainers? Are we becoming Betty Draper 2.0, or are we using the illusion of perfection to escape the reality that relationships are hard? New York Times Journalist Hannah Seligson and Stone Fox Bride founder Molly Guy weigh in.

S1E3: Just Shut Up

Vocal fry. Upspeak. Overuse of qualifiers — it seems like we can’t open our mouths without being criticized. Elisa Kreisinger talks to public radio journalist Sally Herships and politics writer Amanda Marcotte and asks: If a woman is saying something intelligent and all you hear is the way it’s being said, is that her problem or yours?

S1E4: Worst Place To Be A Woman

Michelle Byrom was on death row for 15 years. Hours before her execution, her conviction was overturned. Refinery 29’s Vanessa Golembeski talked with Byrom weeks after her release and questions the bias baked into a system that’s supposed to protect women.