Bitchy History

Welcome back, Trekkies, historians, and lovers of media analysis! After a short delay (turns out getting a starship up to warp speed takes time), Warp Speed Woke: Lecture 5 is here, and this time, we’re taking a hard look at Star Trek: Enterprise , the series that marked the franchise’s first real foray into the post-9/11 world. Enterprise is a bit of an anomaly in Star Trek history. It was the fi...

When Star Trek: Voyager premiered in 1995, it carried the weight of expectations from both the studio and the fans . On the surface, it was a major leap forward for representation— the first female Starfleet captain leading a Trek series! But beneath the surface, Voyager became a battleground between feminist ideals and the male gaze, between bold storytelling and network safety nets. This lecture...

The wait is over, Trek fans! 🚀 My lecture on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine —the most complex and morally gray entry in the Star Trek franchise—is now available to watch. If you’ve ever wondered how a science fiction show could tackle the cultural clashes and anxieties of the 1990s with such precision, DS9 is the answer. From Sisko’s chilling decisions in “In the Pale Moonlight” to the heartbreaking...

This lecture explores Star Trek: The Next Generation ( TNG ) as Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future shaped by the optimism of the late Cold War and its conclusion. Drawing from Francis Fukuyama’s concept of “The End of History,” we examine how TNG portrays a society that has achieved ideological harmony, where greed, poverty, and hunger are relics of the past. Through key episodes, we’ll...

Welcome back, listeners! This week, we’re tackling a tough but crucial topic: the history of domestic violence in America. This episode explores how domestic violence has been ignored, normalized, and fought against throughout history. We start in colonial America, where men had the legal right to “chastise” their wives—aka, beat them—as long as they followed the “rule of thumb.” Women had no lega...

Welcome to the first lecture in the series Warp Speed Woke: How Star Trek Took on Society ! 🚀 In this episode, we’re diving into the groundbreaking origins of Star Trek and its fearless exploration of social issues. From its debut in the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry’s iconic series was more than just science fiction—it was a mirror held up to society, reflecting its struggles, triumphs, and aspiration...

In this episode of Bitchy History , we dive into a topic that’s as frustrating as it is timely. While countries around the globe are electing women to lead and thrive, the United States still struggles to cross that critical threshold. Why? Because of systemic barriers, cultural biases, and a political system that loves to gatekeep. We’ll explore the trailblazers who dared to put their names on th...

In this week’s episode of Bitchy History , I’m diving into the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for reshaping the federal government, gutting Title X, and rolling back civil liberties. Title X has been a lifeline for millions, providing access to contraception, STI testing, and cancer screenings for low-income families, rural residents, women of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. But if Project 2025 ge...

Thanks for reading Bitchy History! This post is public so feel free to share it. When Alice Paul penned the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) back in 1923, she probably didn’t imagine we’d still be debating it 100 years later. And yet, here we are. The ERA—a simple 24-word promise of gender equality—has sparked decades of fierce activism, cultural backlash, and political gridlock. In the latest episode...

Let’s talk about something that should be a settled issue by now but, spoiler alert, isn’t: birth control. From Anthony Comstock’s 19th-century moral crusades to the fallout from Dobbs, America’s relationship with contraception is a case study in how rights, once won, are never truly secure. This week’s podcast episode dives deep into the messy, frustrating, and often infuriating history of birth...

In this episode of “Bitchy History,” we’re diving into the grim and often overlooked history of child labor in America. From the colonial era’s indentured servitude to today’s shocking headlines about minors working in hazardous conditions, we’ll trace the evolution of child exploitation in the workforce. We’ll uncover the chilling statistics, heartbreaking stories, and the tireless efforts of ref...

Tune in for the Bitchy History Father’s Day Special! My dad joins the show to talk about getting drafted, waking Richard Nixon up at 3 am (more than once), the time he nearly got sent to an early grave by a case of Coca-Cola, and many other things from his life. My dad has never met a random historical factoid he didn’t want to know or share with someone else, which is how you know we’re related....

Tune in this week for Bitchy History’s Mother’s Day special. My mom joins the show to share her experiences with sexism in optometry school, pregnancy employment discrimination, marrying a man she lightly stalked, and how she felt about Watergate after she voted for Nixon in her first election as an 18-year-old, among many other things. By the end of the episode, you’ll know that I came by the “bi...

Watch the video version here: Also, check out my TikTok page for the blooper reel! Welcome to this episode of Bitchy History, where we dive into the notorious Comstock Act of 1873. This legislation, named after moral crusader Anthony Comstock, marked a significant moment in U.S. legal and cultural history by enforcing strict censorship of materials deemed "obscene," including contraceptive devices...

Today is a super special episode! We have guest Gwen Levey from the musical group Gwen Levey and the Breakdown on the show to talk about the pro-life movement and her fantastic song, Barefoot and Pregnant. From its roots in activism to its influence in modern politics, we explore the pro-life movement's journey through the ages, shedding light on the ideologies and controversies that have sparked...

Join us on our history podcast as we delve into the remarkable story of General Harriet Tubman, uncovering her lesser-known role as a spy and soldier during the Civil War. From her courageous acts of espionage to her pivotal contributions on the battlefield, we shed light on Tubman's extraordinary efforts to secure freedom and justice for all. Don't miss this insightful exploration of a true Ameri...

You can find Amanda on TikTok Resources: Boston Marriages and the Language of Lesbian Relationships Boston Marriages BOSTON MARRIAGES AND THE QUEER HISTORY OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE Public Faces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Women's Suffrage Movement Professor Meredith's Bitchy History is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid s...

Join me with special guest Elena Bowman, a researcher at Columbia University, as we talk about the history of the Puritans and the longstanding impact puritanical beliefs have had on our social and political culture in America...spoiler alert, it's not what we'd call a GOOD impact. — There are no actual resources listed for this episode, though we reference several books and articles throughout th...

Did Barbie really set the feminist movement back 50 years? Well...that depends on your perspective, but at least Barbie wasn't a girl's toy that required bottle feeding and diaper changes to stop her from crying...that's a win. New Merch store: https://www.teepublic.com/user/bitchyhistory 2024 Conference Donations: https://ko-fi.com/professormeredith Resources: Toys as Agents of Gender Socializati...

In this episode, we shatter the myth of the Old West dominated solely by cowboys and outlaws. While Miss Kitty might embody one side of the era, there's a lesser-known narrative of pioneering women who defied norms and seized opportunities presented by the Homesteading Act of 1862. Substack for today's episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Bitchy...

What do Dungeons & Dragons, Phyllis Schlafly, and Baby Sacrifices have to do with each other? Listen along to find out! The substack for today's episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/bitchyhistory/p/season-2-episode-8-the-satanic-panic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Bitchy History at www.bitchyhistory.com/subscribe

Revisit an early episode of Bitchy History with me today, because it's seasonal. Remember that Thanksgiving is a propaganda holiday and the Puritans sucked. But while it may be a sham, as Buffy reminds us, it's a sham with yams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Bitchy History at www.bitchyhistory.com/subscribe

Listen in for a walk through the history of Rosie the Riveter, which includes Canadian machine guns, B-movie musicals, and PBS. Substack for today's episode: https://bitchyhistory.substack.com/p/season-2-episode-6-will-the-real Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Bitchy History at www.bitchyhistory.com/subscribe

Since Bitchy History has taken a turn into discussing mostly women's history (as is fitting for a podcast with our name) today's episode is delving a bit into the history of history. What is women's history and why do we study it? Check out the podcast substack at https://bitchyhistory.substack.com/ for episode sources and recommended reading and if you take a notion, subscribe for $5 a month to s...

Do you think that they 1950s was actually like an episode of The Donna Reed Show? That 50s housewives were the angels of the home and the ideal women? Let me disabuse you of that notion in today's episode. Check out the Bitchy History Substack for more resources related to the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Bitchy History at www.bitchyhisto...