The Waves: Gender, Relationships, Feminism

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we dig into why Sarah Palin is still around - and if you should be paying attention. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to talk about Christina’s time spent in Alaska where Palin is trying to make a political comeback in a tight race for Alaska’s lone Congressional seat. Later in the show, Christina explains...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Jess Zimmerman , who writes about witches, feminism, and all the scary ladies. They sit down to unpack their feelings about Disney’s Hocus Pocus films - both past and present and how the witch discussion has changed in the thirty years between movies.  In Slate Plus, is Taylor Swift’s Anti Hero music video feminist...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer of audio Daisy Rosario is joined by author Elissa Bassist to talk about women’s voices. They discuss Elissa’s new book, Hysterical and unpack why we cringe when we hear vocal fry, and ask why we don’t have similar words to describe male vocal ticks. Later in the show, they dig into how the fear of scrutiny women have over their...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate homepage editor Sol Werthan sits down with trans rights activist and author, Paisley Currah . They discuss Paisley’s new book, Sex Is As Sex Does and discuss why “male” and “female” are used as a legal and social classifier. And why, even for cis people who identify with the gender binary, that might not be the right way to go. In Slate Plus, Sol and Pais...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Slate contributing writer Imogen West-Knights to talk all about queens. From the daily news to Sunday nights on HBO, queens are everywhere right now. Rebecca and Imogen talk about the enduring appeal of shows like The Crown, House of the Dragon, Victoria, and more and what these representations are lacking .  In Sl...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus and transgender journalist Evan Urquhart pose the question: Do we really need to separate sports by sex? The pair discusses Maggie Merten’s recent piece in The Atlantic , “ Separating Sports By Sex Doesn’s Make Sense ” and what role biology does (and doesn’t) play in determining who the top player on the field is. Later in the...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Nicole Lewis , former Slate senior editor and Daisy Rosario , senior supervising producer of audio at Slate, talk about Britney…bitch. Mega-pop star Britney Spears is trying to navigate her life after being released from the court order that gave her father almost total control of her life. But the fans that put her conservatorship in the spotlight still can’t...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus sits down with writer and political scientist Virginia Eubanks . They talk about Virginia’s New York Times magazine essay , “ His PTSD, and My Struggle to Live With It ,” and how the condition is more widespread than most people realize, even as terms like “trauma” and “triggered” are tossed around cavalierly. Later in the show...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, erotic thrillers are making a comeback and The Waves is ready to dig into it. Freelance podcaster and writer, Nichole Perkins is joined by Slate features editor Jeffrey Bloomer to talk about why they love these movies, while also acknowledging the many flaws they contain. Then, Nichole and Jeffrey talk about what they want to see change and evolve as we enter i...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Lizzie O'Leary host of What Next: TBD is joined by Emily Peck co-host of Slate Money to explain the new Student Debt Relief Plan . They delve into the reason women often carry more debt on average and why they stand to benefit the most from even modest relief. Then, Lizzie and Emily unpack debt-relief criticism itself, what Biden’s plan does well , and where it...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by culture writer Anna Nordberg to talk all about Jane Austen. The romance novelist may have written her seven books well over a century ago, but as Cheyna and Anna discuss, her work still endures in popular culture. They talk about why Austen’s characters are even more modern than the men and women we see on screen t...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, the streaming wars have come for us all. The Daily Beast’s Allegra Frank sits down with Inkoo Kang of The Washington Post to talk about what happened at HBO and where gender fits into it all. HBO Max recently canceled the nearly done Batgirl, and has been quietly removing content from its streaming service as it prepares to merge with Discovery+. Allegra and In...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by the managing editor of Future Tense, Mia Armstrong . This week is all about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. Shannon and Mia discuss their own experiences with their mental health and SSRIs. Then they dig into the cultural narrative aro...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci and Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller talk all things Liz Cheney. They discuss Laura’s piece on how the Republican Congresswoman is coming across like a disappointed mom during the January 6 hearings—and whether comparing women politicians to mother figures is always sexist. Then they dig into what Cheney’s...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by staff writer Molly Olmstead to talk about the much-hyped threat against the Catholic Church in the wake of Roe’s dismantling. They talk about Molly’s piece, “ Is the Catholic Church Under Attack ” and where the vandalism against churches stacks up against other religious persecution. Then they take a look at “Cafet...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor of Jurisprudence, Nicole Lewis is joined by Susan Matthews , Slate’s executive editor and host of Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade . Earlier this month, a story about a 10-year-old girl seeking an abortion after she was raped went viral, and Nicole and Susan dive into how themedia’s handedthe story, before questioning how news outlets should handle th...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Amira Rose Davis , professor, historian, and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down to talk about Brittney Griner. The WNBA superstar has been detained by the Russians for months . Cheyna and Amira talk about how Russia treats its women athletes like superstars (until they don’t), while in America...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time and director of the Better Life Lab, is joined by author Angela Garbes. They unpack the modern challenges of motherhood, further illustrated and then exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They talk about Angela’s new book, Essential Labor , how caregiving is seen as sacre...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Heather Schwedel and Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion sit down to talk about New York magazine cover story “ Canceled at 17 ,” which features a boy who was ostracized by his peers after he showed a nude of his girlfriend. The talk about whether the article is a display of “ himpathy ,” and the fact that the writer had a personal connection t...

On this emergency episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth and Slate senior staff writer Christina Cauterucci respond to the decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and get real about how they’re handling this devastating blow.  Read Christina’s piece on medication abortions here . Find all of Slate’s coverage of Roe v Wade here , and a guide to basic questions abou...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Heather Schwedel is joined by Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller on the ten year anniversary of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl . They talk about the initial reaction to Gone Girl , why the twists packed such a punch, and the enduring impact of the famous “cool girl” speech. Then they explore why, despite many books proclaiming to be so...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel’s new book, “ Been There, Done That ” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual e...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science editor and writer Shannon Palus is joined by freelance science journalist Eleanor Cummins to talk about plastics. Surgery that is. And all the physical and mental concerns that come with altering your body. They start out by talking about Eleanor’s recent piece on the health concerns of breast implants . Then they talk about VIP Syndrome , and how...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to talk about Michigan’s ballot initiative to save abortion rights in the state. They dig into the positives and negatives of going to the ballot, what we can learn from Ireland, and why, at the end of the day, you really need the courts. Mark also explains the one big thing th...

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor for Jurisprudence Nicole Lewis is joined by Slate Money co-host, and correspondent for Axios, Emily Peck to talk about the economic implications of overturning Roe v. Wade. A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion shows the court has the votes to abolish the constitutional right to abortion, which Roe established in 1973. Our hosts dig into all...