Unladylike

Unladylike Media

4.7 (3.6K)
Society & Culture
Updated Weekly

Host Cristen Conger dissects the myths, messes and media shaping modern womanhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3d ago

High-Value Women, Femcels and The New Antifeminisms

What do femcels, tradwives, and "dark feminine" dating coaches have in common? The pink-pill pipeline of antifeminist feminisms. Cristen unpacks the rise of the femosphere, aka womanosphere – a digital ecosystem of looksmaxxers, female dating strategists, TERFs and trads selling women warped visions of empowerment rooted in biological destiny, gender essentialism and divine femininity. But is the femosphere itself also getting misinterpreted as a far-left phenomenon of radicalized misandrists? ~ get in touch @unladylikemedia on Instagram or email hello@unladylike.co ~ special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you ~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

34 min
Jun 24

The Secret Unwed Mothers of the Baby Scoop Era with Tracy Clark-Flory

Imagine discovering you’re pregnant and you’re given no choice but to go into hiding, secretly give birth, never see your baby again and pretend it never happened. That was the norm during the pre-Roe “Baby Scoop Era” when roughly 1.5 million mostly white women were sent off to homes for unwed mothers. It was also a secret Tracy Clark-Flory uncovered about her own mom and the sister she never knew she had. Tracy talks to Cristen about the system designed to conceal white women’s sexuality, stigmatize single Black mothers and forcibly reallocate babies to “deserving” parents, as well as its generational ripple effects she writes about in her new memoir, My Mother’s Daughter: Finding Myself in My Family’s Fractured Past. ~ get in touch @unladylikemedia on Instagram or email hello@unladylike.co ~ special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you ~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

45 min
May 19

Kalshi, Polymarket and the Girlification of Gambling

From prediction markets like Kalshi and its youngest self-made female billionaire cofounder to sports betting partnerships with the WNBA, the gambling boom's play for women has all the predictable moves of a gendered marketing story, except they're inside of an unreal game playing out, thanks to the wonders of capitalism (and MAGA). Cristen got on Polymarket, Kalshi and is still spiritually recovering from the amount of $$$ Americans bet on sports last year, prediction markets embedding in journalism and a certain someone's resemblance to former youngest self-made female billionaire, Elizabeth Holmes. ~ get in touch @unladylikemedia on Instagram, or email hello@unladylike.co ~ special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you ~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

33 min
May 5

Why Lindy West’s Memoir Became a Scandoval for Feminists

Better late than never read! In March, Adult Braces – and three unfortunate emails to a Slate reporter – inspired a thousand Substack hot takes, reactionary declarations of failed feminism and social media rage against Lindy West’s husband, Aham Oluo. Now that Cristen’s finished the book, and the controversy’s faded out from our feeds, the drama looks a lot like a feminist Scandoval: a parasocial fandom reckoning with the gaps between a woman's public politics, private relationships and the marriage she’s choosing to stay in. ~ get in touch @unladylikemedia on Instagram, or email hello@unladylike.co ~ special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you ~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

47 min
Apr 21

Where Does Perimenopause End and Capitalism Begin?

The perimenopause boom is old news, but where did it come from, and why does it make some ob-gyns wary? Cristen investigates what we do – and don’t – know about perimenopause and what to expect when you’re expecting The Change(s). And as an industry “growth opportunity” at the intersection of beauty, aging and healthcare (usually in that order), how do we tell the difference between our own perimenopause needs and what’s being sold to us? Highlights include: perimenopause, the TikTok personality; the study that set hormone therapy back a generation; and why the menopause market is now coming for women in their thirties. ~ get in touch @unladylikemedia on Instagram, or email hello@unladylike.co ~ special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you ~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

55 min
Mar 24

Why "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" Got "The Bachelorette" Canceled

From the “soft swinging” scandal that launched it all to leaked domestic violence footage, restraining orders, and The Bachelorette cancellation, Cristen breaks down the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives chaos, what it reveals about our appetite for female dysfunction, relationship abuse as reality TV drama, and whether we've officially hit peak Mormon cultural moment. ~special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 min
Mar 10

Have We Reached Peak Baby Pressure?

Birth rates are down, pronatalism is up, and having two kids isn't enough (allegedly). Cristen unpacks the trio of contradictions defining "real" American womanhood right now: the political pressure to procreate, fake science masquerading as chivalry, and "zero trimester" influencers monetizing fertility anxiety. Plus: medication abortion in the courts, maternal regret in The Cut, and seeking comfort in adult cradles. ~special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

47 min
11/06/2025 · Bonus

Transvestigation Nation

What do toned arms, “wonky” eyes, and collar bone angles prove about your gender? Nothing. Nevertheless, the digital phrenology of transvestigation persisted. But how?? Digital culture researcher Lexi Webster decodes the conspiracy genre where all celebrities (and most First Ladies) are “secretly trans” and skull-measuring pseudoscience rules, then political scholar Fran Amery connects transvestigation brainrot to very real organized transphobia, uniting feminist factions with the far right in the name of protecting women. Originally aired on Conspiracy, She Wrote in September 2024. ~special thank you to Unladies' Room Patreon supporters! this wouldn't exist without you~ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

45 min

See All (344)

Caroline Ervin

Host
Cristen Conger

Host

4.7

out of 5

3,649 Ratings

Sad to see it go

01/21/2025

DCA

I followed Cristen over from YouTube and been listening to this podcast from the beginning. It was great when Caroline was on here. After she left the pod did become more of an interview style type, but still great. Sorry to hear Cristen decided to sunset Unladylike, but I wish her the best.
Perimenopausing Unladylike

Apr 26

GigiGeezus

The framing of your perimenopause episode insults women like myself who have dealt with ten years heavy periods, fatigue, cognitive disfunction, dis-regulated emotions, sleep deprivation, and sweat poring from our bodies. Sure, capitalism will gobble up any problem and offer its snake oil “solutions”. Show a little more respect and do your research before you pose snarky little polls like “is perimenopause real?” Unfollowing after this one.
ADHD Episode

07/29/2025

katniss everdeen's sister

I just listened to the adhd episode and I am a young woman. It just made me feel such empathy but also gratefulness because I was diagnosed in middle school with ADHD inattentive and I take medication for it, but when I don’t take my meds I feel just as all those women describe it’s like spacey and just feels like focusing is either stone cold (hyper fixation) or it’s legit impossible and feels like gears grinding and it’s so mentally and emotionally draining! I really love that this is being talked about more!
No she did NOT spend an hour saying Not All Men

07/09/2025

ecologaia

Just heard the breadwives (sic) episode. That was some manpoligizing “oh my husband is the good kind” dreck. Hard unsubscribe. To be helpful: Stop talking about men. Stop talking about men. Stop talking about men. You haven’t healed yet.