019: Trying (For A Baby)

019: Trying (For A Baby)

South Korea is home to one of the world's lowest birth rates, the radical feminist 4B movement, and some of the best performing IVF clinics. This juxtaposition provides the perfect backdrop for Amile and Phoebe's next deep dive into Kim Eui-Kyung's brilliant translated novel, Hello Baby. Using the novel as a springboard, they discuss fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, the choice to pursue motherhood...or opt out entirely. They highlight the quiet camraderie that exists between people navigating infertility. They also question the balance between the need for privacy and support in that first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This episode pairs well with: * Hello Baby by Kim Eui-Kyung * Joy (2024), dir. Ben Taylor * The Baby Decision by Merle Bombardieri * Missed (2020), a poem by Elizabeth Day [https://www.instagram.com/p/B_4h8TLABwa/], written after baby loss * Creating a groupchat for the girlies going through it. * Finding out that the 4B movement has 4 central rules. * Raising a glass of light Beaujolais & making a toast to hope. Happy listening, A&P ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

018: Do You See Me As I See Me?

In a world where selling "identity art" might guarantee an extra $10,000 in the bank or a greenlit film in Hollywood, Amile & Phoebe question what happens when blackness becomes commodified. They also examine contemporary debates around authorship, influence and recognition. Yes, Patrick Ta, we are looking at you. Using Brandon Taylor's Minor Black Figures as a springboard, they explore a world full of competing acts of perception. They compare Wyeth's strained relationships with his friends to the slow paced kinship with his lover, Keating. The episode ends on familiar ground: intimacy. Borrowing from Timothy Keller's observation that "to be loved is to be known", they reflect on who sees us as we desire to be seen. This episode pairs well with: * Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor * American Fiction (2023), dir. Cord Jefferson * This Is America (2018, song) by Childish Gambino * AMERIICAN REQUIEM (2024, song) by Beyonce * Admiring the work of Danielle McKinney * Learning the difference between intention and impact * Buying dried sorrel to make Grandma’s Red Drink recipe Happy listening, A&P ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

017: Please Like Me

At last! Amile and Phoebe discuss Lena Dunham's hotly anticipated memoir, Famesick. They remember the cultural phenomenon that was Girls, reflecting on why its messy protagonists felt so jarring in a world of bandage dresses, millennial ambition & carefully curated femininity. As the conversation unfolds, they revisit the backlash directed at Lena from the moment she entered public life. Together, they unpack the harsh realities of fame, the impact of body image and the constant expectation of productivity. They also consider the appeal of the "cool guy" and society's tendency to deem certain women as off-putting. Or worse, merely "fine". This episode pairs well with: * Famesick by Lena Dunham * Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann * Frances Ha (2012), dir. Noah Baumbach * Lucky (song, 2000) by Britney Spears * An Hervé Léger bandage dress you couldn't afford in 2012 * Deciding to retire your people pleasing tendencies * An espresso martini made with an extra shot of espresso ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

016: Killer Instinct

Amile and Phoebe discover one of the most provocative protagonists they've encountered in Imani Thompson’s debut, Honey. After a seemingly ordinary bee sting becomes a life-or-death trolley problem, they unpack Ysra's relationship with revenge and the men who cross her. From childhood memories of learning about "bases" to the everyday realities of misogyny and misogynoir, they explore the limits of male allyship. In Ysra, they encounter a woman who is equal parts principled, unhinged, and charming: someone determined to distance herself from what she percieves as the weaknesses of femininity, whilst imagining herself as a quasi-heroine of a deeply patriarchial world. If you're in need of a summer read, look no further. This episode pairs well with: * Honey by Imani Thompson * Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates * Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case (Netflix), 2023 * Gone Girl (2014), dir. David Fincher * Keeping a spreadsheet of all the people who hurt you * Stealing your protégés work whilst having an affair with her * Counting a Pimm's as 1 of your 5 a day Happy listening, A&P ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

015: The Cost of Silence

Beginning with the biblical story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Amile & Phoebe trace the ways in which women’s choices have long been shaped by patriarchal forces. Phoebe reflects on her experience of growing up culturally Catholic in Ireland. She shares personal insights from her time volunteering with the Repeal the Eighth campaign and the stories that shaped public understanding of abortion access. They also turn to America, drawing parallels between Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries and Liberty University’s Godparent Home. Through the character of Bill Furlong in Clare Keegan’s Small Things Like These, they discuss what it means to act morally within systems built upon silence. Can small acts of courage ever truly be enough? This episode pairs well with: * Small Things Like These by Clare Keegan * The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood * The Quiet Girl (Irish title: An Cailín Ciúin), 2022 * Liberty Lost (Audible Original podcast) * Remembering Savita Halappanavar * Lighting a candle for someone you never met Happy listening, A&P ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.