Valerie Gordon, owner of Valerie Confections, joins Katherine Spires to explore the relationship between women and desserts in American culture. They discuss stereotypes and biases, the meaning of the term 'tart', and the societal changes of the 90s. They also delve into the transformation of media, the controversy over Pavlova's invention, desserts named after women, Scandinavian baked goods, and conclude with sources for the episode.