BONUS: International Women's Day Special with Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Rose McGowan and more
Mar 8, 2021
Celebrate International Women's Day with inspiring stories from renowned women in literature, film, and politics. Hear Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo reflect on women's rights and activism. Dive into Hollywood's pressures on beauty and intelligence, as well as the systemic silence facing women in the industry. A comedian shares her journey at Hooters, emphasizing female camaraderie. The conversation explores identity, advocacy, and the challenges that women of color face in various fields while highlighting the importance of representation and intersectionality.
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Handmaid's Tale Origins
Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" was influenced by the political climate of the 70s and 80s.
She questioned how to push women back into the home and what a US totalitarianism would look like.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Handmaids as Protest
Protesters dressed as handmaids before the TV series, but the show amplified it.
The costume became a powerful visual symbol of protest against oppressive laws.
insights INSIGHT
Hollywood's Complicity
Rose McGowan criticizes Hollywood's systemic sexism, where women often uphold a system that doesn't support them.
She faced pressure to conform to stereotypical expectations, hindering her career.
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This novel weaves through the minds and histories of nearly a dozen central characters, each section bound by triads of characters connected through blood and friendship. It captures the reality of intersectionality, exploring how women's lives are shaped by societal expectations, prejudice, and their own assumptions. The book is an ode to Black British women, spanning over 100 years and examining the complexities of femininity, masculinity, and human relationships[3][4][5].
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense[3][4][5].
For International Women's Day we bring to you a special bonus episode of our award-winning podcast, How I Found My Voice presented by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. This episode features clips from some of our favourite female interviewees including novelists Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo and Elif Shafak, actors Kate Winslet, Rose McGowan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, singer Paloma Faith, Labour politician and Member of Parliament Jess Phillips, businesswoman Gina Miller, and comedian Katharine Ryan.
SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/how-i-found-my-voice/id1455089930
SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tFAb0IODQLDaVksmi2YHi?si=XGkuGCnmTxej2lHKSeYHuA
How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence Squared podcast that explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. The Executive Producer is Farah Jassat.
Intelligence Squared 
