The Waves: Gender, Relationships, Feminism

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by author Emily Willingham. Emily’s new book The Tailored Brain: Feeling Better and Thinking Smarter is all about how our brains work and whether gender plays a role in brain enhancement. They talk about how to be more empathetic and the ways empathy can boost your brain, the importance of using a feminist lens in brain science, and the old theory that brains are made of sperm. In the Slate Plus segment, Emily and Shannon talk about Emily’s other book, Phallacy: Life Lessons From the Animal Penis and explore why the duck vagina is like a gated community.Recommendations:Shannon: Wearing perfume to turn your mood around. Emily: Lightly meditating by beholding a tree.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate managing producer Asha Saluja and Slate senior editor Shannon Palus discuss women and aging on television. Through two seemingly unrelated shows—HBO Max’s And Just Like That and Showtime’s Yellowjackets—they dig into how these shows portray their protagonists for better and worse, and what makes the relationships between women compelling in both shows.  In Slate Plus: Was it feminist that Carrie was an anti-hero in the original series of Sex and the City?Recommendations:Asha: The album Urban Driftwoods by Yasmin Williams.Shannon:  Swabbing your throat for COVID and this Lululemon yoga mat. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews, Shannon Palus, and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, former hosts Christina Cauterucci, Nichole Perkins and Marcia Chatelain return for a special reunion. They haven't been on the microphones together since the pandemic started, and they have a lot to discuss. They cover the nighttime doula Twitter fight, thoughts on the generational battles that are raging, how race plays a role in nostalgia, and the horrors of dating during the pandemic. In Slate Plus: Is gift giving sexist?Recommendations:Christina: Sheertex tightsNichole: Candles, especially from Brooklyn Candle Studio and Posh Candle Company.Marcia: Checking out interesting children’s books like Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s a very special reunion episode. Original hosts of The Waves, June Thomas, Noreen Malone, and Hanna Rosin gather together to catch up on everything that’s happened since their last episode in July 2019. They talk about topics they wish they could have covered, how the workforce has changed for women, bits of culture they’ve loved over the last couple of years, and how hosting The Waves made them more interesting people. In Slate Plus: Are the holidays sexist?Recommendations:June: Showtime’s YellowjacketsNoreen: Hulu’s series Only Murders in the BuildingHanna: The Electricity of Every Living Thing, by Katherine May, and The Great British Baking ShowPodcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts June Thomas is joined by Slate senior writer Seth Stevenson to talk about the ongoing trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, which Seth has been covering since it started at the end of November. Maxwell is accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse minors by recruiting and grooming underage girls. First, Seth and June catch up on what has been happening in the courtroom now that the prosecution has rested its case. In the second half of the show, they unpack some of Maxwell’s history of benefiting from shady men and Seth predicts what’s to come. Looming over the trial, and our discussion: Is it fair to hold a woman accountable for aiding in a man's wrongdoings?Also mentioned in the episode: Seth’s 2019 account of his experience being a member of the jury in a murder trial.In Slate Plus, Seth and June discuss TV shows that focus on young women trying to make it in New York media, like Younger and The Bold Type.Recommendations:June: The British TV show Antiques Road TripSeth: The Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate's history podcast One Year and will introduce you to people and ideas that changed American history, one year at a time. The new season of One Year covers 1995, a year when homegrown terrorists attacked Oklahoma City, America went online, and the Macarena took over nightclubs.In 1995, an enormous scandal rocked the burgeoning field of reproductive medicine. In this episode, guest host Christina Cauterucci tells the story of how one of the biggest ethical breaches in American medical history became one woman’s personal nightmare.One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Additional production help from Cheyna Roth. Mixing by Merritt Jacob.Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $1 right now.For a behind-the-scenes look into some of the articles we read when we create the show, check out our Pocket collection at http://getpocket.com/slate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate’s news director Susan Matthews interviews the Nation’s abortion-access correspondent, Amy Littlefield about her reporting for her recent New York Times piece, “Where the Pro-Choice Movement Went Wrong.” They start by talking about how America got to the precipice of overturning Roe v. Wade, and whether reproductive rights advocates are prepared for the fight to come. Later in the show, they discuss how women will continue to access abortion without Roe, and why organizing needs to become more local. In Slate Plus Susan is joined by What Next senior producer Danielle Hewitt and The Waves producer Cheyna Roth to talk about the upcoming Sex and the City TV sequel, And Just Like That...   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate editor-at-large Noreen Malone and executive producer of Slate podcasts Alicia Montgomery talk about Vice President Kamala Harris. They unpack what she’s done (and hasn’t done) and how the White House may be using her as a shield for unpopular policies. Then they dig into whether it’s possible to turn Harris’ abysmal approval ratings around. In the Slate Plus “Is This Feminist?” segment, Noreen and Alicia discuss whether the move toward more casual clothing at work is feminist. Recommendations:Noreen: Happy Hour, by Marlowe GranadosAlicia: HBO’s Succession and Insecure.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Rebecca Onion is joined by leftovers expert and cookbook author Tamar Adler, author of An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace, to talk about what to do with all your excess food. They start out by discussing why dealing with leftovers has historically fallen on women and the division of labor in their own homes. Then they shift gears and give ideas for new dishes to transform your leftovers into—from the gravy to the cranberry sauce. In Slate Plus, Rebecca and Tamar talk about whether cooking for a date and “engagement chicken” is feminist. Recommendations:Rebecca: Mowing, instead of raking, your leaves.Tamar: Making cleaning part of your work schedule and watching videos during your home exercise class.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, managing producer of Slate Podcasts Asha Saluja and senior editor Shannon Palus dive into new releases from superstars Adele and Taylor Swift. In the first half, they talk about how Taylor Swift shaped their views of romance and being 22, and whether her move to take back her song catalogue is actually feminist. Then, Asha and Shannon explore the conversation around Adele’s weight loss and the patriarchal expectations put on female pop stars. In our Slate Plus segment, Asha and Shannon talk about whether it’s feminist when female pop stars don’t dance in their music videos. Recommendations:Asha: Jao Refresher hand sanitizer and singing in the shower. Shannon: Getting a latte and going for a walk with said latte.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices