February&March reads

I’m fairly certain we’ve all noticed the celebrity anorexia trend becoming blatantly apparent in the last year or so. But another trend occurring concurrently in Hollywood is the form of modern slavery known as surrogacy. It’s glaring and flagrant how many (oftentimes very skinny) famous women are hiring women of a lower socioeconomic class to birth babies for them. Yet, while celebrities are becoming skinnier, the general population is going further and further in the opposite direction. Women cannot strive for this unreachable standard, so often become discouraged from fitness and its culture in general. A synchronicity of anorexia and obesity emerges with a negative correlation linked to class. All the while, less privileged women are being forced to sell a life-threatening bodily function to those who feel “the right” to have children. The body itself is always a battleground for women and girls.Links ~ linktr.ee/intoodeepodResources ~ https://leaflet.pub/8864a0ba-6025-4edd-98c3-ce33914ea2c1Chapters ~00:00 Intro10:07 The eating disorder as a patriarchal weapon23:19 Feminised fitness38:30 Surrogacy as slavery53:55 Reinterpreting surrogacy59:55 Conclusion: the body

This episode was brought about by the recent incident of Grok generating thousands of explicit images of non-consenting women and girls at the request of male Twitter users. Generative AI being used for deepfakes has become a pertinent issue in recent years, but it's not the only way technology is being used to subjugate women. Sexual harassment over video games and in VR (so-called Meta-rape) alongside sex robots with AI encoded personalities in cyberbrothels, has brought about a new age of misogyny, discussed extensively in Laura Bates recent book. I'll also be discussing some problems with cyberfeminism of the 90s and how we could bring about a new feminist consciousness with the 'technofeminist framework' described by sociologist Judy Wacjman. Links ☆ ⁠https://linktr.ee/intoodeepodResources ☆ https://leaflet.pub/d69e6d69-0a32-475a-865b-09decc9e8147 Chapters ☆Intro 00:00Generative AI & Deepfakes 5:46Slave Robots & Virtual Assault 26:08What is Cyberfeminism? 45:33Conclusion: Radical Technofeminism 58:07

Likely my most requested episode … I’m finally talking about dark romance. Since Fifty Shades, the publishing of dark romance books has become a literal pandemic, particularly with the shift to dark romantasy, bringing about books like ACOTAR, and Alchemised. I wanted to discuss the roots of this literature, whether that’s actual dark, gothic, romanticism or Marquis De Sade type erotica. #BookTok has played a huge role in the dark romance push, commonly recommending very mature content to young women on TikTok. But how far can this content go? Should romantic content including rape, incest, and bestiality be allowed, or should it be censored? Regardless, these popular books are having negative impacts on perceptions of relationships and consent for those who consume them, so what can be done about it?Follow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodInstagram: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodResources ~https://leaflet.pub/81a8cafa-6328-42eb-a379-370de302a385Chapters ~Intro & Romance History 00:00Erotica as Pornography 15:30#BookTok Victims and Colleen Hoover 25:00Dark Romantasy 35:03The Extreme, AO3, & Censorship 47:18Conclusion: Woman as Class 58:40

In this episode I’m discussing how conservatives have turned to hijacking women’s rights in order to push a political agenda, namely that of anti-immigration. With gendered violence becoming more notable on a global scale, politicians have been pushed to include it in their campaigns, though many of these right wing political parties do not actually care about women, and rather use it as a fearmongering tactic to further racist rhetoric. Femicide particularly, is often treated without empathy and rather weaponised against migrants and asylum seekers, which only jeopardises the safety of women in this cohort further. With this in mind, I’m discussing the concept of femonationalism in both European and American contexts, touching on the ‘war on terror’ and Donald Trump in more recent years. As right wing figures position immigrants as inherently sexually violent, “homegrown” incel violence grows on their own turf, creating yet more hypocrisy in their discussions of violence against women. Basically… this is a warning to not fall for the conservatives lies!Follow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodInstagram: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodResources ~Ben-nun S, (2025) “Israel rape crisis centers report 51,000 cases as ministries withhold key data” The Jerusalem PostBohn L, (2018) “‘We’re All Handcuffed in This Country.’ Why Afghanistan Is Still the Worst Place in the World to Be a Woman” TIMEBonhomme E, (2019) “The Disturbing Rise of ‘Femonationalism’” The NationBingham L, (2025) “Nationalism, Femicide, and New Masculinities: the far-right’s weaponisation of violence against women” PivotDombrowski V, (2024) “Far-right feminists? The exploitation of women’s rights and what’s behind it” The Progressive PostFarris S, (2017) “In the Name of Women's Rights: The Rise of Femonationalism” Duke University PressGentry CE, (2022) “Misogynistic terrorism: it has always been here” Critical Studies on TerrorismHinckley T, (2023) “The makings of an all-American incel” UConn The Daily CampusNeate R, (2015) “Donald Trump doubles down on Mexico 'rapists' comments despite outrage” The GuardianSager M & Mulinar D, (2018) “Safety for whom? Exploring femonationalism and care-racism in Sweden” Women’s Studies International ForumSrinivasan A, (2021) “The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century” Farrar, Straus and GirouxStaudinger A, (2021) “Moving from victim-blaming and racialisation to a diversified transnational response to gendered violence in Austria” Kohl: A Journal for Body and Gender ResearchStracqualursi V & Landers E, (2018) “Trump claims female migrants ‘are raped at levels that nobody has ever seen before” CNNUN, (2019) “Global Study on Homicide: Gender-related killing of women and girls” United Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeUN, (2025) “More than a human can bear: Israel's systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since October 2023” United Nations Human RightsVink D et. al, (2024) “Because They Are Women in a Man’s World: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Incel Violent Extremists and the Stories They Tell” Terrorism and Political ViolenceWillahan E, (2019) “All The Terrorism We Cannot See: misogyny, whiteness, and radicalisation in the digital age” Oxford Political ReviewZiolkowski L, (2020) “From Libertine to Incel: How the "Manosphere" Fostered the Continuation of Gender Violence in Western Culture” Bucknell UniversityContact me if you require access to any of the above resources.Chapters ~00:00 Intro & Anti-Immigration Rallies7:30 The Femicide Pandemic20:00 European Femonationalism33:30 The War on Terror Did Not Liberate Women38:00 Trump’s America42:08 Homegrown Incel Violence49:09 Conclusion

Hi I’m back! This episode is all about misogynistic beauty ideals and how they’re taken advantage of in order to market scientific misconceptions to female consumers. I wanted to debunk the idea that anything that goes against the oppressive beauty industry is inherently positive. While a distrust in science under a Trump presidency and podcast bro informed society increases, pseudoscientific beliefs and scientific illiteracy are particularly dangerous and should be wholly rejected from feminist spaces. I’ll be discussing some common misconceptions surrounding cosmetic ingredients alongside the misogynistic principles which determine how a woman is expected to exist in terms of her hair, face, and body. *I made some comments about how frequently people should wash their hair and how it's kinda gross to go longer than week - this refers strictly to the type of people who have told me to "oil train" in the past (usually white hair dressers hahaha). I understand many types of black hair are better to be washed less frequently due to the fact that sebum spreads less evenly on super coiled hair types, which would lead to dryness if washed too often. Even in general, it's often not the hair that needs washing but the scalp itself due to factors I mentioned such as yeast overgrowth and irritation. :DFollow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodIG: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodReferences ~Belcadi J et. al, (2025) “Preconceived ideas in hair care” International Journal of Women’s DermatologyColumbia University, (2024) “Shining a Light on Sun Safety: Debunking TikTok’s Anti-Sunscreen Claims” CU Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer CentreChang LY et. al, (2025) “Evolution of long scalp hair in humans” British Journal of DermatologyEuropean Union, (2025) “TPO in Nail Products – Questions & Answers” European CommissionLe M, (2023) “Deadly Cosmetic Myths and the Lies of "Clean Beauty" Marketing” Video Essay, YoutubeMackinnon KJ, (2024) “What is the Anti-SPF movement on TikTok?” ABC PMThompson C, (2009) “Black Women, Beauty, and Hair as a Matter of Being” Women’s StudiesWeitz R, (2001) “Women and Their Hair: Seeking Power through Resistance and Accommodation” Gender and SocietyWong M, (2024) “The Science of Beauty” DK LondonChapters ~00:00 Intro11:50 Brief History16:46 Hair31:00 Skin43:00 Nails52:20 Conclusion

Welcome back! In this episode, I’m discussing the recent discourse surrounding Sabrina Carpenter, using her marketing and brand as a case study to discuss female choice sexuality and the sex icon blonde bombshells that have come before her. Her recent album cover, but more specifically the alternate version supposedly “approved by god,” references a picture of Marilyn Monroe, an icon of the sexual liberation movement who unfortunately cannot be mentioned without her male icon counterpart, Hugh Hefner. Sabrina’s lolita, sexy baby aesthetic can also not be discussed without mention of incest, which is effectively the cradle of sexual politics, particularly in American culture. Is the recent uptick in women returning to “feminine” aesthetics rather just a result of men’s beloved fetishisation of childlike and paedophilic ideals? I also go into Dworkin’s idea of sexual intelligence, an integral but almost unattainable part of women’s rights, and how we can perhaps go about fixing the wrongs of the “unfinished” sexual liberation movement.Follow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodIG: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodReferences ~Armstrong L, (1996) “Rocking The Cradle of Sexual Politics: What Happened When Women Said Incest” Addison Wesley Publishing CompanyDworkin A, (1978) “Right Wing Women” Perigee BooksHurley J, (2024) “your fave is selling a pedophilic fantasy” Jade Fax, SubstackPerry L, (2022) “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution” Polity BooksRush F, (1971) “The Sexual Abuse of Children: A Feminist Point of View” Speech, presented at 1971 New York Radical Feminists Rape ConferenceSurvivors’ Network (2023) “What we learned from Pamela Anderson’s ‘A Love Story’ Documentary”Chapters ~00:00 Intro8:12 Marilyn Monroe vs Hugh Hefner19:39 The Paedophilic Fantasy32:30 Omg Stop Blaming Women!41:50 Remedying "Sex Positivity" with Sexual Intelligence

The subculture of mid-2000s pop punk is much more misogynistic than we remember. We’ve all heard about the emo band members getting accused of predatory behaviour in the past few years, but what was it about this genre of music that made performers so inclined to ask minors for nudes over Snapchat? Moreover, despite its devout misogyny, why were so many young women (me included!) still drawn to the genre? When looking back on this time, Paramore singer Hayley Williams becomes a beacon of female light in the crowd of guyliner adorned, “girl jeans” wearing metrosexual emo band members. So, let’s delve into the Misery Business that was 2000s emo music.Follow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodIG: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodReferences ~Benjamin S, (2017) “How Mid-2000s Emo Groomed Underage Girls and Poisoned Teen Boys” Meanjinde Boise S, (2014) “Cheer up emo kid: rethinking the ‘crisis of masculinity’ in emo” Popular MusicHopper J, (2003) “Where the Girls Aren’t” RookiePayne C, (2023) “Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo’s Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008” Dey Street BooksPelly R, (2017) “Unraveling the Sexism of Emo’s Third Wave” PitchforkPowers A, (2015) “The Cruel Truth About Rock and Roll” NPRSherman M, (2020) “The Miserable Business of Emo Masculinity” JezebalHonourable mention: Abdurraqib H, (2017) “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” Two Dollar RadioChapters ~00:00 Intro6:02 Being Female in the Emo Scene10:04 The misogyny and the allegations26:28 Emo Gender 38:46 Hayley Williams

In today’s episode we’re discussing the connections between feminism and veganism by focusing on the book ‘The Sexual Politics of Meat’ by Carol J. Adams. In particular, I wanted to talk about the masculinisation of meat and how it relates to male and white supremacy. We’re also going into the term ‘absent referent’ to discuss how the treatment of women and animals is oftentimes similar. From non-technological societies to a Carl’s Jr Super Bowl ad, how has meat-eating upheld the patriarchy?Follow me ~TikTok: tiktok.com/@intoodeepodIG: instagram.com/intoodeepodLinks: linktr.ee/intoodeepodReferences ~Adams CJ, (2025) “The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegan Critique, 35th Anniversary Edition” Bloomsbury PublishingBBC, (2020) “Why black Americans are more likely to be vegan”Berg N, (2019) “Drive-thru brothels: why cities are building ‘sexual infrastructure’” The GuardianDeckha M, (2020) “Animals as Legal Beings: Contesting Anthropocentric Legal Orders” University of Toronto PressEnochs E, (2018) “To Uphold My Feminist Values, I Went Vegan” The EstablishmentGregory D, (1968) “The Shadow That Scares Me” DoubledayLeghorn L & Roodkowsky M, (1977) “Who Really Starves? Women and World Hunger” Friendship PressSlade J & Alleyne E, (2021) “The Psychological Impact of Slaughterhouse Employment: A Systematic Literature Review” Trauma Violence Abuse@anotheranarchistdyke StoryGraph review of The Sexual Politics of MeatChapters~00:00 My Experience w/ Veganism8:50 The Sexual Politics of Meat11:50 Meat as Masculine20:11 The Racialised Politics of Meat28:08 Economy, Gender, & Meat30:23 The Absent Referent and Sexualised Animals38:07 Similarities & Connections Between Veganism & Feminism

Another book review episode this week! I'll be talking about two really good philosophical books about sex in the modern age and from different feminist perspectives. I'm also discussing Julia Fox's memoir and how it was literally traumatising, as well as two dystopian books, including the new Hunger Games!Follow me ~IG: ⁠instagram.com/intoodeepod⁠TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@intoodeepod⁠Feb-Mar Books ~00:00 Intro2:30 The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century by Amia Srinivisan19:42 The Agony of Eros by Byung-chul Han36:45 Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au39:05 Down the Drain by Julia Fox42:14 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins47:49 You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor & Janina Matthewson

Feminism often gets the criticism of having a very white history. In this episode, I’ll be discussing some prominent feminist thinkers, their respective waves, and the ethnocentrism which at times skewed their analyses to the West. Liberal feminism specifically is very based in the rights of white women only, but I’ll also be discussing how liberalism itself is inherently damaging and would need to be eradicated for any true social revolution. The many different branches of feminism and our obsession with identity politics has also created fertile ground for so much disagreement between groups who for the most part do agree with each other, such as radical, Marxist, and intersectional feminists. I also discuss how more than one idea can be true at once and how feminist groups should attempt to come together to reach our similar goals.Follow me ~IG: ⁠instagram.com/intoodeepod⁠TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@intoodeepod⁠Resources ~Anonymous, (2025) “Surviving in Silence: Aboriginal Women’s Resistance to Rape and Sex-Based Violence” Issue 1, Total Woman VictoryCaine B, (2024) “Kate Millett pioneered the term ‘sexual politics’ and explained the links between sex and power. Her book changed my life” The ConversationHooks B, (2004) ‘The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love’ Washington Square PressLee K, (2021) “Simone de Beauvoir” Woman is a Rational Animal, The University of ChicagoMills E & Koyle KM, (2024) “Race, Pseudoscience, and ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’” Circulating Now, National Library of MedicinePardis, (2025) “The Poverty of Sex” Issue 2, Total Woman VictoryPatel S, (2025) “The Sex Contradiction” Issue 2, Total Woman VictorySankara T, (1987) “Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle” Pathfinder PressThompson K, (2023) “Postmodern Feminism” Revise SociologyChapters ~00:00 Intro04:13 Strands of Feminism & Interconnectedness20:18 Some Prominent Feminist Thinkers37:34 On Liberalism40:48 Notable Essays from Total Woman Victory