Don’t Hem Us In

This Spring, we saw in White Lotus Season 3 what a nightmare girl's trip can look like: backstabbing, competition, and old, buried social dynamics coming to light. Anyone that’s been on enough girls trips knows that even a long-weekend getaway can make or break friendships. In this episode, we chat with journalist Jazmine Hughes about the highs (oxytocin, formative memories) and lows (boundary violations, hard money talks) of girls trips as a way into a much bigger conversation: why it’s so hard, but so important, to maintain lifelong friendships between women across state lines, tax brackets and varying relationship statuses. We’ll hear about some hilarious horror stories while also emphasizing the importance of keeping the right coven alive—even when that involves work. 

With WNBA viewership spiking and new NWSL leagues popping up across the country, it’s safe to say that women’s sports teams are experiencing a wild popularity boom. This is embarrassingly overdue since women have been good at sports for as long as they’ve been playing them. In this episode, we ask Gotham FC General Manager Yael Averbuch West—why now? We also unpack all the ways the infrastructure around women’s sports—be it stadium facilities, broadcast spots, and sports bar screens—is way behind, and what we need to do to speed it up. 

Let’s talk about hormones, baby! Turns out your cycle isn’t just about cramps and mood swings. Everyone from CEOs to elite athletes are hacking their periods to level up their performance. Body talk in professional spaces has 180’d from the very taboo to the very trendy, and cycle syncing is all the rage! While the jury is still out on the science of cycle syncing, it’s still a marvel to witness this kind of transparency and community building around hormones after so many years of silence. In this episode, we talk to NYT reporter Alisha Haridasani Gupta about the science of cycle syncing and the need for transparency and mobilization around women’s health.

A recent Pew Research study revealed some truths: there are significantly fewer single women actively looking for partners compared to men. But what happens when you do want love in a world where everything feels financially… precarious? In this episode, we talk to former Tinder sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino about the realities of "recession dating." How does a changing economy impact how we build connections, mark milestones like moving in together, or even plan a vacation when those steps feel increasingly out of reach? 

Tired of being sold a “solution” to a “problem” you didn’t even know you had? Welcome to the club. The internet’s obsession with “self-improvement” often just feels like a competition no one asked to be a part of: everybody and their mother is taking some kind of supplement, injecting something into their face, and refining a million-step skincare ritual. It makes us dizzy just trying to figure out who to listen to, what’s a scam, and what actually works. In this episode, we’ll chat with cosmetic industry experts, the Lipstick Lesbians, about how to navigate the chaos of the product sphere with a critical eye and some kindness to the wallet and the self.

The people are hungry for love! Recent data shows that every literary genre experienced a decline in book sales with the exception of romance. Today’s romance genre is not what it once was—we’ve got queer stories being centered, high fantasy reigning, and a world of BookTok influencers driving sales. But despite the craze, romance still isn’t always taken seriously. In this episode, we talk to Tinx, legendary content creator and author of the newly published steamy novel Hotter in the Hamptons, about the ideas behind her book, what she thinks about the romance novel craze, and why we need to give this genre its flowers.

Confused by the twelve year old girl in your life who wanted retinol for xmas? Well, she’s certainly not alone. These days, teens and tweens are lining up outside any neighborhood Sephora in search of a skincare fad designed for people more than a decade older. In this episode, journalist and podcaster Elise Hu helps us unpack the visible and invisible forces that make today’s young girls thirst for an unattainable perfection. We also look inward, examining the way the beauty industry shapes our sense of self worth and how, no matter the decade, the trials of girlhood stay the same.

For as long as women have been recognized as a distinct group, their interests have been side-lined as “Women’s Issues,” “Women’s Topics,” and “Women’s Studies.” Though likely well-intended, the distinction proposes that women’s conversations are outside the mainstream and, thus, not centered as primary or important. Women know that's far from true. Unruly centers women – giving them the freedom to discuss unconventional and surprising topics and the opportunity to be their truest, most flamboyant selves. Because the conversations we're having are anything but dull. At Flamingo, we believe that if women are talking about it, it’s important. So in this season of Unruly, we’ll have conversations with your favorite writers, thinkers and influencers about everything from dating in a recession, to the way TikTok is shaping girlhood, to consumer capitalism and how to survive your annual girls trip- plus much much more!  We’re carving out a little space for smart takes, hot takes, and a whole lot of truth-telling. Unruly season 2, tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

Women are often taught to silence themselves and that can have damaging effects. On our last episode of the season, psychologist, writer and speaker Maytal Eyal joins host Kimberly Drew to discuss her Time Magazine article: “Self Silencing is Making Women Sick.” We get into Maytal’s research, what’s at stake when we don’t express ourselves fully, and how we can work together to fight against these toxic cultural norms.

Female athletes have fought uphill battles for equity and respect for about as long as sports have existed. Their bodies and uniforms are under intense scrutiny from the public, the press and athletic institutions. In this episode, we talk to Olympic Shot-Putter Raven Saunders, who pushes back on archaic athletic dress code standards – she famously wears a Hulk mask when she competes. We get into her Olympic experience, what it means to push wardrobe boundaries, and how coming to peace with herself and her body is a huge part of how she expresses herself through clothes and through sports.