Re-Feminist History (aka Bitchstory)

Listen to the Podcast on Spotify Listen on Apple Listen on the web   (via Podcast Addict - NO APP NEEDED)  Email me:   kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me The Latest Podcast Episode is here:  boudicca episode This blog is a little bit of a tangent, but it will tie into our next show.  Let's talk about Queen Elizabeth I, "The Virgin Queen".   She was born in 1533 and died in 1603, and ruled from 1558 until her death. Queen Elizabeth (daughter of King Henry the VIII and Anne Boleyn) took the throne at the age of 17 and ruled until her death at 69. 69 is a respectable age of death for even a royal in those days. So did she die of age, health issues, or something else?  Let's first acknowledge that history has, until recently, been written by the victors, and until recently, that has mostly been the (fucking) patriarchy.  History has also often been written by those who are bitter and poor losers (also the patriarchy).  This is why our podcast exists.  History says many unkind thi

Listen to the Podcast on Spotify Listen on Apple Listen on the web  (via Podcast Addict - NO APP NEEDED)  Email me:   kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me The Latest Podcast Episode is here:  boudicca episode  This week on "Re-feminist History" we are throwing it way back in Bitchstory to 30-60AD!  If you were born in the UK, you were probably taught about her in school. In the US (where I am), we were not taught about her at all in primary grades.  We are talking about Boudicca. She was a Celtic Queen (shoutout to my ancestors!), and has become a feminist icon and symbol of resistance.   I'm going to save the bulk of this Bitchstory lesson for the podcast, but here's the basics:  Boudicca was married to the King of the Iceni people.  Her story really begins when he died.   The Romans, ignoring Prasutagus's will that left his kingdom jointly to his daughters, annexed the territory, flogged Boudicca, and violated her daughters. This brutal treatment ignited Boudicca's re

Listen to the Podcast on Spotify Listen on Apple Listen on the web  (via Podcast Addict - NO APP NEEDED)  Email me:   kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me The Latest Podcast Episode is here:  spoti.fi/3yj7SGw  OK, we are wrapping up this series on amazing female athletes with part 4, and the remainder of our list of badasses...which is by no means exhaustive. There are women breaking competitive records every day, so I'm sure we will revisit this topic later.   10  Debi Thomas (figure skating) In a sport that highly values traditional femininity and whiteness, Debi Thomas is a trailblazer. She’s the most successful African American figure skater of all time, winning two national championships and one world championship. She was the first African American to win any medal at the Winter Olympics when she took the bronze in 1988, during which she was simultaneously studying premed at Stanford. Thomas was seen as the only skater who could beat the talented Katerina Witt at the 1988 Winter Olympi

Listen to the Podcast on Spotify Listen on Apple Listen on the web  (via Podcast Addict - NO APP NEEDED)  Email me:   kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me The Latest Podcast Episode is here:  spoti.fi/3yj7SGw  I am picking up where I left off last week, continuing with this series on badass female athletes that I started a couple weeks ago.  Part 1 I discussed the obnoxious wage gap between male and female athletes at all levels. Part 2 I dropped some names of history's boundary breaking badass women in various sports, and today I am continuing that list.    5. Alice Coachman (track and field) Alice Coachman overcame a poor childhood to stake out a place in history. In 1948, Coachman became the first African American woman to win an Olympic medal. It was a long way from her hometown of Albany, Georgia, where she was born in 1923 as one of 10 children. She was not allowed to practice on the same field as whites so she trained in bare feet on dirt tracks, turning ropes and sticks into high ju

Listen to the Podcast on Spotify Listen on Apple Listen on the web  (via Podcast Addict - NO APP NEEDED)  Email me:   kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me Continuing what I started last week, this week I am beginning a list of some seriously badass female athletes . These women blazed trails, broke down barriers, overcame various "isms", and set new records. Such overachievers! I didn't look up their astrology charts, but I promise there is some strong Capricorn and Aries in this list! There are many, many other women who deserve a mention. If you have an athlete shero, email me and tell me who she is! I will be posting a few more of these ladies every week on this blog for a couple more weeks.  These women deserve more spotlighting than they've received thus far. 1. Kathrine Switzer (marathon runner) Kathrine Switzer's experience serves as a poignant testament to the obstacles confronted by pioneering women athletes and the remarkable strides made by girls and women in

This week Re-feminist History covers female athletes, particularly women who have set records, broken down barriers, and carved a way forward out of invisibility.  Without meaning to, we set a record of our own and recorded our longest podcast to date! So this will be split up into two 1-hour segments.  Honestly it could have been 3-4 hours because there is a lot going on in women's athletics right now.   This week I'm going to cover the disgusting wage gap that exists between professional male and female athlete salaries, and next week I'll give you an impressive list of 14 super badass women who have paved the way for many others.  From the 1920's, to a surprising number of bullshit limitations broken in the 1990's, to a 13 year old...there are so many amazing stories. But for now, set your gaze upon the bullshit in this table... Average Athlete Compensation by Gender Sport Men Women Basketball (NBA & WNBA) $10,776,383 $113,295 Golf (PGA & LPGA) $1,042,91