Luckily, I’ve encountered a ton of options in the “feminist podcast” realm and they’ve thankfully replaced my previous playlist with discussions that get to the heart of oppression and double standards in America.

I used to cherish Throwing Shade, a podcast I loved to laugh at as well as rely on for feminist commentary about certain current and pop culture-related events. But as my feminism has grown and expanded, an hour-long gigglefest with cishet white hosts who couldn’t seem to avoid saying something problematic in each recording just wasn’t cutting it for me anymore. With the desire to learn more about body politics, sex and racism in America, I set out to find podcasts that better suit my radical feminism and commitment to learning more about oppressed groups.

In my search, I’ve found five new go-to podcasts that I’ve been listening to obsessively ever since I came across them in the iTunes store. Consider checking them out if you’re interested in expanding your understanding of the world, or are just interested in learning exactly what “fat positivity” means.

#GoodMuslimBadMuslim

In this fiercely witty and eye-opening podcast, Taz Ahmed & Zahra Noorbakhsh discuss what it’s like to be a Muslim women in America, continuously exploring the idea of what a “good Muslim” means to society at large as well as their own families. Besides reminiscing and ranting about their own experiences with microaggressions in the dating world and on the street as Muslim women, Ahmed and Noorbakhsh also explore the multiple and pervasive ways Muslims face oppression in their daily lives. The podcast’s third episode, entitled “No Muslim Is Safe,” contains one of their most informative discussions about staying safe on the street and the ways in which in law enforcement mistreat Muslim folks. Check it out on iTunes.

The BodCast

If you’re interested in learning more about body positivity, Bustle’s body pos podcast The BodCast is your one-stop shop in learning about the many facets of self love and body acceptance. Hosted by my former Bustle editor, Marie Southard Ospina, the podcast mostly delves into topics concerning fat positivity and features guests with unique stories to tell about their own experience as fat folks. My favorite episodes include “Why Do We Assign Moral Values To Food and Bodies?” (which delves into ideas of health being a social construct as well as the way “good” and “bad” labels help us create an unhealthy relationship with food) and “Fat Fetishism and BBW Modeling” (which discusses fat sexuality and feedism, a topic I’ve been ever-intrigued by for years). I find that by listening to and learning from these very unique narratives about living in a fat body, I become both more aware of the oppression of plus size folks and stronger in my own body positive foundation. Tune in to The BodCast on iTunes, and check it out on SoundCloud to hear an episode I’m featured in about body positivity in a genderqueer body.

 

Bad Fat Broads!

KC and Ariel are the no-nonsense hosts of Bad Fat Broads, a podcast dedicated to covering news and current pop culture-related events from a radical fat posi perspective. Besides the fact that these women are hilarious, I love this one for how much it delves into calling bullshit on many half-hearted mainstream attempts at body positivity (like Curvy Con and NPR This American’s Life “Tell Me I’m Fat” episode), helping me to stay critical of the media messages around me. Check them out on iTunes.

Sooo Many White Guys

Hosted by one half of 2 Dope Queens Phoebe Robinson, Sooo Many White Guys is a blast of a podcast. Between Robinson’s witty presence and the variety of folks she features on the show (like Ilana Glazer, Janet Mock and Roxane Gay), the show is filled with interesting conversations about society at large with perspectives from everyone one but white cis men (well, except for the occasional “token white guy”). Plus, her ongoing banter with her producer, arguably the “toke white girl” of the show never fails to deliver extra laughs. Check it out on iTunes.

Unscrewed

Sponsored by The Establishment, host Jaclyn Friedman talks about all things sex in her podcast, Unscrewed. Friedman covers many aspects of our country’s sex culture (including kink and childhood masturbation) as she aims to debunk many of the myths that plague our educational systems and households. As someone who had a sub-par sex education in high school and who’s interested in all things sex-related, it’s both a fun and super informative listen. Check it out on iTunes.

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.

By Sebastian Zulch on September 19, 2016