The C-Word

Whitney Houston: “The Voice,” the myth, the legend. She sang her way into the hearts of America, moving a nation and bearing the weight of its attention on her psyche. As her star grew, Whitney faced backlash, questions about her identity, and intense intrusion into her personal life. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa chart the young Whitney’s rise to fame, her essential early relationships with Robyn Crawford and Bobby Brown, and the start of struggles that would eventually lead to her untimely end.  This episode was first published on 09/10/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yoko Ono: The woman whose name for decades was a codeword for "Somebody who ruins things." Beatles fans called her a villain, obscuring who she really was: a multidisciplinary artist, pioneering social activist, and visionary. In this episode, Lena and Alissa trace Yoko’s unlikely journey, from her childhood as a musical prodigy to her years as a fixture of the New York art scene to her legendary love affair with one of the most famous rock stars of all time. As Lena and Alissa untangle Yoko’s story, they assess the cultural anxieties about gender and race that made Yoko a target and ask how we can truly honor the contributions of trailblazing women artists.  This episode was first published on 08/06/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary Shelley is known as the mother of the science fiction genre for her groundbreaking novel, ​Frankenstein​. But beyond the page, she faced a life of personal tragedy and a society unprepared to grapple with her public persona. As the daughter of legendary proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley was born into controversy. In her adult life, her entanglements with celebrity Romantic poets kept her at the center of high society gossip. In this episode, Lena and Alissa weave together the various elements of this complex life (featuring a graveyard tryst!), and discuss what it meant to be a woman ahead of her time.  This episode was first published on 07/23/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daul Kim, it-girl and Chanel muse, was one of the most iconic models of the 2000’s. As she came to prominence in her late teens, she gained a cult following and fell under intense scrutiny for her candid blogging about her experience in the industry. In this episode, Lena and Alissa reflect on the life and death of Daul, from her public displays of depression to the torrential pace of her young life, ultimately asking what it means to be highly visible but not seen on one's own terms.  This episode was first published on 07/09/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica Savitch: the original anchorwoman. An NBC mainstay, Jessica was an audience favorite, but despite trailblazing and receiving public praise, the star struggled. In this episode, Lena and Alissa dive into the woman behind the desk: from her incredible ambition and subsequent drug use, to the workplace culture that led to the downfall of her career.  This episode was first published on 06/25/2020. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices