Stuff Mom Never Told You

Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, author of "Promise Land," stops by the show to share her insights on the history of self-help, its particular appeal to women and whether it can really improve lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nuns meowing like cats. School girls laughing uncontrollably. People dancing in the streets until they die from exhaustion. Cristen and Caroline dig into the fascinating history of mass hysterias, why some think it's on the rise today and how it seems to affect more girls and women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When people think of women and Mardi Gras, they probably imagine bare breasts and beads -- but that's certainly not the extent of women's participation in the Fat Tuesday fest. Cristen and Caroline laissez les podcast bon temps rouler in this parade of gender, race and class at Mardi Gras. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The history of the women's movement for suffrage was written by white women and largely overshadows the African-American feminists who worked alongside them, battling not only gender inequity but also racism, disenfranchisement and segregation from mainstream suffrage organizations. Cristen and Caroline highlight Ida B. Wells and other black women integral to winning the vote for all American women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since it first began its westward expansion in the 16th century, coffee has been a distinctively male drink. Even today, while plenty of women work behind the coffee counter, many wonder whether a bro-rista culture continues to dominate the rapidly expanding specialty coffee industry. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miscarriage is one of the most common pregnancy experiences, though rarely talked about openly. Cristen and Caroline provide an overview of what miscarriage entails, what causes it, what doesn't and its psychological repercussions of pregnancy loss for women and men. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do celebrity crushes, affections for fictional characters and hero worship come from? Cristen and Caroline shed light on the fascinating spectrum of parasocial relationships we develop with people in books, television and tabloids. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedy hasn't always been an especially welcoming space for women. Cristen and Caroline highlight the hilarious female trailblazers who've been honored by MAKERS, an historic initiative that aims to be the largest and most dynamic collection of women's stories ever assembled. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swearing and use of profanity is has long been a considered a masculine habit, while women are the "experts of euphemism." Cristen and Caroline unpack the sociolinguistic danger of women swearing and whether the profanity gender gap is closing at home and in the workplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent Vanity Fair article detailed the potentially fatal side effects of certain types of birth control. Cristen and Caroline unravel the science of birth control risk factors, how to minimize birth control risk and what the Vanity Fair story leaves out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.