Photo of Kaitlyn Blythe

Did you know that Halle Berry is diabetic? Izzie's dad once told them that and they've never fact-checked it. They think he meant it to be encouraging, like, 'Hey, you’ll be okay, see? Catwoman has diabetes,' but unfortunately that movie was terrible. In this episode of Pill Pop, hosts Silvi and Izzie speak with writer and performer Kaitlyn Blythe about media representation of chronically ill people. They’ll give you the good, the bad, and the Jeremy Renner in what was easily the hardest time they’ve had staying on topic in an interview.

Kaitlyn Blythe is a writer and performer living in Naarm (Melbourne) and dealing with encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She also has a podcast, Just A Spoonful (currently on hiatus), where she talks to other chronically ill folks, and is working on her first book, a collection of essays about life with a disability.

Content warning: this episode includes discussions of physical and mental illness, hospitals, medical trauma.

Further reading

• An Inconvenience by Kaitlyn Plyley, Seizure, published 19 January 2017
  
• The ‘feminist’ advice that is actually holding women back by Kaitlyn Plyley, Sydney Morning Herald, published 3 January 3 2017
• A Deep Dive Into The Latest (And Completely Bonkers) Taylor Swift Fan Theories by Kaitlyn Plyley, Junkee, published 28 February 2019
• Movies spoken about in this episode include: Philadelphia, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Moulin Rouge, Love & Other Drugs, Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man, Avengers: Endgame and Bubble Boy

Get in touch

We want to hear from our listeners! Tweet us your non-compliant body stories at @PillPopCast, or send us an email at [email protected]. 

In this episode

Hosted, produced and edited by Silvi Vann-Wall and Izzie Austin. Writer and perfromer Kaitlyn Blythe, formerly Kaitlyn Plyley, is our guest.

Recorded at Studio 757, Melbourne and Silvi and Izzie's respective home offices. This series is produced in partnership with the Wheeler Centre's Signal Boost programme. Mentorship and production support from Bec Fary.

Music: 'Dip Dop' by Barrie Gledden; 'Sad Marimba Planet' and 'More on That Later' by Lee Rosevere. Sound effects sourced from SoundSnap and Klankbeeld.

Transcript

A transcript of this episode will be available soon.