No matter who you are, inevitably there is someone telling you to “be nicer” or “stop being so nice”. Girlbosses preach that nice girls don't get the corner office, and yet Instagram slogans plead to "be nice." But what is niceness? Is it a vir

Emily Ratajkowski's Body

1 Dec 15th, 2021 26m 50s

For model Emily Ratajkowski, there's a blurred line between empowerment and objectification. Coming up in the world of modeling, a harrowing experience with a photographer provided an early education in power dynamics, shame and what it means t

We're All Failing At Being Women

1 Mar 24th, 2021 22m 40s

There is so much to say about Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. Lauded as the first book by a trans author to be released by a major publishing house, Detransition, Baby is a novel about queerness, motherhood, mothering, and, ultimately, the

The Border Patrol Agent I Know

1 Nov 25th, 2020 41m 36s

Ana is an activist and a reporter. Art is an active duty border patrol agent. Their two worlds collided in the Arizona desert, over a series of conversations. When it comes to the border, what does it mean to see the other side?Learn more abou

AAHH IT’S THE ANXIETY EPISODE AHHHH

1 1 Sep 3rd, 2019 32m 5s

An episode all about anxiety—from panicky thought-spirals to private self-soothing techniques. Featuring Aparna Nancherla, Jenny Odell, Sarah Wilson, our extremely anxious colleague Ruth Spencer, and many more.Learn more about your ad choices.

The Antivaxxer In Your Life

1 Nov 3rd, 2021 29m 36s

A new culture war is playing out in public in the form of antivax protests and an avalanche of social media posts from vaccine skeptics. But the divide is also playing out in private. And it's exploding relationships between people who've chose

Stay Out of My Hijabi Business

1 Aug 18th, 2021 30m 34s

The choice to wear hijab is a personal one, but oftentimes, it's also something you need to square with the people in your life. The Cut producer Noor Bouzidi talks with Maryam Jones about being a hijabi influencer and then removing hijab, and

Here We Go Aftertimes

Apr 28th, 2021 22m 56s

As soon as producer Jazmín Aguilera got vaccinated, she felt like she could daydream again. The possibilities for a life post-vaccination seemed endless. A summer of love! Debauchery! Parties! Travel! Jazmín finally felt there was a light at th

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving

1 1 Mar 3rd, 2021 34m 23s

When Avery Trufelman was a pre-teen, the film 13 Going on 30 was like a roadmap to everything she wanted to be as a grown up: "thirty and flirty and thriving." But as Avery enters her third decade, she revisits the movie and grapples with what

The Truth About False Memories

Jan 6th, 2021 37m 4s

The Lost in the Mall experiment is a classic case study in Psych 101 classes. The study's conclusion: if you are told something happened to you as a child, you're inclined to believe it and that we're all susceptible to false memories being imp

Ferrante Forever: We Revisit My Brilliant Friend

1 Nov 13th, 2018 35m 54s

This week we’re talking about the Neapolitan novels, by Elena Ferrante. An adaptation of the first book in that series, My Brilliant Friend, is coming to HBO later this month... and we’re using that as an excuse to revisit Ferrante's world. Wit

"She's Never Done Anything Halfway": Making a Far Right Extremist

Oct 30th, 2018 33m 44s

The violence of the last week has clearly shown how hateful rhetoric can translate to real-world violence. So, what do we know about the conditions that allow hate to take hold? In this episode, Cut writer Anna Silman examines the path to right

"He's Coming After Us": A List and a Lawsuit

Oct 23rd, 2018 29m 1s

The Shitty Media Men list, an anonymously sourced Google spreadsheet, was online for less than 24 hours last fall -- but we're still feeling its effects. On this week's show, we talk about what it's like to watch a whisper network in real time,

Smutty TV Has Changed and So Have We

1 Sep 15th, 2021 22m 41s

It feels like people are getting more comfortable expressing their horniness on main... especially when it comes to the shows they're streaming. The Cut’s B.A. Parker talks about how shows like Bridgerton, Normal People and Sex/Life are capturi

You Might Actually Be In Love With Your Best Friend

Feb 10th, 2021 26m 50s

Desire, commitment, passion — these are all words that often make up a romantic relationship. But what if you feel a strong, deep love for your best friend? This week, Cut producer Allison Behringer on what happens when your soul mate moves awa

In Her Shoes: Rebecca Traister

May 25th, 2022 37m 11s

For over twenty years, Rebecca Traister has been a leading voice in gender issues and abortion politics. The Cut Columnist joined host Lindsay Peoples to talk about the leaked Supreme Court draft and what a post Roe future could mean for many A

In Search of Himbos

Dec 29th, 2021 22m 22s

The ideal man seems to have shifted from Mr. Darcy to Magic Mike. Someone who makes up for their intellectual blindspots with kindness and a hot bod. But do they exist outside of films and television? The Cut’s B.A. Parker goes on a mission to

Would You Freeze and Share Your Eggs?

Dec 1st, 2021 21m 22s

More women are putting off having kids, which means the egg freezing business is booming. But with the process costing thousands and thousands of dollars, egg freezing is mostly a luxury good at this point. Unless you're willing to donate your

How Do I Make Friends Now?

Nov 10th, 2021 20m 50s

The pandemic has left a lot of us with this sense that our friends have disappeared. So Cut producer Noor Bouzidi goes in search of a new social life. She goes on friend dates with strangers she met on Bumble. And talks to friendship expert Dr.

Talking About Abortion With My Mom

Oct 20th, 2021 27m 9s

It's easy to dismiss your pro life mom. But what if it feels like the very reason she is pro-life, is YOU. This week, a family feud that's more intimate and impossible than the usual. The Cut's Jazmín Aguilera sits down with journalist Kathleen

Who Gets to Be Safe at HBCUs?

Sep 29th, 2021 31m 34s

After a deleted tweet from actress Phylicia Rashad, discourse around how Historically Black Colleges have dealt with sexual assault has intensified. B.A. Parker -- an HBCU grad -- talks with those who’ve navigated the struggles for survivors to

Why Do I Feel Weird Saying I’m Bisexual?

Sep 22nd, 2021 27m 4s

The Cut’s Jazmín Aguilera has fought to be able to call herself bisexual, only to find out that the term might be a little… passé. So what label fits now? From Gen X-ers to Gen Z and even filmmaker Desiree Akhavan of "The Bisexual,” Jazmín seek

Why Does the Internet Hate Black Women?

Aug 4th, 2021 31m 40s

In the past year, we've seen at least three high-profile Black women -- Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Megan Thee Stallion -- talk publicly about the mental health strain of their lives in the public eye. It’s shed light on how Black women are t

Into the Thicc of It

Jun 23rd, 2021 27m 36s

Gaby Grossman is no stranger to weight gain. From her childhood stint at a fat camp to the daily struggles of daring to wear a (gasp!) cute shirt in public, she's never been allowed to get totally comfortable in her body. That is until she trie

Why Try?

Jun 16th, 2021 24m 16s

For the Cut's B.A. Parker, the pandemic was going to be the time to learn to play the guitar or do yoga or study French...but how do you even start? For the past year especially, it's felt impossible to try. Parker talks to an Olympic skier who