What does it really mean to navigate womanhood under constant scrutiny? This week on Well Enough, author, DJ and broadcaster Ashley James explains the impossible standards women face.

Ashley reveals the truth about misogynistic labels, from the slut-shaming she experienced at an all-boys school to being called 'selfish' both for not having children and then for wanting a life outside motherhood. She shares how becoming a mum forced her to confront her own internalised misogyny - and why birth trauma is dismissed as a 'negative mindset problem' rather than a maternity care failing.

We also explore the hidden costs of being a woman, from the £20,000 women spend on menstruation in their lifetime to the double standards that mean female voices are constantly questioned while male commentators speak without proving their credentials.

Ashley James’s bestselling Bimbo is available here

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Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

03:16 The Misogyny Behind Calling Women Influencers

05:46 Slut-Shamed at 14

08:21 Punished for Having a Woman's Body

11:01 Why "Bimbo" Needs Reclaiming

14:06 The Impossible Standards of Mothers

17:11 Regretting Motherhood

20:16 Birth Trauma & the Failure of Maternity Care.

22:46 Why C-Sections Shouldn't Be Shamed 

26:31 Childcare Costs More Than My Mortgage 

28:46 The Pressure to "Bounce Back" After Birth 

32:26 Trolls & Misogyny: Refusing to Be Silenced 

36:41 The Hidden Cost of Having a Period 

40:31 Medical Gaslighting: Why Women's Pain Is Dismissed 

43:21 Raising Kids Without Misogynistic Labels

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