The Unspeakable Podcast

How Tumblr Memes Became Political Ideas: Katherine Dee decodes the manosphere, Tumblr feminism, anime activism, and more


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Paid subscribers get full access to my interview with Katherine Dee.

The first half of this episode is available to all listeners. To hear the entire conversation, become a paying subscriber here.

Katherine Dee is a writer, cultural commentator, and a phenomenally astute observer of online culture. If you want to understand the rise of the “tradcels,” the “girl boss” trope (and subsequent backlash), and how identity concepts like “otherkin” become connected to social justice politics, Katherine is the one to explain it.

In this conversation, she talks with Meghan about how ideas on places like Tumblr found their way into our political discourse, academia, and even the retail space and they had a profound impact on young people’s psychological development, especially when it comes to dating and relationships.

Katherine herself was so indoctrinated by online manosphere content and it’s the scarcity complex it engendered that she ended up marrying someone she met online after knowing him in person for three days. She also discusses why Taylor Swift is just the latest example of a powerful woman reframed as a sad cat lady, why the beauty standards of the 1990s were so destructive, and why New York City arts and media circles are incubators are terrible places to meet heterosexual men. (But very good places to be one.)

GUEST BIO

Katherine Dee is an internet culture blogger. Everything else is secondary. You can find her at default.blog.

Want to hear the whole conversation? Upgrade your subscription here.

HOUSEKEEPING

📖 🌵Come see Meghan in Austin, TX on February 29 at Moontower Verses, talking about her book, The Unspeakable, and other literary matters.

✈️ Unspeakeasy Retreats: See where we’re going to be in 2024!

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, her community for freethinking women.

🔥 Follow my other podcast, A Special Place in Hell.

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The Unspeakable PodcastBy Meghan Daum

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