This week Helen and Abigail watched Sophia Coppola's biopic, Marie Antoinette (2006) starring Kirsten Dunst as the ill-fated queen of France. This is the first episode in what will hopefully become a mini-series of examining media that portrays historical queens or princesses, often -- and sometimes problematically -- through the lens of twenty-first century feminism. In today's episode we discuss costuming, the soundtrack, and anachronism, the zeitgeist of 2006, our contemporary so-called cancel culture, Instagram influencers, and the ethics of humanizing absolute monarchs. 

Historical Friction is a podcast about storytelling, pop culture, the past, and why we reenact it.

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