Why do women post sexy selfies? And why does this behaviour anger some people?

Claire Lehmann and Zoe Booth discuss the complex world of intrasexual female competition and their experiences with it, concluding that the more we know about human behaviour, the more empowered we are to make good decisions.

"Slut shaming" can also be referred to as sexual shaming, sexual bullying, sexual stigmatization, or promiscuity shaming. It refers to the practice of criticizing or mocking someone, usually a woman, for their real or presumed sexual behavior, including for dressing in a sexual manner, having premarital, casual, or promiscuous sex, or for behaving in ways that deviate from traditional or socially accepted gender expectations.

"Thirst trapping" is a term that originated in online and social media culture. It refers to the act of posting provocative or tantalizing images or messages on social media platforms to attract attention, particularly of a sexual or romantic nature. The intention behind a "thirst trap" is to elicit compliments, admiration, or even expressions of desire, often called "thirst," from others. While it's commonly associated with photos that emphasize physical attractiveness, a thirst trap can also be a post that highlights other desirable qualities or achievements to gain attention or admiration.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire and Zoe discuss how large corporations such as BHP, Coles, Woolworths, and the Big Four banks, leverage ESG scores issued by rating agencies to boost their reputation, despite their involvement in wage theft scandals, underpaying workers, and breaching laws. This practice of investing in ESG to deflect attention from controversies is known as 'wokewashing'.

A recent example of this is them getting behind the Yes campaign regarding the Voice to Parliament, a proposed advisory body in Australia that would provide a formal role for Indigenous Australians to give advice and input into matters of legislation and policy that impact them.

Claire and Zoe also discuss the new Instagram Threads application.

Keywords: ESG initiatives, wokewashing, corporate scandals, social justice, green technology, diversity and inclusion, World Economic Forum, Australian corporations, BHP, Coles, Woolworths, Big Four banks, voice referendum, LGBTQ+ festivals, business practices, government, unions, media, academia, non-profit sectors.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Australia, thousands of children and teenagers are increasingly refusing to attend school due to anxiety, a phenomenon known as "anxiety-based school refusal". Over half of students were chronically absent last year, defined as missing over 20 days of school annually. This trend has been attributed to the impact of Covid lockdowns on mental health and the influence of excessive screen time. Social isolation during lockdowns has led to increased social anxiety, with school becoming a perceived threat.

However, the trend of school refusal predates the pandemic, with experts warning of rising child anxiety rates. Contributing factors include doom-laden messages about climate change from the media, and the negative effects of social media on sleep and genuine friendships. Overparenting is also considered to be a significant issue, as it denies children the necessary challenges that foster resilience.

In the face of school refusal, allowing a child to stay home can reinforce the belief that school is a threat and attendance is optional. We suggest a better approach is graded exposure therapy, a method widely recognized as the most effective treatment for various anxiety disorders. This method can be likened to exposing a person with a phobia to the object of their fear gradually until they become desensitized. In the context of school refusal, this could involve rehearsing school drop-offs and working in partnership with schools and psychologists until the child can do it alone.

We should be teaching children that discomfort is not necessarily a problem to be solved, but a part of life to be endured, and that it's a mistake to believe good mental health means feeling good all the time. Therefore, allowing children to struggle with their problems, rather than stepping in to solve them, can be more beneficial in the long term.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire and Zoe discuss Queensland's new self-ID laws, how the pendulum has swung so far that "trad" is now counter-culture, and Zoe's online escapades messaging trolls who hate Quillette.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 5, Claire and Zoe discuss updates on the Brittany Higgins scandal, which suggest that Higgins (and journalists such as Lisa Wilkinson) rode the #MeToo wave for personal gain.

We also discuss sexual dynamics in general, including some talk of sexual assault and how to prevent it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A researcher from the University of Cincinnati who is conducting seminars on "far-right radicalization" in the United States characterises Quillette, an Australian-based liberal-centrist organization, as being more "radicalizing" than Fox News and comparable to InfoWars. This "researcher" has been awarded over $300,000 from the US Department of Homeland Security. Maybe us being characterised as a "terrorist organization" by the DHS may explain our consistent inability to run ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quillette's community manager, Zoe Booth, asks her friend and PR whizz, Emilie Dye, on the podcast to debate the Australian government's crackdown on vapes: "The Government will work with states and territories to close down the sale of vapes in retail settings, ending vape sales in convenience stores and other retail settings, while also making it easier to get a prescription for legitimate therapeutic use."

Read the Health Minister's media release here: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/taking-action-on-smoking-and-vaping

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'"Woman. Noun. Adult human female,” read the sticker applied to Queensland MP Shannon Fentiman’s office window. Walking past the window at the Waterford Shopping Centre in Logan, one might have assumed the sticker belonged to Fentiman. She was, until Thursday, Queensland’s Minister for Women.

But one would’ve been mistaken. “I know the sticker doesn’t look like it says much, and most people will be lucky enough to be unaffected by what it says,” Fentiman wrote on her Instagram page. “But for some people in our community, these stickers represent much more – they represent a movement which discriminates against them and denies their existence.”'

--------

Welcome to Episode 2! Today with better placement of our microphones and less mmms. Today we discuss Claire's latest column in The Australian- Trans activists have no right to pervert the English language, by Claire Lehmann: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/trans-activists-have-no-right-to-pervert-the-english-language-writes-claire-lehmann/news-story/a3809b3716c4c068c629e5df6b5224a9

Sorry all- the audio wasn't great in this episode. I'm still working out how to do this. Expect better quality audio, and even, wait for it, intro music, in the coming weeks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of a series of conversations, Claire Lehmann (Quillette founder) and Zoe Booth (Quillette Community Manager) discuss Claire's latest essay in The Australian about teen mental health and talk more broadly about victimhood ideology, feminism and audience capture.

Claire's article The Australian can be read here: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/progressive-ideologies-send-the-wrong-message-to-our-kids/news-story/f383e56897c4b455d4495328f56af7b6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices