Isn’t everyone a scammer? This week, SGS is watching Inventing Anna, the Netflix series that follows the story and exposé of Anna Delvey, the faux German heiress who conned the New York art scene. Mary and Bethany discuss narrative and myth-making, how everyone loves a con artist, and the subtle ways we fool ourselves and others. Watch along with the show or listen to the commentary on its own.

You either die a sad girl or live long enough to see yourself become the girlboss, or at least we think that’s how the saying goes. Our newest season of Sad Girl Syllabus is all about the girlboss mythology, the girlboss-scammer crossover, and scam girl stories going from headlines to blockbuster biopics. For each episode we’re hosting a little watch party for these movies and miniseries. We invite you to watch along with us! We’re kicking things off with our fave, Elizabeth Holmes, and her story as told by Hulu’s newest series “The Dropout.”

For the finale of season 3, Bethany and Mary discuss the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the rise in women serving in the military, the portrayal of the “girl boss” soldier, a deep dive into Zero Dark Thirty, and social media's impact on our understanding of war.

In the penultimate episode in the series on women’s roles during wartime, Bethany and Mary cover the Vietnam War and the counterculture of the 1960’s and 70's in America. Topics of conversation include Jane Fonda, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, M*A*S*H, and Susan Sontag.

The media bubble around World War II history and lore is rife with the sad girl archetype, but at this point in history we start to see a change in attitude toward her. The women at home are taking an active role in the war effort and stepping up to fill the gaps left by the men who are called up. In this episode, Bethany and Mary discuss this massive turning point, Casablanca, A League of Their Own, and Hannah Arendt.

Susan Furber joins the show to discuss her debut novel The Essence of an Hour, which is a coming-of-age story about a young girl living in America on the brink of World War II. Susan, Bethany and Mary explore “Sad Girl Theory” defining sad girls through 19th and 20th Century female authors and proto-influencers. The Essence of an Hour is available online, Kindle, and wherever you love to buy your books.

To find out more, visit the Valley Press website: https://www.valleypressuk.com/book/155/the_essence_of_an_hour

Media depicting the Civil War has become the basis for the sad, trad wives of cottagecore, debutantes, and a lot more in contemporary American femininity trends. Bethany and Mary get in deep to a film syllabus of remakes, appropriations, and retellings including:

• Gone with the Wind (1939)

• Little Women (1994 and 2019)

• The Beguiled (1971 and 2017)

  • Angelica Jade Bastien on Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled

• Cold Mountain (2003)

The exploration of the “Sad Wife” theme in history and literature continues with the SGS conversation on the American Revolution and America’s eight Founding Mothers. Bethany and Mary discuss how these female counterparts serve the purpose of making the Founding Fathers more well-rounded, their recent role in pop history, and the patronizing “women’s empowerment” meta-narrative.

“Trad Wife Finishing School,” the 3rd season of Sad Girl Syllabus, is all about the sad, waiting wife archetype in literature. For every hero who is off fighting for his country, there is a woman waiting for him to return. At least, that’s how it goes in the great epics and wartime novels and movies. Bethany and Mary begin the season by going all the way back to Ancient Greece and examining The Odyssey’s Penelope and Clytemnestra. While awaiting their husbands’ return from the Trojan War, one wife is faithful and one is not. The Girls get into it and explore questions about Ancient Greek religion, culture, and attitudes toward gender roles during times of war.

This week’s Extra Credit episode is a holiday hangover cure-all. Bethany and Mary discuss Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. Their formulaic plot lines, Sad Christian Mom hype, and the fabricated magic of Christmas.