Stripped Bear

Maya and Samantha Schwimmer ’21 critique institutional problems regarding religion, gender, and sexual violence at Bowdoin. We talk about sexual capital, stigmas surrounding consent (before, during & after an encounter), and rape culture. How can Bowdoin “be creative” to combat these systemic issues?

Content warning: mention of sexual assault

Anam Shah & Mishal Kazmi ’21 talk Ramadan on campus, anglicized (or just mispronounced) names, Western society’s skewed views on Islam, microaggressions, dating and more.

Anam, Mishal and Esther reflect on coming into our own at a PWI, and note that it is perfectly normal to be appreciative and critical of Bowdoin at the same time.

Maya invites Mitch Roy ’21 to play We’re Not Really Strangers, a card game created to spark meaningful conversations. Is it normal to type out all your texts in the Notes app first? Can men have resting bitch face? From first impressions to past relationships and self-care––we talk about it all.

Esther invites Nirhan and Arein to share their journeys to, and experiences at Bowdoin. We discuss career contemplations & “selling out” after college, analyze changes in the portrayal of Asian male sexuality in popular culture (i.e. Glenn from the Walking Dead and the rise of K-Pop), and highlight the diversity of Asian-ness.

Maya and David Calzadillas ’23 chat about what it means to be bisexual. David shares his experience with coming out, being a queer man at Bowdoin, and describes an ideal dating world. Maya opens up about her journey with her sexuality.

We have our first Bowdoin men on the podcast to discuss all things male friendships, insecurities, and college dating. Paul and Thomas share insights on emotional vulnerability amongst men, "feminine" interests, dealbreakers, and more.

This week, we sit down with Izzy Miller ‘23 to talk about self-pleasure & sex positivity. Who benefits from hookup culture? How do we unlearn the discomfort surrounding pleasure, and become active, intentional participants in our sex lives? The girls talk sex ed, porn, boundaries, and more. Content warning: brief mention of sexual assault

Esther chats with Kat Chen, NYU Class of 2020. Kat shares her firsthand encounters with failures of the criminal justice system, and the lessons she’s learned from protesting for the past year. Esther and Kat discuss how the model minority myth fosters anti-Blackness in the Asian community, and the need for empathetic cross-cultural dialogue in activism.

Content warning ⚠️: discussion of attempted vehicular manslaughter

Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, Maya interviews Warren Graver, a Jamaican member of the Freeport community. Warren talks of his experience at Howard University, blind spots in Maine’s schooling system, and shares his perspective on the current political climate.

Do we believe in true love? How has the pandemic affected our friendships and self love? On this Valentine’s episode, Maya and Esther discuss listeners’ anonymous submissions, clichés, and recap their best memories of love.