The Babblery

What happens when a photographer, a mature woman herself, welcomes older women into her studio to get the "full glamour treatment"? In this episode, we explore how a session with photographer Jana Marcus inspired and thrilled the women who took part. Even though beauty is supposed to be a superficial attribute, seeing themselves as beautiful, strong, and desirable had a deep and lasting effect on these women.

The 1960s is well-known as a turbulent time, but in this memory, Bettina revisits a scene that was particularly influential in years to come. The Student Free Speech Movement has served as a template for protests by young people since, from the Vietnam War to Black Lives Matter. In this memory, feminist scholar Bettina Aptheker reflects on how a fact of her upbringing led her to stand on a police car at a rally, in a scene reminiscent of fact and fiction that took place later.

Noted feminist scholar Bettina Aptheker explores the dawning of her feminist consciousness in waves. Daughter of a communist, Aptheker had to throw off a lifetime of conditioning about sexuality and the role of women in order to come into her own as a woman and a scholar.

Some thoughts on cats, haters, and fighting the good fight with feminist scholar Bettina Aptheker.