Lindsay Lohan’s name has become synonymous with maladaptive child stardom, toxic tabloid culture, and the general trainwreckery of the mid-aughts—but it wasn’t always that way. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa unpack LiLo’s childhood, her precocious talent and early popularity, the media’s perverse fascination with her prepubescent body, and the beginnings of her Bad Behavior headlines which would drastically influence 2000s pop culture. Lena also shares moments throughout her youth and career during which her and Lilo’s paths have overlapped. This episode was first published on 09/08/2022.

Lindsay Lohan’s name has become synonymous with maladaptive child stardom, toxic tabloid culture, and the general trainwreckery of the mid-aughts—but it wasn’t always that way. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa unpack LiLo’s childhood, her precocious talent and early popularity, the media’s perverse fascination with her prepubescent body, and the beginnings of her Bad Behavior headlines which would drastically influence 2000s pop culture. Lena also shares moments throughout her youth and career during which her and Lilo’s paths have overlapped. This episode was first published on 09/08/2022.

Lindsay Lohan’s name has become synonymous with maladaptive child stardom, toxic tabloid culture, and the general trainwreckery of the mid-aughts—but it wasn’t always that way. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa unpack LiLo’s childhood, her precocious talent and early popularity, the media’s perverse fascination with her prepubescent body, and the beginnings of her Bad Behavior headlines which would drastically influence 2000s pop culture. Lena also shares moments throughout her youth and career during which her and Lilo’s paths have overlapped.&nbsp;This episode was first published on 09/08/2022.

Lindsay Lohan, Part 1

In part two, the tabloids rejoice that Lindsay is legal, and gleefully surveil the rest of her early adulthood. As the public scrutinizes her body, her partying, and her family, Lindsay descends deeper into a seesawing addiction that will land her in numerous rehab stints. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss her highly publicized relationship with Samantha Ronson, her moment in prison, her OWN docuseries, and how talk show hosts have become the figureheads for our nation’s paternalistic society. Finally, Alissa chats with New Yorker staff writer and friend-of-the-show, Naomi Fry, about LiLo.This episode was first published on 09/15/2022.

In part two, the tabloids rejoice that Lindsay is legal, and gleefully surveil the rest of her early adulthood. As the public scrutinizes her body, her partying, and her family, Lindsay descends deeper into a seesawing addiction that will land her in numerous rehab stints. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss her highly publicized relationship with Samantha Ronson, her moment in prison, her OWN docuseries, and how talk show hosts have become the figureheads for our nation’s paternalistic society. Finally, Alissa chats with New Yorker staff writer and friend-of-the-show, Naomi Fry, about LiLo. This episode was first published on 09/15/2022.

Lindsay Lohan, Part 2

Lena and Alissa discuss the latter half of Linda’s career—her first retirement and then comeback, the tabloid’s fixation on her weight and health, her much criticized divorce proceedings, and her eventual retreat from public life due to a botched cosmetic procedure. Also in Part 2: aging, plastic surgery, and what it means when your self is defined by how others see you.This episode was first published on 03/31/2022.

Lena and Alissa discuss the latter half of Linda’s career—her first retirement and then comeback, the tabloid’s fixation on her weight and health, her much criticized divorce proceedings, and her eventual retreat from public life due to a botched cosmetic procedure. Also in Part 2: aging, plastic surgery, and what it means when your self is defined by how others see you. This episode was first published on 03/31/2022.

Linda Evangelista, Part 2

Marion Jones was a track star and Olympic champion. Despite her record-breaking athletic prowess, her career was torpedoed by doping allegations that would ultimately end in a prison stay. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss the pressure our public places on athletes—especially women of color—to become symbols of American exceptionalism.This episode was first published on 03/03/2022.

Marion Jones was a track star and Olympic champion. Despite her record-breaking athletic prowess, her career was torpedoed by doping allegations that would ultimately end in a prison stay. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss the pressure our public places on athletes—especially women of color—to become symbols of American exceptionalism. This episode was first published on 03/03/2022.

Marion Jones

Lena and Alissa discuss Winona Ryder—90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of gen-x nostalgia. In this episode: Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident.This episode was first published on 02/03/2022.

Lena and Alissa discuss Winona Ryder—90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of gen-x nostalgia. In this episode: Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident. This episode was first published on 02/03/2022.

Winona Ryder, Part 1

Lena and Alissa are busy making new episodes about additional interesting women (as you'll hear in the introduction to this episode). Meanwhile, they invite you to listen back to part 1 of Winona Ryder. Before she played Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, Winona was a 90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of Gen-X nostalgia. Part 1 covers Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident.

Lena and Alissa are busy making new episodes about additional interesting women (as you'll hear in the introduction to this episode). Meanwhile, they invite you to listen back to part 1 of Winona Ryder. Before she played Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, Winona was a 90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of Gen-X nostalgia. Part 1 covers Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident.

Lena and Alissa are busy making new episodes about additional interesting women (as you'll hear in the introduction to this episode). Meanwhile, they invite you to listen back to part 1 of Winona Ryder. Before she played Joyce Byers on&nbsp;Stranger Things,&nbsp;Winona was a 90s icon, chic misfit, and poster child of Gen-X nostalgia. Part 1 covers Winona’s nontraditional childhood, 90s bullies, her meteoric rise, her relationship with Johnny Depp, and the events leading up to her infamous shoplifting incident.

Best of The C-Word: Winona Ryder

A podcast about women society loves to call "crazy."

A podcast about women society loves to call "crazy."

A podcast about women society loves to call "crazy."&nbsp;

Trailer: The C-Word

With every episode, Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett take you on a historical deep dive into the life of a woman society dismissed by calling her mad, sad, or just plain bad: Lindsay Lohan, Judy Garland, Winona Ryder, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim and many more. Join them for a rich, hilarious, and heartbreaking look into exactly what it means when we call a woman “crazy.”The C-Word was originally published behind a paywall from 2019 - 2022. This is the first time it’s being released to all major podcast platforms.

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The C-Word

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