The Spinster Life Podcast

I’m joined again by Lucy Rivers for some of her hot takes on how women are portrayed in the media. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or the MCU, ifykyk).

At first glance, it seems like Marvel has made huge strides in bringing more female-identifying characters into its heavily male-dominated universe, and made the movies more watchable for female viewers. But is this representation real equality? Or a hollow gesture meant to placate uppity women?

Lucy and I use our vibranium shield to reveal the patriarchy behind some of the most successful movies of all time.

**Spoiler Alert - There Will Be Spoilers**

Here’s Lucy:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lucy_rivers_pgr/And Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucyriPhd

Resources We Mentioned

Superheroines and Sexism: Female Representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Folukemi Olufidipe and Ms. Yunex Echezabal 

https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1430/684

Pop Culture Detective: Born Sexy Yesterday video essay

Happy New Year! Most people make resolutions to move on from their past. But this year, I’m going to confront and revisit my past in order to move forward.

Before I became a spinster, I went on a lot of dates. Some were great, some were so-so, and some were living nightmares. But I learned something from each and every one of those approximately 300 first dates.

What exactly did I learn? Every Friday I’ll find out when I release a new blog post on Substack. I’ll tell the tale of a date I went on and how it changed my approach to looking for love.

You can sign up for the newsletter here:

So you’re single this December. Happy Solo Holidays! This whole season is both wondrous and stressful for everyone, but it can be especially difficult for those who are not currently partnered.

How do you navigate the big feelings and the endless questions about your personal life from well-meaning friends and family?

Friend of the show Mary Delia Allen, author of the book Enjoy Your Solo is back to give you some much-needed peace of mind. She’s got a Santa’s sack full of coping mechanisms, thought exercises, and scripts that will make your solo holiday a merry one.

Get yourself an eggnog and settle in for a great conversation.

Here’s where to find Mary Delia online:

Get a copy of the book: https://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Your-Solo-Great-Single-ebook/dp/B09L32Z4C5Follow Mary Delia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enjoyyoursolo/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@enjoyyoursoloWebsite: https://themarydelia.com/

Amie is joined this week by Mary Delia Allen, the author of Enjoy Your Solo: How To Be Great At Being Single.

Traditionally, we’re all told to couple up because being a part of a couple meant security and prosperity, especially for women. But how times have changed! Single people are the fastest growing demographic. 48% of US adults are single, 30% of US of US households are people living alone!

Being single isn’t just popular, it’s fleeting time in your life where you get to really know yourself. Check out Enjoy Your Solo for some great advice

Get a copy of the book: https://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Your-Solo-Great-Single-ebook/dp/B09L32Z4C5Follow Mary Delia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enjoyyoursolo/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@enjoyyoursoloWebsite: https://themarydelia.com/

Welcome back to the podcast! You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

It’s never been easy to be a woman. But in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was especially treacherous. Childfree, unmarried, and other “weird” women were accused of witchcraft and executed in retaliation for being themselves.

The Sanderson sisters, the main characters in the Hocus Pocus movies, were outcasts, weird women who were intensely disliked by the townspeople of Salem. They were called ugly, old hags and cast out of their community for not fitting in.

This Halloween, let’s take a look at what Hocus Pocus can show us about how single, childfree women are othered, and why being a witch was a tempting way to escape all the constraints society places on women.

In this very haute couture solo episode, Amie has graduated from fangirling to a more nuanced way to look at what famous spinsters of history can teach us. This analysis of fashion maven Coco Chanel delves into both the good and the bad.

Sure, Coco Chanel changed fashion by designing clothes that were less restrictive and easier to move in, which helped further women’s rights. But Coco was also a raging anti-semite and a Nazi spy. Did Coco’s popularization of pants for women cancel out her hateful views? Keep listening to find out.

Listen to the episode about Marie Marvingt here: https://www.spinsterlifepodcast.com/marie-marvingt-the-fiancee-of-danger/

Video About Women’s Financial Freedom in France: https://histoire.bnpparibas/en/videos/french-womens-journey-toward-financial-independence/#:~:text=On%2013%20July%201965%2C%20women,without%20authorisation%20from%20her%20husband.

Post grad researcher Lucy Rivers is back for another look at TV. This time around, we’re discussing the women of the Netflix series BoJack Horseman. Even though the show has a male lead, the women he surrounds himself with are a vitally important part of the show. In her academic work, Lucy has explored how mental illness is represented on TV through the lens of BoJack Horseman.

If you’ve never seen the show, be warned that there are spoilers.

And if you have seen BoJack, you are familiar with the darkness the brightly colored animated characters hold within themselves. Including the female characters, who essentially become main characters throughout the run of the show.

Amie and Lucy discuss the portrayal of Princess Carolyn, Diane, Beatrice, and Gina and how they fit into the new era of television.

Follow Lucy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucy_rivers_pgr/And Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucyriPhd

“In his book on female aviators, Bernard Marck explained under the photos of three women that the first woman piloted balloons, gliders, airplanes, hydroplanes, and helicopters. The second woman was"a medalist who made a clean sweep in the entire range of sports: swimming, gymnastic, skiing, walking, fencing (saber, foil, and épée), polo, bobsled, boxing, ju-jitsu, shooting, equitation, ice-skating, rock climbing, and more.” The third woman was an inventor of several useful items. He concluded, "The whole is just one woman: Marie Marvingt."

-Rosalie Maggio, Marie Marvingt, Fiancée of Danger

The first time Emma Duval was on the podcast, she told us about her favorite spinster, Marie Marvingt. Emma returns to tell us all about Marie’s fantastic life. The excerpt from Rosalie Maggio’s excellent book sums up the life of a woman who defied expectations of what a woman should do and lived a life full of danger and suspense.

Check Emma Out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennialemma/And Twitter: @MillenniaEmma

Check out We’re Childfree, Not Childless here: https://www.spinsterlifepodcast.com/were-not-childless-were-childfree/It’s the first episode Emma and I did together.

Here’s the book: https://www.amazon.com/Marie-Marvingt-Fiancee-Danger-World-Class/dp/1476675503We used this book as our main source for the episode.

In this episode, Amie confronts her own mortality as she talks to Patricia De Fonte about estate planning. But she soon learns that estate planning isn’t just for when you’re dead. Patricia breaks down everything you need to know for your own estate plan. Things like:

* What to look for in an estate lawyer

* How to decide who gets your stuff

* How insurance can help you answer the question “Who will take care of you when you’re old and infirm?”

* How to talk to the people in your life about estate planning

Don’t be chaos! Start estate planning now. You can reach out to Amie or Patricia with any questions you may have. They may even make it into a future episode.

About Patricia Patricia lived the Spinster life until she found herself at the altar at 37! She had no umbrella insurance, no disability insurance, no estate plan - was completely disorganized as a single person. She was born in San Francisco and currently lives there with her husband and their two children. Her pronouns are she/her and her hashtags are #estateplanning, #estateplanningwithheart, #loveanddeathandtaxes. 

Patricia De Fonte, JD, LLM,  is the founder of De Fonte Law PC, where she and her team practice Estate Planning with Heart™. De Fonte Law PC works remotely with clients throughout California. Patricia believes that her role as counselor and connector is as important as her role as an attorney, and she helps every client fully utilize their team of advisors, ensures each client completes a full insurance audit, and invites financial advisors to attend funding meetings.

Credentials: BA Communication & AA Italian Santa Clara University. JD Golden Gate University. LLM Golden Gate University. Torch Award for ethics BBB 2021. Superlawyer designation 2021 and 2022. 

Patricia De Fonte speaks virtually and in person each month. She facilitates estate planning workshops through two non-profits in the Bay Area on Fundamentals of Estate Planning for Parents. She also hosts periodic panel discussions on pertinent financial topics to help educate the community and build a team of experts for each client.

Her Website: http://www.defontelaw.com/Follow Her On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciadefonteFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdefontelawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/defontelaw/Take a workshop with Patricia: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/patricia-de-fonte-estate-planning-attorney-14519573501

Female pleasure. Access to the contraception of your choice. Women masturbating! Breaking up with someone who is anti-choice!! For a show about nothing, Seinfeld sure had a lot to say.

In this episode, listen to Amie’s conversation with Sheevani Desai, the host of Hot & Heavy: The Elaine Benes podcast where they nerd out and fangirl all over Julia Louis Dreyfuss and the legacy Elaine had on their lives, and on the television landscape.

Elaine was different from other single female characters on TV in the 90s, and even today. She dated around, but she wasn’t looking for true love. She seemed content in who she was, and she wasn’t about to sacrifice her life for any man. Well, maybe Jon-Jon.

And as two former supervirgins, they commiserate about how most of the sex jokes went right over their head the first time they watched the show!

Follow Sheevani and the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheevani1978/https://www.instagram.com/hotheavyelaine/

Listen to Hot & Heavy: