Recently, due to the obvious reason that is the pandemic, podcasts have become an important part of my daily routine. With the seemingly thousands of walks I have taken over the course of these past months, I have probably listened to at least 10 different podcasts trying to find one that hooked me. One in particular is Call Her Daddy; a podcast that has become immensely popular in the past year.
Call Her Daddy has received both criticism and praise for its content. Many look at it as a liberating and freeing thing for womxn to discuss topics including, but not limited to, hookups, sex tips and relationship advice. However, it can also be seen as a harmful reinforcement of strict sexaul and relationship standards for womxn.
For me, Call Her Daddy is a guilty pleasure with Alexandra Cooper’s crazy stories along with her guests’ intriguing and fascinating anecdotes as well. I also love how open she is about sex and sexuality as the discussion of these topics have been fairly limited in my religious schools and environment.
Some of the Call Her Daddy quotes such as “degrade me” and “you’re just a hole” do cause me to question what harm this could be causing for young womxn.
On one hand, it’s vital that women feel free to talk about sex and their desires, something often seen as an “unladylike” thing to do. For many years, sex has been seen as something that is only for men to speak about and it is only for men to enjoy. Alex Cooper makes clear in her podcast that sex is both these things for womxn, too. For young womxn, it can be extremely beneficial to hear Alex talk about sex because it makes them feel more comfortable with the topic. Being confident with discussing sex helps with progressing communication which is a key component of a healthy and consentual relationship. Alex Cooper’s outgoing personality and relatability can oftentimes make her feel like the big sister we all want.
There is another viewpoint of Call Her Daddy that is completely warranted and important to discuss. Many episodes discuss topics such as cheating and the best ways to get a man to fall in love with you. When this discussion occurs, I often become concerned for other young womxn listening to it. One quote in particular that worried me was “If you are not sucking your man’s dick that’s fine. 100% your decision. But just know, if you are not, someone else is”. This is an extremely harmful depiction of a relationship and in no way shows womxn how they should be treated or thought of. In addition, this purely paints men as only focused on sex and reinforces that men must be pleased by the womxn or else they will cheat. This is obviously contradictory to the opinion of Call Her Daddy being a liberating sexual podcast for womxn.
The complex nature of the podcast makes it difficult to decide if it is truly liberating or purely reinforcing ancient standards of womxn. I personally believe that the podcast is what the listener makes of it. The openness is something that is vital for young womxn to become comfortable with regarding sex.
When listening, it is important to keep in mind that some of the things Alex suggests is not a depiction of a healthy relationship. Nevertheless, she does not claim that her podcast is for those looking for an equal and stable relationship. Call Her Daddy is perfect for someone who is confident in their self worth, but wants to find confidence in discussing sex; or purely just wants to listen to Alex’s crazy stories.
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