If you utilize social media platforms or stay up to date with pop culture, you have probably heard of Call Her Daddy. With millions of followers, this podcast is far from a hidden gem. If you are not a listener yourself, you probably have a friend or a coworker who eagerly awaits the arrival of a new episode each Wednesday. Call Her Daddy is wildly popular, yes, but it is also wildly controversial. Since its inception in 2018, Call Her Daddy has been labeled everything from annoying to anti-feminist, provocative garbage that rots the minds of young women. As someone who has listened to the podcast from the start, I want to tackle some of the stereotypes associated with it by celebrating how much it has evolved.
Call Her Daddy began as a raunchy, theatrical instruction manual for how to please men, but it has morphed into a show that is about so much more than sex.
After a tumultuous breakup with her co-host, Alex Cooper openly stated her intention to change the course of the show. Since then, she has replaced phrases like “degrade me” with more positive messages like the benefits of therapy. She now uses her platform to draw attention to significant issues women face: abusive relationships, sexual trauma, the harm social media does to self-image. Alex carefully selects her guests, sometimes inviting sexual experts to speak about healthy sex and how to have it. This is an admirable jump from where she started. While she used to describe complicated sexual maneuvers and toxic strategies that women can use to beat men at their own game, she has shifted her focus to what women can do for themselves.
Sex is still an important part of the show, but it is now more about how women can have good sex while also advocating for themselves and setting boundaries, establishing healthy relationships, and prioritizing their mental health. The growth of the show is impressive on its own, but what makes it even more impressive is that it has not lost its charm in the process of becoming more “clean.” In fact, it has become even more charming in the transition. Alex speaks candidly about her own struggles with sex, love, and navigating a male-dominated industry. Because she truly cares about helping women with so many facets of their lives, listening to her podcast feels like having a conversation with a friend.