I remember a time when I was too scared to tell anyone that I had a therapist. “What are you doing after school today?” a friend would ask me. “Oh, I just have a doctor’s appointment,” I’d say, walking away quickly to avoid further questions. In recent years, discussions surrounding therapy and mental health issues have become more commonplace not only among my friends and peers but through media as well. While past TV shows and books could contribute to that stigma around mental health, podcasts, – an increasingly popular media platform– may be part of the solution. Some of my favorite podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Call Her Daddy and Food Psych all cover topics that have been stereotyped or glossed over in past film and TV.
- My Favorite Murder
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In My Favorite Murder, a comedic true-crime podcast (yup, those exist), the hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff destigmatize struggles with mental health by sharing their experiences with anxiety and depression while telling true-crime stories throughout history. The hosts of the show talk openly about their own struggles with addiction and mental health. Hardstark shares that she suffered from an eating disorder and continues to struggle with anxiety and depression. What makes My Favorite Murder special is the ability of Hardstark and Kilgariff to bring humor to these otherwise heavy topics.
Hardstark, for example, shares that when nothing in the world is making her happy, she always has her cat Elvis to bring her joy. (“Elvis, you want a cookie?” The infamous final line at the end of each episode has become somewhat of a catchphrase among the MFM community). Both women share that making the podcast, along with building an entire community of “murderinos” (people who love true crime), has helped destigmatize mental health issues. Hardstark and Kilgariff’s making light of both murder and mental health never take away from the seriousness of the situations but, rather, provide a way to shine some light on these dark topics. Their ability to bring humor to these heavy topics has made their podcast wildly successful and a provided space for fellow “murderinos” like myself to feel more comfortable openly talking about mental health- as well as their love for true crime. - Call Her Daddy
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“Back at it again!” the hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn yell out at the beginning of each new Call Her Daddy episode. Right now, Call Her Daddy is my favorite podcast. Period. It’s hilarious, personal, and wildly inappropriate; completely radicalizing the way that we think about sex and relationships. CHD is a sex-positive podcast that fosters conversation about double standards regarding sex and relationships. If you didn’t already know, “Gluck Gluck 9000” is apparently something you have to be trying in the bedroom. Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn (AKA the “Founding Fathers”) talk about their crazy dating experiences; they tell girls exactly what to do, step-by-step in the bedroom and explain how to know if your partner is being ~shady~.
Cooper and Franklyn are great co-hosts, bouncing off each other’s wild energy to create a banter that makes listeners feel like they’re in the room with them. Cooper and Franklyn’s following, the “Daddy Gang,” is a group of listeners that tune in each Wednesday for their new episode. Through this work, Cooper and Franklyn have created a space where it’s both okay to not know what to do in the bedroom and to be curious about learning more.
The two dive into topics that have never been talked about in the same way before and create an environment where conversations around sex are talked about and encouraged; a topic that all too often seems to be only spoken about behind closed doors, if at all. Although there is still so much stigma around sex, Call Her Daddy is helping to radicalize this, and actually encourage girls to seek pleasure and to be heard in the bedroom. They encourage listeners to not be satisfied with not being satisfied- something that still seems way too common in our patriarchal society. Through their wild stories and uncensored advice, Cooper and Franklyn are removing the stigma around sex and relationships by encouraging listeners to be more vocal about what they want.
- Food Psych
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It seems that disordered eating patterns and unhealthy relationships with food have become too commonplace. Food Psych, a podcast hosted by registered dietician Christy Harrison, discusses and destigmatizes eating disorders by breaking down diet culture and more nuanced issues faced during eating disorder recovery. Through her interviews with other guests in this field along with her personal insight, Harrison sheds light on the dangers of diet culture and perpetuating unrealistic expectations for women. She normalizes conversations about eating disorders and being in recovery, topics that often carry a lot of shame and guilt for people.
Additionally, Harrison’s approach to health and wellness is quite different from other dieticians; she shares her philosophy on Health at Every Size, a growing movement within that works to treat patients of all sizes as well as promote body positivity and acceptance. Through this, Harrison offers a refreshing perspective in the fatphobic, thin-obsessed world we live in. She repeatedly mentions the dangers of body-shaming and the reasons why we should move away from weight as an indicator of health. Her calming and informative podcast offers tips and much-needed insight on how to heal your relationship with food as well as simply brings attention to stigmatized food-related issues that are so common today.
These podcasts are hopefully only the beginning of opening up more conversations about stigmatized topics in our culture. Personally, these podcasts have allowed me to be more open about my own internalized stigma and begin to work through them. So, next time you’re deciding what to listen to, check out a podcast; whether you want to laugh about true crime, hear crazy cheating stories, or listen to the nuances of eating disorders, there’s something for you.