time traveling back through history, one era at a time.
I love learning about fascinating women in history. But so often, it feels like I’m appreciating them in a cultural vacuum. I mean, what was it really like to be them? To live in their particular time, place, and circumstance?
Welcome to The Exploress, where we’ll go time traveling through women’s history, era by era, to explore their lives and their world, immersing ourselves in their lived experience. We’ll walk with women through their everyday lives, uncovering both the mundane and the bizarre. We’ll discover how they were expected to meet society’s demands to better understand all the ways they subverted them. We’ll go questing for the women behind the famous names we think we know, and meet ladies you’ve probably never heard of.
Let's go traveling.
I'm currently off on maternity leave, but I've decided to pull some special bonus episodes out of the Patreon vault during September for all my listeners to enjoy. This one's going to take us back to our season on the Tudors: let's find out why Elizabeth I was so very fond of...pirates?
We’re veering from our regularly scheduled program to have a chat with New York Times bestselling author Therese O’Neill, the author of such nonfiction delights as Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners, and her latest book, Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Shrews and Sluts that Shaped America. This isn’t your average collection of bios about women from history: the ladies contained within its pages were rude, uncouth, and complicated. Let’s let Therese introduce you to some of them.
Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place.
There’s something stirring about a warrior woman: one who refuses to bow down to the forces against her, no matter how vast they may be. And when they win out? Even better. Let’s talk about three sword-wielding females who went up against the Romans, terrifying all who looked on: Teuta, Amanirenas, and Mavia.
Let’s dive into the movies of the 1920s and the ladies who came to define them. We’ll find out about the movies of the era, their young female stars, and find out just how they influenced so many. Grab your girlfriends, your fan mag, and don’t forget your ticket…It's movie night!