Deborah Frances-White's guilt-free feminism
22nd August 2019
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Known for her success in recent years with the Guilty Feminist Podcast, Oxford graduate Deborah Frances-White has become quite the feminist celebrity. After growing up in Australia as a Jehovah’s Witness, Deborah broke free from its patriarchal restraints and pursued a life in the arts, an industry heavily dominated by men.

Image credit: Linda Cooper
As part of Oxford’s prestigious comedy improv groups, Frances-White developed a keen interest in comedy, which has led to the successful podcast we've all been hearing so much about. But just why is it so popular? Uploaded to Spotify every Monday, the podcast begins with Frances-White’s iconic introduction, which from the first episode to the present day, has remained the same: “Welcome to The Guilty Feminist, the podcast in which we explore our noble goals as 21st Century feminists and the hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine them”. This appears a tad wordy and pretentious when written down like this, but the way in which Frances-White executes this introductory welcome is comedic, engaging and completely honest - outlining from the beginning the exact intentions of the podcast, with no strings attached. The podcast has thrived in the past three years, with almost 50 million downloads. Women have been craving this relatable approach to fighting for equality. Feminism is one of the most important movements to have evolved in the last hundred years, but can seem scary and unattainable when taken too literally. I do not mean to say for one second it is a joke, but it shouldn’t always be taken overly seriously - it should be discussed in a realistic and relatable way, like all things, and in this sense Deborah Frances-White has hit the nail on the head with the tone of her podcast. Each of us are guilty of succumbing to some of the most non-feminist stereotypes around, and we feel terrible for this. Ignoring people you know in the street when you have no makeup on as you don’t want them to see you is a classic, or wanting to hide the fact you’re on your period from people as if it’s not happening to over half the population every month. These are just two of the endless feminist confessions from Deborah and her panel guests every week. A not-so-perfect approach to woman’s equality is what makes this podcast thoroughly relatable for the average woman, who of course from time to time is going to have not particularly feminist feelings and then feel very guilty about it. In her recent book, also named The Guilty Feminist, Deborah perfectly articulates what we all tend to feel on the matter: “Every day of my life, I’ll wake up and not be perfect. I’ll always do and think less-than-feminist things until the day I die.” Frances-White’s podcast covers a vast array of topics, ranging from stereotypical feminist issues such as periods and motherhood to sexual assault and orgasms, as well as more abstract topics of love, regret, hope, and generally being brave. This confessional and witty 50 minutes of Frances-White and a variety of guests makes for an honest community of people listening to people about their feminist wavers and wobbles. Special episodes are also dedicated to specific current issues regarding women. For example months ago, after the explosion of more than 90 women coming forward with sexual harassment allegations concerning the former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Frances-White dedicated a special episode entitled “Weinstein Culture” that addressed the serious concerns of women’s safety and vulnerability in Hollywood.- Article continues below...
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