UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin of Unladylike Media have been breaking the rules and creating accessible, inclusive feminist edutainment for over a decade.
For their Penn State debut, Unladylike Media will be speaking on “Confronting White Feminism,” discussing the intersection of the feminist movement, #MeToo, and the Abolition Movement, with a discussion of how feminism and white womanhood have pushed up against racial equity historically through present day.
The event will be livestreamed by WPSU at 7 p.m. EST March 1. Faculty, staff, students and community members can register and claim their free ticket to access the event through the program’s Eventbrite site.
As creators and former co-hosts of "Stuff Mom Never Told You," iTunes’ first (or close to it) educational women's podcast, Conger and Ervin spent nearly a decade contextualizing constructs, debunking body myths, sourcing cultural stereotypes and overusing “heteronormative.” In December 2016, they published their final "Stuff Mom Never Told You" episode and launched Unladylike Media in spring 2017. Their podcasts and media have received recognition from the "Hollywood Reporter," "O Magazine," "Vulture" and more. In October 2018, their social-justice self-help guide, "Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy and Claiming Your Space," was published from Ten Speed Press.
Becca Geiger, assistant director of the Gender Equity Center, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, discussed how this program was meant to bridge the often-invisible divide between Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
“Just because Black History Month is over does not mean Women’s History Month conversations should be devoid of conversations of race and other identity politics. We cannot discuss women’s history without considering the intersections and impacts of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, ethnicity, and religion,” said Geiger. “Unladylike Media’s event will set the tone for the month, emphasizing our Center’s message of needing to apply a critical lens to our history, rather than relying on an oversimplification to examine our past.”
The event is sponsored by, the Gender Equity Center, the Presidential Leadership Academy, Centre Safe, Panhellenic Council, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and The HOPE Center of Lock Haven University.
For more information on this program and on the Gender Equity Center, visit studentaffairs.psu.edu/genderequity.