Choice in Close-Up: Women's Health as Storylines in Popular Culture with Steph Herold

In this episode of Most Popular, Dr. Adrienne Trier-Bieniek talks with researcher Steph Herold from Abortion Onscreen about the television series Little Fires Everywhere which premiered on Hulu in 2020. Steph's research in public health led to focus groups with multiple women where she asked them specifically about the teenage character of Lexie who, through a series of events, ends a pregnancy. While this alone is a significant twist for a character, Lexie also represents many of the troupes found in discussions of popular culture. We talk about those troupes and much more in this conversation. Steph Herold, MPH, is a Research Analyst who studies the portrayal of abortion on television and in film with Abortion Onscreen team. With over fifteen years of experience in the reproductive health, rights, and justice fields, Steph has been the recipient of several awards, served on multiple boards related to health, and has published dozens of pieces of research in academic journals. Information on Steph Harold's research can be found at https://www.ansirh.org/about/staff/steph-herold-mph Dr. Adrienne Trier-Bieniek is a gender and media scholar who has published books on gender and pop culture, Beyoncé's influence in music, Tori Amos's fandom, as well as publications focused on the ways pop culture can help heal from trauma. Dr. Adrienne has been featured in publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and NBC News and can be found at www.adriennetrier-bieniek.com or on Instagram @dr.adriennetb Supplemental teaching resources and more info for instructors is shared monthly via Dr. Adrienne's newsletter. Sign up at www.adriennetrier-Bieniek.com. Support the show here. (Unless you are a current student. In that case, keep your money and remember, on Wednesday's we wear pink.)