Reevaluating Unhinged Women: From Bad Moms to Playboy Bunnies

The unhinged woman trope is undoubtedly one of our favorites, but what kind of woman gets to be unhinged and who gets a redemption arc? In this episode, Mariquita and Mhairie tackle those questions in a discussion about All of the Other Mothers Hate Me, then Yasi and Nox discuss two memoirs from former Playboy bunnies.   All the Other Mothers Hate Me (0:21) Mariquita and Mhairie discuss the debut novel All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman and just why it is that we love the trope of the unhinged woman, generally, and the bad mommy, more specifically. As they talk, they look at who gets to claim these tropes, who doesn't, and who doesn't even get to be seen in the first place. Playboy Bunny Memoirs: Life Behind the Ears  (23:52) Yasi and Nox dive into the memoirs Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison and Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner. In this conversation, they discuss both authors' personal experiences and struggles during their time in the Playboy empire, exploring the darker side of fame, identity, and self-discovery.    Books/Resources Mentioned:  All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison  Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Crystal Hefner   Being Kendra: Cribs, Cocktails, and Getting My Sexy Back by Kendra Wilkinson      Support this episode's hosts: Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Follow Mhairie: Instagram // Bluesky  Follow Nox: Instagram // TikTok // Threads // YouTube Follow Yasi: Instagram // Website  Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by Amarissa   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.