The Bitchionary

In Part 1, we met Nancy Green, the woman hired to become America's first living trademark. To understand what she was actually performing at that 24-foot flour barrel, and why it worked so powerfully on white audiences, we have to go back further. Before the brand. Before the fair. Back to the minstrel stage.This episode is a direct continuation of Part 1, and it's a heavy one. In this episode we:Trace the origins and structure of the American minstrel show, the dominant popular entertainment of the 19th centuryExamine the cast of characters it produced: the Mammy, Uncle Tom, the Jezebel, the Pickaninny, Jim CrowUnpack what each character was built to hide and what realities about slavery and its aftermath they were designed to make invisibleExplore the role of sexual violence in the institution of slavery, and the specific myths constructed to mask itThese were not the casual racism of an unthinking era. They were tools, constructed with purpose. Once you see their architecture, you can't unsee them  because they didn't end when minstrel shows did.Content note: This episode discusses slavery, sexual violence, racial caricature, and racist stereotypes in historical context. It includes discussion of lynching and the systematic terror of the post-Reconstruction era. We have approached this material with care and encourage listeners to do the same.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SourcesABC News. "The untold story of the real 'Aunt Jemima' and the fight to preserve her legacy."African American Registry. "Nancy Green, The Original 'Aunt Jemima' born."Allrecipes. "The Brand Formerly Known as 'Aunt Jemima' Becomes Pearl Milling Company."Banks, Nina. "Black women’s labor market history reveals deep-seated race and gender discrimination." Economic Policy Institute.CBS News Boston. "Aunt Jemima Brand And Logo Being Retired By Quaker Oats, Acknowledging Racial Stereotype."Collins, Patricia Hill. "Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment"EBSCO Research Starters. "Mammy archetype" by Elizabeth Mohn.Fiveable Class Notes. "Domestic work and labor exploitation | History of Black Women in America."Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. "Nancy Green."Kentucky Historical Society. "Civil War to Civil Rights: Nancy Green, Aunt Jemima."Lee, Jon J. "Racism and Trademark Abandonment." The George Washington Law Review.London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA). "A history of branding."New-York Historical Society. "Aunt Jemima." Women & the American Story.New-York Historical Society. "Black Domestic Workers." Women & the American Story.Richardson, Riché. "Can We Please, Finally, Get Rid of 'Aunt Jemima'?" The New York Times.Roberts, Sam. "Overlooked No More: Nancy Green, the 'Real Aunt Jemima'." The New York Times.Pearl Milling Company. "Our History."PR Newswire. "Aunt Jemima Brand To Remove Image From Packaging And Change Brand Name." The Quaker Oats Company.US Legal Forms. "Aunt Jemima Doctrine: Understanding Trademark Protection." Legal Resources.University of Washington Digital Collections. "Early Advertising of the West, 1867-1918."Wikipedia. "Aunt Jemima."Wikipedia. "Mammy stereotype."Wilmington College. "Powered by Pancakes: Debra Faulk to Share the True Story of Aunt Jemima."World’s Fair Chicago 1893. "Remembering Nancy Green, Aunt Jemima, and the 1893 World’s Fair.""The Enduring Iconography of Exploitation: Aunt Jemima, Racial Mythology, and the History of American Consumption." Research Summary."The Real Aunt Jemima: Nancy Green’s Story and the Legacy of a Stereotype." Historical Research Analysis.

This season begins with a woman most of us were never taught about, though many of us grew up seeing the character she was hired to perform.Nancy Green was born enslaved in Kentucky in 1834. In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair, she became America’s first “living trademark,” portraying the fictional figure known as Aunt Jemima.This episode lays the foundation for a multi-part series. In this first episode weWe begin with Nancy Green’s life.We trace the industrialization of food production.We examine the birth of modern branding and trademark law.We introduce the minstrel traditions that shaped the Aunt Jemima character.And we begin to ask harder questions about plantation nostalgia, racial caricature, and the foundational, yet marginalized,  labor of Black women in American history.This is an intentionally dense episode. We are building context before we go deeper.In the coming episodes, we’ll explore:Minstrelsy and the “mammy” mythThe politics of representation at the 1893 World’s FairThe economic realities of Black women’s laborThe evolution of the Aunt Jemima brand and its 2021 retirementThis series is not about canceling a logo. It’s about understanding how and why it was invented and what the larger cultural implications of that invention were..Content note: This episode discusses slavery, racial caricature, and racist stereotypes in historical context.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SourcesABC News. "The untold story of the real 'Aunt Jemima' and the fight to preserve her legacy."African American Registry. "Nancy Green, The Original 'Aunt Jemima' born."Allrecipes. "The Brand Formerly Known as 'Aunt Jemima' Becomes Pearl Milling Company."Banks, Nina. "Black women’s labor market history reveals deep-seated race and gender discrimination." Economic Policy Institute.CBS News Boston. "Aunt Jemima Brand And Logo Being Retired By Quaker Oats, Acknowledging Racial Stereotype."EBSCO Research Starters. "Mammy archetype" by Elizabeth Mohn.Fiveable Class Notes. "Domestic work and labor exploitation | History of Black Women in America."Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. "Nancy Green."Kentucky Historical Society. "Civil War to Civil Rights: Nancy Green, Aunt Jemima."Lee, Jon J. "Racism and Trademark Abandonment." The George Washington Law Review.London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA). "A history of branding."New-York Historical Society. "Aunt Jemima." Women & the American Story.New-York Historical Society. "Black Domestic Workers." Women & the American Story.Richardson, Riché. "Can We Please, Finally, Get Rid of 'Aunt Jemima'?" The New York Times.Roberts, Sam. "Overlooked No More: Nancy Green, the 'Real Aunt Jemima'." The New York Times.Pearl Milling Company. "Our History."PR Newswire. "Aunt Jemima Brand To Remove Image From Packaging And Change Brand Name." The Quaker Oats Company.US Legal Forms. "Aunt Jemima Doctrine: Understanding Trademark Protection." Legal Resources.University of Washington Digital Collections. "Early Advertising of the West, 1867-1918."Wikipedia. "Aunt Jemima."Wikipedia. "Mammy stereotype."Wilmington College. "Powered by Pancakes: Debra Faulk to Share the True Story of Aunt Jemima."World’s Fair Chicago 1893. "Remembering Nancy Green, Aunt Jemima, and the 1893 World’s Fair.""The Enduring Iconography of Exploitation: Aunt Jemima, Racial Mythology, and the History of American Consumption." Research Summary."The Real Aunt Jemima." Podcast Script/Research Materials."The Real Aunt Jemima: Nancy Green’s Story and the Legacy of a Stereotype." Historical Research Analysis.

In the final episode of Witches to Trad Wives, we bring this series to its present-day conclusion.Across these episodes, we’ve traced how fear of women repeatedly organizes itself into moral panic—each time wearing a new, era-appropriate costume. What begins as witchcraft becomes medical diagnosis, criminal spectacle, political threat, and wartime anxiety. Today, that same fear reappears as something softer and more palatable: the tradwife.In this episode, we examine how tradwife culture functions not as a neutral lifestyle trend, but as the latest iteration of an old containment strategy—one that reframes submission as empowerment, domesticity as freedom, and hierarchy as harmony. Drawing connections between Cold War conservatism, anti-feminist organizing, reproductive panic, and social-media aesthetics, we name the pattern beneath the panic.This episode closes the Witches to Trad Wives arc by asking why women’s gains are so often followed by systems designed to quietly take power back.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. Sources

In WWII, German soldiers on the Eastern Front whispered about witches in the night—figures who arrived silently and dropped bombs before vanishing into the dark.They were real.In this episode, we tell the story of the Night Witches, an all-female Soviet night bomber regiment that flew obsolete wooden planes with no radar, no parachutes, and almost no support. Facing relentless sexism and brutal conditions, these women adapted, innovated, and helped turn the tide of the war.This is a story about women erased from history, brilliance misread as magic, and what happens when women are underestimated and fight anyway.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. Sourceshttps://invisiblewomen.ca/marina-raskova/https://wrightmuseum.org/the-soviet-night-witches/https://www.history.com/articles/meet-the-night-witches-the-daring-female-pilots-who-bombed-nazis-by-nighthttps://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/night-witches-soviet-women-pilots-who-terrified-nazi-soldiers

In this episode, we turn the Jack the Ripper story inside out—not to mythologize a faceless killer, but to restore the lives of the five women history reduced to “canonical victims.” Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly lived full, complicated, often heartbreaking lives in a Victorian world obsessed with policing women’s morality.Instead of accepting the familiar true-crime script, we follow their real stories: poverty, alcoholism, workhouse systems built to punish, relationships marked by love and loss, and the relentless moral scrutiny that made them easy to dismiss both in life and in death. Through their histories, we expose a deeper truth: the panic that gripped London wasn’t just about a killer, it was about women who lived outside the lines Victorian culture demanded they stay within.This is not an episode about him. It’s about them: women worth remembering for who they were, not how they died.Connect with Us!Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠ ⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Patreon:⁠ ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SourcesThe Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. Hallie Rubenhold, Doubleday 2019.

What happens when women’s knowledge threatens men’s power? This episode follows the shift from witches and midwives to medical degrees and “scientific authority,” revealing how the medical establishment grew by excluding the very women who had been healing for centuries. We also trace the surprising moral panic around women on bicycles—and how these old anxieties still animate today’s gender politics.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. Sourceshttps://www.vox.com/2014/7/8/5880931/the-19th-century-health-scare-that-told-women-to-worry-about-bicyclehttps://cyclehistory.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/women-on-the-move-cycling-and-the-rational-dress-movement/https://web.archive.org/web/20191102003132/https://garethrees.org/2012/01/10/shadwell/

Or The Witch Who Wouldn’t DieIn 1684, in a Puritan town in Massachusetts, a woman named Mary Webster was accused of witchcraft.Poor, outspoken, and “not the most placid,” she became an easy target for her neighbors’ fears. What followed was one of the strangest and most revealing stories of the colonial witch-hunt era—one that would echo through centuries of women’s resistance.This Halloween bonus episode tells her story: the trial, the mob, and the myth that would later inspire Margaret Atwood’s poem Half-Hanged Mary.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. Sourceshttps://loadedliteraturepodcast.wordpress.com/2018/08/08/half-hanged-mary-by-margaret-atwood/https://valleyadvocate.com/2024/10/24/scary-and-true-half-hanged-mary-and-the-real-women-behind-the-areas-most-compelling-ghost-stories/https://massreview.org/node/7575/https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/mary-webster-witch-hadley-survives-hanging/https://woodlawnschool.pbworks.com/f/The+Crucible+-+Half+Hanged+Mary+Poem+PDF.pdf

Every era has its witches. And its bitches.In this opening arc of Season 2, From Witches to Trad Wives, we trace the long shadow of moral panic around women—from the burning stakes to the culture wars.Drawing on Becca’s research for her upcoming book on moral panics, we explore how power, purity, and fear shape women’s stories, and why the figure of the “dangerous woman” keeps coming back.This episode sets the stage, unpacking what a moral panic is, how it works, and why the witch has never really gone away.Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries. Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SourcesTitle: Witches, Midwives, & Nurses: A History of Women HealersAuthors: Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre EnglishPublisher: The Feminist Press at the City University of New YorkA Quantitative Evaluation of Demographic, Gender and Social Transformation Theoriesof the Rise of European Witch Hunting 1300-1500Author(s): Philip SmithSource: Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung, 1992, Vol. 17, No. 4 (64)(1992), pp. 99-127

In which Becca and Lily review the meta-themes of this season, harking back to the word "bitch" and how they relate to it now. We talk about what this podcast has done for us and wonder what it has done for you, if anything. We still want to hear from you! And, we note that this is the last episode of this season while we take a break and regroup for the next one. Are there topics or women you'd like to hear us chat about? If so, contact us!Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Here's our short-mini episode about the Matilda Effect. We're interested in exploring and learning more about women who have been "Matilda Effected" (yes, that's a phrase, we're sure of it). So let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!SourcesJodi Picoult’s novel ⁠By Any Other Name⁠ (2024)⁠https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/⁠⁠https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/⁠⁠https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/⁠⁠https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/⁠⁠https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-⁠⁠https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/⁠Connect with Us!Patreon:⁠ ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠@theb.chionary⁠⁠Substack:⁠ ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠ ⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠Pocketcasts: ⁠https://pca.st/3tebsk24⁠Blue Sky: ⁠@thebitchionary.com⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or Lily at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. 

Is there a stigma against women publishing or getting credit for a discovery? Is there any credibility to the theory that the works of Shakespeare were written, in part, by a woman? Join us in this episode for a discussion about Shakespeare, publishing as women, pen names, and the Matilda Effect. And look out for a short-mini episode to follow this one where we talk a little more deeply about the Matilda Effect. And lastly, let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!SourcesJodi Picoult’s novel By Any Other Name (2024)https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.comEmail: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

Is there a stigma against women publishing or getting credit for a discovery? Is there any credibility to the theory that the works of Shakespeare were written, in part, by a woman? Join us in this episode for a discussion about Shakespeare, publishing as women, pen names, and the Matilda Effect. And look out for a short-mini episode to follow this one where we talk a little more deeply about the Matilda Effect. And lastly, let us know if there are women out there whose stories you'd like us to explore. We'd love to hear from you!SourcesJodi Picoult’s novel By Any Other Name (2024)https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/was-shakespeare-woman-responses/590851/https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/first-folio/https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/13/no-shakespeare-not-jewish-woman-just-genius/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/13/frankenstein-at-200-why-hasnt-mary-shelley-been-given-the-respect-she-deserves-https://womenrefusingtobeerased.org/Connect with Us!Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.comEmail: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. 

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5. In Part Four, we circle back to the movie 9 to 5 and learn a little bit about its making and the ways in which it was used to directly promote and support the 9 to 5 movement and labor union. We'll then wrap up this series by bringing the founders and the movement into the present day. Connect with Us!Instagram: ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.comEmail: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SOURCES9 to 5Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC FilmsWorking 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic MovieBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://ellencassedy.com/Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karenhttps://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdfWomen in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Changehttps://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor HistoryBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-historyhttps://www.karennussbaum.com/WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choiceshttps://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awardshttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equalityhttps://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-conventionhttps://constitution.congress.gov/browse/https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_NussbaumWhy 9 to 5 Still Resonates TodayBy Karen Nussbaumhttps://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-partonhttps://midwestacademy.com/about-us/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaignhttps://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5. In Part Three, we do a deep dive into the tactics and tools used by co-founders Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum as they build the 9 to 5 Movement from a small group of ten women to a national organization, movement, and launch District 925, a union of women by women. We hope you’ll join us for this entire series of episodes. We found this history to be incredibly inspiring and relevant to this day. The final episode will get into the making of the movie and its impact on the national movement and union.Connect with Us!Instagram:⁠⁠@theb.chionary⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458⁠Patreon:⁠⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠⁠Substack:⁠⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠Pocketcasts: ⁠https://pca.st/3tebsk24⁠Blue Sky: ⁠@thebitchionary.com⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or Lily at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. SOURCES⁠9 to 5⁠Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC Films⁠Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie⁠By Ellen Cassedy⁠https://ellencassedy.com/⁠Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karen⁠https://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdf⁠Women in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Change⁠https://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.⁠The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor HistoryBy Ellen Cassedy⁠https://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-history⁠⁠https://www.karennussbaum.com/⁠WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choices⁠https://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/⁠⁠https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.⁠⁠https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awards⁠⁠https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equality⁠⁠https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-convention⁠⁠https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/⁠⁠https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Nussbaum⁠Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates TodayBy Karen Nussbaum⁠https://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-parton⁠⁠https://midwestacademy.com/about-us/⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaign⁠⁠https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675⁠⁠Still Working 9 to 5⁠ (documentary)

Note: The audio's a little inconsistent in this one. And Lily had a wicked fever while she was editing it, so bear with us!This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5. In Part Two, we meet the two co-founders of the 9 to 5 movement, Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum and learn about what motivated them to launch this movement and how they went about doing it. We hope you’ll join us for this series of episodes (which will be published every two weeks on Tuesdays!). Connect with Us!Instagram:⁠@theb.chionary⁠Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458Patreon:⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Substack:⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠The Bitchionary⁠Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.comEmail: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠. SOURCES9 to 5Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC FilmsWorking 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic MovieBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://ellencassedy.com/Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karenhttps://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdfWomen in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Changehttps://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor HistoryBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-historyhttps://www.karennussbaum.com/WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choiceshttps://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awardshttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equalityhttps://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-conventionhttps://constitution.congress.gov/browse/https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_NussbaumWhy 9 to 5 Still Resonates TodayBy Karen Nussbaumhttps://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-partonhttps://midwestacademy.com/about-us/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaignhttps://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

This series of episodes was inspired by the film 9 to 5, a 1980s comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. What most people don’t know is that the movie was made deliberately to raise awareness around women’s issues in the workplace and in direct relationship to a movement, an organization, and, ultimately, a labor union called 9 to 5. In Part One, we talk a little bit about the movie itself and then, in order to frame the issues, we go all the way back to the mid-1800s and the dawn of the women’s movement. We learn a bit about First Wave Feminism and then fast forward to the 1960s and 1970s when American society was in upheaval. Waves of organizing beginning with and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement had people agitating and organizing and pressing for change in an unprecedented fashion. We talk about the Second Wave of Feminism that begins in the mid-1960s and then learn about the social and economic issues roiling the culture and the workplace in the 1970s. All of that context is provided to get us ready for Part 2, in which we will meet the two founders of the 9 to 5 movement, Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum. We hope you’ll join us for this series of episodes (which will be published every two weeks on Tuesdays!). Connect with Us!Instagram: ⁠@theb.chionary⁠Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571822978458Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠Pocketcasts:https://pca.st/3tebsk24Blue Sky:@thebitchionary.comEmail: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries.Email Becca at⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at⁠[email protected]⁠. SOURCES9 to 5Directed by Colin Higgins; Screenplay by Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick; Story by Patricia Resnick Produced by Bruce Gilbert; Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson, Sterling Hayden, Production company IPC FilmsWorking 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic MovieBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://ellencassedy.com/Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Nussbaum, Karenhttps://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Nussbaum.pdfWomen in the Workforce: 1970s - A Decade of Changehttps://www.propelhr.com/blog/women-in-the-workforce-1970s-a-decade-of-change-for-women#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%20the,unionized%20jobs%20were%20moving%20overseas.The 9 to 5 Movement: How Women Got Angry, Got Organized, and Made Labor HistoryBy Ellen Cassedyhttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/9-to-5-movement-historyhttps://www.karennussbaum.com/WOMEN OF THE YEAR: Great Changes, New Chances, Tough Choiceshttps://time.com/archive/6595056/women-of-the-year-great-changes-new-chances-tough-choices/https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/second-wave-feminism#:~:text=The%20second%20wave%20feminism%20movement,spread%20to%20other%20Western%20countries.https://findingaids.smith.edu/agents/people/2377#:~:text=Fonda%20created%20her%20own%20production,both%20nominated%20for%20Academy%20Awardshttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan#:~:text=Her%201963%20best%2Dselling%20book,public%20activism%20for%20gender%20equalityhttps://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/seneca-falls-conventionhttps://constitution.congress.gov/browse/https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/seneca-falls-resolutions/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_NussbaumWhy 9 to 5 Still Resonates TodayBy Karen Nussbaumhttps://jacobin.com/2022/03/9-to-5-film-documentary-jane-fonda-dolly-partonhttps://midwestacademy.com/about-us/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_Peace_Campaignhttps://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/675Still Working 9 to 5 (documentary)

In the final episode of our three-part series about the women of the early labor movements in the US, we learn about Frances Perkins, architect of the New Deal and the first female cabinet member, appointed by FDR before women even had the right to vote. Perkins witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and, in so doing, found her calling to fight for protections for workers. Without her tireless work we would not have the 40-hour work week, social security, overtime pay, and more. We also explore Frances Perkins’ life in the context of her possible queerness. Join us on this episode of The Bitchionary! Connect with Us! Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠ Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠ Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠ Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠ Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/3tebsk24 Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries. Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠.  Sources https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/frances-perkins https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/lectures/FrancesPerkinsLecture.html https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1951-10-29/ed-1/seq-2/ https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1933-02-19/ed-1/seq-23/ https://francesperkinscenter.org/learn/her-life/ https://www.nps.gov/places/frances-perkins-house.htm#:~:text=On%20numerous%20occasions%2C%20Perkins%20roomed,for%20the%20next%20twenty%20years.

In which Becca and Lily have a free form discussion about the 2023 film, and 2021 novel, Nightbitch. The film is described as a “black comedy horror film” that was written and directed by Marielle Heller and stars Amy Adams. It is based on the 2021 magical realism novel by Rachel Yoder. In the most basic terms, it’s a tale of motherhood in which a mother transforms into a dog. In more complicated terms, it’s a weird and wonderful exploration of motherhood, identity, magic, rage, and the challenge of being a woman, mother, wife, artist, and dog. This is a bonus episode, a rambling conversation about all of these issues. Please listen, watch the film, read the book, and tell us what you think! Connect with Us! Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠ Substack:⁠ ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠⁠ Apple Podcasts:⁠ ⁠The Bitchionary⁠⁠ Pocketcasts: ⁠https://pca.st/3tebsk24⁠ Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠ Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries. Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠.  Sources “Nightbitch” by Rachel Yoder Nightbitch, the movie, starring Amy Adams, written and directed by Marielle Heller

This episode continues the story we began with Clara Lemlich and the uprising of the 20,000. We focus exclusively on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire—a defining moment in American history, one that would go on to inspire France Perkins and the New Deal. The final episode in this series will follow France Perkins from the day of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and into FDR’s cabinet. This episode does include descriptions of the deaths of the women in the factory as well as a brief discussion of this tragedy and its relationship to the tragedy of 9/11. These are difficult topics and anyone who is not up for this should skip this episode. Connect with Us! Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/TheBitchionary⁠ Instagram ⁠@theb.chionary⁠ Substack: ⁠https://thebitchionary.substack.com/⁠ Apple Podcasts: ⁠The Bitchionary⁠ Blue Sky: @thebitchionary.com Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ for general inquiries. Email Becca at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or Lily at ⁠[email protected]⁠.  Sources “Triangle: The Fire that Changed America” David von Drehle Floor plans of the Asch Building: https://88711531.weebly.com/asch-building-floorplans.html An article: https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-live-through-modern-day-organizing David von Drehle’s article about how he researched his book: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncovering-the-history-of-the-triangle-shirtwaist-fire-124701842/ Cornell’s online collection, including victim profiles https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/

In this episode, we do a deep dive into the story of Clara Lemlich, a Jewish immigrant and labor organizer who, in 1909, sparked an uprising of 20,000 workers that began a great wave of labor laws and protections for all workers in America. This is Part 1 of what has turned into a 3-part series. Part 2 will continue the story, detailing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the role this disaster played in catalyzing some profound changes to American Labor. In that episode we meet a woman who witnessed the fire, Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary and architect of The New Deal. In Part 3, we learn all about Frances Perkins and her role in shaping many of the policies and protections that ushered in a "New Deal" for Americans. Let us know what you think and if there are future topics you’d like us to discuss, Please also share with all the bitches in your life and help us get out in the world! Connect with Us! Patreon: patreon.com/TheBitchionary Instagram @theb.chionary Substack: https://thebitchionary.substack.com/ Apple Podcasts: The Bitchionary Email: [email protected] for general inquiries. Email Becca at [email protected] or Lily at [email protected].  Sources - "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America" by David Von Drehle - Clara Lemlich, “The Inside of a Shirtwaist Factory,” Good Housekeeping 54 (March 1912), 367-369, https://reader.library.cornell.edu/docviewer/digital?id=hearth6417403_1340_004#page/67/mode/1up - Article about Clara: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/shavelson-clara-lemlich - Article about ILGWU: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/international-ladies-garment-workers-union

In which Becca and Lily engage in a freeform discussion around the word “Bitch”--its historical roots, its personal connotations, whether derogatory words like this can ever be reclaimed fully as a term of positive empowerment, and many digressions and diversions in between! Special thanks to our friend and colleague Spencer Nilsen for all of his help with our recording setup, helping us learn how to use the editing tools, and general moral support as we launch our new podcast. Any errors, bad edits or sound are ours, of course. Please bear with us as we learn how to use the tools and develop the skills we need to bring The Bitchionary to a streaming platform near you. Let us know what you think, what your relationship with the word “bitch” is, future topics you’d like us to discuss, and if you’d love to buy some “The Bitchionary” SWAG! Please also share with all the bitches in your life and help us get listened to out in the world! Follow us on Patreon at patreon.com/TheBitchionary and Instagram @theb.chionary Email us at: [email protected] for general inquiries. Email Becca at [email protected] or Lily at [email protected].  What’s It To Ya Punk by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Below are links to articles and references cited in the show. We’ve added additional references here in case you’d like to do more research. Links & References The Bitch Manifesto https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/bitch.htm Bitch: A History https://web.archive.org/web/20150907162256/http://clarebayley.com/2011/06/bitch-a-history/ About the use of the word “bitchin’” in surfer slang https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2024/03/27/thats-bitchin/ Use of the word “bitch” surged after women’s suffrage https://www.vox.com/21365241/19th-amendment-womens-suffrage-backlash A Brief History of the Word “Bitch,” Necessitated by Benedict Cumberbitch https://medium.com/the-wifey-word/a-brief-history-of-the-word-bitch-necessitated-by-benedict-cumberbitch-676af728bbd0