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On this week’s episode of the Waves, Christina is joined by Slate staffer Lili Loofbourow and Georgetown University professor Marcia Chatelain to reflect on what the fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination can tell us about the state of #MeToo a year on. Did the movement lay the groundwork for coverage of the allegations against him, or does his confirmation show how little has changed since the Harvey Weinstein story broke last October? Next, they take on Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born—and try to reconcile the appeal of the movie (and Lady Gaga) with the troubling power dynamics at its center. Finally, they evaluate a new California law that will require more women on corporate boards. Is this the right way to increase diversity, and should the upper tiers of businesses really be the focus of feminism?
Slate Plus: Is it sexist that recent Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland was denied a Wikipedia page?
Other items discussed on the show:
- “Publicly, We Say #MeToo. Privately, We Have Misgivings” by Daphne Merkin in the New York Times
- “Republicans Don’t Care if Kavanaugh Is Guilty Because They Don’t Think What He Did Was Wrong” by Matthew Yglesias in Vox
- “One Year of #MeToo: Punishing Individual Abusers Is Not the Same as Justice” by Masha Gessen in the New Yorker
- “When Does a Watershed Become a Sex Panic?” by Masha Gessen in the New Yorker
- A Star Is Born
- “Lady Gaga on Letting Go for ‘A Star Is Born’ and What Bradley Cooper Insisted She Do Before Filming” by Amy Kaufman in the Los Angeles Times
- “Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill Requiring California Corporate Boards to Include Women” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times
- “Ten Years on From Norway’s Quota for Women on Corporate Boards” in the Economist
- “Frances McDormand Asked Every Nominated Woman to Stand With Her During Emotional Acceptance Speech” by Rachel Withers in Slate
Recommendations:
- Christina: Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere
- Lili: Peep Show, Carrie Fisher’s Shockaholic, and Anita Loos’ Kiss Hollywood Goodbye
- Marcia: Beth Pickens’ Your Art Will Save Your Life
This podcast was produced by Danielle Hewitt. Our production assistant is Alex Barasch.
The Waves plugs: Please remember to like our Facebook page. Send your emails to thewaves@slate.com. Tell us what we should cover in the next episode. And come to our live show in Miami on Nov. 17!
