Fun but fierce
‘I’m a feminist but …’ London-based comedian and writer Deborah Frances-White uses this line to start every live show, which is then turned into a podcast episode. So far, there have been more than 300 instalments of her hit series, The Guilty Feminist.
In the podcast, she shares with her audience her failings and foibles: she’s a feminist but she wears make-up; she’s a feminist but she lies about her weight; she’s a feminist but she once left her eyelash extensions on too long; she’s a feminist but she once enjoyed being whistled at when she walked past a building site.
The Guilty Feminist has certainly struck a chord and now boasts 100 million downloads. Frances-White’s frequently repeated story is that she started it in 2015 after she popped into a department store during a women’s rights march and got distracted trying out face cream. When she returned, the march was over. She wanted to be a fourth-wave feminist but wasn’t sure she’d make the cut.
Older women may question whether she is trying to have her cake and eat it, too. But her many fans don’t seem bothered explores serious themes, while also allowing women to be hypocritical and insecure: they can shave their legs and watch the bridal shop reality TV show without feeling like traitors to the feminist cause.
