That girl is poison?
Happy Halloween from the Unladies’ Room! 💀🎃 To get in the ghoulish spirit, we’re de-cobwebbing the trope that—in the words of Sherlock Holmes—poison is a woman’s weapon. Or as one 1939 newspaper headline blared, “WHEN SHE KILLS, A WOMAN CHOOSES POISON! The Female Killer Scorns a Gun, but She Holds Another More Horrible Monopoly on Death.”
So, is intentional poisoning gendered?
Is it just some typical Biblical Eve projection?
Practically speaking, it would make sense if poison were, in fact, a “woman’s weapon.” Why not avoid direct violence and leave behind no physical evidence (if you’re careful, of course)? The trope is almost a backhanded compliment to women’s macabre planning skills…except it’s thoroughly stewed in sexist rat poison like Nannie Doss’ fatal prunes.
Highlights include Lucrezia Borgia and poison-happy royals, “servant girl” scapegoats, Agatha Christie’s pre-murder mystery career, misogynist criminology, Bell Biv DeVoe and one deadly cheesecake.
💛THANK YOU, THANK YOU to this week’s newest Patreon supporter, Maria! 💛
ICYMI:
Why Palestinian occupation is a reproductive justice issue. (Health and Human Rights Journal, The Cut) If you’re wondering why SisterSong and other repro justice orgs have been particularly vocal in calling for a free Palestine, this interview in The Cut with Dr. Yara M. Asi on the longstanding reproductive healthcare crisis in Gaza and this 2019 paper on women’s health in occupied Palestinian territories provides important context to connect those dots.
The feminist Virgin of Guadalupe. (The Conversation) The mestiza icon embodies a radical history of Chicana art, labor organizing and political struggle.
Are We Dating the Same Guy? (The Independent) Maintaining a digital whisper network that can get ethically ambiguous and is red meat for men’s rights activist types ain’t easy. But…is it worth it?
Hulu and others still won’t allow red liquids in menstrual product ads. (WSJ) Many broadcast and digital media companies turn away ads depicting menstrual blood on the basis of ew, bodily fluids. Which begs the question of whether period red is any different from, say, Band-Aid red or wet diaper yellow.
LISTEN UP! (The Nocturnists) Unlady, family doctor and abortion provider, Alison hosts a new seven-part series on the podcast: Since the Dobbs decision, our team has been recording intimate conversations with abortion providers across the country and delving into how their personal and professional lives have been upended by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We just released our third episode where we go inside the Kansas abortion clinic where I work to see what it's like as they absorb the fallout of being an oasis in a desert of restricted states.
Main feed: ASK UNLADYLIKE TIME!
To change or not to change? That is the married-last-name question that actor, host and proud hyphenate Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins (Dear White People, Trials to Triumphs) loves to answer.
In this latest Ask Unladylike installment, Ashley and I first advise a queer woman of color in construction who's weary of being the "trophy worker," and I’d LOVE to hear from any unladies in the trades with povs on navigating its various boys’ clubs!
Then, it’s onto an affianced unlady who worries whether taking her husband's last name is giving away part of her identity and/or caving to patriarchy. I also highly recommend this Pew report I shared in a recent newsletter as some companion reading. It shows just how much, for straight couples, men’s married last names are rarely in question. As in, mental load-FREE! Not to mention the time and wrangling it takes to change your last name.
As always, if you’ve got Ask Unladylike questions, I’m all ears! Send your voice memos to hello@unladylike.co or DM ‘em on Instagram @unladylikemedia.
unladies are saying:
I just started listening to ur podcast and I’m now a devoted fan because Bug Juice season one SLAPS. season two was meh.
- new unlady and fellow Juicer, Brew re: IYKYK
til next week . . . Lewis the Halloween ghoul < dog Halloween parades
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