SIM Ep 257 Chops 111: Is Anoushka Warden's Mum a tw*t?

Ridley Scott’s epic regeneration of the swords and sandals genre made megastars out of Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix and bagged a whole load of metal for the trophy cabinet, alongside a heap of box-office kerching. But 25 years on, does this tale of blood, brutality, bread, circuses and vengeance still thrill? Mick, Hannah and Jen share their thoughts. Unleash hell. Or just have a listen, your call.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Mai 30min

Feminist writer, campaigner, and one of Standard Issue’s firm favourites, Laura Bates’s latest non-fiction is called The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny. Anyone fretting about the good old age of sexism, fret ye not, because it is still alive and kicking and very much fuelling and influencing the new one. And it’s impossible to stress enough how critical a moment right now is: this isn’t futuristic, distant and improbable amplified version of the same old, same old, it’s already affecting women and girls, and minority groups. Our Mick chats to Laura about that, about the sheer scale of what’s happening, the regressive nature of breakneck “progress”, the problem with ‘outliers’, and about how men’s wants and wallets trump women’s rights and safety every time.  The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny is published by Simon & Schuster on May 15, but available for pre-order now. laurabates.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mai 29min

It’s game, set and love matches in our Yosra’s pick of 2024 films, as she, Mick and Hannah watch Luca Guadagnino’s sweaty tale of rivalry on and off the courts. Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, it was a bit of a critics’ darling and a box-office champ. But does that mean a flying sausage for our three women? Or will they take issue with the plot, the characters, the tennis, the depiction of women (woman), and the Golden Globe-winning score? Ooh, it’s a mystery.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Mai 28min

There’s a whole load of ‘but why the feck isn’t that already happening?’ in Hannah and Mick’s look at the news this week, as they take in nudification apps (no thanks), fresh rules for the police (yes please), and new investigations at old mother and baby institutions in Ireland (finally). Still, good news comes in the shapes of Jon Bon Jovi, miniature dachshunds, and new shoes. Plus Sarah Millican's Light Relief for £5+ Patreon members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Mai 24min

Director Amy Heckerling is known for films centred on the female experience, but how feminist is a film about a woman narrated by an actual man-baby? Or a single mum hell-bent on finding a dad for her young child? Jen, Mick and Hannah revisit 1990’s Look Who’s Talking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Apr 26min

If an adult male grooms a teenage girl into a sexual relationship, we're increasingly likely to call it abuse. But reverse the sex of the perpetrator and victim and attitudes are very different. In her latest podcast, Lucky Boy, journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou investigates one such case. She chats to Hannah about why female abusers are judged less harshly and their victims are often not seen as victims at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Apr 28min

Anyone who’s ever been anywhere near social media can attest to the somewhat loose definition of “self-care” adopted by society. Broadcasters Lauren Mishcon and Nicole Goodman, keen to challenge the deeply consumerist notions underpinning the wellness industry, and so their podcast, The Self-Care Club, in which they try and test different practices, was spawned. Now in its fifth year, the podcast has also led to a book, Have You Tried This: The Only Self-Care Book You Will Ever Need. Jen catches up with Lauren and Nicole to talk about the weird and wonderful things they’ve tried, how they define “self-care”, and just how problematic the industry is for women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Apr 27min

In Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, Pulitzer-nominated journalist Sophie Gilbert underlines how popular culture isn’t an innocuous force. She chats to our Mick about how focusing on how women and girls have been presented in pop culture from the late 1990s through the first two decades of this century revealed modern misogyny has been shaped by a mass culture attuned to male desire and all-pervasive pornography.  Girl on Girl is published by John Murray on May 1, but available for pre-order now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Apr 25min