High Value Women

In this episode of High Value Women, Adam and Ellie talk about the rom-com-to-newsroom pipeline and ask whether shows like Ugly Betty really did convince a generation of women and queer people to become journalists. From Betty Suarez and Andy Sachs to Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones, they look at why journalism became the dream career of the 90s and 2000s, the importance of seeing outsiders like Betty at the centre of these stories, and what all that glamorous magazine propaganda left out about the reality of working in media.

We have been touching grass all summer, this has made us look at influencers with even more suspicion than ever. In this episode we talk about the hypocrisy of the influencer world, how it is changing and fracturing, and of course how this impacts women as they navigate digital life.

On this episode of High Value Women, Adam and Ellie trace how the internet's obsession with "divine feminine energy" leads women from cycle-syncing videos and womb healing straight into bioessentialism, transphobia and trad wife politics. Along the way they unpack the actual science of gendered traits, the cultural appropriation fuelling the aesthetic, and why spirituality sold as self-care so often ends up repackaging the gender roles feminism tried to escape.

In today's episode, Ellie and Adam explore the complex topics of aging, societal perceptions of older women, and the influence of media and culture on beauty standards. They discuss Madonna's recent album, the portrayal of aging in entertainment, and the societal biases that shape our views on age and attractiveness.

In this episode of High Value Women, Ellie talks to Adam about their coming out stories, discuss gender identity, and explore the importance of community and self-expression within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. 

Summer (or Shakira Summer as Adam has declared it) is upon us, and with it comes a new season of Love Island. After some very concerning allegations from women who participated in Married At First Sight UK and a growing online discourse about the ethics of shows like Virgin Island this episode discusses dating shows. Can they be ethical? Why do we keep watching them? And, have they fallen off?

In this episode of High Value Women, hosts Ellie and Adam unpack how a fringe incel trend became a full-blown cultural crisis. From the genuinely unhinged origins of mewing, to the rise of 20-year-old Kick streamer Clavicular, to why teenage boys are now hitting themselves in the face with hammers, they get into what looksmaxxing reveals about young men, masculinity, and the dangerous false equivalence creeping into mainstream feminist discourse.

It's been a long time coming... that's right, we're finally having the inevitable AI disucssion. Do not fear though, much like all of you we are extremely exhausted with how inescapable AI is and just how terrible it is for the planet, for our culture, and our brains. Clankers will never be able to replace the complexity of the human spirit, and we disucss all that and more this episode.