Your Matron Saints of Spice are back, and we're unpacking the side-eye your TBR pile gets from society!
Join Kate, Liz, Sarah, Jenai, and special guest Morgan Strehlow (who blessed us with our podcast name) as we dive into why men's violence-packed entertainment gets called "epic" while our books get dismissed as "fairy smut" — even when they contain less spice than your average Oscar-nominated film.
Topics Covered:
* Sarah's revealing poll proving there's a serious double standard when it comes to how we talk about men's vs. women's entertainment choices
* Why reading for pleasure is a radical act in a world that expects women to be productive, selfless, and contributing to capitalism at all times
* How fantasy fiction isn't just "escapism" — it's giving us language to question power structures, develop critical thinking, and yes, reimagine what's possible in our spiritual lives
* The political nature of "silly little books" that help us ask big questions (and why certain people might be threatened by women who learn to wonder)
* Why the "man cave" is in the house but the "she shed" gets banished to the backyard, and other perfectly normal ways society values men's hobbies over women's 🤔
Careful, friends! This episode might just leave you unapologetically enjoying things because you want to, questioning your Bible study approach, and ready to smash some hierarchies. The horror! 💁♀️📚✨
Timestamps:
02:39 Men's vs. Women's Entertainment
05:34 Sex and Violence in Media
11:19 Purity Culture and Female Sexuality
20:29 The Double Standard in Entertainment
26:34 Empowerment Through Fiction
32:28 Curiosity in Reading and Faith
32:56 The Importance of Asking Questions
35:59 The Role of Fiction in Developing Empathy
39:58 Fiction's Impact on Biblical Interpretation
46:22 Smut vs. Spice
51:12 Gendered Perceptions of Hobbies
54:19 The Value of Enjoying Fiction
