Christine Jorgensen was born George Jorgensen and the first American woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery. She went as far as Europe to receive confirmation from doctors there that her belief she was a woman was not a psychiatric disorder. She got it - and the surgery - and came back to the US a celebrity.
Read MoreAnna May Wong is considered Hollywood's first Asian American movie star. Despite being forced to portray racist roles in the films Hollywood was peddling at the time, Anna was persistent about pursuing roles that could satiate her desire to play three dimensional Asian characters on the screen, traveling across Europe and China in an effort to find herself and roles she might actually enjoy playing. Anna May Wong was and is an inspiration to some of the best actresses and filmmakers working today, including Lucy Liu, who received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to Anna May Wong's on May 1, 2019, making her the second Asian actor on the Walk.
Read MoreWhen you think of the origins of Rock n'Roll, chances are names like Elvis Presley and Chuck Barry come to mind. But more than a decade before, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was pioneering the new sound and creating unique hits that went on to influence all of the male "inventors" and "godfathers" of Rock n' Roll. She was a Black, openly bisexual woman whose gospel background provided the foundation for what we now think of as Rock n' Roll. She was a good witch who paved the way for a new sound that changed music as we knew it.
Read MoreTrina Robbins is a complicated artist with a long history in the world of Underground Comix. The first woman to draw Wonder Woman, forty years after the character's conception, Trina led a chaotic life until discovering comics, and soon became devoted to creating stories around women empowerment. She remains a vocal feminist and artist.
Read MoreArtemisia Gentileschi is, to this day, considered one of the Italian Baroque period's more brilliant painters. Having mastered her craft at a ridiculously young age, Artemisia became a household name early on. But because the art world was so staunchly male, she had to fight against the misogynistic bullshit of the time, even taking a man to trial for rape. She brought a uniquely feminine perspective (duh) that had been lacking in art, making her pretty much one of a badass kind.
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780735232112
Timeline: Women of the World Unite! http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/womenunite/en/index.html#/1940
INTRO - 14:47 | Our guest host, Alyssa, shares the biblical back-story of Judith to set up herr feature story.
15:45 - 52:45 | Alyssa share the person of this week, Artemisia Genilischi. Thank you, Alyssa for being a very Good Witch and sharing this story with us!
Read MoreYou may have heard the story of Charles Darrow, the ingenious inventor of Monopoly, who came up with the idea one day in a random stroke of brilliance while playing with his son.
The real story is much more complicated, originating thirty years prior with a woman who was staunchly anti-capitalist, and created the game as a way to teach people about a concept called single-tax economics. When Darrow stole her game and sold it to Parker Brothers, Magie's story was lost - until now!
INTRO - 13:48 | NSFW CONTENT WARNING!!! Deanna shares an article about a gamer’s experience with a Sims 4 sex mod, Wicked Whims, and it is hilarious, disturbing, graphic, and completely absurd. Please, please, please, listen with caution.
14:45 - 42:00 | Hannah presents our person of the week, Lizzie Magie.
INTRO - 13:12 | Hannah shares an article about a group of conservative Christians who believe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s runs a 24-7 witch coven dedicated to cursing Donald Trump. Where do we sign up?
14:15 - 41:25 | Deanna presents our person of the week, Mary Eliza Mahoney.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez episode: https://gwbbpodcast.com/episodes/s01e19-alexandria-ocasio-cortez
Gisella Perl episode: https://gwbbpodcast.com/episodes/s01e05-gisella-perl
Read MoreElsa Schiaperelli was a revolutionary designer both before and after World War II. Her designs were inspired by Surrealist and Dadaist, and she brought a wit and whimsy to her designs never before seen in fashion. From hats shaped like shoes to dresses printed in humorous little lobsters to her signature color, Shocking Pink, Elsa was a designing force to be reckoned with. If you're up for a field trip, today her designs can be found at the Met, and they are chock full of good witch gorgeousness.
INTRO - 4:40 | Quick Intro and Tease for a new BONUS EPISODE! (COMING SOON!)
6:05 - 36:10 | Deanna presents our person of the week, the wonderful and wondrous, Elsa Schiaparelli.
Read MoreAnna Ahkmatova was a romantic, a patriot, a poet. She was a bohemian during the Silver Age of art in Russia, just before the first World War. At first, she wrote the romantic poems that lovebirds carried with them in purses and pockets. Soon, though, her writing and her career, which began with a bang in the smoky cabarets of St. Petersburg, tumbled through a revolution and two world wars, becoming a product of its time. Anna, her reputation, and her poetry did not come out unscathed. Despite all of her trials and tribulations, when she passed she was considered one of Russia's most celebrated poets of the 20th century.
Read MoreAphra Behn was a woman ahead of her time. As the first English woman to make her living as a writer and playwright, she was both incredibly popular and a source of ire for many conservatives, who considered her work to be far too raunchy, *especially* coming from a woman. Centuries later, her work is still feminist af, and we’re here to shed light on a prolific writer the patriarchy has desperately tried to forget. Enjoy the story of this seriously bad 17th century bitch!
Read MoreIda Lupino was a socially aware filmmaker and actress at a time when women were encouraged to stay home and leave the moviemaking to the men. In her time, she was the only female member of the Director’s Guild of America, and she practically invented product integration to fund her socially radically films when the studios found these women-centric narratives too distasteful to fund. In short, she was the bad bitch of 1940’s and 50’s filmmaking (making sure everyone on her sets called her Mother), and we worship her.
Read MoreFor our very special 30th episode, we have Deanna's mother, Rayna, as our guest host! Rayna is herself a photographer and former instructor of photography and shares with us the story of Berenice Abbott. Berenice is known for her work as a portrait photographer, and later in life her scientific photography, but mainly she is known for her masterfully documented scenes in New York City.
Read MoreAudrey Munson was considered America’s first supermodel during the Gilded Age, she was world famous for her perfect proportions and gorgeous posing, and her likeness can still be found in statues all over the country. Her story is tumultuous but worthy of remembrance.
Read MoreJosephine Baker displayed resistance in multiple movements and multiple decades – despite being American born, she fell in love with and moved to France, where she became a war hero for her work as a French spy during World War 2. Later, she was a huge part of the civil rights movement in America, despite the many challenges she faced there. In addition, she was a raging bisexual. In short, she was one bad bitch.
Read MoreAlla Nazimova was a Russian actress turned Broadway star turned early 1900’s Hollywood screen siren, who hosted elaborate parties at her mansion and had affairs with beloved Hollywood actresses and industry people. Later, her mansion was turned into a hotel that was beloved by artists, writers, and the mob.
Read MoreJulie D’Aubigny was an openly bisexual, sword-fighting, gang dueling, opera singing badass woman who did her thing despite societal customs and restrictions in 17th century France.
Read MoreMillicent Patrick is a beautiful, mysterious figure from Hollywood history who may have been the mastermind behind some of the ookiest movie monsters of the 40's and 50's, most notably, the Gill Man of the film, The Creature From the Black Lagoon. She was a seriously bad artistic bitch who didn't get her due.
Read MoreThe story of Lillie Langry.
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