Lady Problems

On the season one finale of “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Teo Bugbee and Rachel Handler talk to genius comedian Aparna Nancherla. Aparna's comedy takes many forms — she does stand-up, she's a writer, she has an amazing Twitter, she's written for Late Night with Seth Meyers, she's been on Inside Amy Schumer and Netflix's Love, she has a podcast called Blue Woman Group, a Comedy Central special…. We could go on, but instead we will let her talk about how she wrings absurdist comedy from depression and anxiety, what it's like to occasionally write for dudes, and what's actually funny in the Trump era. Later, she'll answer a Lady Problem from our co-host Hazel Cills and an existential query from a listener.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, MTV News' style editor Haley Mlotek joins Rachel Handler to interview writer Durga Chew-Bose. Durga is the author of the new essay collection Too Much and Not The Mood, and also Haley's good friend — in fact, Haley edited three of the essays that appear in the book, so we go deep on those. We talk to Durga about the strange and bittersweet experience of living alone for the first time, the blissful relief of hiding in a movie theater during the oppressive New York summer, and what it sounds like to fall off a bridge. Later, Durga schools us all about Polly Platt, one of the most influential producers and production designers and screenwriters of the 1970s and 1980s who — by nature of being a woman in '70s Hollywood — was often overshadowed by the men she worked with.

This week on "Lady Problems," the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture's treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Teo Bugbee co-host alongside film critic Kristen Yoonsoo Kim. First, we talk about the new Olivier Assayas movie Personal Shopper, in which Kristen Stewart plays a personal shopper who may or may not sext with ghosts. Then we analyze Stewart’s career at large from the cringe-worthy Twilight to her first Assayas collaboration Clouds of Sils Maria and try to pinpoint exactly when she got so damn good at acting.  Find Rachel, Hazel, and Teo on Twitter and say hi, and call us up with your Lady Problems at 205-677-5239  — yes, that is 205-677-LADY, and if you think we’re not going to remind people of that every single week, then you must not know Lady Problems.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Teo Bugbee, Rachel Handler, and Hazel Cills put a rush on the episode so you can listen to it while you get ready (or show solidarity) for the International Women’s Day strike. The three of us go back in time and talk about labor trailblazer/movie star Olivia de Havilland, who happens to also be one of the narrators of Ryan Murphy's latest FX series, Feud. We delve into the first episode of the show as well, which has a strange way of looking at aging women. Later, it's the return of our segment "Fucked-Up-in-a-Good-Way Movie About Women of the Week." We talk about the 1979 classic Norma Rae, in which Sally Field kicks ass unionizing a textile factory in North Carolina. Onward, comrades! Find Rachel, Hazel, and Teo on Twitter and say hi, and call us up with your Lady Problems at 205-677-5239  — yes, that is 205-677-LADY, and if you think we’re not going to remind people of that every single week, then you must not know Lady Problems.

This week, Teo and Rachel talk to the fabulous Melanie Lynskey. Melanie's in the new movie "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore", an eccentric crime-thriller-cum-dark-existential-comedy (just watch it) that won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and premiered on Netflix last week. We talk to Melanie about the film, why she's such a consistently calming presence in indie cinema, how she sometimes feels "invisible" as a woman over 30 in Hollywood, and how she keeps herself from disappearing into her consistently morose characters. Later, we play a game with Melanie called "Trivia About Yourself," in which we quiz her about her 20-plus years of incredible movies.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler co-host alongside Andrea Silenzi. Andrea is the host of "Why Oh Why," a weekly podcast in which she speaks with friends, experts, and guys in bars about where love and sex meets technology. We talk to Andrea about her undying love for the Bachelor franchise — which Hazel has never seen and which makes Rachel feel like a bad person. Later, — and **spoiler alert** —  Hazel and Rachel pose as characters from this year's Oscar-nominated films to ask Andrea for relationship advice (i.e., should Jennifer Lawrence's Passengers character stay with Chris Pratt's, even though he woke her up against her will on a century-long trip to a new planet?). Finally, all three women answer a Lady Problem from a concerned mother.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Teo Bugbee co-host alongside Rachel Handler. First, we take to the streets of New York to visit Kylie Jenner's pop-up shop and ask the important questions, like, "Do you know who Kylie Minogue is?" and "What would Abraham Lincoln think of Kylie Jenner?" Then we delve into Fifty Shades Darker, trying to figure out what the actual fuck this movie is and how it relates (or doesn't) to our favorite BDSM films of yore. Later, we talk to our friend Katie McDonough from Fusion about her piece that asks, "Why does Stephen Miller sound like such a dick?"

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler co-host alongside one of our favorite horror directors, Karyn Kusama. Kusama's directed Jennifer's Body, Girlfight, and last year's The Invitation; her new short film, part of a female horror anthology called XX, is out next week. We talk to Karyn about her Rosemary's Baby-esque short, the strange and singular trajectory of her career, the state of modern horror, and why being a woman is totally fucking terrifying. Don't forget! Call us up with your Lady Problems at 205-677-5239  — yes, that is 205-677-LADY, and if you think we’re not going to remind people of that every single week, then you must not know Lady Problems.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler c-host alongside Vulture's TV columnist Jen Chaney. We talk to Jen about her new piece, "The Romantic Comedy is Not Dead — It's Just Not The Same As You Remember," break down our favorite and most abhorred rom-coms, and wonder what the rom-com will look like now that we are living in a hellish dystopia. Later, we get into how, during awards season in said dystopia, famous women are using the mic to voice dissent,  — and, this week, have awkward but important conversations about intersectional feminism at Sundance. Lastly, we'll talk about how and why female pop-culture icons like Carrie Fisher and Cher Horowitz have become central to the resistance.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills, Teo Bugbee, and Rachel Handler are joined by MTV News Culture Editor Leah Beckmann. First, the four of us break down the Oscar nominations and the utter horror we're all feeling at the fact that Annette Bening was not nominated for 20th Century Women (really, this is just an excuse for us to talk for an extremely long time about 20th Century Women). Later, we'll share our personal experiences at various Women's Marches over the weekend — then discuss the very valid criticisms of the march and what we're planning on doing next. Later, we break our no-men-on-this-podcast rule to answer a Lady Problem from our friend Charles.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler co-host a Very Special Sex-isode with Sybil Lockhart. Sybil is the lead researcher at OMGYes, a new site that works to demystify female sexuality through new research and in-depth interviews with real women. We ask Sybil how the site got started, how its founders hope to change the way women talk about and experience sexual pleasure, and how they located so many brave, real women willing to talk about and — quite literally — expose themselves and the details of their sexuality on camera. Later, we'll talk about The Hollywood Problem: the way women's sexuality is depicted (or not) in Hollywood, and why that's a problem for ladies trying to learn about how to have an actual orgasm in real life.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Teo Bugbee, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler talk about the madness that was this week's Golden Globes, airing our grievances with Hollywood's drunkest, most uncomfortable evening (dirty beers in South Sudan, anyone?). Later, we talk about our dream awards season, in a world where the entertainment industry appropriately recognizes projects by and about women and people of color and letting Casey Affleck suffocate inside his own beard. Finally, we answer a Lady Problem from Carly, a woman seeking a feminist club that isn't expensive or pretentious.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Teo Bugbee and Rachel Handler interview Erin Darke, star of the recently and inexplicably canceled Amazon series Good Girls Revolt. Teo and Rachel talk to Erin about the rare experience of working on a woman-centric show, why she thinks Good Girls Revolt was axed so suddenly despite its buzzy first season (hint: It has to do with a roomful of dudes), and the chances of the series being picked up by another network. Later, the three recall their favorite Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds performances, and answer a Lady Problem for a woman whose boyfriend has picked up a bizarre catchphrase.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel interview Brit Marling, the genius behind and star of Netflix's The OA. We talk to Brit about the innumerable interpretations of the show, her research on near-death experiences, her adoration for Maggie Nelson, choreographing The OA's "movements" with Ryan Heffington, and walking that fine line between vulnerability and schlock. Later, Teo Bugbee and Doreen St. Felix join Rachel and Hazel to very seriously discuss the most important question of the holiday season: Is Christmas Feminist???????

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel co-host alongside Variety's Chief TV Critic Mo Ryan. First, Mo chats about her recent, thought-provoking piece on the progress and pitfalls of TV's depiction of rape, including her thoughts on Game of Thrones's deluge of rape scenes and Jessica Jones's perspective-shifting treatment of trauma. We also discuss the internet's irritating reaction to Teen Vogue's scathing political op-ed. Later, we answer a Lady Problem for our coworker Holly, who cannot get over this THR article in which seven white dudes discuss race and gender.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, the OG trio — Rachel Handler, Hazel Cills, and Teo Bugbee — returns to co-host. We kick things off by unpacking the strange cultural response to two sex-centric movies in theaters now, Elle and The Handmaiden — specifically, the idea that all on-screen sex should be “realistic,” or representative of all sex, and the notion that female performers have zero agency when it comes to filming their own sex scenes. We also delve into this week’s controversial story about Bernardo Bertolucci and Maria Schneider and the rape scene in Last Tango in Paris. Later, Hazel shares how we can fuck with the Trump administration this week, and we all answer a Lady Problem for Jackie, who’s horrified by her co-workers’ politics.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Rachel Handler and Teo Bugbee interview filmmaker and actress Sophia Takal. We kick things off by interviewing Takal about her new movie, Always Shine, a psychological thriller that hits theaters this weekend and stars Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin FitzGerald as friends whose mutual jealousies and resentments bubble up during a weekend getaway to Big Sur. We also dig into this week’s Lady Problem — Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy’s assertion that there are no female directors ready to helm a Star Wars film — and talk to Takal about whether she’s ever experienced similar discrimination. Later, we introduce a new segment called “How to Fuck with the Trump Administration This Week,” then solve a Lady Problem for Nicole, who caught her aunt shit-talking about her over DM (!).

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills, Rachel Handler, Teo Bugbee, and MTV News's TV critic Inkoo Kang process the new Trumpian reality. We talking about how we're all feeling (...like shit), what we can do (volunteer, donate to orgs like Border Angels and the Brennan Center for Justice and Planned Parenthood), if and how we can engage or should engage the people in our lives who voted Trump, and what the role of art is in the coming revolution. Later, we solve a Lady Problem for our friend Elizabeth, an Asian-American woman who's grappling with how to engage with white women (a majority of whom voted for Trump) post-election. Find Rachel, Hazel, and Teo on Twitter and say hi, and call us up with your Lady Problems at 205-677-5239 — yes, that is 205-677-LADY, and if you think we’re not going to remind people of that every single week, then you must not know Lady Problems.

Rachel Handler and Leah Beckmann recorded this week's episode of  “Lady Problems” before the election, in a simpler time when a violent, white supremacist, misogynist, xenophobic, KKK-backed, sexually predatory, unstable, dangerously unqualified demagogue was not yet our president. So while they don't spend the episode taking down Trump, rest assured that they'll verbally destroy him very soon. In the meantime, please enjoy their interview with Anna Biller, the director of a movie called The Love Witch, which, appropriately, is about a woman taking down the men who've mistreated her. Leah, Rachel, and Anna also talk about the relationship between art and politics, then solve a Lady Problem about boning and telling for a caller named Jessica.

This week on “Lady Problems,” the MTV News podcast dedicated to pop culture’s treatment of women, Hazel Cills and Rachel Handler co-host the show with Soraya Roberts, longform culture writer and author of In My Humble Opinion: My So-Called Life, a book about the best show that has ever existed on this doomed planet. We spend a not-inconsequential amount of time debating whether or not Jordan Catalano is the ideal human mate, then talk about Tippi Hedren's new accusations against Alfred Hitchcock and how they illuminate what it means to be a powerful man's "muse." Later, we solve a Lady Problem for Kelsey, whose boss wants her to smile more.