1 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: Hi. My name is Jamie Loftus, and I have read 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: every single Kathy comic and I have some thoughts. Kathy 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: guys Whites comic strip which ran from chronicled middle class 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: American womanhood day by day for over three decades, and 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: in between acts and irving jokes came really sharp commentary 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: on women's struggles in the workplace, rampant Reagan era consumerism, 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: and predatory diet culture. So why don't we remember it 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: that way? In my new show ac Cast. Yes, Kathy 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: chose the name for the show herself. I'm going to 10 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: take a look at these comics in context and take 11 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: a look from all advantage points. Why is this comic 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: remember the way it is? Who is Kathy guys White? 13 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: Who was the only woman in the Funny Pages when 14 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: the strip debut, who went on to win cartoons, highest 15 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: Honor and Emmy and wrote a cookbook called girl Food. 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: What else was in the Funny Pages during her tenure? 17 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: What topics and artists were relegated to the fringes? And 18 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: what influence has her work had? What does it say 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: about the rightfully despised white boomer demographic. Where does this 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: strip fall in the messy history of mainstream American feminism 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: and at what point did the Kathy character's frustration and 22 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: vulnerability around issues like diet culture and a pressure to 23 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: succeed professionally and toxic relationship dynamics and sexual harassment turned 24 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: into this big punch line. If you've never thought about 25 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: Kathy comics before, I have made the Summer podcast for you, 26 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: because the popular image of who Kathy is chocolate, chocolate, act, 27 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 1: et cetera, can be pretty at odds with the character's reality. 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: This is my favorite example. Kathy gets harassed by her 29 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: boss in the early eighties and she literally punches him 30 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: in the phase and he passes out. He's passed out 31 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: for an entire night because Kathy punched him in the face. 32 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: We've got a lot to talk about, and I will 33 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: be consulting the experts to do so. Of course, I'll 34 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: be talking to Kathy guys White, these strips creator, as 35 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: well as contemporary conic artists who are either influenced by 36 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: or are discovering Kathy's work for the first time. I'll 37 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: be speaking to women of Kathy's generation from a lot 38 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: of backgrounds. It's a lot of moms. I'll be talking 39 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: to experts on diet culture, comic strip history, boomers and more, 40 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: and I'll have some of my favorite comedians acting out 41 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: the strips for you. If you're a fan of my 42 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: previous shows, Lolita Podcast and My Year in Mensa, this 43 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: is another wormhole where there's a lot more to the 44 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: eye than it may originally seem. It's gonna be fun, 45 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: it's gonna get a little dark sometimes and at the 46 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: summer podcast for the girls. So listen to act Cast 47 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: That's a a c K by me Jamie Loftus, starting 48 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: on June on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 49 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.