Eleanor Medhurst joins us today to talk about Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion (Hurst & Company, 2024). Clothes are integral to lesbian history. Lesbians, in turn, are integral to the history of fashion. The way that we dress can help us to present who we are to the world, or it can help us to hide ourselves. It can align us with a community or make ... Show More
Jan 31
Gaoheng Zhang, "Italian Dumplings and Chinese Pizzas: Transcultural Food Mobilities" (Fordham UP, 2025)
Italian Dumplings and Chinese Pizzas: Transcultural Food Mobilities (Fordham UP, 2025) by Dr. Gaoheng Zhang designs a novel analytical framework to approach transcultural food mobilities, a culinary phenomenon that has been with us for decades as a result of colonialism and globa ... Show More
42m 35s
Jan 30
Mark Gallagher, "Cosmosexuals: Screen Acting, Stardom, and Male Sex Appeal" (U Texas Press, 2025)
In Cosmosexuals: Screen Acting, Stardom, and Male Sex Appeal (U Texas Press, 2025), Dr. Mark Gallagher presents an examination of male screen sex appeal and the ways that race, ethnicity, and national origin combine with performance tools and film and television style to aid or i ... Show More
1h 10m
Jan 29
Justin L. Mann, "Breaking the World: Black Insecurity and the Horizons of Speculation" (Duke UP, 2026)
Breaking the World: Black Insecurity and the Horizons of Speculation (Duke UP, 2026) takes Black speculative fiction as a central archive for understanding global security culture from the Reagan administration to the present. Drawing on black feminist, critical race, and queer o ... Show More
1h 45m
Aug 2024
Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion, an interview with Eleanor Medhurst
From Sappho to Stonewall-and-beyond, this week we explore than 2,600 years of lesbian fashion history as Eleanor Medhurst joins us to discuss her recently released book Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion.
Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?
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54m 57s
Jul 2024
622 Lesbians in the Archives (with Amelia Possanza)
Lesbians have been around for thousands of years (at least!), but their voices have often fallen victim to censorship, oppression, and ostracization. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Amelia Possanza, whose new book Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives describes Possanza ... Show More
1h 7m
Jun 2024
Ideology Obscuring Orientation with Jules Louise
Jules Louise was same-sex attracted, but more importantly she wanted to be a Good Person and “safe space for others” — so wound up married to a man. How did that happen? In this nuanced, heartfelt, and open conversation, Jules recalls her indoctrination into an ideology which des ... Show More
1h 30m
Sep 2023
The secret club for radical New York women
In downtown New York, in the early 20th century, a secret club of women met regularly, to discuss ideas, politics, art and their own lives. They forged friendships and alliances, and took up some of the most significant social fights of the day. Joanna Scutts joins Elinor Evans t ... Show More
43m 57s
Mar 2025
Barbie: The Fashion History of an Icon, Part I (Dressed Classic)
Barbie is so much more than a child's toy. Since making her debut in 1959, the Barbie doll has become a full-fledged global phenomenon--and fashion icon. In this three part series from 2023, we explore the fashion history and cultural significance of the world's most famous doll ... Show More
49m 51s
Oct 2025
Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis: an interview with Dr. Valerie Steele
It's Freud x fashion this week as Dr. Valerie Steele joins us to speak about her exhibition Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis which is currently on view at The Museum at FIT through January 4, 2026. The exhibition--which is the first of its kind--explores "key ... Show More
57m 59s