Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Porn, Smut, and Intimacy: Feminists Talk Romance Books
Description
Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/
This episode dives deep into Becky and Taina’s wildly different takes on romance novels, smut, and fanfic—plus what makes storytelling feel intimate or just pornographic. We cover the books we’re reading this summer, why Becky knocks stars off for explicit content, and what Audre Lorde has to say about feeling embodied. It’s messy, it’s honest, and it might make you laugh (or blush). Whether you love fanfic, hate sex scenes, or feel somewhere in between, this conversation unpacks it all with a feminist lens and zero shame.
Discussed in this episode
• Becky's summer reading binge: 15+ books a month
• Why explicit sex scenes turn Becky off
• Taina’s love for fanfic (especially emotionally mature Draco Malfoy)
• How Audre Lorde defines pornography vs. the erotic
• Navigating parenting and productivity during summer
• How generational differences show up in language and preferences
Resources mentioned
• “Slow Dance” by Rainbow Rowell
• “First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borison
• “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams
• “I'm Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy