Chaos and Control is a documentary-style podcast exploring the story of birth control in America. It takes a critical look at the history of the birth control movement and the development of the pill, the work and impact of various women's health movements, the criminalization of contraception and abortion, and the social and cultural systems that have shaped the current conversation around birth control.
Like, what is the role of hormonal birth control in a post-Roe America? Is birth control toxic? Why are so many women sharing their negative experiences? What does contraception free from coercion look like? And most importantly, how did we get here? Explore these questions and more—as well as interviews with historians, sociologists, doulas, and young women—in Chaos & Control.
In our final episode, we’re looking to the future.
You’ll hear once again from sociologist Dr. Krystale Littlejohn, philanthropist Chelsea VonChaz, body literacy educator Sarah Bly, and others about their visions for the future. Together, their wisdom charts a course towards creating a future which is empowering, supportive, and liberatory for all.
12 Nov 2024
Episode 08: Body Literacy as Reproductive Resistance
In this episode, we’re going to be exploring the idea of body literacy as reproductive resistance in post-Roe America.
Last episode we talked all about fertility awareness. In this episode, we’re continuing that conversation by diving into FemTech and cycle tracking apps, the rise in menstrual surveillance, and the role body literacy can play in a world where access to birth control is not assured.
2 Oct 2024
Episode 07: Our Bodies, Our Birth Control
In all the conversation about birth control, you’ve likely heard at least one person mention the fertility awareness method, or the idea that you can track your menstrual cycle as a form of contraception. And you’ve likely heard more than one person deride this as unreliable or dangerous pseudoscience.
But what exactly is the fertility awareness method, and where did it come from? Is it an actually viable method of contraception, or is nothing more than misinformation and wellness industry nonsense?
In this episode, we’re diving into all of that. The history, the politics, and the many misconceptions surrounding it. We’re also looking at the idea of expertise – from who we consider to be experts, to the role of influencers in the women’s health space.
18 Jun 2024
Episode 06: Going Beyond Choice
In this episode, we explore the crucial question: what are we getting wrong when it comes to our conversations around hormonal birth control post Roe – and are we even having the right conversations?
First, we take a look at the idea of choice, a cornerstone of the modern reproductive rights movement. We’re asking, what are the limitations of focusing on choice in conversations around reproductive rights – and what are the alternatives?
Then we take a look at how women are socialized into using certain forms of contraception, and the social pressures that women face when trying to opt for non-hormonal methods.
Finally, we get into one of our key questions: why is it so hard to critique the pill, and what do we lose when we lump genuine criticism of certain birth control methods in with conservative misinformation?
You can find all the sources & references for this episode atwww.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (http://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co (mailto:contact@currentsmedia.co)
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
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5 Jun 2024
Episode 05: Are Periods Obsolete? Part 02
In this episode, we’re continuing our conversation about periods and menstrual suppression. We dive deeply into period stigma and the pathologization of periods, as well as the epidemic of severe menstrual pain, and how our current system fails women. We also explore the importance of ovulation, and what we lose when we consider periods to be optional.
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (http://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources) (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co (mailto:contact@currentsmedia.co)
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
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8 May 2024
Episode 05: Are Periods Obsolete? Part 01
In this episode, we dive into menstrual suppression. We explore the ways in which women’s bodies and health have been and continue to be disregarded by the medical system, how pharmaceutical companies have co-opted feminist language in order to market new contraceptives, and the shifting social and political landscape in which criticism of the pill was increasingly seen as a conservative thing.
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co
Follow along:
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23 Apr 2024
Episode 04: Rebrands, Recalls, and Reformers
In the later decades of the 1900s, pharmaceutical companies, the US government, and a number of wealthy foundations were pouring resources into developing new contraceptive technologies — some driven by a desire for profit, and others by the promise of new birth control technologies that could further the agenda of population control.
In this episode, we are going to be exploring the reproductive violence done under the guise of progress and humanitarian aid, through the lens of three different long-acting contraceptive technologies: The Dalkon Shield IUD, the Norplant Implant, and the Depo-Provera injection.
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
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10 Apr 2024
Episode 03: The Myth of the Magic Bullet
In this episode, we explore the birth of the oral contraceptive pill – and the science, social backdrop, and exploitation of women that made it all possible.
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
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27 Mar 2024
Episode 02: The Dark History of the Birth Control Movement
When most of us think about the “birth control movement”, we likely think about chants of my body my choice, campaigns for birth control de-stigmatization, and the fight for reproductive rights more broadly. Today, it seems like a cornerstone of feminist thought, and something that unites the majority of women, right? But looking deeper, that hasn’t always been the case – nor is it always the case now.
In this episode, we dive into the complicated, dark history of the birth control movement, and the effects that legacy still has today.
We trace the birth control movement through the Victorian era to the passing of Roe V. Wade. We explore the history of gynecology, how the fledgling American medical system worked to push out midwives and criminalize contraception and abortion, and the long legacy of state-sanctioned reproductive violence in the United States.
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
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13 Mar 2024
Episode 01: This is a Podcast About the Pill
The dominant understanding of the pill is that it was a great liberator of women. That, for the first time ever, it allowed women to take control of their reproductive destinies. But…is that true?
In this week’s episode we set the stage for exploring the role of hormonal birth control in a post-Roe America. Like, what did birth control look like before the pill? Why have conversations around the pill become increasingly polarized? Is it possible to critique certain forms of contraception without compromising reproductive autonomy? And what does it mean when we put all the responsibility for preventing pregnancy onto women, especially in a landscape that’s increasingly hostile to reproductive rights?
You can find all the sources & references for this episode at www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaos-control-sources)
Questions or comments? You can reach us by email at contact@currentsmedia.co
Follow along:
Chaos & Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chaosandcontrolpod)
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1 Mar 2024
Chaos and Control Trailer
Chaos and Control is a documentary-style podcast exploring the story of birth control in America. It takes a critical look at the history of the birth control movement and the development of the pill, the work and impact of various women's health movements, the criminalization of contraception and abortion, and the social and cultural systems that have shaped the current conversation around birth control.
It’s rooted in the framework of reproductive justice, and explores the complex history and the women who lived through it, as well as interviews with young women about their experience of the pill, and interviews with experts including historians, sociologists, doulas, and body literacy educators.
Widespread access to contraception is essential for reproductive autonomy. At the same time, certain contraceptive technologies have harmed and continue to harm women in a number of ways.
What is the role of hormonal birth control in a post-Roe America? Is birth control toxic? Why are so many women sharing their negative experiences? Is this dangerous, and will it lead to an increase in unplanned pregnancies that women are forced to carry to term because of abortion restrictions? Is it possible to critique certain forms of contraception without compromising bodily autonomy? What does contraception free from coercion look like? And most importantly, how did we get here?
Explore these questions and more in Chaos and Control.
Follow along:
Chaos and Control website (https://www.currentsmedia.co/chaosandcontrol)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chaosandcontrolpod)
Threads (https://www.threads.net/@chaosandcontrolpod)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
14 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 27 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
8
Social presence
90
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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