Surviving Shame

Everyone feels shame, but it also feels like a misogynistic construct that is more often placed on women. Nearly a decade ago, Melissa Petro was working as a public school teacher when the NY Post outed her as a former stripper and call girl. The media went wild and she was publicly humiliated and forced to resign from a career she loved. From then on, Melissa has dedicated her life to growing awareness of how sexist shame is weaponized against women to keep us from achieving our goals and knowing our worth. Today we're diving into: Shame as a particularly gendered experience How women face impossible societal standards Parallels between shame in sex work and motherhood The impact of social media on public shaming Get Melissa's book Shame on You: How to be a Woman in the Age of Mortification here. Join our newsletter community here. Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices