The Waves podcast has become an integral part of my journey in understanding feminism, misogyny, sexism, and societal dynamics. An amazing show

I’m not into the Golden Bachelor but I love all the other content. Soooo good!

I’ve never been much of a reality TV person, and I never got into the whole Bachelor franchise, which I find overly calculated and hokey. But thanks to this podcast, I got into “The Golden Bachelor,” and as a woman over 50 I want to say I’m loving the commentary here! I listen after every GB episode, and I think I suddenly understand the pleasures of the post-game show that sports fans so enjoy. It was brilliant of Slate to bring in Laura Stassi to share her insights, and I especially appreciate that, like me, she had never watched the franchise before, which gives her a fresh, outsider perspective, free from expectations. It’s a perfect complement to Cheyna’s experience with the show. I love and appreciate the way they both come from a place of care, especially a desire to debunk the myths associated with aging and dating. What ever will I do when the GB ends and this podcast is complete?

This is basically an Entertainment Magazine type of podcast, appropriating the term feminist to give it a niche. The topics are generally very surface, empty and bland. Hope this is not where we really are with feminism in the US today. There are so many real issues to talk about, but you won’t find them here.

Found this pod via The Daring While Grey pod; love it! & the Golden Bachelor recaps are gold!

Utterly predictable dogma - no thought - just repeating of clichés. All you need to do is read the headline of the episode and then think of the most stereotypical woke approach there could be associated with the given subject and there you go! It almost seems like an SNL skit. These are not serious journalists or serious people generally.

Her work has been amazing and engaging and a welcome change. I’ve been listening to the Waves forever. I miss the consistent hosting. Kat would be an awesome consistent host. PLEASE keep her.

“Why do 46-year-old men exist?” Cringeworthy comments every week. And if the defense is “It’s a JOKE,” then you’re squarely in the alt-right playbook. Congratulations!

I really miss the chatty, loose, always interesting format with Hannah, June, and Noreen. It was real, timely, thought provoking, often fun. There was disagreement among the hosts, with guests, and with the mood of the moment and I loved it all.

I loved the old format and want to continue to love this show, but two things are preventing it from being a regular listen for me: The shorter episodes make it feel like the hosts are only skimming the surface of each topic. I turn to my other Slate podcasts for deeper level analysis and insight and this podcast is missing that. Each episode is around 30 minutes but with the large volume of ads and promo for other slate shows we’re sometimes only getting 20 minutes on a topic. I understand that revolving hosts are used to provide diverse perspective but not having regular hosts leads me to listen with skepticism while I try and determine if I trust this week’s guide on a given topic. I’d rather hear a familiar voice.

Ew. Seriously, cut the able-ist crap.

Live the shoe, fresh insights snd perspectives,

A general feminism podcast, only the constant switching of hosts allows for a wider range of views and perspectives on different topics and provides some great fodder for conversation. I sometimes find myself disagreeing with one or more of the hosts but I like that it gets me to think about new things differently!

The Waves (formerly Double X Gabfest) was so excellent with the original hosts - June, Hannah and Noreen. The reunion show only confirmed that - these women have intelligence, inquisitiveness, and interest. It's fallen mightily without these fab women at the helm. Please bring them back!!!

I loved the old show and the recent reunion episodes just reinforced that. The new format is too casual. I like getting to know the hosts and new people every week makes this impossible. I rarely listen anymore. Too much just two people chatting. Needs more structure.

so glad the Waves has returned. it was hard to get thru the early days of the pandemic without my go-to podcast. still wish the original crew could be a regular session, in addition to the new crew. (for those of us 40++ etc.) happy that Slate brought back this podcast 👏

Loved, LOVED the June/ Hanna/ Noreen reunion episode. It felt like visiting with old friends— who intellectually challenge, delight, and expose me to books and media I must consume. Please come back more regularly!! We missed you.

I was happy to listen to this episode. I’ve been thinking a lot about this, feeling kinda small and learning that some of the efforts I’ve made really create no change. Thanks for sharing. Im going to keep researching.

I definitely enjoyed the original format of this show more. But I’m still in for now.

Not an issue I previously thought as having a gender bent. Loved Grace’s insights.

This show is a shadow of its former self. I understand the reasoning behind the new format, but having different hosts every week leads to way more stilted and awkward conversations since there isn’t the same history of relationship and discussion as there used to be. I’d recommend they kept some consistency—the same 2 people speak about a topic every 4 weeks or something, so that there is a baseline relationship for these convos.

i liked the waves in 2015 when i reviewed it last - was it Double X then? might have been. i enjoy the new format with different hosts each week and different topics - not just the same old "what happened this week rehash with a feminist take" The true crime episode is a good example. Thanks, Slate, for trying somehting new! My review of Double X from 2015: I wait patiently for the podcast every two weeks. i wish it was issued every week. it is my favorite podcast right now. i like all of three women and feel like i amsitting around chatting with them. althought i sometimes respond out loud!

Did one of the hosts actually just reassure women that things will be ok and give this list of examples: having babies young, her husband getting fired, her sister-in-law being MURDERED? Followed by “It wasn’t great” (!!) cannot relate.

If you want to hear cancel culture in action, listen to The Waves. The hosts repeat unsubstantiated allegations, engage in what is essentially gossip, and without coming out and saying so, tear down a show about black lesbians because the creators may have engaged in possibly “problematic behavior.” Hope I see all of you at the labor camps for us bourgeois reformists!

... the episode on Master of None is SO tiresome that I’m not sure this can be listened to. If listening to two women try to out-woke each other is your cup of tea, then give this podcast a try. But if you are looking for original feminist thought, this isn’t it.

I have enjoyed some content from this podcast, and the perspective of hosts is generally appreciated. But the reflexive tendency to find any allegation of sexual misconduct 100% credible is ridiculous. When Tara Reade was enjoying her 15 minutes last year, the hosts lamented that BOTH parties were running presidential candidates who were sexual predators and WHY couldn’t there be a do over so Bernie or Elizabeth Warren could be coronated? And this week’s episode about Master of None—could they enjoy Season 3 after finding out that Aziz Ansari had been accused of <checks notes>......having a bad date with an anonymous accuser who decried the lack of communication about their respective expectations? And some nonsense about Lena Waithe also being “problematic” and worthy of cancellation. Slate should eliminate this nonsense from their otherwise excellent menu of podcasts.

Please it’s 2021; no more overlapping repetition of the same phrase as a stylistic audio tag, let’s leave that in RadioLab of ten years ago as we should.

I am so happy this show is back!!! I am long time listener and very excited for the new format. Thank you Slate for bringing it back!!!

I am over the moon that The Waves is back! I’m curious to see how the new format plays out. I’m sure it’ll be great.

I’d love the show no matter who hosts. Often think about their segments and wonder how they would rate something on the “is it sexist” scale.

I loved this show for years with the previous hosts. I want the new hosts to carry the torch. They are not. They’re giving feminism a bad name with their predictable, reflexive, unthoughtful takes. I have Slate Plus and get all the shows in one feed. This is the most painful listen/skip every week.

I listened to this from the get go and found it consistently intelligent, illuminating, and fun. I hope Slate brings it back soon.

the hosts had mentioned all the hate, and at first i felt guilty for emailing in from time to time with a strong reaction to a discussion especially since i'd never get a response. but reading the reviews going back in time to the transition in hosts to the current lineup clarified for me that i'm definitely not part of that hate mail. i have to say reading these comments saddens me as another example of women hating on women (i'm still grappling with that happening in politics)... i would agree that the 4 hosts took some time to get into a groove, as well as that some hosts have some ticks, but i've never felt that the show would get 1 start for these growing pains. i'll admit that Nicole does push my buttons in her antagonism towards white people - but i try to give her the benefit of the doubt since it is difficult to handle race issues, and i look at her role on the show as the realtime perspective of the gen x/older millenial black community. Christina has a strong leadership personality, but she's very authenthic, articulate and informed, even though i don't always agree with her perspective. overall the show is still my favorite podcast, and i hope it will have a bright future.

Outward is the whitest Slate podcast, too bad. I was very excited when outward started, but could not get through the first episode. Some diversity pease😻

I am shocked by the racism in these comments about Nicole. I enjoy the perspectives of the hosts and the diversity of view points. I know some balk at the “wokeness” of the new lineup but I say - Amen. I don’t always agree with the opinions expressed by the panel but isn’t that the point, to be challenged and hear different perspectives? Unsubscribe racists.

For years I’ve lovingly hate-listened to XX, and then the Waves. Seriously, three white women discussing feminism and “playing devil’s advocate” made me so angry—especially Hanna (so much like her husband, who is truly the most annoying devil’s advocate in podcastland) and Noreen, whose relative youth did little to diversify the previous panel because she’s like a boomer trapped in a millennial’s body. I appreciate that there is now a younger queer voice in Christina and I looooove listening to Marsha’s takes on anything. She is so smart and offers challenging perspectives that I wouldn’t have considered. Nichole doesn’t strike me as having the sharpest or most clearly explained takes, and I have the hardest time listening to her. These women are, on the whole, far more unapologetic and intersectional in their feminism than the last hosts, and honestly I read all of the complaints about wokeness as people who feel uncomfy with necessary progress. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better and more relevant.

I'm a guy, 69 years old and a longtime subscriber of this podcast and its predecessor, XX. I give the podcast a a whole 5 stars, but this particular episode was awful. I don't need to know, I don't want to know, your bathroom habits. Please, no more such episodes in the future.

I really tried to give the new host group a go. This show used to be such intelligent conversation where the Hanna Noreen and June were open to actually discussing topics and possibly having their views changed in the process. Now the show is just the hosts scolding everyone and hating on everything. I think Marsha is very smart and I appreciate her views, but Nicole and Christina just bring the whole thing down. It’s a drag to listen to them, not enjoyable at all. It’s a real shame.

What purpose does Nichole Perkins serve? She is unintelligent and she adds little of value to any conversation.

I like to listen to this podcast. I recommend it

I was the biggest Double X fan. It took my rural, conservative views and challenged my thinking. They made sure to have a mix of serious political and lighter topics, and even included different points of view! I listened to every single episode. It really influenced how I grew into my feminism. The hosts provided facts and different viewpoints, and really gave you a chance to think about the topic and come to your own conclusions. The new show, not so much. It’s an echo chamber of wokeness. If you disagree, not only are you wrong, but you’re a terrible human being. If you’re hyper progressive and love hearing your own ideas echoed back to you, then you’ll probably enjoy this podcast. If you’re not, don’t bother. It’s breaking my heart to unsubscribe, but it’s not even close to being the show it used to be with the old hosts.

I was originally so excited about the new diverse additions to the Waves but instead of adding more to the conversation these new hosts are so boring and predictable they have nothing new to offer. Their subjects and opinions are so boring and predictable it’s like a parody of itself. Such a shame.

This show is excellent! I like all the hosts and I’m glad they added Nichole Perkins. This show is definitely not just for women, I think they thoughtfully interrogate a lot of interesting societal issues and have pointed me towards some great articles. They really strike the right balance between informative and entertaining. I’m a landscaper and I spent a solid ten hours of work knocking through the back episodes, it made the time fly!

Alright, I didn’t want to join the rancorous few, who now hate this podcast. And, droll-on, seemingly interminable, about how frustratingly hard this show is to listen, and the decidedly unlikeable way(s), that the hosts present themselves and the topics. Uggh. The last thing this group needs to delve into is a discussion of Black American-ness. Don’t. Just don’t. Predictably, they did a terrible job. Just stick to talking about white women....privilege... and paying people to get your kids into elite preschools. Just stop. Stop.

Add me to the list of people who unsubscribed after the old hosts left. Competitive wokeness is tedious.

I’ve listened to this podcast for years, but almost gave up on it when I could no longer handle 3 white women talking about the articles in the NYTimes style section (particularly after the Trump election). I love the new hosts, and hearing more diverse perspectives.

I miss the old hosts. The new ones are a rotating crop of millenials parroting each other. So long.

I miss the Hanna, Noreen, and June discussions.

And the topics they covered.

I’ve enjoyed some of the changes. But there’s one host I can’t listen to any longer. Unsubscribing Outward as well.