Ep. 119: Breaking News—Woman Asks Question, Man Requests Facial Expression
Release Date: 02/25/2026
Ep. 119: Breaking News—Woman Asks Question, Man Requests Facial Expression
Toxic
After Donald Trump publicly berated Kaitlan Collins of CNN for pressing him about the Jeffrey Epstein files, he used a cheap power move familiar to women worldwide. "Why aren't you smiling?" Because apparently women exist to decorate the room — and keep powerful men comfortable. It's also a great way to deflect questions you don't want to answer. In this episode, we unpack the long history of telling women to “smile" — and why it's one of the most annoying things men can say next to....oh, about anything. We examine how policing women’s expressions becomes a way to reassert dominance,...
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Ep. 118: Dead Women Can’t Appeal — Lizzie Weinstein, Family Court and a Death Still in Question
Toxic
We're starting this episode with Jenna's take from the frontlines in Minneapolis, where she lives, and the horrors she's seen there firsthand in the wake of ICE's terror campaign. Spoiler: It's all bad. But you can do something, no matter where you are. Visit to donate to families impacted and to the tireless volunteers standing guard in the negative temps 24/7. Next, because we can't let ICE distract us from the fact that women are in peril every day, and most often by their own partners in their own homes, we're telling the story of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Weinstein. Lizzie was a...
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Ep. 117: Hallmark, But Make It Cats
Toxic
It's one of our favorite episodes of the year where we recap a bad (or is it actually a genius?) holiday movie. This year's pick: Christmas at the Catnip Cafe. Olivia, a marketing exec (OF COURSE SHE IS) is left half a cat cafe in her aunt's will and who owns the other half? A hot vet who loves cats, obviously. Olivia hates cats! And has no time for romance or small towns! But does love to make vegetable tians! Oh my god, WHAT will happen?! Have a very festive, safe holiday y'all. And men, ask how you can help, FFS.
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Ep. 116: How the Manosphere Turns ‘Poor Me’ Into ‘Hurt Her’
Toxic
We're back! Thanks for your patience. We had life stuff. This week, Jenna and Amanda are strapping on their metaphorical hazmat suits and wading into the darkest corners of the internet: the manosphere. What starts as “dating tips” or “how to be more confident” quickly turns into a pipeline of misogyny, conspiracy thinking victimhood narratives (“men have it the worst!”), and in too many cases, encouragement of real-world violence against women. We're breaking down how this ecosystem has gone fully mainstream, how influencers sell young men a fantasy of power and...
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Ep. 115: Abuser Murders Girlfriend After Judge Lets Him Out While Awaiting Trial For Strangling Her
Toxic
Sigh. Here we go again. In a case of this-can't-possibly-be-true-oh-my-god-why-is-the-system-so-broken-this-is-why-women-keep-dying, a Tucson, Ariz., judge set free Michael Martinez Duran from a Pima County jail while he was awaiting trial for charges of domestic violence, including strangulation, which we KNOW is one of the deadliest red flags of a future homicide. Due in court Sept. 19, Michael never made it. Instead, he did something most of us could 100 percent predict any abuser who had already been escalting his abuse was going to do when losing power and control—he murdered his...
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Ep. 114: Hey, Things Haven't Gotten Better. In Fact, They May Have Gotten Worse! Don't Worry, We're Here
Toxic
This week’s installment of "Crappy News You Can’t Believe Is Real" kicks off with Republicans in the Senate deciding, “Nah, the American people don’t need to know about the Epstein files,” as they quietly murdered an amendment that would’ve forced the public release. The literal worst FBI director of all time, Kash Patel, said there was "no credible evidence" Epstein trafficked minors, because the dozens of survivors who have come forward over the years to say they have been trafficked don't count because we still don't believe women. Trump then minimized domestic violence as...
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Ep. 113: Spoiler Alert—Women Don't Roofie Themselves. Men's Audacity Has No Bounds But Joy Hoover Is Here to Help Us
Toxic
One in four women will be the victim of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime and of those rapes, at least 25 percent of the perpetrators will use drugs to assist their sexual assault. Commonly known as roofies, this collection of drugs can take effect in as little as 10 to 15 minutes, not giving us ladies very much time to Nancy Drew the reason why the room is spinning that stranger is now ushering us out to an Uber we don't remember ordering. Enter Joy Hoover, creator of Cosmetics (prounced S.O.S., for obvious reasons). Her ingenious Bluetooth-connected lipgloss is not only an...
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Ep. 112: Rich, White & Wrong: Ghislaine Maxwell Girlbossed In the Wrong Direction
Toxic
Today we're unraveling the complex story of Ghislaine Maxwell — socialite, heiress, convicted sex trafficker and now prison camp roomies with someone from Real Housewives who tried to swindle elderly people out of their money. Totally the same. Without excusing anything Maxwell chose to do (because crime is a choice), it's important that we try to understand why women in particular are drawn into the recruiter roles in the dark underworld of sex trafficking. From power dynamics to psychological conditioning to daddy issues, in order to actually prevent and end human trafficking...
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Ep. 111: Tale As Old As Time—Survivor Accuses Politician of Sexually Assaulting Her at 18, Everyone Says "Shhhhhhh"
Toxic
How many times have we heard this tale? A woman accuses a man in power of assaulting or abusing her. She is immediately put on trial, accused of "ruining a good man's reputation." His assault is swept under the rug and the survivor is called a man-hating feminist (which is not inaccurate and for good reason). Chanel Miller. Amber Heard. Blake Lively E. Jean Carroll. Christine Blasey Ford. And today, Anne Hauben. She bravely reached out to Toxic to let us know she was ready to talk about what happened to her at 18. She's now in her 50s. Before everyone says, "BuT WhY nOw?!" be aware...
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Ep. 110: Dogs Are Now Hunting Murder Suspect Travis Decker While Trump’s Circus of Distraction Continues
Toxic
Washington state police are still looking for 32-year-old Travis Decker, suspected of killing his three young daughters last Monday, June 2, near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington. It's just another heartbreaking example of a judge not listening to a woman when she says a man is dangerous. How many examples will it take? Meanwhile, admist his breakup with Elon, Trump is soothing himself with an ego parade on Saturday in D.C. the cost of which could literally eradicate homelessness, while weaponizing the National Guard in Los Angeles and allowing ICE to hunt down brown...
info_outlineAfter Donald Trump publicly berated Kaitlan Collins of CNN for pressing him about the Jeffrey Epstein files, he used a cheap power move familiar to women worldwide.
"Why aren't you smiling?"
Because apparently women exist to decorate the room — and keep powerful men comfortable.
It's also a great way to deflect questions you don't want to answer.
In this episode, we unpack the long history of telling women to “smile" — and why it's one of the most annoying things men can say next to....oh, about anything. We examine how policing women’s expressions becomes a way to reassert dominance, derail accountability and minimize a woman's place in a professional seetting.
Because when a woman is told to smile, it’s rarely about happiness.
It’s about control.
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If you’re experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider connecting with a trained advocate near you. You can find one through DomesticShelters.org.
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