There are many things that send a shiver down my spine when it comes to dating. But a man uttering the words, 'I have a podcast' are up there for me.
On last night's Married At First Sight UK we were introduced to Kwame and Kasia.These two strangers walked down the aisle and met for the first time at the altar. At first glance they were both a bit hesitant about each other but I believe they are both willing to try and make it work.
However a glaring red flag popped up as soon Kwame spoke about what he does. He introduced himself as a Business Consultant and ... a podcast host. As soon as he mentioned he was a podcaster, women took to social media to say that this was an immediate red flag and Kasia should run for the hills. Why have the women of the internet reacted so strongly? It's simple really.
Now, there are many different types of podcasts, and I think how you feel about them all depends on the type of podcast your partner makes. Educational ones, or those that link to a hobby, are all passable in my book. But the men who enjoy talking about relationships, being the alpha male and policing what makes a 'real woman' are the ones to be afraid of. These types of podcasts give many women the instant 'ick' and they are usually very turned off by them.
Men with these podcasts? Toxic. This was displayed almost immediately when Kwame first laid eyes on Kasia. One of his first statements about her physical appearance was that he prefers more 'petite women' – which is vile, and so degrading! She's on national TV and still finds herself being body shamed within the first few minutes - nice one Kwame!
After some digging we have found out that Kwame's podcast is called the 'College Bros Podcast'. The red flag just got redder. To put this all into perspective Kwame is 42-years-old and well past his college years ...and hopefully that mentality. After scrolling through all of their posts low and behold, the podcast is all about discussing relationship advice with his 'bros.' The trio sit together and discuss all types of topics from toxic relationships to discussing what a 'good' woman is. They also post many things about what men want and don't want from a woman. I just think men should stay out of women's business all together!
Earlier this year there was what felt like a whole revolution on TikTok about this. Women were using the #menwithpodcasts hashtag - to call out 'sexist' male podcast hosts. Rather than trying to fight their sexist logic, within the videos they simply mirrored their behaviour to show how ridiculous their statements were.
Unfortunately, anyone in the world can pick up a mic and decide to make a podcast. We've seen it taken to the extreme with Andrew Tateand, with these tools, they can put out a completely distorted narrative about women. Let the record show ... not every topic needs a podcast!