Big Reputations

48. Anna Nicole Smith

In this episode, we discuss Anna Nicole Smith, from her early life to her first marriage, and from the moment she meets her second husband until her untimely death. We look at her career in modeling and film and consider what the media had to say about her and her body. Then we break down some of the names she was called and labels she was assigned to uncover the realities of her life. Finally, we look back at her untimely death and the circumstances that might have put her in that situation in the first place. 
Trigger warnings: Mentions of sexual assault and eating disorders
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
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Sources:
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me directed by Ursula Macfarlane
“Tragic Beauty: Anna Nicole Smith” 20/20
“Inside the Tragically Short Life of Anna Nicole Smith” by Natalie Finn 
“How Anna Nicole Smith Became America's Punchline,” by Sarah Marshall
“When Cameras Were Off, Anna Nicole Smith Was Still Vicki Lynn, Friends Say” by Allie Yang

47. Celine Dion

In this episode, we discuss the Queen of Power Ballads, Ms. Celine Dion. We cover some of her early life and what got her into the music industry. Then we explore some of the things the media has said about her over the years, especially in regards to the most epic of all of her power ballads, "My Heart Will Go On," written and sung for the Titanic soundtrack. Next we dig into some truths behind her life experiences and choices. We consider why people stigmatize her based on the genre she sings, and the issues they have with the fact that she expresses her emotions. We question the concerns people have with the age difference between her and her husband and the fact that she is unapologetically herself at all times. Finally we talk about where she is now, what she’s up to, her relationship with fans, and her philanthropic efforts.  
Trigger warnings: Cancer, death, miscarriage, brief mention of rape, and VERY bad French pronunciations
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
The Oral History of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’: Controversies, Doubts & ‘Belly Pains’ In the Studio By Mickey Rapkin
Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste by Carl Wilson
People Who Like Céline Dion Are People, Too By Ian Crouch
Celine Dion: My Story, My Dream by Celine Dion
The Céline Dion Snub: Ignorance, or a ‘Rolling Stone’ bid for hate clicks?

46. Aretha Franklin

In this episode we discuss the Queen of Soul, the one and only, Aretha Franklin. We talk about the influence of her family life on her career, the ups and downs of her experiences in the music industry, and how she has been perceived as a diva - both in the positive and negative sense of the word. Then we cover some of the reasons she may have made the decisions she did both in her personal life and her career. Finally, we look at her activism, awards, and influence on the world of music today. 
Trigger warnings: Domestic violence, sexual assault, teen pregnancy, alcoholism
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Research: Kimberly Kunkle
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
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Sources:
"Aretha Franklin: The Little-Known Traumas That Fueled Her Music", by Julie Miller
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin, by David Ritz
"The Counterfeit Queen of Soul," by Jeff Maysh
"How Aretha Franklin Earned, and Deserved, Her Diva Reputation," by Lisa Robinson
 

Bonus: AMA and Bloopers or ”Spitting Facts, Spilling Tea, and Making It Rain”

We're taking a little break from our regularly scheduled content this week to do a fun AMA (ask me anything) episode and dropping our bloopers from the first half of the year.
Thank you to all who sent in questions and to all of you for continuing to listen! We really do love this podcast and love that you all seem to enjoy it as well.
Special thanks to our Patreon subscribers: Naomi A, Ashley C, Kristen E, TJ, Ron P, and Rachel S! You help us keep things thing going!
 

45. The Women of the MCU

In this episode we talk about female superheroes, focusing on the women of Marvel and most specifically, the women in the MCU. We cover some of the history of women in comics and discuss the ways in which women have been depicted in the different phases of the MCU. Then we consider some of the hot takes from different media outlets regarding some of these female superheroes. Spoiler alert, they’re not all positive! After that we look into the motivations behind the stories being told about women superheroes and why that might skew perception of these characters. And finally, we wrap up by looking at both the negative and positive impact women in the MCU have had on audiences, especially women and girls. 
Includes spoilers for MCU films and shows through May 2023.
Trigger Warnings: PTSD and death
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
"We Need to Talk about Marvel's Women Problem," by Maureen Lee Lenker
Protectors of Wakanda: A History and Training Manual of the Dora Milaje by Karama Horne
Superheroes Decoded: The Hypersexualization of Women in Comics
"The MCU Keeps Doing Its Women Dirty," by Petrana Radulovic
“SuperPowering Girls: Female Representation in the Sci/fi Superhero Genre” a study put out by Women’s Media Center
“Who Watches the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Race, Sex, and the Audience for Onscreen Diversity,” by Bethany Lacina in Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, edited by Edited by Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J. Goren.

44. Waverly Jong (The Joy Luck Club)

In this episode, we discuss the literary character Waverly Jong, from the book and film The Joy Luck Club. We talk about how she was seen by her mother, and other women in the book. We dive into how audiences reacted to Waverly’s conflicts and relationships, both the good and the bad. And lastly, we ​analyze Waverly’s motivations, and dig into her relationship with her mother and how it affects her outlook on life.
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
The Joy Luck Club film, currently streaming on Amazon
“American Rules and Chinese Faces: The Games of Amy Tan’s ‘The Joy Luck Club.’” by Tara Fickle
“‘Only Two Kinds of Daughters’: Inter-Monologue Dialogicity in The Joy Luck Club,” by Stephen Souris
“A Summary and Analysis of Amy Tan’s ‘Rules of the Game’ by Oliver Tearle

43. Malala Yousefzai

In this episode, we discuss the Nobel Peace Prize winning Pakistani education activist, Malala Yousafzai. We consider how she was perceived and treated by Taliban terrorists in her own country and how she ended up in the UK. Then we look at the reasons she fought for education and how she continues to do so today. Finally, we explore where she is now with her life, controversial opinions on choices she has made, and the impact she has had on education and culture in Pakistan and beyond. 
Trigger warnings: gun violence
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
“I Know The Power A Young Girl Carries In Her Heart”: The Extraordinary Life Of Malala by Sirin Kale
"Malala Goes Hollywood: How the ‘Stranger Things’-Loving Activist Wants to Shake Up TV," by Manori Ravindran
Class Dismissed: Malala’s Story
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai 

42. Selena Quintanilla Perez

In this episode, we discuss the tejana music star, Selena Quintanilla Perez. We look at her history in the music industry, the reactions of audiences, and the reception of her music in Mexico and the United States. We then talk about her death, especially as it relates to fan reactions and how, in some ways, her death overshadowed her life in mainstream pop-culture. Finally we consider the impact Selena had both during her lifetime and after it, including her impact on the Latin music scene of the 1990s and beyond. 
Trigger warnings: brief discussion of murder, sexual assault
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
Selena's Secret by María Celeste Arrarás
Selena, Como La Flor by Joe Nick Patoski
"Reading Selena’s Father’s Memoir Is an Exercise in Empathy," by Cat Cardenas
To Selena, With Love by Chris Pérez
Selena, the 1997 film
Selena, the 2020 tv series

41. Mary Wollstonecraft

In this episode we discuss Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the western world's first women’s rights activists. We talk about how the world reacted to her, her writings, and Enlightenment era ideas. Then we discuss the culture of the 1700’s and how Wollstonecraft's ideas impacted her daily life in this society. Lastly we reflect on how her words influenced others throughout time.
Trigger warnings: brief mentions of attempted suicide and suicide
 
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
 
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
 
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Kimberly Kunkle and Rebecca L. Salois
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, by Mary Wollstonecraft
“The Radical Ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft,” by Susan Ferguson
Eight Women Philosophers: Theory, Politics, and Feminism, by Jane Duran
“Defending the Character and Conduct of Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1803” by the Australian Women’s History Network
Trainwreck by Sady Doyle

Bonus: Keanu Reeves

In this episode of Big Reputations, we discuss the well-known actor, Keanu Reeves. We share some of the things that the media has said about him over the years, then we discuss how awesome he really is. Finally we update you all on where he is now and what he has done and is doing for the world.
Trigger warnings: drug overdose and accidental death
 
 
Follow the podcast:
Twitter: @BigRepPod
Instagram: @BigReputationsPod
Become a Patreon supporter: patreon.com/bigreputationspod
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/86669619
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hosts: Theo Kunkle and Shawn P. Russell
Logo Design: Samantha Marmolejo
Music: Shawn P. Russell
Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell
Editing: Rebecca L. Salois
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Happy April Fools!