Betwixt the Sheets podcast, “episode 15: feminine power: divine to demonic”: a review

Abstract

In this scholarly review, the coauthors offer a review and discussion of the Betwixt the Sheets podcast, specifically, “Episode 15: Feminine Power: Divine to Demonic,” which is about an exhibition by the same title. The authors explore the images and themes described in the podcast episode of the exhibition as it relates to narratives about feminine power and sexuality. The coauthors conclude the review with a brief overview of some professional implications as tied to the podcast.

Keywords:

• feminism
• feminine power
• podcast
• history

Kate Lister’s (2022) podcast, Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society, features an episode with Belinda Crerar, lead curator of the British Museum’s exhibition,“FemininePower: The Divine to the Demonic.” The focus of this scholarly review is—Episode 15—in which Lister (2022) and Crerar explore the exhibition and engage in conversation about some of its contents. Their discussion is a striking examination of the rich and varied history of female power archetypes as seen throughout religious and spiritual history and the profound impact these representations have made upon the vast and enduring landscape of feminine identity.

Kate Lister is the author of two books, A curious history of sex (Lister, 2020) and Harlots, whores, and hackabouts: A history of sex for sale (Lister, 2021). Lister (n.d.) is also a popular historian and the researcher of the online research project, Whores of Yore. Lister presents her own and other’s research on the merging topics of sex positivity and historical analysis of human sexual history. Lister’s focus, in her books, research project, and in the podcast, centers upon giving voice to the silenced histories of women. Through a reexamination of women’s lived historical experience and by returning the narratives and ownership of language and words to whom they belong, Lister deftly reconstructs women’s historical relationship to power.

The exhibition expertly curated by Crerar , “Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic,” is organized into five areas—“Inquiry, Creation and Nature, Passion and Desire, Magic and Malice, Justice and Defiance, and Compassion and Salvation” (Crerar & Beard, 2022, Table of Contents). Familiar figures from the Western canon, such as Athena, Eve, Medusa, Isis, and Mary are presented, along with scores of lesser-known deities such as the Egyptian Sekhmet and the Yoruban Oya (Crerar & Beard, 2022). From Eastern religious traditions, “Feminine Power” introduces Pazuzu from ancient Iraq, the Tibetan Avalokiteshvara, otherwise known as Guanyin in China and Kannon in Japan (Crerar & Beard, 2022). Through historical and contemporary artistic representations, as well as historical documents and artifacts, the exhibition illuminates the ability of feminine power to create, inspire, and mystify, while other elements of the exhibition illustrate how women have been woefully and purposefully misunderstood within certain cultures.

The coauthors (JJ, SN, and KR) were struck by the multiplicity of feminine power at play in the pieces that Crerar and Lister (2022) discuss. We (JJ, SN, and KR) felt a sense of constriction when confronted with the two-dimensional narrative of feminine forces cast in dueling roles of darkness and light, as either venerable or venomous. One example of this duality that Crerar and Lister (2022) discuss is Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, carved by artist Tom Pico from the wood of the ‘ohi’a tree, which is native to Hawai’i (Crerar & Beard, 2022). Pele is depicted as strong and solid, with a crown of flowers upon her abundant river of hair that is “flowing down onto the ground like lava” (Lister, 2022, 7:51). Pico’s “Tiare Wahine, Flowered Woman,” represents Pele’s divinity in her power to create while also evoking fear through her power to destroy (Lister, 2022). The coauthors (JJ, SN, and KR) noted the mysticism and divinity of this figure and others throughout the exhibition framed as “good versus evil,” adhering to a patriarchal narrative of segregation and hierarchy, which is in stark opposition to the feminine embodiment of creation and expansiveness.

In the section of the exhibition titled “Magic and Malice” (Crerar & Beard, 2022, p.118), Lister (2022) and Crerar revisit one of the darkest periods of women’s history in reviewing the text on display, the Malleus maleficarum, which the hosts discuss and summarize (Institoris & Sprenger, 2007, 1486-7/2007). The witch hunts that were used to persecute women across Europe were, in part, instigated by this misogynistic text, written by a German monk, Heinrich Kramer, in the late fifteenth century (Crerar & Beard, 2022). The Malleus maleficarum translates in English to Hammer of witches and as discussed by Crerar and Lister (2022, 22:13) was believed to be written mainly by Heinrich Kramer and later added to by Jakob Sprenger (Institorus & Sprenger, 1486-7/2007). Crerar and Lister (2022) examine how Kramer was rabidly consumed with female sexuality and believed women were induced by the devil to practice dark magic due to their feeble minds, making them more vulnerable to the forces of evil. This section serves as a cruel reminder to us (JJ, SN, and KR) that the blatant misogynistic abuse of women by men in positions of power grows from deep roots. We (JJ, SN, and KR) are weary with rage that these roots continue to shape our modern history, as women in the United States (where the coauthors live) must, once again, return to battle for the right to bodily autonomy and self-sovereignty.

Lister (2022) and Crerar’s discussions of the pieces are enriched by their passion for the topic and their respective areas of study. At one point, Lister observes the statue of Aphrodite, remarking on the possible origin of the model for the sculpture as a Greek courtesan named, “Phryne,” who, thanks to her success as a courtesan, was one of the wealthiest women in ancient Greece (Lister, 2022, 12:53). Lister shares the story of how Phyrne offered to rebuild the city walls of Thebes, under the condition that a plaque be erected declaring, "Destroyed by Alexander [the Great], restored by Phryne the courtesan” (Lister, 2022, 13:06; the scandalized city officials did not accept her offer and the walls remained unrepaired). Crerar is delighted to hear this bit of historical gossip about Phryne and how she may very well have been the human model for the marble Aphrodite standing before them (Lister, 2022). It is in this moment that we have crossed the narrative divide—we are no longer solely listening to a presentation of a museum exhibition; we have entered a more intimate space where two women are uncovering history for each other and, thereby, for all of us. The authors (JJ, SN, and KR) experienced elation at the transformational element in this moment, which also serves as a reflection of Lister’s thesis, wherein a shameful casting of feminine sexuality is reframed through a sex-positive lens.

In our listening, we next arrive at a contemporary sculpture of the biblical she-demon, Lilith. Crerar explains how Lilith, as Adam’s first wife, wanted to mount Adam, rather than sexually submit to him while on her back, as an expression of her equality to him as a mutual creation by god (Lister, 2022). In the aftermath, Lilith left the Garden of Eden. Crerar juxtaposes this Lilith, who is created as a “crawling, gravity defying, dark feminine demonic energy,” with that of the aforementioned Aphrodite (Lister, 2022, 16:02). Crerar comments that the bronze statue represents Lilith’s history of “feminine defiance,” calling her the figure of, “feminine insubordination,” as the statue itself is mounted onto a wall, seemingly suspended in air (Lister, 2022, 16:30). As Crerar and Lister discuss these awe-inspiring pieces, we are treated to an illumination of the transcendent powers of the feminine, making even the demonic feel relatable and known.

In their paper, Knudson-Martin et al. (2015) explore elements for addressing “inequitable gender structures” (p.205) in heterosexual couples seeking therapy. One of the guiding principles in this work, as cited by the authors of the study, is the examination of social context as a contributory factor in creating “personal identities and relational processes” (Knudson-Martin et al., 2015, p.206). Relatedly, we (JJ, SN, and KR) offer historical narrative as a depersonalized, and therefore neutral way, to begin exploration of such sociocultural contexts informing individual gender constructs in practice. We posit that Lister’s (2022) podcast (and others in the same vein; Neustifter et al., 2015) can provide much-needed psychoeducation through a reexamination of the history of female sexuality, social standing, and power. Indeed, this episode provided an illuminating perspective on the multiple roles women have played throughout history, while examining the pernicious effects of patriarchal systems on the retelling of such roles (Lister, 2022). We (JJ, SN, and KR) further note the unique perspective of Lister’s (2022) niche historical expertise and offer that it allows access to information that is otherwise ignored by our reductive and biologically based sex education philosophy.

As we (JJ, SN, and KR) consider our own clinical work with couples, we feel galvanized to incorporate concepts of feminine power and historical narrative, such as those presented by Lister (2022) and Crerar to aid in the exploration of patriarchal beliefs within heterosexual relationships. Through examination of a historical perspective, narrated by and centered upon women, therapists can help couples explore their own conceptualizations of gender belief systems and identity, which will hopefully aid in collaboratively working with such client systems in reorienting their gender dynamic to one of a more equitable nature (Knudson-Martin et al., 2015).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Justine Jarvie

Justine Jarvie (she/they), Masters Student, Couple and Family Therapy Program, Antioch University New England, New Hampshire, USA.

Shannon Nacey

Shannon Nacey (she/her), Masters Student, Couple and Family Therapy Program, Antioch University New England, New Hampshire, USA.

Kierstin Rose

Kierstin Rose (she/her), Masters Student, Couple and Family Therapy Program, Antioch University New England, New Hampshire, USA.