Episode # 101

The Power of Women’s Rage with Soraya Chemaly

If the fuming, seething feeling we sat with for weeks after the Capitol was stormed is any indication, feeling anger stinks and is bad for our bodies. But we as women have not been taught how to handle this feeling; in fact, we’re often taught to shove anger down and away, while going on with our day, taking care of others.

This is why we’re thrilled to be having a conversation with Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her, to talk about how women have been conditioned by our society, what our biology actually indicates, and what on earth to do when we feel the steam coming out of our ears, so we can make positive change around us.

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“From a very early age, we learn to associate anger with masculinity: masculine power, masculine leadership, masculine identity, and we learn to disassociate the emotion from being female or feminine. That’s dangerous, because anger is a signal emotion that all human beings have that warns us of impending threat. Threats against our dignity, our safety, our well-being.”
Soraya Chemaly

What to listen for:

Statistics on the hormonal shifts our bodies exhibit when we experience anger
The relationship between “I’m so tired” and “I’m so angry”
Society’s devaluation of the important work of caring, and how women bear the brunt of that
How anger is perceived differently depending on how you look - gender, and race
Top tips on how to get better at processing and expressing anger, to make change

About Soraya Chemaly: Soraya Chemaly is currently the Executive Director of The Representation Project. An award-winning author and activist, she writes and speaks frequently on topics related to gender norms, inclusivity, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, and technology. The former director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and political participation.

Soraya is also the author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, which was recognized as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Autostraddle, and NPR and has been translated into several languages. She is a contributor to multiple anthologies, most recently Free Speech in the Digital Age and Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change The World. Her work as a writer, activist, and organizer is featured widely in media, books, and academic research.

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