The Aerial Feminist

Hermione Danger Recommends is a new series where I recommend a piece of media – TV show, book, podcast, etc – that centers on sex, feminism, and/or social justice issues.

When I started planning this blog series, I began making a list of media I wanted to discuss. Soon, I had enough material for a year’s worth of monthly posts, and the ideas kept on coming. However, it was never a question which one would be my first-ever recommendation; it was always going to be The Dildorks.

(Amazing logo by the incredibly talented Amy aka @starboots_)

If you know me well at all, you know that I listen to a lot of podcasts. Sports podcasts, TV recap podcasts, Harry Potter podcasts…my subscription list is long and varied. My day job both allows and necessitates that I listen to my headphones all day, so podcasts have become an essential part of my life. Enter The Dildorks, a weekly podcast that bills itself as “dorky discourse on sex, dating, and masturbating.”

The show is the work of Kate and Bex, two sex bloggers and all-around delightful humans who are also best friends. Their vast knowledge of the topics at hand combined with their great on-air chemistry make for fascinating and entertaining discussions.  When I first discovered the show, they had released nearly 40 episodes – and I listened to all of them within a week. The hours at work flew by as I listened to these two self-proclaimed sex nerds talk about blowjobs, gender feels, kink, sexting, and more. (Oh, and their theme song? It is catchy as hell and will almost certainly get stuck in your head.)

In fact, this podcast was partially responsible for my decision to jump back into the world of sex blogging. After I closed down my old site, I fell out of it for a time; I stopped reading review blogs, didn’t interact much with that side of Twitter. But I began to miss it, and after I found The Dildorks, those feelings intensified. I was already previously aware of both Bex and Kate, having read their work and seen them around Twitter before, but the podcast rejuvenated my own sex nerd spirit in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I began seriously contemplating attending the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, and about a month later, I purchased my tickets, opened this site, and fully rebranded as Hermione Danger.

And speaking of Woodhull, The Dildorks did a live show at the convention, which I was fortunate enough to be able to attend! It was such a fun experience, and you can listen to it here. I am one of the many giggling audience members in the background.

I would love to be able to tell you what my favorite episode of the podcast is, but honestly they’re all gold and it’s too hard to choose, so I’m just going to highlight a few.

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Interview Episodes

Episode 32: Toymaker, Toymaker, Make Me a Toy, where Kate and Bex sit down with Kenton of Funkit Toys and talk about making silicone and other bits of fucksmithery.

Episode 60: Blushing and Gushing, a conversation with Princess Kali about erotic humiliation. I’ve been a fan of Kali’s for quite some time via Twitter, and Kink Academy, the site she founded, is such an incredible resource for kink education, so I was thrilled to listen to her talk with The Dildorks.

Salty Episodes

Episode 18: Orgasms ‘n’ Outrage, because two sex bloggers have lots of opinions about sex toys and shitty sex toy marketing!

Episode 59: Fifty Shades of Garbage, in which our brave hosts do a live Halloween commentary of the truly terrifying Fifty Shades of Grey film. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cringe at the horrible portrayals of BDSM!

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The episodes listed above comprise only a small sample of the fantastic content that this podcast delivers. The release of a new episode of The Dildorks is truly one of my favorite things about Wednesdays (Hump Day, amirite? *wiggles eyebrows*), and if you’re not already listening, I highly suggest that you give this show a try. Episodes are available to stream via their site, but if you want to listen on the go, the show is searchable in iTunes and other podcast apps.

And thus concludes the inaugural post in Hermione Danger Recommends! Tune in next time for a new recommendation in sex-positive, feminist media.