13 | Villainy, Crimes, and Musicals

Female criminals, anti-heroes and villains in history, literature and TV.

Why are female criminals oddly fascinating? How has their depiction changed over time, and what does their depiction tell us about ourselves? What’s up with playground chants about murder? Why do we need more female anti-heroes on TV?

We discuss some famous felonious women, and some lesser known lady criminals of history - including an exploration of the continued (and possibly sexist) depictions of Lizzie Borden, the women who (mostly) inspired the musical Chicago, and others.

We also get into the literary tradition of writing female villains inside and outside of stereotypes, inspiring performances by female actors, and accomplishments of female authors. Not happy to let Walter White and Tony Soprano have all the fun, we trace the history of televised female anti-heroes and decide on whether their representation is, in the end, beneficial representation after all.

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