Ghoul on Ghoul: The Fetishization of Women Loving Women Relationships in Film | Minisode w/ Maegan

Happy pride again, and welcome back to another minisode of Clever Ghouls. Join Maegan as she talks about the constant and problematic fetishization of women loving women relationships, some brief history of the fetishization of queer women, the impact this has on our film industry, and specifically some of the representation of these relationships within the horror genre. 

Note: Maegan uses the term Saphhic a lot in this episode for those that may not be aware of this term. Sapphic is an umbrella term that includes lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual cis women, trans femmes, and nonbinary people. The term sapphic derives from the Greek goddess Sappho, who notoriously resided on the Isle of Lesbos. Sappho was an incredibly popular poet whose work explored desire and love, specifically the kind that unfolds between two women. As a result, the women of Lesbos were said to prefer each other; hence, the origin of the term lesbian. After a few scrolls of Sappho’s poems were discovered in the late 1800s, “sapphic” became an adjective to describe women whose emotional and sexual preferences were other women. It wasn't until the 1950s, however, that “sapphic” became a popular term to describe women who loved women in the U.S

While many lesbians claim sapphic identity, it’s important to note that there is a distinction between being a lesbian and being sapphic. While lesbians can be sapphics, not all sapphics are lesbians. Sapphics can be bisexual, pansexual, and omnisexual.

The Clever Ghouls podcast, hosted by Maegan and Blair, is a show dedicated to watching, analyzing, and discussing the movies that make us think about them long after we’ve left the theater or turned off the TV. We bring quick wit and unique perspectives from backgrounds like art history, cinematography, psychology, analysis, public education, mysticism, mythos, and more to create a curated, inclusive conversation around the spooky movies we love. Tune in on your favorite podcast hosting platform to listen along, join the conversation, and chime in with your own observations!

Our intro and outro music was created for us by Josh Marshall. For more episodes and other spooky content, find us on your favorite social media platform through our handle: @CleverGhouls. Don’t forget to subscribe and share, and if you really like our content, please leave us a review. Or we’ll haunt you forever. Thanks for listening!