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Guys We F****d

Krystyna Hutchinson & Corinne Fisher

The son of a pedophile. A famous porn star. A woman raped in the back of an ambulance.

These are the stories of Guys We F****d, the anti slut-shaming podcast created by comedians Krystyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher. What started as an idea to “John Cusack” their own sexual experiences—aka interview every man they ever slept with—has evolved into a feminist bastion. A place where sex and sexuality are talked about frankly to 620,000 weekly subscribers.

“People carry so much shame about sex,” Fisher explains. “Because kids are taught from a very young age all the things they do wrong [about sex] as opposed to the things they do right.”

It’s a culture in which women especially are told: Don’t do that; don’t say that; don’t crave that. And it’s why these New York stand ups—the self-described “female Howard Stern”—have decided to use comedy to fight sexism. Their not-so-subtle combination of humor, shock and feminist ideals explores issues rarely mentioned in the media, destigmatizing and healing listeners in the process.

Using humor to fight slut-shaming.

Corinne: You came up with the idea, right? When & how?
“I had a nervous breakdown [in 2013] after getting dumped. For about a year. But then, in the midst of my meltdown, I had an idea: a podcast where we would interview all the guys we’d ever slept with. I pitched it to Krystyna, who I was doing stand up with at the time, and that’s how the show really began.” – Fisher

Krystyna: What did you think when Corinne pitched the podcast?
“When Corinne first texted me the idea, I immediately loved it—a show where we interview all the guys we’d f****d? Amazing. But as we brainstormed and revisited all those stories from our own lives, we realized how much shame people feel about sex—especially women. If you have too much sex, you’re a whore. Too little sex? You’re a prude. That’s when the anti slut-shaming aspect came in.” – Hutchinson

So, you retell people’s stories—sometimes about rape or even suicide—in a humorous way? Do you ever worry about offending?
“Sometimes it’s easier to deliver a message with comedy. It enables people to discuss things they wouldn’t otherwise discuss. And it isn’t always us adding the humor… My favorite episodes are when we interview other comedians about something really dark that they’re able to make fun of—take control of. We think that process can be really healing… But Corinne and I would never laugh at a guest who has been through something traumatic. We take their mood and match it.” – Hutchinson

Starting the podcast

If you have too much sex, you're a whore. Too little sex? You're a prude.”

You often read listener stories on the airwaves. Do any stand out in your memory?
We got an email from a Canadian girl named Caitlin who was getting harassed by the opposing team in her all male hockey league… Their coach was even talking down to her and calling her names. She’d talked to the league; her parents had talked to the league. Nothing happened. But then we read her email on the podcast and people got really angry; both BuzzFeed and HuffPo picked it up. The head of that Alberta hockey league eventually emailed us an apology and a note that the issue was being addressed.” – Hutchinson

So, was that your initial goal? To create change?
“No. Our goal was just to have an open conversation about sex. When you set out with this idea of saving the world, quite frankly it’s obnoxious. Especially because, at the end of the day, we’re two white gals who have had pretty ok lives. But when we asked ourselves what we could bring to the table as comedians who are comfortable talking about these things, we quickly realized… that we could use comedy to remove some of the stigma around sexuality-based issues.” – Fisher

“But it is cool what we can do now that we have such a large audience. Just as an example, I was up all night last night because of an email I got from a woman about the way she was treated in prison—getting stripped naked by five [guards] in front of all the male prisoners. She said, ‘I know the f***ers who listen to you are relentless,’ and that was a really great feeling.” – Hutchinson

Your listeners

When you set out with this idea of saving the world... it's obnoxious.”
“She said, 'I know the f***ers who listen to you are relentless.'”

How are you guys feeling about the election?
“It was disappointing to see how many women voted for Donald Trump. Like, ‘What about this qualified woman over here? The one who’s negotiated all these peace treaties?’ Hillary Clinton running for president was a large scale version of [girls] being told to smile when they walk down the street. We were constantly obsessed with why she wasn’t smiling, what she was wearing, whether she seemed tired. And,
yeah. She’s a 69-year-old woman. Giver her a f***ing break. So many of the criticisms against her felt gender specific.” – Fisher

In your opinions, did anything positive come out of Clinton’s run?
“I’m glad everyone got to see a woman who has all these valid things to say being interrupted by a man who just wants to tell her that she’s ‘wrong.’ Every one of us has been there—has been condescended and talked down to… and I think experiencing that in such a public way will ultimately call more attention to the issue.” – Hutchinson

So, are you positive about the future of feminism?
“Trump aside, 2016 wasn’t a terrible year for feminism. In the comedy community specifically, there are women all around us doing wonderful, amazing things that would have seemed impossible five, ten years ago. We’re still optimistic for female kind—and that’s what we’re really trying to show with the podcast.” – Hutchinson

The 2016 Election

Hillary Clinton running for president was a large scale version of [girls] being told to smile when they walk down the street.”

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