ep. 159: Illuminati Influencer Queens, pt. 2

What attracts women to conspiracy theories? TikTok misinformation researcher Abbie Richards debunks the tinfoil hat stereotype and explains why Pastel QAnon happened. Then, returning guest Bridget Todd demystifies the gender panic embedded in mainstream conspiracies and what the media don't cover enough about conspiracy theories.

guests:

• Abbie Richards: TikTok | Twitter | IG | The Conspiracy Chart 2021

• Bridget Todd: Twitter | IG | Podcast | Ultraviolet

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sources:

• Barkun, Michael. A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. UC Press. 2003. 

• Bloom, Mia and Moskalenko, Sophia. Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon. Stanford University Press. 2021.

• Burns, Katelyn. The rise of anti-trans “radical” feminists, explained. Vox. Sep 5, 2019.

• Cassese, E., Farhart, C., & Miller, J. Gender Differences in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs. Politics & Gender. 2020.

• Celestini, Carmen. Embryo Men — The Decades of Conspiracy, Christian Nationalism, and Fear That Led Us to The End of Roe v. Wade. Religion Dispatches. June 27, 2022.

• Cichocka, Aleksandra. To counter conspiracy theories, boost wellbeing. Nature. Nov. 10, 2020.

• Drążkiewicz, Elżbieta. Study conspiracy theories with compassion. Nature. March 29, 2022. 

• Gill-Peterson, Jules. From Gender Critical to QAnon: Anti-Trans Politics and the Laundering of Conspiracy. The New Inquiry. 

• Henderson, Alex. Inside the ‘soy boy’ conspiracy theory: It combines misogyny and the warped world of pseudoscience. Salon. Nov. 14, 2018. 

• Kempker, Erin. Big Sister: Feminism, Conservatism and Conspiracy in the Heartland. Erin Kempker. University of Illinois Press. 2018.

• Ohlheiser, Abby. How the Truth Was Murdered. MIT Technology Review. 

• Olmsted, Kathryn.Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford University Press. 2011.

• Richards, Abby. The Conspiracy Chart. 2021.

• Sessa, Maria Giovanna. Misogyny and Misinformation: An Analysis of Gendered Disinformation Tactics During the Covid-19 Pandemic. EU DisinfoLab. Dec. 04, 2020.

• Tiffany, Kaitlyn. How a Fake Baby Is Born. The Atlantic. July 13, 2020. 

• Tiffany, Kaitlyn. The Women Making Conspiracy Theories Beautiful. The Atlantic. Aug. 18, 2020.

• Uscinski J, Enders A, Klofstad C, Seelig M, Drochon H, Premaratne K, et al. Have beliefs in conspiracy theories increased over time? PLoS ONE. 2022.