Free Daily Podcast Summary
The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight: Daily Summaries Delivered
by iHeartPodcasts and Novel
In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. When Patt Gibbs joined American Airlines in the 1960s, she was trained to be slim, smiling, and subservient. Stewardesses like her were weighed like luggage, forced to retire at 32 years old, banned from marriage, and expected to endure sexual harassment with grace. One extra pound, one birthday too many, or one wedding ring and your wings were clipped. But when Patt walks into a union meeting on a whim, everything changes. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of the stewardesses who refused to be grounded. From secret meetings to landmark discrimination cases to high-stakes union votes, these women challenged America's biggest airlines and the sexism baked into the industry itself. A powerful sisterhood began to form across cabin aisles and crew lounges. They weren't just fighting for better contracts. They were fighting for control of their own lives.
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- 6 days ago44 min
The Girlfriends S6/E4: Wings of Change
In 1950s America, airlines refused to hire Black women as stewardesses. When Patricia Banks Edmiston is repeatedly rejected, she refuses to stay silent. By calling in civil rights leaders and taking on Capital Airlines, Patricia launches a landmark discrimination case that reshapes the skies and the industry. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/ SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS United States Mental Health 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/ NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/ Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – hotline 1-800-656-HOPE; also online chat - https://rainn.org United Kingdom Mental Health Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/ Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/ Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence Rape Crisis England & Wales – national helpline and local support centres - https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk/ The Survivors Trust – specialist sexual violence support https://thesurvivorstrust.org/ Australia Mental Health Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence 1800RESPECT – national sexual assault, domestic & family violence counselling service: 1800 737 732 - https://1800respect.org.au/ Canada Mental Health Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/ Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/ Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres (CASAC) – directory of local crisis centres. Ending Violence Association of Canada – provincial crisis lines - https://endingviolencecanada.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 1 weeks ago47 min
The Girlfriends S6/E3: The Golden Age
In the 1960s, stewardesses were forced to retire at 32, no matter their skill or experience. When Patt Gibbs and her colleagues publicly challenge the age rule, they confront a culture that values women only while they look young. The fight turns personal when a beloved mentor is quietly pushed aside. The archive you heard included the commercial “the Air Strip” from Braniff International and a 1963 television address by President John F. Kennedy on civil rights from John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/ You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS United States Mental Health 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/ NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/ United Kingdom Mental Health Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/ Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/ Australia Mental Health Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Canada Mental Health Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/ Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 2 weeks ago41 min
The Girlfriends S6/E2: Losing It
Behind the cocktails and movie stars, stewardesses’ jobs depended on staying under strict weight limits. When Patt Gibbs is suspended for gaining a few pounds, a company doctor hands her diet pills with potentially dangerous consequences. As women push their bodies to extremes, Patt begins to fight back and discovers how costly defiance can be. You heard archive from the documentary The Rise of Labor from the CIA collections of the U.S. National Archives. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/ You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS United States Mental Health 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/ NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/ Eating Disorders NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) – helpline chat, screening tool, and resources - https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ United Kingdom Mental Health Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/ Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/ Eating Disorders & Body Image BEAT Eating Disorders – helpline, online chat, and resources - https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ Australia Mental Health Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Eating Disorders & Body Image Butterfly Foundation – helpline + online chat for eating disorders: 1800 33 4673 - https://butterfly.org.au/ Canada Mental Health Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/ Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/ Eating Disorders NEDIC (National Eating Disorder Information Centre) – helpline and online chat https://nedic.ca/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 3 weeks ago43 min
The Girlfriends S6/E1: On Air
In the golden age of flying, air travel looked glamorous, but for the women working onboard, it was tightly controlled. Nell McShane Wulfhart takes us inside American Airlines’ “Charm Farm” where young stewardesses, like Patt Gibbs, were trained to be thin, obedient, and perfectly groomed. But everything changes after Patt impulsively attends a union meeting. The archive you heard was the 1967 commercial “Presenting the Losers” by Eastern Air Lines. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/ You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 17, 20263 min
Introducing The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight
In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of the stewardesses who refused to be grounded. From secret meetings to landmark discrimination cases to high-stakes union votes, these women challenged America’s biggest airlines and the sexism baked into the industry itself. A powerful sisterhood began to form across cabin aisles and crew lounges. They weren’t just fighting for better contracts. They were fighting for control of their own lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 10, 202641 min
Relisten to The Girlfriends: Spotlight: Nadya & Pussy Riot Punk the President
Re-listen to the best of The Girlfriends: Spotlight: When Nadya Tolokonnikova saw her country Russia change under President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, she knew she had to do something. She started the iconic ski-mask-wearing art protest collective Pussy Riot. On February 21st, 2012, they performed their anti-Putin protest song, Punk Prayer, in a Moscow church, launching Nadya into overnight activist fame… and a prison labour camp. The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel visit Novel.AudioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 3, 202643 min
Relisten to The Girlfriends: Spotlight: Hélène Outwits the Nazis
Re-listen to the best of The Girlfriends: Spotlight: Germany. Spring 1945. The writing is on the wall for the Nazis. And thousands of women are marching along dirt roads. If they stop walking, they’ll be shot. Their route is lined with piles of corpses. It’s a death march. Among these women are The Nine. Nine young women, all members of the French resistance, who have formed an extraordinary bond of friendship and support in the concentration camp in which they’ve been held. Their unofficial leader is 25-year-old Hélène Podliasky. And she’s about to suggest something incredible: The Nine are going to escape. Hélène’s story is told by her great niece, the writer Gwen Strauss. The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel visit novel.audioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Jul 27, 202649 min
Relisten to The Girlfriends: Spotlight: Lu Ann Escapes the Order
Re-listen to the best of The Girlfriends: Spotlight: When Lu Ann Cooper was just fifteen years old, she was told to drop out of school and marry her first cousin. She would be his fourth wife. Lu Ann grew up inside the so-called Kingston Clan, a religious sect where, Lu Ann claims, every man is expected to have many wives, and every woman is expected to have many children. All with the aim of building up the Kingdom of God. But one day, Lu Ann couldn't take it anymore. She decided she had to escape… The foundation Lu Ann runs to support other people who have fled polygamy is Hope After Polygamy. The Girlfriends: Spotlight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel visit Novel.AudioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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About The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight
In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. When Patt Gibbs joined American Airlines in the 1960s, she was trained to be slim, smiling, and subservient. Stewardesses like her were weighed like luggage, forced to retire at 32 years old, banned from marriage, and expected to endure sexual harassment with grace. One extra pound, one birthday too many, or one wedding ring and your wings were clipped. But when Patt walks into a union meeting on a whim, everything changes. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of the stewardesses who refused to be grounded. From secret meetings to landmark discrimination cases to high-stakes union votes, these women challenged America's biggest airlines and the sexism baked into the industry itself. A powerful sisterhood began to form across cabin aisles and crew lounges. They weren't just fighting for better contracts. They were fighting for control of their own lives.
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