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“This is my telling of what happened when I met Betty Dodson – feminist icon/sexual revolutionary – who taught me everything she’d learned before I saw her off the planet. We traveled, indulged, taught women how to connect to pleasure, documented feminist history, and landed on Goop right before her death. Betty Dodson was a legend and this is our story.”
– Carlin Ross
Episode 1: Meeting Betty Dodson
In 2007, I created a podcast series and set out to interview second wave feminists. I googled “feminist” and “NYC” and Betty Dodson’s name popped up on the screen. She was living 20 minutes from my apartment. I showed up 3 days early and the rest is history.
S1 E1: Meeting Betty Dodson
Episode 2: My First Bodysex Workshop
I had no idea what a “Bodysex” workshop was when Betty invited me to assist her lead a group in Copenhagen. All she told me was to bring a raspberry robe.
S1 E2: My First Bodysex Workshop
Episode 3: Launching Our YouTube Channel
We did a video every Friday for over 10 years – they’ll all still up on YouTube. I simply got Betty on camera answering questions users had submitted. I still get thank you emails from women who grew up watching our videos – honest information about their sexuality changed their lives.
S1 E3: Launching Our YouTube Channel
Episode 4: The Story of Trekant
Betty asked me to travel with her to Norway to shoot an episode for their top-rated series. I had no idea that I would end up on camera. For the record, I never shared a nude pic or made a sex tape until Betty Dodson.
S1 E4: The Story of Trekant
Episode 5: Filming the Bodysex Documentary
I talked Betty into filming a workshop in HD for the ages. We put out a casting call. Women we never met showed up. We shot with an all female crew. It was extraordinary. Whenever we screen this film, I take something new from it and no one wants it to end
S1 E5: Filming the Bodysex Documentary
Episode 6: Carlin – My Story
My life kept leading me back to sexuality, right to Betty Dodson’s door. I thought I’d share a bit more about my back story, my struggles and why Betty Dodson meant everything to me.
S1 E6: Carlin - My Story
Episode 7: Betty’s Closet Holds All
When she wasn’t looking, I would snoop through Betty’s closets and find treasure. I pieced together her feminist history and documented her contributions by finding original prints of Liberating Masturbation and her unpublished memoir.
S1 E7: Betty's Closet Holds All
Episode 8: 1973 NOW Sexuality Conference
In 1973 – the year I was born – Betty debuted her infamous vulva slideshow and reintroduced the vibrator as a pleasure device at NOW’s one and only sexuality conference. I couldn’t believe it when I opened a file and found original photos from the conference that showed Betty selling vibes to the women.
S1 E8: 1973 NOW Sexuality Conference
Episode 9: Going Home to Kansas
I was Betty’s date for her 66th high school reunion in Wichita, Kansas. We reminisced about hand-job Bob and I learned why Betty would never let herself fall in love.
S1 E8: Going Home to Kansas
Episode 10: Our Abortions
When I found myself pregnant at the end of a relationship, I had an abortion by the pill at Betty’s apartment. It blew her mind and reassured her that feminism had succeeded. There is no shame in reproductive choice.
S1 E10: Our Abortions
Episode 11: Snubbed by Makers. Celebrated on Broad City
When Betty was contacted by Makers – a feminist PBS doc series – about being interviewed she was elated. True to form, her interview was scrapped, they used a 10 second clip to get a laugh in the trailer, and snubbed us at the opening. Weeks later Ilana emailed and Betty became a character on Broad City’s Witches episode.
S1 E11: Snubbed by Makers. Celebrated on Broad City
Episode 12: The Love Picture Exhibition
Betty started her career as a fine artist. After her successful “Love Picture” Exhibition, she was inspired to draw masturbating nudes. Her second exhibition was a flop but she realized the bottom line of sexual repression was the repression of masturbation.