Q&A: Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson on Sexuality, Sexism and Slut-Shaming

Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson are a New York City-based comedy duo, jointly known as “Sorry About Last Night“. Since 2013 the pair has hosted the podcast “Guys We F@#cked“, which currently boasts over half of a million subscribers on SoundCloud. GWF challenges the notion of female sexuality as Fisher and Hutchinson candidly and unapologetically discussing their sex lives for hundreds of thousands to hear. Beyond that, the weekly podcast is a platform for the duo to discuss important issues relating to gender inequality.

Ms. recently spoke with Fisher and KHutchinson about their personal journeys to becoming the inclusive, sex-positive feminists they are today.

Have you each always been so fiercely sex positive?

CORINNE: For as long back as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in sex and not ashamed of feeling pleasure or showing off my body. As a little girl, I would constantly disrobe and run around the living room when my parents had company over… I didn’t know that what I was doing was positive per se, I was just doing what I wanted to do, (that’s how I’ve always lived). I love my body and I want it to be out in the world because it helps me express myself. It’s not for attention or praise, it’s just for me. I’ve also never felt guilty about sexual acts. I’m happy with how my first time went at age 18 and all the sex I’ve had since, whether or not it was “good”. To feel bad about sex, you have to allow someone or something else make you feel bad and that’s just not a power that I give it.

KRYSTYNA: Yes, but I was nowhere near as vocal about it. Like most people, my opinions have grown as I’ve gotten older. The backbone I had when I was sixteen was very brittle compared to the one I have now. Talking to people from different walks of life and educating myself on the issues that hold women back in our society have built up my self-awareness and ignited a spark in me to seek out solutions to these problems.

 Why do you think women are held to a higher “purity” standard than men, still in 2016?

CORINNE: I’m in the middle of doing some actual historical research on this, but it probably stems back to the fact that women, at different periods in time, have been treated as property rather than people. When you think about it like that, it makes perfect sense. The point we really need to get across is that women are not property, we are not a porcelain figurine you place on your mantle to impress company. We’re actual human beings with thoughts, feelings, and, gasp, SEXUAL DESIRES. Sexual desires somehow make women “slutty” while they make men “men”. In reality, sexual desires make humans humans.

KRYSTYNA: I think the idea of women being “pure” has such deep, historic roots, which is why we still experience slut shaming in even the most open-minded places. New York City is a liberal bubble and I’m constantly surprised when I learn how many people still carry around the idea that a woman’s “value” goes down the more people she sleeps with. For example, fathers giving their daughters purity rings is a tradition that still happens today. That blows my fucking mind. Why would a father want to control his daughter’s sexuality in any way? That’s creepy and gross and certainly not a mentally healthy start for a young woman coming into her sexuality.

“Guys We F@#ked” is referred to as the “anti-slut-shaming podcast”. Do you believe in reclaiming the term “slut” to devoid it of its negative connotation?

CORINNE: Yes. I use slut all the time. But then again, I’m not big into censorship or telling people what they can and cannot say. I certainly believe that some words require more responsibility when being used than others. Slut is one of those words. But, the best way to take charge of a word is to not allow it to hurt you. Someone calls me a slut? Ok, cool. I don’t think being a slut is a bad thing. That word doesn’t have negative power over me. Try something else. I’ll be on Twitter waiting.

KRYSTYNA: When we first started the podcast, we replaced the word “slut” with “sexually explorative” which I think is a much better fit. Corinne and I still use the word slut from time to time but when I say it, it’s always in a joking sense. You can tell when someone calls you a slut and there’s viciousness behind it. Our theory on that is, if you’re calling someone a slut with a nasty connotation, it’s either because you’re jealous of that person OR you want to have sex with that person and can’t for any reason.

Your podcast has surely helped many people embrace sex positive feminism. Has hosting the podcast helped you become better feminists?

CORINNE: I don’t know that it’s helped me become a “better” feminist, but definitely a more active one. And that’s just as important, if not more so. We can sit around all day talking about what it means to be a woman and feminist values, but if we’re all not out actively fighting for things like reproductive rights, more concrete rape laws, and general equality, we’re all fucked.

KRYSTYNA: Talking about sex for at least an hour a week for the past two years has helped me articulate my views on feminism and sexuality. I never referred to myself as a feminist. Once we started the podcast, the listeners put that label on us and as time goes on, I’m learning what feminism truly means. The idea of burning a bra, growing my armpit hair out, or hating on men will never be appealing to me, but that is not feminism. Feminism is the idea that men and women should be treated equally and with respect. Unless you’re just a huge piece of shit, but that has nothing to do with gender.

 

About

Katy is an intern with Ms. Magazine, and a PR and Sociology senior at a private liberal arts university in Kentucky. She is the social media coordinator for the web series, Life Noggin, and the founding member of her campus' College Democrats chapter. When Katy isn't busy, you can find her crying over how much she loves dogs.