Hysteria, Harm, and Healthcare: The Legacy of Dismissing Women's Pain Artwork

The Sick Gaze

Welcome to the Sick Gaze podcast, a series where we dive deep into the complexities of life with chronic illness, attempt to break down gendered barriers within healthcare, and advocate for disability justice. Drawing inspiration from Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male-gaze, The Sick Gaze challenges the existing narrative norms by offering a platform for diverse lived experiences. In a world where stories are often filtered through able-bodied perspectives, our podcast strives to bring visibility to invisible conditions. Join us as we navigate the complexities of life with chronic illness, fostering empathy, understanding, and ultimately, creating a community that embraces and validates the stories that have long remained in the shadows.

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The Sick Gaze

Hysteria, Harm, and Healthcare: The Legacy of Dismissing Women's Pain

February 06, 2025 • Molly Dickerson • Season 2 • Episode 9

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Why is women’s pain so often dismissed, downplayed, or outright ignored? In this special episode of The Sick Gaze, I’m sharing an episode I co-hosted with Emily Currey for WHAT IFF: Intersectional Feminist Futures, where we dive into the long and troubling history of how women’s pain has been misunderstood and mistreated in medicine. The special guest of today's episode is Dr. Sandra Slater, a professor of history and sexuality studies at the College of Charleston. You'll remember her from her previous episode on the podcast, S2 E2: Hard Truths about Chronic Illness, Vulnerability, and Escaping the Victim Mindset.

From the ancient concept of the “wandering womb” to modern-day medical gaslighting, we explore how gender bias, hysteria diagnoses, and systemic failures have shaped the experiences of women and people assigned female at birth seeking care. We also discuss the real-world consequences of this dismissal—delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, and the ongoing fight to be believed.

If you’ve ever had a doctor brush off your symptoms or felt like you had to prove your pain was real, this episode is for you. Let’s break down the history, challenge the narratives, and push for a future where all pain is taken seriously.

Take care of your spoons!
If you're interested in being interviewed for this podcast or want to let me know your thoughts on this episode, email me at dickersonmm@g.cofc.edu and follow @thesickgazepod on instagram!