Before there was the “Call Her Daddy” podcast there was the women of “Sex and the City” brunching over Samantha’s latest sexcapades and Carrie’s romantic shortcomings. The “Call Her Daddy” podcast is a lot like that.
Alexandra Cooper started the “Call Her Daddy” podcast with then co-host Sofia Franklyn back in 2018. The podcast was a platform for the two friends to share juicy stories about sex, relationships and men from the perspective of young women living in New York post-university.
The raunchy stories and hilariously blunt advice made “Call Her Daddy” popular, so popular that the podcast shot from 12,000 to 2 million downloads in its first two months. Its popularity, however, goes beyond visual storytelling.
The following three reasons are major contributors as to why the podcast became so popular:
Alex Cooper’s Authenticity
From a young age, Cooper was encouraged to express her feelings. It could be the reason she feels comfortable being honest about things like dating emotionally unavailable men and discussing mental health. Part of what makes this podcast so popular is Cooper’s authenticity. It feels personal, like you’re talking to one of your girlfriends. “At the beginning of Call Her Daddy I always looked at it and felt there were definitely some episodes being recorded [where] it was so calculated to have a specific segment about sex. It started to feel inauthentic,” she told BBC News. Cooper recognizes that the show doesn’t do well when she is not being authentic.
Safe Space for Women
Cooper, also known as ‘Father Cooper’ by her loyal fanbase, created a safe space for women to talk shop about things they would normally talk about with their closest friends. She once dubbed it as “female locker room talk.” Sometimes, women want perspective on their relationship or advice on how to spice things up in the bedroom. Other times you need validation that there’s others out there who are going through the same thing. When you’ve exhausted your girlfriend’s advice, you need the opinion of an outsider. That’s where Alex comes in. It’s what makes the podcast popular. Women seek answers to their questions and Cooper can provide honest advice through a comedic approach. The podcast facilitates connection, not just to Alex, but to other listeners as well.
Not Just a Sex Podcast
It’s easy to look at the title “Call Her Daddy” and immediately think “that’s a podcast about sex,” however, it’s not just sex. Since its inception, the podcast was accused of perpetuating internalized misogyny due to the way Alex and ex-host Sofia viewed and discussed sex and heterosexual relationships. The podcast has since matured. Mental health has become a significant topic on the show. Alex discusses therapy and offers advice on resources. Sprinkled in between celebrity guests, Alex invites psychologists to break down struggles with mental health which seems to appeal to her audience. Her popularity boils down to the fact that she is able to openly discuss topics that are socially taboo. Though her fanbase is largely made up of women, she successfully provides a platform for both women and men to have these open conversations free of judgment.
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