A Few New Perks for Paid Subscribers (Without Paywalling the History)

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how to offer a little more value to the people who choose to financially support Bitchy History without turning the newsletter into something where all the good stuff disappears behind a paywall.

I want to be very clear about something:

The main essays are staying free.

The podcast is staying free.

I started Bitchy History because I believe historical literacy should be accessible. There are already enough barriers between people and education without me adding another one.

That said, paid subscriptions genuinely make a difference. I’m a full-time student, I spend an alarming amount of time digging through archives, academic databases, books, newspapers, and government documents, and every paid subscription helps make that work possible.

So after thinking about it, I’ve decided to start experimenting with a couple of paid subscriber perks that feel less like “exclusive content” and more like bonus features.

Primary Source Tea or Artifacts from the Patriarchy

One of my favorite things in the world is finding a document that makes me put it down and stare at a wall for a few minutes.

For paid subscribers, I’ll be doing occasional installments of Primary Source Tea, where we dig into old advertisements, etiquette manuals, propaganda, magazine articles, church pamphlets, Cold War oddities, political literature, and other historical artifacts that deserve a closer look.

Basically something along these lines:

Sometimes they’ll be funny.

Sometimes they’ll be horrifying.

Most of the time they’ll be both.

They will be paid subscriber exclusives for at least 2 weeks before being released to the rest of the subscribers.

Think of it as the historical equivalent of sending your friends screenshots with the message:

“I need everyone to look at this immediately.”

Book & Media Club

This is the one I’m particularly excited about.

Each month we’ll discuss a book, television show, film, documentary, or even a specific episode through a Bitchy History lens.

This is not homework.

I’m not trying to recreate graduate school.

The goal is to have conversations about the ways media shapes how we understand history, politics, gender, culture, and society.

One month we might discuss a classic science fiction novel.

Another month we might analyze a Cold War film.

Another month we might examine a historical drama and ask whether it deserves praise, criticism, or to be launched directly into the sun.

The guiding question will usually be something along the lines of:

“What does this piece of media tell us about the world that created it?”

Or occasionally:

“Why does this accidentally explain modern American politics?”

What About Livestreams?

I’m also planning to do more livestreams and Q&As.

I had SO MUCH fun doing the livestream on May 31st.

At least for now, those won’t necessarily be restricted to paid subscribers. I enjoy being able to interact with the broader community, and I don’t want every live event locked behind a subscription.

That said, some livestreams may be used to host Book & Media Club discussions or other subscriber-focused events depending on how the format develops.

We’ll figure it out together.

Thank You

Whether you’re a paid subscriber, a free subscriber, someone who listens to the podcast, someone who shares my work, or someone who periodically appears to yell “and another thing” in the comments, thank you for being here.

Bitchy History exists because people care about gender and women’s history enough to spend their time with it, and that’s something I never take for granted.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go read a 1950s housekeeping guide that almost certainly contains a sentence capable of causing psychic damage.