Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
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Sex education is in serious need of an update. In 2022, state and local governments still have the power to determine whether sex education is comprehensive or abstinence-only, and recent data shows that only about half of students in the U.S. are receiving adequate instruction around sex and sexuality. -
Since the term “hookup culture” first became part of our collective vocabulary, we’ve been led to believe that casual sex is the standard for young people. But while it’s true that hooking up might be the norm on some campuses or in certain small communities, this idea of an overarching, large-scale hookup culture doesn’t appear to exist – at least not in the way we once thought. -
Flying. Falling. Arriving late to school and realizing you had an exam you never prepared for. All these are common elements in dreams, which make up one of the most intriguing mysteries of the brain. -
Friendship breakups can be just as painful as romantic ones, and we don’t talk about them nearly enough. -
With the help of two relationship advice columnists, Embodied responds to listener stories about ending romantic relationships. -
Makeup has a fascinating history with ties to social justice movements. Products like lipstick and eyeshadow are used in many contexts for a variety of reasons, all of which connect in some way to power. -
Diet culture is everywhere. It affects the care we get at the doctor's office and our experience in fitness spaces. And we may be misunderstanding the science used to uphold moral standards of weight and health. -
Muscular builds and strict regimens are common in the culture of bodybuilding and those in the sport navigate how bodybuilding impacts their relationships with their bodies and mental health. -
The world of lingerie is as varied and interesting as any other realm of fashion ... and can be an opportunity for playfulness and exploration as well as comfort. -
There are a lot of cultural forces that tell us to ‘go, go go’ — even when our minds and bodies are telling us to slow down. In many ways, heeding these messages can be an act of resistance.
