Podcast Review | Nylon-Suomi is this summer’s podcast nobility: a fun and civilized look at the recent history of Finnish society from a completely different perspective

Culture|Podcast review

Mightily summer audiodramas have been popular, and this year’s I want to be Nylon -a four-part podcast series has also been made for Areena to support the drama series Nylon-Finland. It deals with Finnish society in the Nylon Beat era from the mid-1990s to the turn of the millennium, which is recent or ancient history, depending on the age of the listener.

It is an excellent idea to approach society and history specifically with Nylon Beat at the fore. It’s downright grinning like the country where History programs tend to spin In Kekkosof which Jari Tervo talking to men in little coats.

Nylon-Finland shows that this is also how history can be handled: seemingly lightly but expertly, with fun and especially by bringing in the perspective of people other than the decision-makers.

Read more: Radioteatteri’s summer musical has hit ingredients again – Now the topic is Nylon Beat

Series factor Outi Kaartamo is an experienced journalist, podcast professional and a nylon beater himself. He has made the episodes the theme of things that changed during that time, especially from the point of view of girls and women.

Even then, there shouldn’t have been any kind of equality problems, but we laughed about it for nothing. Why don’t women just pick up a guitar and start a rock band, said the same men who made sure women stayed in their designated compartments in the music industry.

In the series with the help of interesting experts, let’s think about what changed in Finland then and why.

Sociologist and drummer Jaana Lähteenmaaa musician Maija Vilkkumaa and a non-fiction writer and social psychologist Katriina Järvinen are opening an era from both a personal and expert perspective. Cultural researcher Aino Tormulainen reminds that in the 1990s, women started to rise to prominent positions in politics.

Only then, I would like to add. Something else had to happen in society for Nylon Beat’s success to be possible.

Järvinen reminds us that even in the 1990s, a woman had to cover up “goofs” deemed feminine or girlish if she wanted to be taken seriously, because masculine criteria defined what was valuable.

With Nylon Beat, liking pink and glitter didn’t have to be so much ashamed and hidden anymore. Of course, also because they started to see real commercial potential.

Not enough the half-hour long episodes deal with the internationalization of Finland in the early 1990s, the music world of the era, the positioning of pop stars as sex objects and what the class status of piss was like.

Naikkaret’s career and activities go along smoothly, but do not dominate. In Kaartamo’s delivery and articulation, the ear rests and the soul is refined.

Nylon-Suomi, Yle Areena.