Ratings3
Average rating3.3
"Since women earned the right to vote a little under one hundred years ago, our progress hasn't been the Olympic sprint toward gender equality first wave feminists hoped for, but more of a slow, elderly mall walk (with frequent stops to Cinnabon) over the four hundred million hurdles we still face. Some of these obstacles are obvious-unequal pay, under-representation in government, reproductive restrictions, lack of floor-length mirrors in hotel rooms. But a lot of them are harder to identify. They're the white noise of oppression that we've accepted as lady business as usual, and the patriarchy wants to keep it that way. Erin Gibson has a singular goal-to create a utopian future where women are recognized as humans. In FEMINASTY-titled after her nickname on the hit podcast "Throwing Shade"-she has written a collection of make-you-laugh-until-you-cry essays that expose the hidden rules that make life as a woman unnecessarily hard and deconstructs them in a way that's bold, provocative and hilarious. Whether it's shaming women for having their periods, allowing them into STEM fields but never treating them like they truly belong, or dictating strict rules for how they should dress in every situation, Erin breaks down the organized chaos of old fashioned sexism, intentional and otherwise, that systemically keeps women down."--Provided by publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
Comedic collection of essays about feminism? Yeah, I'm in. I was actually unaware of Erin Gibson prior to this book; she's apparently pretty popular as one of the personalities on a podcast named Throwing Shade. But she's got a way with words, and a sharp undercurrent of anger under the jokes, which happens to be just the way I like my political comedy.
That said, there wasn't really anything new in this book. It's the same ranting I've seen millions of times on Facebook and Twitter and online editorials. I really enjoyed her summary of the annual ob/gyn visit. I just didn't find it all that original.
She's got some amazing chapter titles - “THE TERRIFYING PROSPECT OF MIKE ‘VAGINAS ARE THE DEVIL'S MOUTH FLAPS' PENCE” for example, or “EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE . . . UNLESS YOU'RE A WOMAN AND IT'S BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU.” She sums up a lot of topics that fledgling feminists might not know many details about, from abortion rights to sexist dress codes to teen abstinence pledges. But for the well-read, politically informed feminist that I try to be, I didn't get much out of this book.
So - funny, yes. Sharp, angry wit, yes. Worth taking up space on my list when I have SO MANY other things to read? Not really.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.