Scan barcode
sheisnovel's review
4.0
If you grew up during the 90s as a young woman, this will strike a nerve and make you do a 180 on everything you thought to be 'true.' The premise of the book outlines how the advent of the 'girl power' took the idea of empowerment and actually made the women and girls see their sexualizing power as a good thing when ultimately it was just exploiting it still.
Some of it I have to admit wasn't relatable. I didn't care for the Spice Girls at all! I did understand what they sensibility they were appealing to today.
On the heels of nominating the first African American Supreme Court Justice, it makes you think we've come a long way, but have we?
Some of it I have to admit wasn't relatable. I didn't care for the Spice Girls at all! I did understand what they sensibility they were appealing to today.
On the heels of nominating the first African American Supreme Court Justice, it makes you think we've come a long way, but have we?
mothgirlie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
sleepybookclub's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Interesting. Made me change my perspective on a lot.
vicgolding's review
3.0
Upon first glance, highly publicised events and progressions of the 90s may fool us into thinking that gender equality and real, stable change had finally arrived. 1992 had even been named the “Year of the Woman”. However, after further inspection of the pop culture, press and scandals of the day - these three always working in concert - Yarrow reveals how the progress was superficial and misleading. This and our blissful ignorance, argues Yarrow, paved way for contemporary manifestations of misogyny. Fast-forward to the 21st century and gender disparity is still as present as ever, just packaged differently.
My main takeaway from this book is that media does not simply pass us by. We internalise what we consume and the past informs the present. We must always be on the alert, always inquisitive and keeping in mind how our present will form the future. In the epilogue, Hilary Clinton’s failure in the 2016 election is presented as the paradigm for what will happen if we don’t.
What irks me about the epilogue is Yarrow’s failure to mention that 52% of non-college-educated and 45% of college-educated white women voted for Trump, as opposed to 95 and 98% non-college- and college-educated black women respectively, which strikes me as vital information and perhaps a key missing piece of the puzzle. For this reason, despite all her commendable efforts, I suspect Yarrow views gender inequality through a lens more white than whole.
My main takeaway from this book is that media does not simply pass us by. We internalise what we consume and the past informs the present. We must always be on the alert, always inquisitive and keeping in mind how our present will form the future. In the epilogue, Hilary Clinton’s failure in the 2016 election is presented as the paradigm for what will happen if we don’t.
What irks me about the epilogue is Yarrow’s failure to mention that 52% of non-college-educated and 45% of college-educated white women voted for Trump, as opposed to 95 and 98% non-college- and college-educated black women respectively, which strikes me as vital information and perhaps a key missing piece of the puzzle. For this reason, despite all her commendable efforts, I suspect Yarrow views gender inequality through a lens more white than whole.