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1.09k reviews for:
Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies: Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them
Scarlett Curtis
3.97 AVERAGE
1.09k reviews for:
Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies: Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them
Scarlett Curtis
3.97 AVERAGE
“she has a voice. if you can’t hear it, maybe it’s because you’re too busy talking.”
this book was… ok.
i liked a few of the sections, and i thought it was a good idea, it just wasn’t, what i’d hoped for. that title really caught my attention, because i thought it would be more of a commentary on feminism within/outside the male gaze. i don’t know. i just wasn’t really expecting so many of the contributors to pose such a shaky idea of feminism. whilst obviously it’s not simple, for a book that sort of claims to be an introduction to the topic, it never really defines anything and a lot of the chapters were quite weird.
i also wasn’t a fan of the poetry break in the middle - which is a first for me lmao.
I got this book as a gift and left it on my shelf for a few years and unfortunately I think it is now a bit too basic for what I wanted. It was an enjoyable read with some interesting short essays. There were some essays that I thought were not up to the brief and were a bit irrelevant and I wish that they had put the section about the history of feminism at the start of the book instead of the end. However overall a great book a s good introduction to femurs. I also appreciated the further reading section at the back of the book.
When I unwrapped this book as my 17th birthday gift from my aunt, I felt an immediate sense of dread. The cover emanated "poppy white feminist" vibes. And while the text itself breeds that aura at times, I still think it's a great read for any young, beginner feminist.
Firstly, I am glad to admit I had this book incorrectly pegged by assuming it would be predominantly white. The book itself is a series of essays (ft. some poems) from a diverse ensemble of feminist women. There are Muslim women, young ladies, poor women, mothers, celebrities, and there is even a trans woman. It was a pleasure to hear such a range of voices talk about a range of feminist topics.
Naturally, in this series of essays, there will be a fair selection of wonderfully-crafted stories, and boring, confusing messes. Personally, the stand-out essays (and poem) to me were:
• Charlie Cragg's "A Brief History of My Womanhood" - An overview of Cragg's lifetime struggle of being a woman born in a man's body.
• Keira Knightley's "The Weaker Sex" - A raw but heartfelt depiction of labour and motherhood
• Jameela Jamil's "Tell Him" - An open letter to mothers to remind them to dismantle their son's sexist beliefs towards women AND men.
• Tapiwa H. Maoni's "African Feminist" - An account of Maoni's experiences with misogyny in Malawi, Africa
• Grace Campbell's "The -Female- Wank" - A poem that promotes the normalisation of female sexuality & masturbation
• Emtithal Mahmoud's "Sharia State (Of Mind)" - An account of Mahmoud's experiences with misogyny in Sudan.
• Nimco Ali's "Be a Fun Feminist" - Ali's experiences with female genital mutilation (FMG).
• Dolly Alderton's "Dismantling and Destroying Internalised Misogyny: To-Do List" - Exactly what the title says.
- And all the essays from the "EDUCATION" to brief readers on feminist history. Honestly, the book should have opened with this, instead.
While it appears that I've left a lengthy list of essays to reference, the whole book honestly felt more boring, and even redundant at times.
I think I just preferred listening to women's anecdotes, rather than reading motivational activist messaging.
3/5. It's alright.
Firstly, I am glad to admit I had this book incorrectly pegged by assuming it would be predominantly white. The book itself is a series of essays (ft. some poems) from a diverse ensemble of feminist women. There are Muslim women, young ladies, poor women, mothers, celebrities, and there is even a trans woman. It was a pleasure to hear such a range of voices talk about a range of feminist topics.
Naturally, in this series of essays, there will be a fair selection of wonderfully-crafted stories, and boring, confusing messes. Personally, the stand-out essays (and poem) to me were:
• Charlie Cragg's "A Brief History of My Womanhood" - An overview of Cragg's lifetime struggle of being a woman born in a man's body.
• Keira Knightley's "The Weaker Sex" - A raw but heartfelt depiction of labour and motherhood
• Jameela Jamil's "Tell Him" - An open letter to mothers to remind them to dismantle their son's sexist beliefs towards women AND men.
• Tapiwa H. Maoni's "African Feminist" - An account of Maoni's experiences with misogyny in Malawi, Africa
• Grace Campbell's "The -Female- Wank" - A poem that promotes the normalisation of female sexuality & masturbation
• Emtithal Mahmoud's "Sharia State (Of Mind)" - An account of Mahmoud's experiences with misogyny in Sudan.
• Nimco Ali's "Be a Fun Feminist" - Ali's experiences with female genital mutilation (FMG).
• Dolly Alderton's "Dismantling and Destroying Internalised Misogyny: To-Do List" - Exactly what the title says.
- And all the essays from the "EDUCATION" to brief readers on feminist history. Honestly, the book should have opened with this, instead.
While it appears that I've left a lengthy list of essays to reference, the whole book honestly felt more boring, and even redundant at times.
I think I just preferred listening to women's anecdotes, rather than reading motivational activist messaging.
3/5. It's alright.
Feminists Don’t Wear Pink
I sometimes struggle in rating and reviewing books with various contributions. Also this was different than a book of short stories, or a book of essays. It was more like reading a conversation between a large group of women.
Girls Up are the charity behind the collection – and in a nutshell it is a collection from different women on what Feminism is to them. It is set up in common theme sections. Some parts were larger than others, some were more interesting than others – I particularly liked the parts that weren’t ‘celebrities’ the women who worked in charities and institutions – I wish there had been more of that.
This isn’t a book of feminist theory or deep evaluation. This is a book like a hug, like a friend confirming with you that these things that bother you, you aren’t alone in this. It’s beautiful that a book like this is out there. I’d recommend it for all the girls and young women in your life that might be finding their feet in understanding that Feminism isn’t the scary word that we were raised to believe it was.
I sometimes struggle in rating and reviewing books with various contributions. Also this was different than a book of short stories, or a book of essays. It was more like reading a conversation between a large group of women.
Girls Up are the charity behind the collection – and in a nutshell it is a collection from different women on what Feminism is to them. It is set up in common theme sections. Some parts were larger than others, some were more interesting than others – I particularly liked the parts that weren’t ‘celebrities’ the women who worked in charities and institutions – I wish there had been more of that.
This isn’t a book of feminist theory or deep evaluation. This is a book like a hug, like a friend confirming with you that these things that bother you, you aren’t alone in this. It’s beautiful that a book like this is out there. I’d recommend it for all the girls and young women in your life that might be finding their feet in understanding that Feminism isn’t the scary word that we were raised to believe it was.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I liked some ‘essays’ - wouldn’t quite call them essays - but most were self explanatory/over simplified thoughts or ramblings. Probs would recommend to people who don’t know much about feminism.
Good collection with diverse perspectives on feminism and what it can mean to each of us.
Wahrscheinlich hätte ich mir noch genauer vorher mit dem Buch beschäftigen sollen.
ABER
Hab ich nicht :D
Nun denn, ich persönlich glaube das ich einfach zu Alt für dieses Buch bin.
Die schreibweise der Texte war dann doch eher für 14 Jährige Mädels gedacht.
Ich gebe zu, die Texte von den Frauen die mich bewogen mir das Buch zu holen (Helen Fielding und Keira Knightly) warena uch in der Tat gut, aber alle anderen die ich las bzw. in die ich rein las nervten mich nur mit ihren platten aussagen bzw. ihrer platten sprache für jüngere, so dass ich das Buch nach ca. 100 Seiten abbrach.
ABER
Hab ich nicht :D
Nun denn, ich persönlich glaube das ich einfach zu Alt für dieses Buch bin.
Die schreibweise der Texte war dann doch eher für 14 Jährige Mädels gedacht.
Ich gebe zu, die Texte von den Frauen die mich bewogen mir das Buch zu holen (Helen Fielding und Keira Knightly) warena uch in der Tat gut, aber alle anderen die ich las bzw. in die ich rein las nervten mich nur mit ihren platten aussagen bzw. ihrer platten sprache für jüngere, so dass ich das Buch nach ca. 100 Seiten abbrach.
Was quite disappointed at how short and 'surface level' these essays were when I was expecting detailed, powerful messages of feminism and solidarity.