You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
informative
inspiring
reflective
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I was going to donate this book without reading it, but I happened to listen to a podcast review of it (Banging Book Club) and of course my interest was piqued. I'm glad I didn't end up giving it away just yet, and I do think this book soars as a discussion piece; it's perfect for a book club. I have many thoughts on each essay, as well as on the book as a whole. I'll try to summarize some of those thoughts briefly (maybe disjointedly...)
Feminists Don't Wear Pink is an interesting essay collection and I enjoyed it, but it doesn't really delve deep into any issues and is based more on personal experience than academic theory. It rarely gets specific. I finished it wanting more and feeling like it was incomplete (though, with over 50 contributing pieces, it certainly wasn't stingy). I found some of the essays vexing and couldn't help feeling that the tone could be rather preachy or entitled in some cases (I was surprisingly disappointed by Evanna Lynch's essay, for example). I also think this collection, as a whole, didn't often take the brave stance when it came to topics like beauty & makeup. It also mostly shied away from addressing or acknowledging the pitfalls of today's feminist movement, particularly "white feminism".
I appreciated all the writers who participated in this collection, and I think the intention was commendable. A conscious effort was certainly made to include many diverse voices in this anthology across diverse backgrounds and career paths.
It was overall a fast read that felt more like a blog than a book. The most memorable essays, to me, were the ones written by Lolly Adefope, Kat Dennings, Keira Knightley, and Gemma Arterton. There were others that addressed very specific issues such as period poverty, FGM, and workplace harassment. This was where the book was at its best — when it did the research and was really educational. I also loved the short ending dedicated to feminist theory and history, and wished it had been longer.
I'd recommend this to any book club. I would also gladly share this book with all of my friends and I think it would be super fun to chat about.
Feminists Don't Wear Pink is an interesting essay collection and I enjoyed it, but it doesn't really delve deep into any issues and is based more on personal experience than academic theory. It rarely gets specific. I finished it wanting more and feeling like it was incomplete (though, with over 50 contributing pieces, it certainly wasn't stingy). I found some of the essays vexing and couldn't help feeling that the tone could be rather preachy or entitled in some cases (I was surprisingly disappointed by Evanna Lynch's essay, for example). I also think this collection, as a whole, didn't often take the brave stance when it came to topics like beauty & makeup. It also mostly shied away from addressing or acknowledging the pitfalls of today's feminist movement, particularly "white feminism".
I appreciated all the writers who participated in this collection, and I think the intention was commendable. A conscious effort was certainly made to include many diverse voices in this anthology across diverse backgrounds and career paths.
It was overall a fast read that felt more like a blog than a book. The most memorable essays, to me, were the ones written by Lolly Adefope, Kat Dennings, Keira Knightley, and Gemma Arterton. There were others that addressed very specific issues such as period poverty, FGM, and workplace harassment. This was where the book was at its best — when it did the research and was really educational. I also loved the short ending dedicated to feminist theory and history, and wished it had been longer.
I'd recommend this to any book club. I would also gladly share this book with all of my friends and I think it would be super fun to chat about.
informative
fast-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A highly insightful book and a great introduction to the concept of feminism; what it means and how we can action it. A compilation of essays which serve more as short anecdotes the book is separated into themes which is great for reading when I only had a short moment spare or only wanted to read for a short while. I particularly enjoyed Keira Knightley's segment and the section on the history of feminism. The discussion on intersectional feminism was also highly insightful and interesting and is something I intend to read more on alongside my Sociology studies which complement this greatly. All in all a great read for beginning to understand feminism without being too overwhelming and heavy while retaining key understanding, and knowledge and being entertaining
Really enjoyed the collection of essays and poetry throughout. Does cover some hard hitting topics such as FGM and transphobia. Overall, found this book interesting and knowledgeable.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Inspiring, witty and relatable - finally, a feminist book that I can get behind!
As a girl I went to a highly academic all-girls school in Oxford and I traversed my teenage years fed up of with feminism. The 'girls are better than boys' and 'down with the patriarchy' -flavored spiel that underpinned on average at least two of our three weekly assemblies really didn't sit right with me - the men in my life were lovely and there was never any suggestion that I would be any less successful than my male counterparts so what was all the fuss about? Coupled with the fact that I was surrounded by brilliant-minded girls, well on their way to academic and professional success, I don't think I ever really believed that sexism was a real issue in the UK. Simply put, I had a privileged upbringing.
Fast-forward a couple of years to an internship I did in London with an events company (who I won't name) and BANG, there it was. Cold-blooded sexism.
Case number one
Manager: Can anybody help me use the staple gun to put up these posters?
*All three female interns raise their hands*
Manager: (Looks around. Sees girls offering to help. Turns to only male intern who is busy doing something else) Denis, come and help me with this.
Case number two
Boy intern's job description: Organising bar stock, arranging schedule for performers, stock take, security etc.
Girl intern's job descriptions: Stand by the door and look pretty.
Case number three
I get (literally) cornered by two very drunk, older men while working. They ask me to join them after the event. I politely decline. They corner me in more tightly and ask again. I politely decline again. They keep pressing me for another 10 minutes. Eventually I catch the eye of the manager, who can clearly see how distressed I am. He does nothing. Finally, the men leave (bored of pestering and getting thirsty). My manager came up to me five minutes later and asked me "What's with the resting bitch-face?" I explain about the two men and he tells me that I should have agreed to go out with them.
Now I know these aren't the most appalling cases of sexism by any means, but this all happened within three days (I quit the internship thereafter) and it was a total shock to me that this kind of stuff REALLY HAPPENS. Sexism is real, and it exists EVERYWHERE. I know this because it continued to happen in my first full-time job in bar (where it was especially bad) and then later in what my mother would describe as my first 'serious job' for a well-respected company.
However, despite this I've still to this day been wary of putting my name next to any feminist material because of the man-hating, bra-burning stigma that so often seems to go hand in hand with descriptions of the average feminist. I don't hate men. I don't believe 'at home mums' should feel ashamed or like they are somehow lesser women for not having full-blown careers and I don't want to walk around bra-less, wearing tampons as earrings.
But I loved about this book and I loved it for the total lack of any of that stuff that I just can't relate to. There was no man-bashing, no listing of all the terrible things the patriarchy has ever done, but a simple message: women should be able to do anything they want without being judged and they shouldn't be ashamed of the things that go hand-in-hand with womanhood. So if you're a bit of a feminism virgin like me, or if you're still forming your opinions (I am!) then this is a great, accessible way to kick-off your research. I really hope that the message in this book will influence this new wave of feminism and I highly recommend this book for all girls, everywhere!
Plus there's a fab reading list at the back so it gets bonus points for that, because who doesn't need more book recommendations?!
As a girl I went to a highly academic all-girls school in Oxford and I traversed my teenage years fed up of with feminism. The 'girls are better than boys' and 'down with the patriarchy' -flavored spiel that underpinned on average at least two of our three weekly assemblies really didn't sit right with me - the men in my life were lovely and there was never any suggestion that I would be any less successful than my male counterparts so what was all the fuss about? Coupled with the fact that I was surrounded by brilliant-minded girls, well on their way to academic and professional success, I don't think I ever really believed that sexism was a real issue in the UK. Simply put, I had a privileged upbringing.
Fast-forward a couple of years to an internship I did in London with an events company (who I won't name) and BANG, there it was. Cold-blooded sexism.
Case number one
Manager: Can anybody help me use the staple gun to put up these posters?
*All three female interns raise their hands*
Manager: (Looks around. Sees girls offering to help. Turns to only male intern who is busy doing something else) Denis, come and help me with this.
Case number two
Boy intern's job description: Organising bar stock, arranging schedule for performers, stock take, security etc.
Girl intern's job descriptions: Stand by the door and look pretty.
Case number three
I get (literally) cornered by two very drunk, older men while working. They ask me to join them after the event. I politely decline. They corner me in more tightly and ask again. I politely decline again. They keep pressing me for another 10 minutes. Eventually I catch the eye of the manager, who can clearly see how distressed I am. He does nothing. Finally, the men leave (bored of pestering and getting thirsty). My manager came up to me five minutes later and asked me "What's with the resting bitch-face?" I explain about the two men and he tells me that I should have agreed to go out with them.
Now I know these aren't the most appalling cases of sexism by any means, but this all happened within three days (I quit the internship thereafter) and it was a total shock to me that this kind of stuff REALLY HAPPENS. Sexism is real, and it exists EVERYWHERE. I know this because it continued to happen in my first full-time job in bar (where it was especially bad) and then later in what my mother would describe as my first 'serious job' for a well-respected company.
However, despite this I've still to this day been wary of putting my name next to any feminist material because of the man-hating, bra-burning stigma that so often seems to go hand in hand with descriptions of the average feminist. I don't hate men. I don't believe 'at home mums' should feel ashamed or like they are somehow lesser women for not having full-blown careers and I don't want to walk around bra-less, wearing tampons as earrings.
But I loved about this book and I loved it for the total lack of any of that stuff that I just can't relate to. There was no man-bashing, no listing of all the terrible things the patriarchy has ever done, but a simple message: women should be able to do anything they want without being judged and they shouldn't be ashamed of the things that go hand-in-hand with womanhood. So if you're a bit of a feminism virgin like me, or if you're still forming your opinions (I am!) then this is a great, accessible way to kick-off your research. I really hope that the message in this book will influence this new wave of feminism and I highly recommend this book for all girls, everywhere!
Plus there's a fab reading list at the back so it gets bonus points for that, because who doesn't need more book recommendations?!
it was just..boring and not knowing any of the people's didn't help