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vaekay's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I struggle sometimes to review older material such as Bad Feminist (10 years later) because oftentimes it loses relevancy. Many essays in this book have lost all relevancy or are on popular cultural artifacts that have been discussed to shit by now (i.e. The Help and Orange is the New Black). It isn't a crime to be dated or to discuss the then-and-now with no concern for how relevant it will be 10 years from now, but I want to warn other readers that much of it is outdated. Many essays were good and interesting; some essays were extremely hypocritical and irritating due to what felt like an elementary level of self-reflection and understanding as well as comfortability with her voice as an essay writer. Gay's implications that reveling in more traditionally feminine things like pink, materialism, weddings, and — I guess — sucking dick means you're not a feminist (or at least not a good one) was weird. That implication was probably the least feminist thing about Bad Feminist because in her moment of self-doubt and projection, she tore down other women. It felt weird and uncomfortable... and not the sort of discomfort that is well-meaning in its ability to challenge you. Unfortunately, the first and last essays are the worst ones in the text, which seems like an interesting choice to hook readers and leave them fulfilled by the ending.
That said, I want to read more of Gay's more recent work to see how her voice and ideas have grown and changed in the last 10 years.
That said, I want to read more of Gay's more recent work to see how her voice and ideas have grown and changed in the last 10 years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Outing, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Slavery, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Bullying, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Body shaming, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion and Homophobia
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, and Islamophobia
smkoontz's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Bullying
neni's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Good writing but themes were inconsistent and often irrelevant to the feminist cause (there were quite a few book and movie reviews that just didn't fit). Giving it 3 stars because there were definitely a couple of really powerful, well worded essays, but I struggled to finish the rest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
dreareads_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.25
Reading this book made me feel like a Bad Feminist because I did not love it...
I will begin by saying that there are plenty of essays to love, and Roxane Gay is at times a very engaging author. Her writing is at its best when she is clearly passionate about the topic and unrestrained in her opinions.
That being said, I feel like this book is a clear product of its time. The discussions on feminisn, gender, and representation in media were examples of the liberal feminism that was rampant in the early 2010's. This is not necessarily a bad thing (the essays were written at that time) but it does make it more difficult to fully engage with it in 2024. I also had my own frustration with her takes on academia, because while I agree with majority of her criticisms, as a woman of color in Academia myself I found that some of her stances perpetuated a kind of toxic expectation on students of colors that is prevalent amongst academic of colors from older generations. I was also left wishing for a more in depth exploration on the significant role of class and wealth and discussions of representation.
I still believe this is a book worth while reading. Especially because despite of it being a product of the 2012's a lot of the discussions on misogyny are still unfortunately too relevant today. I look forward to reading more of her contemporary work and seeing how (and if) her perspective has evolved in the years since the release of Bad Feminist.
(Idk how relevant this is, but I listened to the audio book and I was disappointed that it was not narrated by her. It created a sense of disconnection between the written essays and the audience that I hadn't experienced before)
I will begin by saying that there are plenty of essays to love, and Roxane Gay is at times a very engaging author. Her writing is at its best when she is clearly passionate about the topic and unrestrained in her opinions.
That being said, I feel like this book is a clear product of its time. The discussions on feminisn, gender, and representation in media were examples of the liberal feminism that was rampant in the early 2010's. This is not necessarily a bad thing (the essays were written at that time) but it does make it more difficult to fully engage with it in 2024. I also had my own frustration with her takes on academia, because while I agree with majority of her criticisms, as a woman of color in Academia myself I found that some of her stances perpetuated a kind of toxic expectation on students of colors that is prevalent amongst academic of colors from older generations. I was also left wishing for a more in depth exploration on the significant role of class and wealth and discussions of representation.
I still believe this is a book worth while reading. Especially because despite of it being a product of the 2012's a lot of the discussions on misogyny are still unfortunately too relevant today. I look forward to reading more of her contemporary work and seeing how (and if) her perspective has evolved in the years since the release of Bad Feminist.
(Idk how relevant this is, but I listened to the audio book and I was disappointed that it was not narrated by her. It created a sense of disconnection between the written essays and the audience that I hadn't experienced before)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Abortion, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
book_bunny03's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
sponberry's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Abortion
florizona's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.25
This wasn’t really what I expected- rather than a collection of serious essays, it’s more like a series of hastily written, personal POV-driven op-ed columns. Nothing particularly well-considered, heavy-hitting or profound. Just not into it at all, despite enjoying some other writing by the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, and Racial slurs
Minor: Fatphobia, Hate crime, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Body shaming, Mental illness, Abortion, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Outing, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexism
_toristorytime's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Fatphobia
suneaters's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
For whatever reason, we hold feminism to an unreasonable standard where the movement must be everything we want and must always make the best choices. When feminism falls short of our expectations, we decide the problem is with feminism rather than with the flawed people who act in the name of the movement. (x)
Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist Essays is a great work. Her writing is sharp and witty and she maintains a humorous tone even as she becomes very emotionally vulnerable. Gay comes across as relatable as she tells us she "approach[es] most things in life with a dangerous level of confidence to balance [her] generally low self-esteem." (34). She speaks candidly of her own assault and weight gain, but is still able to keep it light. Gay tells us that she "I watch[es] all the televised fat-shaming porn as penance and motivation—The Biggest Loser and Ruby and Heavy, some of those off-brand fat people shows on lesser cable channels, and recently Extreme Makeover: Fat People Edition." (116). Her own story is heartbreaking on its own, but also heartbreakingly common. It's devastating how often something so traumatic happens and causes the victim to try to self-soothe or to protect his or herself via food.
Gay makes fantastic points about modern feminism and other related discourse. I love her particular commentary on oppression Olympics and gatekeeping commenting as it serves no purpose but to silence people and dilute the meaning of words like "privilege".
The problem is, cultural critics talk about privilege with such alarming frequency and in such empty ways, we have diluted the word’s meaning.
When people wield the word “privilege,” it tends to fall on deaf ears because we hear that word so damn much it has become white noise. (16)
Nowadays, when someone writes, say, a gay bildungsroman, the author might have his or her sexuality questioned and feel extreme pressure to out his or herself due to the backlash of "don't write out of your experience". Gay rebukes this quite adeptly.
In online discourse, in particular, the specter of privilege is always looming darkly. When someone writes from experience, there is often someone else, at the ready, pointing a trembling finger, accusing that writer of having various kinds of privilege. How dare someone speak to a personal experience without accounting for every possible configuration of privilege or the lack thereof? We would live in a world of silence if the only people who were allowed to write or speak from experience or about difference were those absolutely without privilege. (18)
Her opinion on reclamation, that "I have no interest in using the word to describe myself or any person of color, under any circumstance. There is no reclamation to be had." (221), is one I share.
I also enjoyed her mentions of modern misogyny and how feminists are unduly punished for showing any modicum of dissatisfaction with patriarchy.
Pointing out the many ways in which misogyny persists and harms women is not anger. Conceding the idea that anger is an inappropriate reaction to the injustice women face backs women into an unfair position. Nor does disagreement mean we are blind to the ways in which progress has been made. Feminists are celebrating our victories and acknowledging our privilege when we have it. We’re simply refusing to settle. We’re refusing to forget how much work there is yet to be done. We’re refusing to relish the comforts we have at the expense of the women who are still seeking comfort. (102)
Gay mentions that "We live in a strange and terrible time for women. There are days when I think it has always been a strange and terrible time to be a woman. Womanhood feels more strange and terrible now because progress has not served women as well as it has served men. We are still stymied by the issues our forbears railed against." (132). And she is right in her assessment. Women's rights have been going backward as of late and we are now having to refight thing like the urinary leash.
Even as women watch our rights be taken away, we are judged for not enjoying misogynistic jokes at our expense. Men are offended that we see this as a red flag and that we believe them when they tell us who they are. "When women respond negatively to misogynistic or rape humor, they are “sensitive” and branded as “feminist,” a word that has, as of late, become a catchall term for “woman who does not tolerate bullshit.” (180). Just like "feminist", the moniker of Karen, feminazi, harpy, femoid, TERF, or any other derogatory word for a women has come to simply mean women who do not bow down to male authority. It recalls a simpler definition of feminist, "one offered by Su, an Australian woman who, when interviewed for Kathy Bail’s 1996 anthology DIY Feminism, said feminists are “just women who don’t want to be treated like shit.”" (303).
While Bad Feminist Essays is overall very enjoyable and a great read, there is some liberal bullshit in here. "Western opinions on the hijab or burkas are rather irrelevant. We don’t get to decide for Muslim women what does or does not oppress them, no matter how highly we think of ourselves." (104). Well, I guess I better stop saying Aisha was a child bride. I mean, maybe she was a totally empowered 8 year old and I'm just being mean. This is a ridiculous stance. No culture, no religion, no anything is above criticism. And I am of the view that if it hurts women, it has to go.
Gay also comments on "breaking new ground where women can be feminist and feminine and can resist the labels and forces that all too often marginalize, silence, or erase female experiences." (106). Yeah, those feminine women are so shamed for being feminine. Meanwhile I've never seen a single butch woman on TV or in a movie. Get real, please.
"The Fifty Shades books have also opened the door for pundits, including Ellen DeGeneres, to treat the BDSM lifestyle with derision, mockery, and outright ignorance. Whips and chains are so very funny, or they are freaky and weird." (200). This whole kink section was so very funny. Sorry. Your Looney Tunes sex is funny and also very weird. Re-traumatizing yourself and trauma bonds are not healing.
Even as women watch our rights be taken away, we are judged for not enjoying misogynistic jokes at our expense. Men are offended that we see this as a red flag and that we believe them when they tell us who they are. "When women respond negatively to misogynistic or rape humor, they are “sensitive” and branded as “feminist,” a word that has, as of late, become a catchall term for “woman who does not tolerate bullshit.” (180). Just like "feminist", the moniker of Karen, feminazi, harpy, femoid, TERF, or any other derogatory word for a women has come to simply mean women who do not bow down to male authority. It recalls a simpler definition of feminist, "one offered by Su, an Australian woman who, when interviewed for Kathy Bail’s 1996 anthology DIY Feminism, said feminists are “just women who don’t want to be treated like shit.”" (303).
While Bad Feminist Essays is overall very enjoyable and a great read, there is some liberal bullshit in here. "Western opinions on the hijab or burkas are rather irrelevant. We don’t get to decide for Muslim women what does or does not oppress them, no matter how highly we think of ourselves." (104). Well, I guess I better stop saying Aisha was a child bride. I mean, maybe she was a totally empowered 8 year old and I'm just being mean. This is a ridiculous stance. No culture, no religion, no anything is above criticism. And I am of the view that if it hurts women, it has to go.
Gay also comments on "breaking new ground where women can be feminist and feminine and can resist the labels and forces that all too often marginalize, silence, or erase female experiences." (106). Yeah, those feminine women are so shamed for being feminine. Meanwhile I've never seen a single butch woman on TV or in a movie. Get real, please.
"The Fifty Shades books have also opened the door for pundits, including Ellen DeGeneres, to treat the BDSM lifestyle with derision, mockery, and outright ignorance. Whips and chains are so very funny, or they are freaky and weird." (200). This whole kink section was so very funny. Sorry. Your Looney Tunes sex is funny and also very weird. Re-traumatizing yourself and trauma bonds are not healing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
rakkaussipsi's review against another edition
informative
reflective
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Child abuse