Scan barcode
emmaemmaemmaemma's review against another edition
4.0
This book swept in and out of my life, essay by essay. But I’m very glad that I kept coming back. It brought me rage and pain, sadness and longing, a mix of emotions to do with my place in the world as a woman.
Of all the takeaways I found in it, one that I was must surprised by was my expanded definitions of gender, and intersectionality. The summarized history of the 3-4 waves of feminism at the end was especially helpful in recalling blips of information, and important dates that I’d long since forgotten from my women’s gender studies class freshman year of college.
All the battles that have been fought feel both a lifetime away, and also as though they’ve barely passed. This book is a good reminder though of where we’ve come from, and where we still have to go.
Of all the takeaways I found in it, one that I was must surprised by was my expanded definitions of gender, and intersectionality. The summarized history of the 3-4 waves of feminism at the end was especially helpful in recalling blips of information, and important dates that I’d long since forgotten from my women’s gender studies class freshman year of college.
All the battles that have been fought feel both a lifetime away, and also as though they’ve barely passed. This book is a good reminder though of where we’ve come from, and where we still have to go.
timitsut's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
eve_ward's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read for sure. I'll admit, a lot of these pieces felt very same-y to me, I thought the best ones were those that focussed on certain topics within feminism rather than all the ones that were just like "I didn't know I was a feminist, I had this certain image of them in my head, but now I am one haha". I definitely liked to see everyone's different perspectives of feminism and what it meant to them though.
lexieeecliff's review
3.0
Feminists Don't Wear Pink was bought for me in the lockdown of 2020. I didn't read it. So, I decided to pick it up now and read it all the way through. I began reading it, expecting a gripping read which I would be able to relate to, or at the very least agree with.
Whilst there were many essays which I whole heartedly agreed with, and inspired me, there were also several moments where I found myself cringing, or at the least not agreeing with what was being said.
I also felt as though the book was a little boring at times. I did appreciate the way that the individual authors didn't hold back from discussing sensitive topics, or taboo topics, such as FGM and periods.
All in all, I think that the book is a really good read and does provide lots of information about feminism, but I don't think that everything in there is relevant. I definitely don't think that it is a completely feminist book.
Whilst there were many essays which I whole heartedly agreed with, and inspired me, there were also several moments where I found myself cringing, or at the least not agreeing with what was being said.
I also felt as though the book was a little boring at times. I did appreciate the way that the individual authors didn't hold back from discussing sensitive topics, or taboo topics, such as FGM and periods.
All in all, I think that the book is a really good read and does provide lots of information about feminism, but I don't think that everything in there is relevant. I definitely don't think that it is a completely feminist book.
conniedee's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
turleyboo37's review against another edition
5.0
This book came to me at the perfect time. I am so happy that I am growing up reading books like these, that spark change with in me and the world. It helped and will continue to help me through life. Read it, again and again and again. Give it to your sisters, your mum, your dad, your friends, your enemies, definetly give it to your quietly sexist maths teacher. Spread the word of this book untill it has changed everyones life. I have so much respect for all of the women in this book for being vulnerable, honest and helping my journey and education. My own feminism has been changed and improved by this book, the way that I think of myself, the conversations I have and the change that I spark have been improved by this book and these amazing women. Thank you.
maxizzz's review
4.0
Essential reading. Not all essays are phenomenal, but the book itself is eye-opening
ashs_books's review against another edition
4.0
This was so empowering, inspiring, funny, but also heartbreaking and horrific. A must-read!
greensalbet's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book contains essays by actors, writers, comedians, policy makers, activists and academics about the changes in feminism from the first through fourth wave. Though most of the authors are Brits or Americans, their essays cover expansive topics and speak to all women -- and men interested in knowing more about contemporary feminism and the history of the movement. Editor Scarlett Curtis offers a quick overview in the back of the book that explains the four waves of feminism. I appreciated this as I came of age before the Third or Fourth Wave..
THE FIRST WAVE was a fight for the right to vote that occurred between the mid 1800s and 1920. During this period the Suffragette movement was born, led by leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who organized the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The Nineteenth Amendment was also introduced at the federal level in the United States, granting women the right to vote.
THE SECOND WAVE, which occurred between the 1960s and the early 1980s was a battle for equality that included equal rights in the workforce, availability of daycare, sexual liberation, and freedom from intimidation and violence. During this wave, the National Organization of Women (NOW) was formed and abortion was decriminalized in the US and parts of the UK. In 1973 Roe V Wade was passed, Planned Parenthood formed and contraception education was added to school curricula. In 1963, Gloria Steinem disguised herself as a Playboy Bunny and went undercover to report on the sexism, racism and harassment in that industry. She and Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a fighter for equal rights and a child-welfare advocate, went on to create Ms. Magazine. The first copy appeared on newsstands July 1, 1972. Feminist theory was also born during this period at the same time that majors in Women’s Studies were added to university curricula.
THE THIRD WAVE occurred between the 1990s and 2012 with a broader definition of feminism that led to many other movements. This new definition of feminism included women of color and working class women who'd been excluded from the second wave. Theorists began to write about the distinction between ‘sex’ - the biological identity assigned at birth, and ‘gender’ -- the aspects of identity which are socially constructed. The study of ‘‘intersectionality” and Queer Theory arose during this period as well as ‘transfeminism’ which was a movement by and for trans women who viewed their liberation as being tied to the liberation of all women. The term feminism was no longer a movement focused on women acting as men, but a movement that allowed for greater openness and variation of female participants. Women no longer had to abandon their femininity to be feminists.
THE FOURTH WAVE, from 2012 to the present, grew into a global movement with the internet, and, according to editor Scarlett Curtis, was more of a Feminism(s) campaign which included many ideologies. A 2011 ‘Slut Walk” was organized to protest rape culture and the shaming of women in Toronto; the #MeToo movement in the Unites Stares finally broke through the secrecy protecting male abusers of women in the film industry.
In Alison Sudol's "My Feminism" she recalls the second wave actions from bra burnings to man hating. While those memories resonate as volatile and hostile, the actions born from that rebellion led to great gains in equal rights. Sudol respects the generational anger that ignited the second wave, but calls for a work-in-progress feminism that nurtures the best from both genders with compassion, kindness, and respect. She wants girls to love being feminine and boys to love girls for their feminism. She hopes one day conditions will be equal enough that we no longer need the word feminism.
There are additional essays on motherhood and the mythology of women as the weaker sex. Keira Knightly contests this view with heroic descriptions of her own birthing experiences with those her mother survived. Keira was born on a cork kitchen floor, but her brother was delivered in a hospital where her mother was split open from front to back. The strength and recovery it took for her mother to recover from this delivery can only be looked at as a sign of inherent, female strength.
Actor Lydia Wilson discusses the pitfalls of being part of a profession that often requires nudity, yet offers no protection against the uploading of "nude images and clips of film ripped out of context and uploaded to porn sites," (149). She is tired of people assuming women's bodies in the media belong to viewers. They do not. Women's bodies belong to women.
Radio presenter Angela Yee discusses the overt sexism she had to fight through while working in the radio business -- along with the belittling she received for her success as suspicious onlookers assumed she'd slept her way to the top. (She did not.) As a result, her feminism now focuses on empowering other women through collective support. She hires women and supports women's groups that reach out to help other women around them -- through book clubs, financial planning, internships, mental health awareness, sexual freedom and body positivity.
Scarlett Curtis, the editor of this book, shares helpful "Feminist Comebacks" women can use when the thorny topic of feminism arises. When others ask "What Even is 'Feminism'?" she tells folks "Feminism is a centuries-old social movement fighting for the equality of the sexes. Intersectional feminists (I'm one of those) believe that all people are entitled to the same rights, and they fight to end all discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, region, culture, or lifestyle,” (208).
Curtis suggests using humor when talking to critics of Feminism. When others say, ALL THIS FEMINISM IS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD! CAN'T YOU TAKE A JOKE? her response is:
'I love jokes. I've actually got one for you...
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Annie.
Annie who?
Annie thing you can do I can do for 18.4% less pay!" (209).