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amykd93 's review for:
Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters
by Jessica Valenti
This book was fine, but the rhetoric was a bit 101 for me. The style is very conversational, which would likely be great for anyone new to feminist reading, but I took issue with some of the casual slang that tends to work against an intersectional agenda via ableism ('crazy,' 'lame,' 'insane,' etc.). I was also somewhat confused by the introduction for the updated edition--it seemed to want to correct the exclusion of trans people from the original edition, but the body of work at large didn't reflect that.
I also took issue with the way Valenti addresses eating disorders and domestic violence. While the actual issues were covered in comprehensive and sympathetic ways, the sections on each ended in very dismissive "just eat more" and "just leave him" attitudes. This contributes to shaming women who struggle with disordered eating or fear the consequences of leaving an abusive partner. Both issues are complex; neither has a simple solution and it's harmful to suggest that they do.
Final gripe: another of Valenti's works, "The Purity Myth," contains many identical quotes and statistics to those in this book. It wouldn't be an issue to new readers of hers, but anyone who has read both has surely experienced a bit of déjà vu.
I also took issue with the way Valenti addresses eating disorders and domestic violence. While the actual issues were covered in comprehensive and sympathetic ways, the sections on each ended in very dismissive "just eat more" and "just leave him" attitudes. This contributes to shaming women who struggle with disordered eating or fear the consequences of leaving an abusive partner. Both issues are complex; neither has a simple solution and it's harmful to suggest that they do.
Final gripe: another of Valenti's works, "The Purity Myth," contains many identical quotes and statistics to those in this book. It wouldn't be an issue to new readers of hers, but anyone who has read both has surely experienced a bit of déjà vu.