A review by icequeen37
Drugi spol by Simone de Beauvoir

3.0

Dear existentialists, enough with the angst already. The underlying idea of the book painting men as the oppressors and women as the oppressed doesn't really do good to either women or men in terms of philosophy of the society. It puts us both into a kind of situation where no one really acts or reacts, we all just simply abide by these written and unwritten rules and sail on. In reality, most people aren't that inactive. What I mean is, this definitely pivotal text on its original publication, feels antiquated in this day and age. Categorizing women as victims who should not be victimized, is still a categorization and reeks badly of essentialism. People do not have a single unchanging essence, enough already. De Beauvoir eventually loses herself in her own philosophy by way of repetitions and aggression.

Having said that, I do still believe everyone should read at least parts of this excruciatingly long book. It can be useful for academic purposes or merely for good debates. It is important for the overall feminist thought, however Eve Ensler or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie are in my opinion much more applicable and open-minded and their writing beautifully thought-provoking.