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A review by renee_reads_books
Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Finished Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya over the weekend. The book looks at the way female characters are portrayed in film and television, and how they are often considered unlikeable for the same reasons their male counterparts are heralded. But in the grander sense, it’s an examination of art imitating life. Women experience this double standard so often that it’s almost more surprising when we don’t have to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously.
I am not big into film or tv so some of the references didn’t land for me, but enough of them did that I found it interesting. Each section looks at a different trope in which women are commonly portrayed, including the bitch, the psycho, the weirdo, the shrew, etc., and how these tropes affect how real-life women are treated.
The commentary resonated with me. If I had one major critique, it’s that the book isn’t edited very well. There are typos and, in one case, completely wrong information (the author said one film — pretty sure it was 10 Things I Hate About You — premiered in 1992 or something when I know 100% that it was later than that and could easily verify that with an internet check).
Still, the point remains. I underlined and marked passages in a way I haven’t done since grad school because I want to go back and reflect on certain parts that really resonated with me and where I felt seen.
I am not big into film or tv so some of the references didn’t land for me, but enough of them did that I found it interesting. Each section looks at a different trope in which women are commonly portrayed, including the bitch, the psycho, the weirdo, the shrew, etc., and how these tropes affect how real-life women are treated.
The commentary resonated with me. If I had one major critique, it’s that the book isn’t edited very well. There are typos and, in one case, completely wrong information (the author said one film — pretty sure it was 10 Things I Hate About You — premiered in 1992 or something when I know 100% that it was later than that and could easily verify that with an internet check).
Still, the point remains. I underlined and marked passages in a way I haven’t done since grad school because I want to go back and reflect on certain parts that really resonated with me and where I felt seen.