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Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman | Anne Helen Petersen
From celebrity gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen comes an accessible, analytical look at how modern female celebrities are pushing boundaries and challenging expectations. You know the type: the woman who won't shut up, who's too brazen, too opinionated--too much. She's the unruly woman, and she embodies one of the most provocative and powerful forms of womanhood today. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, popular BuzzFeed columnist Anne Helen Petersen examines this phenomenon, using the lens of "unruliness" to discuss the ascension of pop culture powerhouses like Lena Dunham, Nicki Minaj, and Caitlyn Jenner, and why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures. With its brisk and engaging analysis, and its appealing topic, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud will be a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks celebrity today.
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ManyWordsLater
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Pickpick

I loved the “too queer” chapter on Caitlyn Jenner. Petersen‘s discussion about “passing” as a trans person gave my language for my own complicated feelings on gender, sex and femininity.

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candority
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Panpan

Honestly, I didn‘t gain anything from reading this book. The arguments were surface level, and Petersen did not engage meaningfully with the legitimate critiques and/or problematic aspects of the women she chose to focus on. I wasn‘t a fan of some of celebrities she decided to write about, but was especially disappointed that the “too queer” chapter was about Caitlyn Jenner.

This was my #BookSpin pick for November @TheAromaofBooks 2⭐️

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
KathyWheeler Definitely agree about being disappointed that the lgbtq section was about Jenner. 3y
candority @KathyWheeler Such a strange choice. 3y
KathyWheeler @candority It really was odd. 3y
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Shievad
Pickpick

An academic look into the various ways women‘s behavior is policed by focusing on one celebrity and her “unruly” trait per chapter.

tokorowilliamwallace You're reading and getting into a lot of really interesting subjects for your nonfiction reads! This is the kind of feed I like to see! You're an inspiration for readers with serious imposter syndrome going on in what hoping to read about all the interesting subjects making up the dynamics of life and metaphysical possibilities. (edited) 3y
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Amandakay
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Pickpick

#popsugarchallenge

Book 2: a book about body positivity

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sarahlandis
Mehso-so

I really liked this book. Each chapter focused on a celebrity who was too something (fat, naked, queer, loud, etc). I was definitely skeptical at first because of some of the women that were chosen (Lena Dunham and the Kardashian's specifically) but eventually came around. Especially when it became obvious that not all the celebrities were chosen because they were the “best“ example, but rather the contrary. This book was also pretty singular.

sarahlandis I thought Petersen's perspective was smart and interesting, but I didn't always agree and she didn't offer other perspectives. This book should be re-written every year I think. There are constantly more women in the media who are breaking barriers and challenging norms designed to hinder women, and the women highlighted in this book have even gone on to do more since this has been written just 2 years ago.
4y
sarahlandis All in all- great read of how women are represented in main stream media and how we are working to challenge and change it, slowly but surely 4y
sarahlandis HAD TO ADD COMMENTS. WHY DOES LITSY LIMIT THE REVIEW TO SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT OF WORDS 4y
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StellarDoc
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Now reading. (Not pictured: Lovecraft Country on Kindle.)

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Dcueto
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Yasssssss

Megabooks Loved this! 5y
11 likes1 comment
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Hestapleton
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Pickpick

Not the tagged book. I‘ve been feeling super burnt out lately and I was excited for this Audible Original this month. Peterson explores the unique ways we experience burn out, what causes us, and some of the ways we cope.

ElizaMarie I‘m sorry you are feeling burned out! Hope this book helps :) 5y
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CoffeeK8
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Pickpick

I listens to this as a palate cleanser after my last book and it was a great discussion of women who are unruly in a specific way, and how they take charge of their own destiny and can be inspirations to other women. #audiobook

Crazeedi I've been too loud but mostly called too stuck up and always misunderstood😜 5y
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Augustdana
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I haven‘t made too many plans for this month, the one thing I do want is to catch up on my reading challenge! Finished Suzanne (which was a quick but heartbreaking read), and I started this last night.

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CareBear
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My bff is helping her local library become more inclusive in the books they carry and they told her to stop 🤣

Caroline2 What?? How can there be a recommendation limit??? 😲 5y
SaturnDoo @Caroline2 😕 my library has a recommendation limit too 👎👎👎 5y
Lindy My library limits us to 5 recommendations per month. I think that‘s fair. 5y
CareBear @Lindy I think so too. I wouldn‘t want one person‘s taste to run the library ragged. I thought the message was funny though. 5y
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Laru79
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Pickpick

Finished this interesting book last night. Loved the concept of it and how it looked at different women. There was some repetition, as another poster mentioned, but I suppose all the issues eventually lead back to the same thing, that women are still not equal.

Weaponxgirl I thought the Serena Williams article was a highlight but I preferred this book a little more on a similar topic 6y
Laru79 I agree, the Serena one was the highlight for me too. I‘ll have a look out for that book, thanks @Weaponxgirl 6y
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Laru79
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Staying with my parents for the bank holiday weekend and going to see DJ Jazzy Jeff at Dreamland in Margate tomorrow night (yay!!) after an amazing Take That concert last night, but still hoping to squeeze in more pages of this!! Almost halfway through so far and it‘s interesting. I like the different ‘too...‘ reasons as a starting concept

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Kayla.Adriena
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"Welllll if She just didn't get herself into that situation..." Is one of the most disgusting phrases on the planet and it is unacceptable. If I wanna go to a party I should be able to play TEN MILLION games of beer pong and walk around naked without fear of being assaulted. Victim Blaming Needs to Stop. #IBelieveChristine #ShowSomeSkin #SisforSeptember

madamereadsalot1 Preach! 🙌 6y
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KarenUK
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#audiobaking this afternoon.... pairing coffee walnut cake with some feisty feminism (listening as a re-read for book club this week)....

LauraBeth 😍😍 this looks delicious! 6y
Hollie Oh my. I‘m suddenly starving 6y
hermyknee How is this one? 6y
See All 11 Comments
KarenUK @hermyknee The book?... very interesting.... the cake?.... yummy! 😉 6y
hermyknee Yes I meant the book on audio 😂 I can tell that cake looks delicious!! 🤤 6y
KarenUK @hermyknee The Audio is great! 😊👍💕 6y
minkyb Well that cake looks heavenly! 6y
Cinfhen Would this work for #SocialMediaFocus ??? This looks really good (edited) 6y
Cinfhen And that cake DOES LOOK DELICIOUS 😋 6y
KarenUK @cinfhen I think it would... it talks a lot about social media in each case study. I‘m thinking of reading this one (which would also work for two female writers for #pop18 ) (edited) 6y
Cinfhen I read it. So cute but so dumb!!! It‘s an easy one sitting read 6y
58 likes11 comments
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

This is a fantastic book concept and the author mostly does well with it. Her choices of women to recognize each type of unruliness are, with one exception, great. At times she does get repetitive within each chapter. Overall I do recommend this book. 4⭐️ 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Megabooks For Too Queer, the author chose Caitlyn Jenner, but then she spent a lot of the chapter explaining why Jenner isn‘t queer enough. She wrote a lot about how Jenner is still married to the heteronormative agenda. It was a bit confusing. 6y
L_auren I loved the Serena and Nicki chapters so much!!!! 6y
Megabooks @L_auren I think the Serena chapter was the best in the book!! 6y
KathyWheeler @Megabooks I agree — the Serena chapter was the best. The chapter on Kim Kardashian gave me some sympathy for her too. 6y
Megabooks @KathyWheeler Yes, I am generally not a Kim fan, but it‘s hard to be “imperfect” when you‘re under that much of a microscope. 6y
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Megabooks
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Miss you so much Hillary! This is true for so many professional women. It‘s such a fine line for us.

julesG Truth! 6y
TrishB Bloody impossible..... 6y
Quirkybookworm *crossing eyes* 6y
Megabooks @dixonrichardj I don‘t have Facebook, so I can‘t read that. 6y
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Megabooks
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#preach #truth 💜🙌🏻🙌🏻 proud owner of an unruly body 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Weaponxgirl Yes! 6y
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Megabooks
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Finally reading this! So far I‘m really enjoying it. #proudunrulywoman #feminist 👍🏻

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Gitanjali
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Goddess Nicki Minaj preaching the gospel truth

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Gitanjali
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Gitanjali
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

Thoughtful, smart, sharp. Petersen examines how society views and judges women in the public eye and what that means for the rest of us. I appreciate her format, an essay each about very different women and the perspective their story brings to gender, equality, and progress. If you are interested in these themes, I highly recommend this book!

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KarenUK
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#heyjune
#ladymadonna gets her own chapter, (Too old) in this book about how women are labeled.... #unrulywomenrock #nevertooold
@Cinfhen @GypsyKat

Cinfhen Well now I REALLY want to read this one❣️❣️❣️ 6y
GypsyKat This looks awesome! 6y
Tex2Flo Can‘t wait till we get to read this for book club. Holding out until closer to the date, but real anticipation here. 6y
KarenUK @tex I know! I think it‘ll be great! X 6y
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NovelGirl82
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this book! The essays in it are incredibly timely, and very important.

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NovelGirl82
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We arrived at our pre-anniversary trip destination this afternoon, and we‘re relaxing before dinner, so I thought I‘d get some reading in. June is “non-fiction” month for me, so I‘m finishing up this one!

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Mem_ugh
Bailedbailed

Meh. It was a little too identity politics driven for me, I‘ll probably come back to it at some point but for now it‘s a dnf.

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mdemanatee
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What does it say about me that my favorite section is about Jennifer Weiner? My face every time Franzen‘s name is mentioned —>🙄

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Julsmarshall
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Jumping into book 3 on Long Weekend day 2. Had this on in my TBR a long time! #resistreads

Weaponxgirl I've been dying to read this since it came out! Can't wait for your review 6y
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Julsmarshall
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When the #libraryholds come in, it‘s all at the same time 😄

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BookishTrish
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Sending flowers and sunshine your way, snowed in Littens! #audiowalk

CouronneDhiver Aw, thanks. I‘m over here in a rabbit hole (imagining it to be one not filled with freezing rain) ... was reading and then I saw an Egyptology documentary on Netflix. 😄 7y
BookishTrish @CouronneDhiver Sweet. What‘s it called? 7y
CouronneDhiver “The Pyramid Code” ... seems a little dated but interesting! 7y
Sassy_Steph We were told here in Alberta we will prolly get the amount of snow we should get in a month but in one day!! Yikes! So glad I‘m off today! Today shall be called hibernate with your book day!! 7y
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GhostGrrl
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Pickpick

A book that will make you think, not just about the women profiled but about women in general and the labels/roles often assigned to them. I didn‘t know what to expect when I picked this volume up for a book club but I‘m glad I read it. It wasn‘t always a comfortable read but it was interesting, especially when I wasn‘t familiar with the woman being profiled. Highly recommended read, especially for those of us who have been feminists for a while.

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GhostGrrl
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“What she demands, instead, is bravery from others.”

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Cinfhen
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#Aprella #ItsAShame that we are still busy labeling others when we don‘t know anything about them...I‘m curious to read this collection of essays ~ it‘s gotten good reviews

KarenUK Loved this one 💕... reading it with my bookclub soon 👍 7y
emilyhaldi Interesting... I am curious to hear your thoughts on this one. Agree that we certainly still live in a society that labels, I think it's part of our human nature! We almost have to teach ourselves how not to. 7y
Mdargusch So true! 7y
Reviewsbylola Definitely sounds like it has potential! 7y
Reviewsbylola And I don‘t think labeling is necessarily a negative thing, so that aspect is intriguing to me. 7y
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Booksnob
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Just finished this one and am pretty sure my husband thinks I‘m unruly. Each chapter is about one famous woman and the quality that pop culture reigns on them. I learned so much. Highly recommend you to read one chapter at a time to absorb.

Jess7 I liked this book too 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“[A]bsent recognition by national awards organizations or review sections like The New York Times‘s, there‘s no way for a woman, writing about women‘s lives, to unlike herself from a classification as chick lit, mass culture, less-than, not literature.”

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DoodlesDistractions
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

This book was so well-written and the author explains her ideas so clearly that she interested me in women, such as Kim Kardashian, Caitlyn Jenner, and Lena Dunham, that I‘ve never had any interest in before. She gave me a new way of perceiving them.

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MallenNC
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Pickpick

My favorite thing about this book is the title. I read this for Book Riot's online book club. I enjoyed the collection in general. Naturally I liked the essays about celebs I am already fond of (Serena Williams, Jennifer Weiner) more than those about people I like less. I had the feeling in some cases that the author just really wanted to write about a certain star, so she made them fit. Overall, it made me wish our society was less judgmental.

GhostGrrl I read it for @bookriot #feministbookclub too! Fascinating read! My favorite chapter turned out to be Too Loud: Jennifer Weiner how about you? 7y
MallenNC @GhostGrrl I really liked the book club. I'd never done anything like that before. I liked the Jennifer Weiner chapter a lot too. Also Serena Williams. The ones about Kim Kardashian and Nikki Minaj gave me a lot to think about too, even if I'm not,sure I agree with the author completely on them. 7y
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KathyWheeler
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Had a relapse of the crud I had last week caused by my plague-carrying granddaughter, so I‘m lying in bed switching between this and Honor Girl.

LiteraryinPA Hope you feel better soon! 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“Because when hate and fear become the status quo, the simple act of trying to understand others who don‘t live and act the same you do [...] becomes a profoundly unruly act.”

GhostGrrl Truth. 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“The capacity to listen and contemplate has rendered her a formidable legislator and statesman — yet, crucially, done little to change her aptitude at campaigning.”

GhostGrrl This chapter was fascinating! I never looked too hard at my attitude towards HRC until now. I‘m ashamed that I hear an echo of the issues this chapter raised, particularly regarding charisma, in them. In focusing on what she did not achieve we are forgetting the many amazing things that she did accomplish including almost becoming POTUS. 7y
tammysue Great review! 👍🏼 7y
KathyWheeler Welcome to Litsy! After reading your comments about it, I cannot wait to read this book. 7y
GhostGrrl Thanks! @whatshesreadingnow and @KathyWheeler I “found” it through @bookriot #feministbookclub It‘s been an interesting read thus far. Still have a few more chapters to go! 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“She may not own the label of feminist...but that doesn‘t mean her work to make the labor of femininity visible or reduce the stigma around the ‘non-beautiful‘ pregnancy isn‘t, at heart, a feminist project.”

GhostGrrl This chapter on Kim Kardashian and “too pregnant” has been problematic for me. I‘m not a Kardashian fan, for a variety of reasons. Some of them were touched on in this chapter (can you say trashy?). Some weren‘t (the image they present of wealthy women is not, in my experience, accurate). Further, I‘m not a mother so I don‘t really have a right to an opinion. I do like her a bit better after reading this. A bit. Not that much. 7y
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krismlars
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Decided to read this for the new #bookriot #feminist #bookclub. So far I've read Too Strong, Too Fat, Too Gross, and Too Slutty. I'm familiar with all the women with dedicated chapters, but I'm learning a lot about people that I already have perceptions of. I never thought I'd come to respect Nicki Minaj, or that I needed to. Shown: today's socks.

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GhostGrrl
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“[H]er [Madonna‘s] attempts to fight age may have been working — but they were also consuming all that was interesting about her.”

GhostGrrl Truthfully, I‘d rather be interesting. Ageless has advantages but I‘m not sure they outweigh the benefits of being able to think for oneself and hold up your side of a conversation. Older women have always been more interesting to me. That I am becoming one is a source of great pride for me. It‘s unfortunate Madonna (and so many others) reject being interesting in favor of looking/acting an age that wasn‘t that great to begin with. 7y
Jess7 🤣 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“The crafting of the face is a billion-dollar industry because there‘s actually only one truly acceptable face to create: that of “the girl.”” Sadly, I believe that. Even though I don‘t wear much makeup, I do use a variety of skin care products. I also take pride in not looking or acting my age. Does that mean in a decade or so I will be Madonna?

Jess7 I enjoyed this book!! 7y
Jess7 Which chapter was your favorite? I found the Serena Williams one very interesting. It was one of favorite ones! 7y
GhostGrrl I‘m enjoying the book, @Jess7 but I haven‘t finished it yet so I can‘t pick a favorite yet. I get the feeling I‘m a bit older than many of the #bookriotfeministbookclub so it‘s been intriguing hearing all the different points of view. One thing I‘ve noticed is that I find myself thinking “this behavior isn‘t new” though the names associated with it are. (edited) 7y
GhostGrrl One of the things that motivated me to join Litsy was my need for a place/space to record my reactions to and how I feel about what I‘m reading. That‘s especially true for books like this. I find good books make my think. I try to put what I read into the context of my experience. I just needed a place to record my explorations. Not sure I expected anyone to join me on the journey 😇 7y
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GhostGrrl
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“[S]he‘s not the passive participant in someone else‘s story of who she is. She bursts through the glossy veneer of the celebrity industrial complex, wrests control of the narrative, calls bullshit on the rhetoric and mechanisms that would frame her as unruly, acting out, overly aggressive.” Wow. Just wow. What a terrifying statement. Not just because it‘s something I aspire to but because putting it out there even just in words feels dangerous.

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GhostGrrl

Recently I joined BookRiot‘s Feminist Bookclub & this is the first title we‘re reading. I have to admit, I was skeptical but the subtitle (The Rise and Reign of The Unruly Woman) sold me. Now that I‘m several chapters in, I have to admit I‘ve found more substance than expected. I‘ve also discovered more resonances between the millennial feminist icons being profiled & those feminist icons of the 60‘s, 70‘s & 80‘s I grew up on. Really enjoying it!

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GhostGrrl
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“I stand for girls wanting to be sexy and dance, but also having a strong sense of themselves. If you got a big ol‘ butt? Who cares? That doesn‘t mean you shouldn‘t be graduating from college.” Nikki Minaj #feministbookclub #persist

rather_be_reading welcome to litsy!! 📚🎉📚 7y
LitsyWelcomeWagon Welcome to to the #LitsyFamily! We‘re so glad you‘re here! Checkout these #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: http://bit.ly/litsyvideos There‘s so many fun things to do: book exchanges, buddy reads, photo challenges and more! Check out #LitsyHappenings for details. 7y
Jess7 Welcome!! So glad you‘re here! 7y
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