Welcome to Litsy!

I caved and bought a Fanny pack and totally love it 😂

#2022Book1
I was a kid in the 90s, so I heard only sanitized versions of the stories in this book. As an adult, I've learned so much more about how horribly famous (and infamous) women were treated throughout the decade. If I taught journalism at the college level, I would absolutely have my students read this as an example of how the media affects the way certain people are perceived by the public.

A very interesting read considering the 90s is put on a pedestal for feminism and equality when all that really came out of it was reclaiming the word bitch apparently

This has been my read the last few days, and while I don‘t agree with everything Yarrow says I am enjoying it! It is also hearting to see so many of the stories about women who became punchlines and villains reframed and given the respect and consideration they deserve.

I'm not quite done yet, so this isn't a review exactly, but I've decided that my problems with this book come down to this book's subtitle being inaccurate. “The Failed Promise of Gender Equality“ suggests an analysis of how the political/cultural gains of women in the '90s were rolled back/weakened over the next 15 years. But in actuality, a better subtitle would be “The Decade that Was Shittier for Women than You Remember“ #WomensHistoryMonth

I'm far from the DNF point with this book, but I don't love it either. So far, her analysis of '90s trends lacks adequate historical perspective (e.g. acting like the '90s invented the male gaze in advertising or predatory weight loss products). Plus, there's a good deal of contradiction/lack of nuance. First she'll praise empowered, sexually-assertive women, then basically call every woman who bought Victoria's Secret a dupe of the patriarchy.

While I disagree with the author‘s premise that the “bitchification” of women in the 1990s was wholly responsible for today‘s misogynist culture, I enjoyed this book because it allowed me to think back on my reactions to many of these “bitchifications” when I lived through them and how differently I view those stories today.

Finally diving into the books I picked up in Denver last summer, I loved exploring Tattered Cover!
This one is a hard pill to swallow. I definitely suffer from 90s nostalgia, and it‘s making me take a hard look at my memories. But. It‘s fascinating to see how things permeate and ripple through our culture, decades later. Depressing, but fascinating.

I‘m loving these 90s post! I turned 16 in the year 2000 and I was discovering what music I loved during that time period just before then. As a angstsy teen it was all about the rock and britpop. I used to stay up late to listen to John peel and write down what stuff I liked. With no Spotify or internet at home any music I bought went with a lot of research as I didn‘t have much money to spend on anything. #90sspringfling

Here's my 90's outfit compromised of mostly my Mother's hand me downs lol I have so many old band T-shirts and black clothes because of her 😂

#90'sSpringFling @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

#90sSpringFling | From poodle perms, big floral prints, and turtlenecks to tall white tube socks with denim shorts, and a lot in between for which I have no photos, thank god. I threw in a senior photo (class of 2000) just to show I finally got it together, but what‘s with the hammock? 😆 A large part of my late 90s was spent with very short hair, which I‘ve had off and on my entire adult life. I still think about chopping it off again.

Changed my mind. This is 2019's motto. 😆 taken from Instagram via femalecollective

I don't necessarily agree with every position that Yarrow posits in this book, but I still found it to be a pretty good read. In spite of focusing disproportionately on the white, straight female experience, among other flaws, I'd recommend this one. I appreciated the reframing (and in many cases, reconfirming) of my conception of events throughout my childhood and adolescence.

A long, tiring day today. Coming home to this is helping, but it's also not, y'know? Because I'm at the chapter about Anita Hill right now and just want to burn the world down. #currentlyreading

3.5 stars. I liked this - it‘s a good overview of how conservative backlash and media marketing strategies worked against very high profile women in politics, entertainment, and crime. There are some rough transitions between subjects that I think could have been done better. I feel like some areas could have been fleshed out with more examples (Janet and Daria, see below).

This is a missed opportunity to talk about the pilot episode of Daria. (This is from the last chapter of 90s Bitch and Daria hasn‘t been mentioned thus far - only about 30p to go!)