Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

12 reviews

katie0528's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A collection of essays on feminism and politics. Gay writes about how mainstream feminism often leaves behind women of color, queer and trans women, fat women, disables women, any women who do not fit the conventionally attractive, thin white women mold. But how at the same time feminism is necessary in a culture that still constantly pushes women down. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Pregnancy

vaykay's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

3.5

I struggle sometimes to review older material such as Bad Feminist (10 years later) because oftentimes it loses relevancy. Many essays in this book have lost all relevancy or are on popular cultural artifacts that have been discussed to shit by now (i.e. The Help and Orange is the New Black). It isn't a crime to be dated or to discuss the then-and-now with no concern for how relevant it will be 10 years from now, but I want to warn other readers that much of it is outdated. Many essays were good and interesting; some essays were extremely hypocritical and irritating due to what felt like an elementary level of self-reflection and understanding as well as comfortability with her voice as an essay writer. Gay's implications that reveling in more traditionally feminine things like pink, materialism, weddings, and — I guess — sucking dick means you're not a feminist (or at least not a good one) was weird. That implication was probably the least feminist thing about Bad Feminist because in her moment of self-doubt and projection, she tore down other women. It felt weird and uncomfortable... and not the sort of discomfort that is well-meaning in its ability to challenge you. Unfortunately, the first and last essays are the worst ones in the text, which seems like an interesting choice to hook readers and leave them fulfilled by the ending.

That said, I want to read more of Gay's more recent work to see how her voice and ideas have grown and changed in the last 10 years.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Homophobia and Abortion

Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder

florizona's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

2.25

This wasn’t really what I expected- rather than a collection of serious essays, it’s more like a series of hastily written, personal POV-driven op-ed columns. Nothing particularly well-considered, heavy-hitting or profound. Just not into it at all, despite enjoying some other writing by the author.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Rape

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Outing

lady_moon's review against another edition

1.5

Some version of the dream of this book still lives in the back of my head and maybe one day I'll find the excellent collection of essays that this book absolutely was not.

Bad Feminist had a good start. I had fun listening in the beginning, I enjoyed her talking about her time as an advisor, about privilege and her time as professor. There was an essay about scrabble...? That was boring and pretty pointless. Then there was an essay about how to have women friends, which was... a list with just common sense and stupid points. But I tell myself, okay I can ignore that.

But there were also essays that talked about random pieces of media? Some shows and books, some critique, like... I don't know any of this media, except The Hunger Games, so I wasn't really invested in all this. I wasn't fan of the The Hunger Games essay though. I just didn't care to be honest? It didn't add anything to the conversation. If this was a memoir or something, fine, but it isn't - this is book with essays named Bad Feminist. Such essays were just a little out of place. And I personally was annoyed at the unnecessary amatonormativity that was present.

Now, I could have ignored all of this. I really could have. But then the trigger warning discussion came. And it pissed me off. For the most part there was nuance and dissection, about censorship and what can be a trigger. But then she basically said she can't understand how some people live in the illusion of safety and that trigger warning won't protect them from what already is inside them. I'm sorry but what the fuck?? Does she know think "warning" means? It's not there to protect you or to prevent you from consuming this media (as she also thinks) but to warn you what you're going to consume so you can take care of yourself if needed. What was this bullshit, honestly? This is the first time I really felt there's something not quite right with this book.
(Not to mention before that there's a heavy discussion of rape and her own rape and right after that to have is an essay about trigger warning... I mean, that's petty.)

Then there's one waaayyy too long essay that criticize Fifty Shades of Grey. Woman, what the hell 😭 We all know this book is shit, there really wasn't need of such deep critique of it (half of which is a rant, honestly). I was really tempted to DNF at that point.

Other thing that baffled me: The hunting of witches is, apperantly, because rulers wanted to prevent abortions?? 😭 What is this woman talking about, I- Tell me you don't know anything outside of USA history without telling you don't know anything outside of USA.
The hunting of witches isn't some trick the government to take down people who know the medicine for abortion (maybe that was someone's idea, I don't know). Hunting witches was rooted in superstition, xenophobia, bigotry and most of all - misogyny. Don't make it related to something irrelevant just so it can appeal to American issue.

After that it was a series of discussion of different movies with Black representations. I knew exactly two of this movies/Tv series, one of which I haven't watched. This was curious for me, as a white person who doesn't watch a lot of these genres, let alone critique of it.

Overall, there just... wasn't anything new? Anything even remotely deeper to add to the discussion regarding feminism. Not even to the conversation about race to be honest? There wasn't anything new, anything interesting, not even in the way it was presented to us. I do enjoyed some things in the beginning but then it quickly became painfully average. Kudos for the advertisement lol, I was really convinced I'm picking up an amazing book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Slavery, Vomit, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Eating disorder, Medical content, and Outing

beca_reads's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I feel that younger me would of appreciated this. I wish I had read this a few years ago when I was first starting to explore feminist writing, It lays down the foundations and some nuance to the each topic that is explored. I would definitely recommend this book to people just starting out in reading feminist nonfiction as the writing is accessible, and explores a variety of topics from education to the music industry. 
 I went into this thinking it was going to be more statistical based but was more so Gay's personal journey with being a feminist while drawing on feminist research and global events To begin with I was not so sure on the writing style but  I think maybe some of the earlier essay's were just weaker than some of the later essay's in the book. I did really enjoy how Gay talked about literature and other forms of the media throughout the book, It's left me with lots of good recommendations to read or watch and added a critical lens to media I've already consumed.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

someonelikeblue's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Abortion

picoledenaranja's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Dysphoria

brookey8888's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I did really enjoy a lot of these essays and what they were about. That being said I do feel like a few had nothing to do with feminism so that was whatever. Also there was a few things I didn’t agree with. One of them being if you go out with friends you should split the bill evenly even if one of your friends doesn’t have the same amount of income. I don’t agree with that if I know my friend doesn’t have the same amount of money as me I’ll either pay for her or we can pay for what we ordered. Also she was like oh I’m not as much as a feminist because I like want kids like that’s not what feminism is and she kind of went into that but it gave me the wrong vibes. But I do think a lot of this was very good and very intellectual and if you want to know about some of these ideas. This is good for starting out. It was mostly just her opinion about things and just certain things at that, very broad.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Gaslighting

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment