A review by caitlyn888
90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality by Allison Yarrow
3.0
I was a child in the 90s but didn't come of age until the early 2000s, so many of the topics covered are events that I've been retroactively learning about. But it was enjoyable to read about certain 90s staples that I'm pretty familiar with - Monica Lewinsky, "Roseanne," the Spice Girls, Lisa Frank - and better understand how women were "bitchified" as the book says, or how capitalism packaged feminism aka "Girl Power!" into trinkets girls could buy.
This book leans very heteronormative, and even though the author does try to diversify her subjects by including passages about "Living Single," TLC, and Anita Hill, it still skews predominantly white in its focus. I would've been interested to read about Selena Quintanilla, the backlash lesbian celebrities received, or female rappers like Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott, who literally used the word "bitch" as a term of empowerment.
This book leans very heteronormative, and even though the author does try to diversify her subjects by including passages about "Living Single," TLC, and Anita Hill, it still skews predominantly white in its focus. I would've been interested to read about Selena Quintanilla, the backlash lesbian celebrities received, or female rappers like Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott, who literally used the word "bitch" as a term of empowerment.