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A review by cheriepie
The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace Perry
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I'm queer and from the tail-end of the millennial years, so a lot of the pop culture referenced was just stuff I missed because I was too busy watching Spongebob, and therefore couldn't relate to a lot of the sweeping statements about "queer millennial culture". The essays feel a little disjointed, with the memoir portions and the pop culture portions being only tangentially related and rambly at many points, but when they click they're pretty engaging. It really reads like a millennial is writing it though, so take that as you will.
The book also keeps claiming it's a safer time for people (especially Gen Z) to come out, which is aggravating to read because of just how out of touch it is. Perhaps for a thirty-something Reductress writer living in a queer-friendly area, seeing more positive queer representation in pop culture, it feels like it would be safer to come out. But positive queer representation in pop culture unfortunately just doesn't correlate to "it's easier to be out now, everywhere."
Also, I hope to god that "Claire" is a pseudonym. The idea that the author might have outed someone, even if only to a few people who would know who Claire is, in order to...prove a point about her own pride (???) makes me feel sick.
The book also keeps claiming it's a safer time for people (especially Gen Z) to come out, which is aggravating to read because of just how out of touch it is. Perhaps for a thirty-something Reductress writer living in a queer-friendly area, seeing more positive queer representation in pop culture, it feels like it would be safer to come out. But positive queer representation in pop culture unfortunately just doesn't correlate to "it's easier to be out now, everywhere."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia