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A review by readingthroughinfinity
Girls Can Kiss Now: Essays by Jill Gutowitz
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
This is a razor sharp, humorous collection of essays about the intersections of 90s, 00s, 10s pop culture and queer culture. Jill Gutowitz shares her experiences as a lesbian, from her teenage years to present day, and blends them together with critiques of the media and its vilification of queer people (specifically lesbians). She discusses representation, or the lack thereof in TV and film, and how she hopes we're moving towards a queerer and more inclusive future.
A fun, short read, with lots of humorous moments, I liked the fact that Gutowitz doesn't pull her punches when it comes to denunciation of the press, social media, and organisations that are supposed to fight for justice.
I wish this book had been more inclusive of intersectional identites, though, because while it focuses on lesbian culture, there was little to no mention of trans and non-binary lesbians, and no real discussion of the difficulties that BIPOC lesbians face. This also feels like a very Western-centric book and doesn't really make any attempt to look at pop culture outside of the US and Europe, which feels like a missed opportunity.
A fun, short read, with lots of humorous moments, I liked the fact that Gutowitz doesn't pull her punches when it comes to denunciation of the press, social media, and organisations that are supposed to fight for justice.
I wish this book had been more inclusive of intersectional identites, though, because while it focuses on lesbian culture, there was little to no mention of trans and non-binary lesbians, and no real discussion of the difficulties that BIPOC lesbians face. This also feels like a very Western-centric book and doesn't really make any attempt to look at pop culture outside of the US and Europe, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia