Scan barcode
A review by lovelyla
Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both by Laura Sessions Stepp
3.0
"The wisest feminists say to young women: Listen to yourselves. There is no lasting satisfaction in taking a man to bed and leaving him at will, just because you can or because your friends tell you to. Very little good comes of sleeping with a guy, or even making out with a guy, you barely know. If you're interested in a guy, study him as you would for an exam. Spend time with him. Allow him to get to know you." --p. 218
Although I can't deem Ms. Stepp's work as the greatest insight into the anthropology of young women, the book does hold interesting little gems like the quote above. The thesis of "Unhooked" is superb; yes, let's discuss how women are using their sexuality as they grow into themselves, and why they choose "hooking up" to do so. However, I was a bit annoyed at the dichotomy between the subtitle of the book, "How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both," and the subjects the author chose to interview/analyze. I was under the impression the work would focus on young women of various economic and social statuses, and not solely young women inhabiting prominent universities and coming from middle to upper class homes. All young women struggle in manuevering within relationships, sexual and otherwise, especially in the 21st century. It would have been nice to see the lives of women who don't have the same educational and financial opportunites as the young ladies in Ms. Stepp's book, but have similar experiences. Regardless of that annoyance, the book is a great discussion starter, and even forced me to look at my own sexual experiences in my early twenties, and how they've shaped the woman I've become.
Although I can't deem Ms. Stepp's work as the greatest insight into the anthropology of young women, the book does hold interesting little gems like the quote above. The thesis of "Unhooked" is superb; yes, let's discuss how women are using their sexuality as they grow into themselves, and why they choose "hooking up" to do so. However, I was a bit annoyed at the dichotomy between the subtitle of the book, "How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both," and the subjects the author chose to interview/analyze. I was under the impression the work would focus on young women of various economic and social statuses, and not solely young women inhabiting prominent universities and coming from middle to upper class homes. All young women struggle in manuevering within relationships, sexual and otherwise, especially in the 21st century. It would have been nice to see the lives of women who don't have the same educational and financial opportunites as the young ladies in Ms. Stepp's book, but have similar experiences. Regardless of that annoyance, the book is a great discussion starter, and even forced me to look at my own sexual experiences in my early twenties, and how they've shaped the woman I've become.