Times Columnist, Caitlin Moran, shifted the feminist goal posts when she wrote How To Be A Woman. But some disenters have accused her of trivialising feminism.
My favourite quote about feminism came from an old college friend of mine.
“I’m not feminist I just think women should be treated equally.”
She looked pretty worried when I told her, like it or not, she was actually a feminist.
There’s a long and winding argument about whether people should or shouldn’t self identify. And although Moran doesn’t address it directly in her book, How to Be A Woman, it is implied in what she calls the new wave of feminism.
For a while now women have been looking to lift the heaviness of 70s feminism. That’s not to discredit what those incredible women did. I would probably not be sitting at this computer now, writing this, if it hadn’t been for them.
However once (some) of the freedoms had been won the daughters of these women were able to grow up in a different world. And that world didn’t fit with the old feminist model.
And this is essentially what Moran looks at in her book…except she makes it much funnier. And probably more insightful. And she definitely has a greater use of CAPITAL LETTERS.
The chapter on fashion and feminism is particularly interesting. Moran always appears such a strong confident woman, but a story of a photo shoot, which left her in tears, illustrates how destructive the industry can be. The story is both painful and refreshingly honest.
For anyone struggling with their inner feminist this book is a fantastic introduction. It makes feminism seem like the hippest party in town that even my old college friend would want to be invited to.
How To be Woman is available from Amazon priced a mere £3.86.