Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies

Book (Collection of Essays), 2018

Premise - A collection of essays by academics, writers, actresses, and other high-profile women on what feminism means to them and how we can and should take action to support gender equality for all. Essays are sorted into "Epiphany", "Anger", "Joy", "Poetry Break", "Action", and "Education", with suggestions for further reading.


Review - With dozens of essays, this was a very mixed bag. I was very excited to read this book for several reasons. The first worth mentioning is the aesthetic (pink is my favorite color, and this particular shade of pink, as is explained in a later essay titled "Baker-Miller pink", is known for its powerful healing qualities). But most notably, I have interest in some of the contributing essayists. That is the value of using high-profile women - their experiences may not be the most representative of standard, low- and middle-class women, but they have fanbases and audiences who will consume their work and learn something about feminism in the process. Some of the essayists include Evanna Lynch, the actress who plays Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter franchise, and Alison Sudol, who plays Queenie Goldstein in the Harry Potter spinoff franchise Fantastic Beasts. Emma Watson (Hermione Granger in Harry Potter) also wrote a quick introduction to further reading that can be found in her feminist book club, "Our Shared Shelf." All of this I knew before even cracking open the book because I follow them on social media. Once I started reading, I recognized other essayists such as Kiera Knightley, Karen Gillan, and Saiorse Ronan.

Unfortunately, these recognizable and lovable voices are not professional writers. I struggled to read through several because of the weak sentence structures, excessive colloquialisms, and even typos. I'm less upset with the actresses/activists who participated because we cannot expect them to all have poignant writing skills, and they still have lived experiences and noteworthy opinions to share. I'm a little more stunned by the curators/editors who did not appear to go with these with a fine-tooth comb, or any comb. Again, I write very casually as well and that can come across very poorly. I don't consider myself a bad writer because I can spruce something up if I want to. For something that's going to be published, I'd expect a higher caliber. Worse still than editing/proofreading issues are those of general content organization. I felt as though some of these writers had interesting tales but did not know how to structure a compelling essay. Ideas weren't tied to a central theme, especially evident by some of the mismatched titles. As much as I love Evanna or Alison, I can't say they have a skill for essay writing. That said, there were several essays that I thought were very well written. Like I said, mixed bag.

All of the essays, however, were easy to digest and would whet anyone's appetite for more feminist text. I would imagine the target audience would be all women, though especially teenagers. These are not meant to be dense, academic texts, but introductory, relatable tales to make feminism seem fun and accessible for everyone. So while I resonated more with the academic-heavy essays (there's one on a brief summary of all of the different waves of feminism and notable historical events, and I LOVED that one), I can imagine others might absorb more from the simpler ones.

This is feminism that feels lighthearted and enjoyable. It's a book that brings joy as well as drive for action, and to that end, I think this was a good idea for a book. (87/100)

Quote - "I am only one woman with one experience of the world. Therefore, alone I can only access a sliver of what feminism represents and holds up. However, when I actively stuff my pockets, I am filled with the brilliance of other women and their experiences. Therefore, I try to actively seek out the inspiring ideas, the maddening plights and important missions of other women....I try to do this by reading novels, essays and articles, watching television and films, and listening to podcasts. And I'm sure I'm missing so many! But basically, if there is a woman with a story to share, I want to hear it. And then comes the crucial step involved in stuffing your pockets: to not only hear the story, but then take it in, fold it in to your own understanding and hold on to it forever."

What to read for - Here are my favorite essays:

"Stuff Your Pockets" by Beanie Feldstein - my favorite and where the quote comes from.
"Baker-Miller Pink" by Scarlett Curtis
"A Short History of Feminist Theory" by Claire Horn
"The Catastrophizer's Alphabet" by Kat Dennings
"The Question" by Lolly Adefope

If you liked this book, I'd recommend Bad Feminist!

Curated by Scarlett Curtis
Published by Penguin Books