It's tough to be a woman. As a woman, I know this, but then I read books like Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear . . . and Why by Sady Doyle and am reminded that it's really tough to be a woman, particularly if you find yourself in the spotlight. Being in the spotlight is hard no matter who you are; your narrative is no longer yours, your life … [Read more...]
Every Woman Can Relate to 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl
When I was trying to decide what to read next, Andi over at Estella's Revenge recommended 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad. It's been getting rave reviews, so while I wasn't quite sure what the book was about, I decided to give it ago. This was also because Awad is a PhD student at the University of Denver (DU), where I went to grad school.Told through a series … [Read more...]
Women and Maternity Leave Dominate ‘The Creepshow’
As a woman in the workforce, I have experienced sexism. I have been patted on the head and told I'm doing a good job, was informed at age 17 that I couldn't work Friday nights because the boys wouldn't listen to me, and have had sexism mansplained to me in a variety of ways. Sometimes it's with the excuse that this sexism isn't as bad as it could be and with others it's … [Read more...]
Gloria Steinem’s Kindle Singles Interview
Gloria Steinem is a feminist. I am feminist. Therefore, I should know everything about Gloria Steinem, right? In reality, I don't know enough about her. I know how important she is and the overarching things she has achieved, but when it comes to her personal life, I am mostly unaware. Although this Kindle Single is less than 40 pages, I feel like I understand her a bit more … [Read more...]
Sixteen Writers On Not Having Kids
It is a truth universally acknowledged that not wanting kids makes you a horrible person. Okay, that's not exactly how the line goes and not wanting kids certainly doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, but society does have a tendency to stigmatize those, especially women, who don't want to push out a child and raise it for decades to come. This stigma is ludicrous, of … [Read more...]
I Am a Bad Feminist and That’s Okay (Book Review)
Confession: I am a bad feminist. I try, I really do, but sometimes it can be exhausting and while I'm pretty vocal in my beliefs, I sometimes let things slide because I have other things to do. Luckily, Roxane Gay has granted me a reprieve because she, too, is a Bad Feminist. There were parts of this book that made me feel like I found a kindred spirit (I, too, find rap … [Read more...]
Men: Stop Explaining Things to Women (Book Review)
It's a sad state of affairs when a book titled Men Explain Things to Me is a title that makes sense. As a woman who has had men explain things to her, I was both looking forward to and dreading this book because I knew I would find both solace and frustration in our shared experiences. Thankfully, some of Solnit's experiences haven't happened to me yet, but because I was once … [Read more...]
Women & Confidence: The Confidence Code (Book Review)
Why is it that so many women lack confidence? Is it cultural? Political? Genetic? This is what the authors set out to answer in The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know. Written by two journalists who spend their days in the male-dominated field of politics, they wanted to know what exactly led women to qualify their … [Read more...]