The title of this caught my attention at once. Why would anyone say that they’re bad feminists? It didn’t make much sense, but a lot of people were talking about it and I decided to give it a chance. Her title was bold and provocative (I like those things) and the content was in perfect agreement with it.

I enjoyed the essays that make up this book. Roxanne Gay’s honest and ironic, and I felt the points she makes about pop culture are very smart. I really loved seeing topics that that concern me analyzed in depth and critically. There’s a lot on women’s perception and portrayal in media (a great essay about the awful Robin Thicke song… you know which one) and also about how race is seen through pop culture. I particularly liked her essay about Orange is the New Black (a series I loved) and how it isn’t so innovative in its race portrayal. The fact that I happened to share a lot of her views (representation in media IS important, despite whatever my sister thinks), helped me get in her mood very easily.

I really loved that Gay isn’t afraid of saying what she thinks and having a strong stance about it. These issues are relevant to our whole society, as globalization is making the frontiers between countries a lot blurrier. So it’s important to question and address these cultural issues. Roxanne is making a point of criticizing thins that need to be explained.

Also, I loved the concept of “bad feminist”. I think we all are, I have yet to meet a perfect feminist (I’m not quite sure they exist). And there’s nothing wrong with that. We all like problematic stuff (like rom coms and rap music), but the difference is when you know why they are problematic. If you know and are able to separate the fact that you enjoyed a problematic thing, from believing that such problematic content is “okay”, you’ll be a decent feminist. After all, we’re human, and being perfectly politically correct at all times is utopic at best.

Roxanne Gay here is pointing to many women who don’t identify as feminist because they seem to think that feminism is the same as hating everything (yes, the old “angry feminist” shit we all know). She shows that it has nothing to do with that, but with wanting equality for women and men, and for trying actively to create a better society. You can be a feminist and like whatever, as long as you’re able to see the problems within it. And also, it’s a call for feminist to relax a little and don’t hate everything feminine. There’s nothing wrong with liking pink, and it won’t make you any less of a feminist (Gay actually says it’s her favorite color).

If you think you’re a good feminist, read this. If you think you’re a bad one, also read it. And if you don’t think feminism is important, PLEASE READ IT. You’ll see why it’s so important.