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kellee 's review for:
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
by Anne Helen Petersen
I think I first heard of Anne Helen Petersen from a podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You, formerly hosted by Cristen and Caroline (one of the first podcasts I ever listened to). I’ve always been interested in how society views women, especially powerful women who speak up. AHP offers an interesting take on all of these women, and I enjoyed that she chose women who are very present in pop culture right now.
These are the eleven women profiled (in chapter order): Serena Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer from Broad City, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Caitlyn Jenner, Jennifer Weiner, and Lena Dunham.
I’d heard of all these women, watched them, read their work. I had conflicting opinions on them, and while reading, I found myself examining my own ideas about women.
In chapter one, “Too Strong,” Serena Williams is profiled as acting “like a man” while playing tennis, threatening the idea of what manliness is.
In chapter five “Too Old” on Madonna, AHP talks about the idea of age vs. physical capacity; in other words, that your ability to work should define your value, not your age. While Madonna is certainly defying her age from a traditional standpoint, and she is working just as hard as ever, she seems to be trying too hard to bring back the younger version of herself. I think that Cher has observed Madonna from the sidelines and staged her own comeback, learning from Madonna’s mistakes in this area.
In chapter 7 “Too Shrill,” I questioned my ideas about women in power - and what ideas do I really have, when the United States has never had a female president?
In chapter 10 “Too Naked” AHP brings up the idea of naked vs nudity, nudity being the ideal and naked being the ugly and uncomfortable. Nude is preferred, of course, but I do believe that we are naked in our most intimate moments, figuratively and literally. I came away with a new respect for Dunham’s comfort level to be as vulnerable as she can possibly be in front of the camera.
The book is really a canvas for women who look like themselves, who refuse to be defined by men, by gender norms, by their body type, or by anyone’s expectations. I think these women all reveal a little something about the ways society views women. They are all polarizing, and their unruly behaviors are precisely what drives conversation.
These are the eleven women profiled (in chapter order): Serena Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer from Broad City, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Caitlyn Jenner, Jennifer Weiner, and Lena Dunham.
I’d heard of all these women, watched them, read their work. I had conflicting opinions on them, and while reading, I found myself examining my own ideas about women.
In chapter one, “Too Strong,” Serena Williams is profiled as acting “like a man” while playing tennis, threatening the idea of what manliness is.
In chapter five “Too Old” on Madonna, AHP talks about the idea of age vs. physical capacity; in other words, that your ability to work should define your value, not your age. While Madonna is certainly defying her age from a traditional standpoint, and she is working just as hard as ever, she seems to be trying too hard to bring back the younger version of herself. I think that Cher has observed Madonna from the sidelines and staged her own comeback, learning from Madonna’s mistakes in this area.
In chapter 7 “Too Shrill,” I questioned my ideas about women in power - and what ideas do I really have, when the United States has never had a female president?
In chapter 10 “Too Naked” AHP brings up the idea of naked vs nudity, nudity being the ideal and naked being the ugly and uncomfortable. Nude is preferred, of course, but I do believe that we are naked in our most intimate moments, figuratively and literally. I came away with a new respect for Dunham’s comfort level to be as vulnerable as she can possibly be in front of the camera.
The book is really a canvas for women who look like themselves, who refuse to be defined by men, by gender norms, by their body type, or by anyone’s expectations. I think these women all reveal a little something about the ways society views women. They are all polarizing, and their unruly behaviors are precisely what drives conversation.