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How to Be a Woman

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 20,105 ratings · 2,948 reviews

Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?

Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on...more

ebook, 320 pages

Published July 17th 2012 by Harper (first published June 16th 2011)

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Mar 29, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Quite an uneven reading experience, a fault I largely blame on the marketing of this book. How to Be a Woman is touted as basically "Feminism--now with jokes!" And that's a concept that I could get onboard with. I would consider myself a feminist, I would consider myself moderately amusing at times, and I would consider myself a fan of Caitlin Moran's white streak in her wild mane--a bit reminiscent of the 90's version of Rogue. So, yes, let's do this! I want to feel empowered as a woman, I want...more

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May 06, 2013 Cat rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wanted to like this book so much! But it ended up being something I had to really power through. I laughed once, and it was in the prologue. There were a couple chapters where I was like "YES!! YES!!!", but then more where I was like "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??" and another few where I was like "huh.... ok??".

Things I liked:

-The abortion chapter: Yes! Such a great story. I love how she describes it as something she didn't have to spend tons of time agonizing over, how it wasn't traumatic, h...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Ceilidh rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think it's pretty safe to say that this book wasn't written for me.

Caitlin Moran's columns have always been a bit hit or miss for me but when she's on, she's a witty storyteller with some interesting points to make. She's no groundbreaking pantheon of feminist wisdom, but she's definitely a valuable, and often hilarious, ally. Her book was something I approached with hesitation since several published extracts had left me scratching my head, but with her upcoming scheduled appearance at the E...more I think it's pretty safe to say that this book wasn't written for me.

Caitlin Moran's columns have always been a bit hit or miss for me but when she's on, she's a witty storyteller with some interesting points to make. She's no groundbreaking pantheon of feminist wisdom, but she's definitely a valuable, and often hilarious, ally. Her book was something I approached with hesitation since several published extracts had left me scratching my head, but with her upcoming scheduled appearance at the Edinburgh Book Festival and my hopes of getting press tickets to said event, I decided to do my research and see what was happening in her ambitiously titled book, already creating big buzz in the press as a new 'fun' type of feminism.

Let's start with the positives. Moran's storytelling, while verging closely into column territory with its style, is witty, often heartwarming and very funny, especially when discussing her quirky family and upbringing. As a child, Moran couldn't stand the idea of being pitied, even in her own diary, so would be ridiculously happy when discussing the most mundane of things. Each chapter opens with an account from Moran's life, how it moulded her feminist opinions, then moves into a rambling, colloquial chat about issues Moran considers pressing for the feminist movement, although your mileage may vary on this front. Some parts, such as her discussion on abortion which includes her own experiences, are powerful and get to the true heart of the matter. I truly appreciated this chapter and Moran for spelling out what should be obvious to all - there is nothing wrong with choosing to have an abortion and sometimes it's the easiest decision a woman can make.

However, most of the book just doesn't pack the same punch as this segment. I'm 21 and I've only really been seriously discussing my feminism for about 3 or 4 years. It's something I pride myself on in many ways and I love to read feminist literature, partake in debates and educate myself as much as I can on issues that are most pressing to the world's women. I've yet to meet a woman who thinks that coming up with a name for one's vagina is a pressing feminist issue. I understand that the tone of the book is chatty, jokey and often the opposite of serious, but such a topic felt out of place. Other topics that Moran discusses - pole dancing, weight, clothes, stilettos, casual misogyny - reveal no new observations or anything of true substance. The book tries to be both a memoir of sorts and a tome for the 21st century feminist but feels too general and rushed to truly be either.

Moran frequently makes sweeping generalisations about men and women in order to make a point, which makes said points feel rather disingenuous. The colloquial style will definitely divide readers and I personally felt that the overuse of capslock, exclamation points and netspeak such as ENDOV and roflment were more of a distraction than anything else, something that's better suited to columns and tweets. Some points also left me asking questions - why is Lady Gaga a feminist symbol who controls her sexuality whilst doing near naked photo-shoots but the myriad of women who did it before her aren't? (It's worth noting, as Moran takes pride in doing, that Moran interviewed Gaga and said interview brought her much attention and acclaim.) Why do you think burlesque dancing is okay but pole dancing isn't? - and other parts coming close to fuming with anger - history has not proven men to be stronger with more achievements than women. Countless women were wiped from history because history is written by the victors! Nobody, female or otherwise, should be able to flirt their way to the top, that's disingenuous and further objectification/casual misogyny! Also, La Roux is a band, not a singer, and said singer, Elly Jackson, is not a lesbian like you said she was. A quick google would show that to you.

Lastly, there was one thing that really bugged me, and it was these lines:

(On her childhood cheery disposition: "I have all the joyful ebullience of a retard." [Page 5.]

(On burlesque dancing): "... it has a campy, tranny, fetish element to it." [Page 175.]

These aren't the only casually distasteful and problematic jokes Moran makes but these two stood out in my mind as particularly offensive. Since Moran takes a lot of time to discuss the harmful nature of the word 'fat', one would think she'd understand the damaging power of the R word and such ableist/transphobic language.

Overall, I'm sure there are many women who will love this book and I'm glad for them. While I vehemently disagree with Moran's assertion that feminism has ground to a halt (grassroots feminism has continued to make leaps and bounds behind the scenes), it is true that many modern women are cautious to label themselves as feminist when in reality it should be worn with a badge of pride. There's a lot to enjoy in Moran's book and some very funny moments but overall, it felt like a failed experiment to me, one that failed to scratch beyond the surface of modern day feminism in a way that would truly bring about the discussions we need. I'd heartily recommend Kat Banyard's "The Equality Illusion" for the starter feminist in need of guidance. Feminism doesn't need to be rock and roll, it's much better than that.

EDIT: Downgraded to one star because the more I think about it, the more I realise how much this book, its blatant hypocrisies, the obvious yet un-addressed bias of the author, the lack of fact-checking and the entire "Vichy France with tits" joke piss me off. Yes, Moran, a glamour model is just like the government of France which collaborated with Axis powers during World War 2. It's also hysterically accurate to compare a boy's childish reaction to a piece of underwear to "like that Vietnamese kid covered in napalm.". Keep in mind that all this, on top of the use of the word "retard", is present in a book where Moran writes an otherwise accurate piece on the harmful and emotional power of words such as "fat". I don't care if my criticisms of this get labelled as being too PC or some crap like that. Frankly, I'd rather be PC than crack stupid false equivalences regarding a child screaming in agonising pain.

I asked Moran about her use of the word "retard" in her book on more than one occasion on twitter. The result? She blocked me. Nice one. (less)

264 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Beth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, read-on-kindle, july-2011

You know what? Since there are so many four and five star reviews hanging around for this, I will serve a proper review to show why I absolutely could not stand this book. Moran is a sporadically talented writer -- maybe it deserved 2/2.5 stars in the writing stakes. However, I did something I almost never do: I rated this book intellectually.

As a memoir, it succeeded (almost) brilliantly -- her recollection of her wedding had me in absolute stitches and makes me laugh every time I reread it (y...more

131 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Book rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-in-a-thousand-years, prat, ragey-ragey-eyeballs-stabby

RAGEY RAGEY EYEBALL STABBY.

Moran can go screw herself. And return all those distasteful US dollars to the poor backward American women who bought her self-aggrandizing BS.

http://www.mamamia.com.au/social/mia-...

M: How was promoting your book in the US? Did they understand How to be a Woman?

C: It was tricky because many of the programs that you would go on, or interviews that you do, someone would take you aside and say “Well we’re kinda not allowed to say the word ‘vagina’ in America at the mom

...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two caveats:

One: At times, Moran misses the opportunity to connect the feminist needs and experiences of hetero women to the feminist needs and experiences of GLBTQAI, minority communities, and other groups of people to whom the female experience is infinitely parallel.

Two: I straight-up disagree with her on at least two major points.

But the thing is, her arguments for those two points were not ones I'd heard before. They made me think about issues in genuinely new ways. And I spend a LOT of ti...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

A little backstory. I have recently moved from a city that contained all my family and friends to a city that has no one I have ever met or spoken to prior to my move. Needless to say, I'm in a bit of a personal exploration stage of life, and this book called to me as I sipped my latte at my new neighborhood bookstore.

While I don't agree with every comment, suggested act, etc. that Moran mentions in her often funny ode to womanhood, I don't think I was meant to. Rather she takes the stance that...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Penney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-am-woman-roar, humor, favorites

Because life is too short to feel guilty about not being a perfect woman. Let’s get real.

Caitlin Moran is wicked funny and painfully, awkwardly truthful in this book. Rather than harp on the theoretical implications of modern feminism, Moran skips the arguments and says simply, “Feminism is having a vagina and wanting to be in charge of it.” Ding ding!

She manages to address the horrors of childbirth and the joys of parenting, the conundrum of naming of vaginas, and the unnecessary discomfort of...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Stella rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have laughed out loud in too many public places reading this perfect book that ALL women need to read and all men too. My reoccuring thought throughout reading was: It's not just me that thinks this way!
In little over 300 pages this book has made my confidence sky rocket.
This book takes you by the shoulders and shakes you like a best friend to remind you how important you are being exactly who you are with your saggy, flabby, wrinkly bits included too. Caitlin Moran - I demand MORE!...

25 likes · like · see review

Dec 12, 2012 KJ VB rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to KJ by: Nobody

Shelves: biography-nonfiction

Didn't know what to expect when I pulled it off the shelf, I didn't judge the book by it's cover, and I didn't have a clue who the author was, though I did have a skeptical suspicion that I was taking a big leap of faith, I figured it's in a charity shop so somebody obviously didn't want it or didn't like it, does this mean I might hate it?
Well I won't be making that presumption ever again, as it turned out to be an amazing book, I got home with it started reading with a cup of tea and was insta...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Alexandra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely hated this book.

I started to read it on a long flight as I found it in an airport store after having read and related to a quote from it online. I thought, well, that was a coincidence. Maybe I will enjoy it.

This books offers practically no new information. It was all "we're women, amirite? We have sex, and masturbate and menstruate and have babies, oh, and wearing leggings and boots is the best". Yes. And? I read this book looking for more than that, looking for more than what phys...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Meagan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction, humor

Feminists have been moaning about why women (and men) hesitate to label themselves as feminists these days. And rightly so. It makes no sense for women (or men) to be nervous about being pro-gender equality. I have a theory about that, which fits with both this book's assertions and many of the negative reviews of it here on goodreads. A lot of "traditional" feminists have this reputation for being aggressive, judgmental, and overly serious. Who wants to hang out with someone who is likely to fi...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Jesika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, memoir, non-fiction, humor, read-in-2012, reviewed, free, the-woman-question

*I won this in the FirstReads giveaway.*

I have never read anything by Caitlin Moran or knew that she was a columnist, so I came to this book without an opinion about the author. This is unusual for me. I usually pick up humorous memoirs by people I already consider funny because there is nothing worse than life stories from someone you don’t know that are supposed to be funny, but are really not that funny. It’s like hearing a long, awkward story about a coworker’s uncle. Luckily, Caitlin Moran...more *I won this in the FirstReads giveaway.*

I have never read anything by Caitlin Moran or knew that she was a columnist, so I came to this book without an opinion about the author. This is unusual for me. I usually pick up humorous memoirs by people I already consider funny because there is nothing worse than life stories from someone you don’t know that are supposed to be funny, but are really not that funny. It’s like hearing a long, awkward story about a coworker’s uncle. Luckily, Caitlin Moran writes without leaving any lose ends or “you know what happens next” winking that hampers many public figures’ memoirs. Also, she is funny. And she mentions ‘Star Wars’ at least four times, so she’s won me as a fan.

“How To Be A Woman” is told chronologically, starting on Caitlin’s 13th birthday and moves through to 2010. Each chapter tells personal stories that relate to a feminist issue. In the preface she says she wants to address things that academic feminists don’t consider important and she talks about a range of subjects- menstruation, masturbation, hair, celebrity magazines, children- in a personal, breezy way. The funniest stories have to do with her childhood and the navigation of her emerging libido. I especially connected with the story about Moran being excited to be old enough to get an 'adult' library card. Nerd girls be looking for smut at the library!

The personal style really works when her stories bring emotional resonance to subjects that are often talked about in abstractions and statistics. The chapter about her abortion is powerful. Her frankness might be seen as shocking (I’ve taken a lot of drugs! This is how I discovered masturbation!), but in the case of her abortion, her clear and forthright telling is very brave. The decision to share such a personal story about something that is so politically, religiously and culturally charged probably wasn’t an easy one. Kudos to Moran.

However, on several occasions it seems like certain aspects of a topic were glossed over in exchange for a strong personal opinion. In the chapter “I am a feminist!” she writes, “The idea that there are inherently wrong and inherently right ‘types’ women is what’s screwed feminism for so long-” then five chapters later berates strippers, telling them “Girls- get off the podium- you’re letting us all down.” So . . . we‘re not accepting women that make a living stripping in the feminist club? What about porn stars? All the reasons she gives against stripping seem also to apply to the porn industry which, according to the author, has an even bigger cultural impact than strip clubs, influencing everything from pubic hair to the sexual expectations of both men and women. Yet her criticism of pornography is directed at the industry as a whole, she never tells the actresses, “Only star in films that show women as an active, equal participant in sex! If you don’t, you’re letting us all down!” It seems the real difference is that Caitlin Moran likes pornography and dislikes strip clubs. That’s fine- but that’s personal preference and not a coherent analysis of sex workers.

One opinion that actually shocked me and made me mad was the assertion that “women have basically done fuck-all for the past 100,000 years”. As the “losers” of history, women “have no Mozart; no Einstein; no Galileo; no Gandhi” and we have to just accept that men created everything while women were just sitting around being oppressed. Anything less means we are pretending there is a “parallel history of women being victorious and creative, on an equal with men, that have been comprehensively covered up by The Man.” Granted, I haven’t taken a women’s studies or sociology class in seven years, but I don’t remember any of them teaching a fantasy like that. I don’t think addressing what women were doing while men were out ruling the world- from everyday domestic rituals to cultural outliers like Joan of Arc- undercuts the truth of the absolute power imbalance between the sexes throughout history.

Being a loser in history explains why women have never been paradigm changers. Women were systematically kept out of universities, theaters, government, orchestras, professional kitchens- to name a few- and the fight to participate in these arenas *is* women’s history, and it should not be reduced to doing “fuck-all“. However, Morain is right, there has never been a woman Gandhi. Forcing women’s history to fit into the standards of men or pretending that the accomplishments of women are anything more than what they are does a disservice to both men and women because that *does* diminish the impact of our patriarchal society. But to say that, therefore, there are no women who have made contributions towards social change worthy of mention is just as detrimental as holding up Mother Teresa as a female Gandhi. The truth lays somewhere between these two extremes, which, I’m sure, makes it less fun to write about.

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed reading this book. Sometimes I agreed with the author, sometimes I didn’t, but it was always pretty funny. While it’s not groundbreaking, it is refreshing to have a mainstream book that addresses women’s issues through the lenses of feminism. This would be a great book for a book club. It should generate lots of interesting-and passionate- discussion.(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Emy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: to-classify

No one can deny that Caitlin Moran has a way with words, and this is enough to make How To Be A Woman a very enjoyable and entertaining read.

But this book has more to offer than just style. "Part memoir, part rant" as described on the cover, is a good way of explaining how Caitlin Moran grounds reflections on feminism on personal experiences and anecdotes.

And for most of the book, it works. Unfortunaly, Moran loses her way before the end of the book. While at first her text shows a lot of reflec...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Georgina Taylor added it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

I can't rate this book as I didn't finish it.

There were parts of How To Be A Woman that I loved, especially the early chapters. Yet the questionable nature of some of the humor, and certain over-generalised statements, finally outweighed the good. It's a shame. I read in another review that this book might have worked better if it had been pitched as an autobiography, with feminist ideas, rather than a feminist book with autobiographic passages. I think this would have been a better option. It...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This took me a really long time to get into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I'm a feminist, I have been since I could form my own thoughts, and I'm not afraid of labeling my self as such. I think Moran has some amazing talking points in her bag : namely (view spoiler). I found myself skimming at times but really bonded with her when she discussed women who don't want children and why we aren't sub-h...more

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Aug 20, 2012 zan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I held back from giving this a review once I'd finished it. The opening chapters had me cheerleading its praises right away to friends: "You HAVE to read this BOOK." Yes! We have to laugh at bikini waxes! This is the only way women will move forward!

As I got deeper into the book, though, I was more torn. On the one hand, like many people who will read this book, I read it and was like "yes Yes YES!" At several points, I thought "THIS IS SO ME!" the way people do about Liz Lemon and Stevie Nicks...more I held back from giving this a review once I'd finished it. The opening chapters had me cheerleading its praises right away to friends: "You HAVE to read this BOOK." Yes! We have to laugh at bikini waxes! This is the only way women will move forward!

As I got deeper into the book, though, I was more torn. On the one hand, like many people who will read this book, I read it and was like "yes Yes YES!" At several points, I thought "THIS IS SO ME!" the way people do about Liz Lemon and Stevie Nicks and other fictional creatures. Right down to the love for boots and tights, distaste for expensive handbags, and encounters with Graham Coxon.

On the other hand, I took issue with some of her decrees, and so I wasn't sure I could rank this book highly, since I disagreed with what she was saying at points (or what she wasn't saying at others). Some of my disagreements were very personal, others not so much so. But there were several, and if you're reviewing a book called "How To Be A Woman" and you disagree with how she's saying one should be a woman, surely this should be mentioned? Then I realized: that's exactly part of the lesson she's trying to impart (with hilarity! and booze and drugs and awesome boot & tight combos!), that there can be disagreement among women, and our personal experiences are allowed to color our view of how a woman should be, and it's not as if we're not supporting the sisterhood by stating our differences. By being just plain human in our relationships with each other, we're doing women a lot of good. Duh. DUH! (SHE WRITES A LOT IN CAPS TOO TO MAKE YOU REALIZE HOW OBVIOUS THIS ALL IS.)

So my very human review of How to Be a Woman: Caitlin Moran is witty, personable, and frank. While I think it's impossible to represent the view of every woman in the world, and certainly not everyone will relate to her perspective, she did a fantastic job of bringing levity to being a feminist. Which is something we all need more of. And if I have one ally in my fight against the Terror of Waxing, I will sing her praises to the heavens for all to hear. Bless you, Ms. Moran: my 70s patoo-too (a word I spontaneously invented the other day when forced to refer to "it" out loud) thanks you at least for that.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, feminism

I made the mistake of trying to read some of this book in the hairdressers and had to put it away as I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face and everyone was staring at me. I've never read anything by Caitlin Moran before and only came across this book as a blog I read mentioned it, however I really really enjoyed this book, I took a long time to read it as I wanted to draw it out. It's not a feminist handbook or intellectual analysis of the feminist movement, it's an anecdotal r...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Janette Fleming rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Synopsis

1913 – Suffragette throws herself under the King’s horse.

1969 – Feminists storm Miss World.

NOW – Caitlin Moran rewrites The Female Eunuch from a bar stool and demands to know why pants are getting smaller. There’s never been a better time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven’t been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain…
Why are we supposed to get Brazilians?
Should you get Botox?
Do men secretly hate us?
What should you call your...more

15 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2013 Joell Smith-Borne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, genderstuff, nonfic

Love love love this book. The audiobook is a great way to go because Moran reads it herself, and it's like having your funnest girlfriend telling you all her best stories and making you feel like you're as awesome as she is--for more than 9 hours. Moran is incredibly funny, but so so smart too, and completely unafraid to call bullshit where she sees it.

ETA: after looking through some other reviews, I thought I'd stress again that I think the audiobook is the way to go. I think maybe some readers...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Betty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, recs-for-my-sister

I hadn't heard of Caitlin Moran before this, but I'm definitely seeking out her columns from now on. She's really funny, gross, and opinionated. All values I esteem highly. She also speaks so so frankly about feminism and where it fits in modern society (EVERYWHERE) and at one point she describes a baby as being "an organism inside your body, made of sex and food" which made me snort out loud. Basically this was a really fun quick read but political enough that you don't feel guilty for loving t...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't know who Caitlin (pronounced Catlin) Moran was when I started reading this book, but she is a UK music journalist and occasional TV presenter and this is her life story from the perspective of how she evolved from a dorky 13 year old who wanted to be a princess to a genuine, fearlessly feminist woman. It's frequently amusing and often thought provoking. I doubt anyone will read this and agree with everything that she thinks, but that's perfectly fine - though I must say, I agreed with m...more

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May 22, 2013 Ema rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I rarely write reviews but found the reviews for this book interesting so thought if add my two cents.
Firstly I've never laughed so much at any book and I did connect with the author and identify with her. The autobiographical nature of the book is its strong point and her anecdotes are so enjoyable.
Some serious points are that she does a lot to normalise feminism so that it seems an attractive thing that a modern, successful, social, married mother might aspire to rather than a hairy-legged, m...more

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May 16, 2013 Christin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has been a long time since I read a work of popular feminism that was so vivacious, bawdy, or interesting, in fact I thought popular feminism had migrated solely onto the internet and largely involved women declaring Tina Fey their champion. Adore her though I may, Fey remains largely mum on politics and policies and the policing of women's minds and bodies. She picks her battles, battles where Moran is already fully entering the breach. Moran offers a very exuberant, very direct response in...more

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May 15, 2013 Nancy Cours rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Despite her impressive knowledge of American pop culture, Moran is a product of the U.K. through and through. I can tell because I didn't understand half of the British colloquialisms she implemented. I had no idea there were so many different names for one's lady parts! My browser history is probably a sight...! My kindle didn't know most of them.

Although I don't relate to all of Moran's feminist considerations, I respect them. Which says a lot considering I've further rejected more "refined"/a...more

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May 14, 2013 Johanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-autobiographical, feminism

This is an absolute gem of a book that is a delightful combination of autobiographical writing and feminist thought. Caitlin Moran gives us an extremely amusing insight into her life and her theories on how to be a woman. In a world of shrinking underwear that barley covers bald genitals it is easy to see that feminism still has a long way to go.

Unlike previous feminist icons, Moran firmly believes that men are not the enemy – only misogynistic preconceptions and the patriarchy are to answer fo...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Kiera Healy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I borrowed this book a year ago and, because I am a bad friend, subsequently moved to Spain. I recently found it in my cupboard and before I return it, I wanted to give it another look, to see if there was anything I'd missed the first time.

I don't really like Caitlin Moran. I never liked her writing for The Times, a newspaper I used to read everyday back when I lived in England. Her style bothers me - it's too reliant on capslock and excessive punctuation to be entertaining. It's like someone m...more I borrowed this book a year ago and, because I am a bad friend, subsequently moved to Spain. I recently found it in my cupboard and before I return it, I wanted to give it another look, to see if there was anything I'd missed the first time.

I don't really like Caitlin Moran. I never liked her writing for The Times, a newspaper I used to read everyday back when I lived in England. Her style bothers me - it's too reliant on capslock and excessive punctuation to be entertaining. It's like someone making a mildly amusing comment, then elbowing you repeatedly in the ribs - "THAT WAS FUNNY, GEDDIT?! GEDDIT?!"

This book made me actively dislike her. Not only is her style of writing irritating, she's also proudly convinced of her own importance. So there's lot and lots about how wacky and unique her upbringing was, which gets tiresome. Worse, her feminism is of the "my way or the highway" variety. She paints her opinions as feminist fact. Thus all feminists must embrace their pubic hair, laud burlesque as fun and empowering but hate stripping as cheap and exploitative, and worship Lady Gaga as the greatest modern feminist icon (this because...Moran interviewed her once and had a fun time hanging out with her, and would really, really like to be her BFF. The chapter actually makes for uncomfortable reading, rather like if my 14-year-old cousin met Jedward and wrote an account of it).

I don't share Moran's view: I don't care about the state of other women's pubic hair, I think burlesque is every bit as vile as stripping, and I actually don't have an opinion on Lady Gaga. I have also never tasted my own menstrual fluid or named my breasts or vagina; according to Moran, I am a defective feminist because of this.

One of the keywords of the current wave of feminism is intersectionality. In layman's terms, this is the understanding that women are not the only disadvantaged group to consider: modern feminists (are we fourth wave yet, or still third? I'm not sure) also care about racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other issues too depressingly numerous to name. Moran has no interest in intersectionality. Worse, this is not merely due to omission. It's willful, deeply unpleasant ignorance. For Moran, feminism exists in a vacuum. She hates the word "fat" because it is used to oppress women - but she happily uses "retard" and "tranny" as punchlines to her lame jokes. Her insensitivity is, at times, obscene: she compares a glamour model to Vichy France, and a horrified reaction is described as being "like that Vietnamese kid covered in napalm".

Whoa. Come again? I grew up in a large Asian city and, although I was born in 1986, my childhood was informed by the devastating effects of the war in Vietnam. Vietnamese beggars could be identified by their burns, their missing limbs, and other disfiguring marks of conflict. My father, a police officer, was tasked in the early 1990s with leading the repatriation of the Vietnamese refugees who had fled the war and, twenty years later, had to be forced to return to their devastated country. Why is Moran allowed to print this disgusting line? Would we let her get away with a joke about Jews in the gas chamber, or the victims of modern-day terrorism?

In conclusion, Moran's style irritated me, her insistence that hers is the One True Feminism pissed me off, but it's her use of bigoted language and grotesquely ignorant "jokes" that really made me hate this book. She is to be lauded for her bravery in one particular instance - it is still taboo for a woman in the public eye to admit to having an abortion, and bravo to her for coming out and talking about it. But she really can't be presented as the face of modern feminism because frankly, she doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about most of the time.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Eva rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't realize this was going to be a series of chapters by a loud, funny British feminist, half essay and half memoir. She's hilarious, but it's not a must-read. Kindle quotes:

I get home, and cry on the doorstep. It’s honestly too crowded to cry in the house. I’ve tried crying in the house before—you explain why you’re crying to one person between the sobs, and then you’re only halfway through before someone else comes in and needs to hear the story from the top again, and before you know it...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Thom Sutton rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beyond generally agreeing with what she has to say, I appreciated the way Moran approaches her topics. It's refreshing to find a book that deals with feminism (or any big-deal "issue", really) in a way that's entertaining without sacrificing intelligible arguments.

Only a handful of minor gripes:

- I really enjoyed the use of an autobiography as the basis for discussing different topics relevant to feminism, but was hoping the book would stick closer to the chronological autobiography style of the...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Honest, quippy, and sometimes a bit too much information - a look at feminism and being feminine introspectively, culturally, socially, and historically, largely based on Caitlin's life experience. All girls deal with the journey of figuring out what it means to be a woman, and if we're honest, we haven't got it all figured out.
How many things do we think are normal because the media, society, or as Moran calls it, the "patriarchy" have determined it for us? Why aren't women paid the same as me...more

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About Caitlin Moran

Caitlin Moran had literally no friends in 1990, and so had plenty of time to write her first novel, The Chronicles of Narmo, at the age of fifteen. At sixteen she joined music weekly, Melody Maker, and at eighteen briefly presented the pop show 'Naked City' on Channel 4. Following this precocious start she then put in eighteen solid years as a columnist on The Times – both as a TV critic and also...more

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“We need to reclaim the word 'feminism'. We need the word 'feminism' back real bad. When statistics come in saying that only 29% of American women would describe themselves as feminist - and only 42% of British women - I used to think, What do you think feminism IS, ladies? What part of 'liberation for women' is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? 'Vogue' by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good shit GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY?” — 249 people liked it

“When a woman says, ‘I have nothing to wear!’, what she really means is, ‘There’s nothing here for who I’m supposed to be today.” — 142 people liked it

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