Pygmalion’s Chisel: For Women Who Are “Never Good Enough”

by Tracy M. Hallstead

Pygmalion's For Women Who are Never Good Enough, by Tracy M. Hallstead, examines the enduring critical presence in contemporary Western culture that scrutinizes, critiques, and sizes women down in their daily lives, despite rights gained through the centuries. Pygmalion was the ancient mythical sculptor who believed that all women were essentially flawed and who therefore endeavored to chisel a statue of a woman whom he called Galatea to perfection. Like the perpetually carved and refined Galatea, women labor under Western culture's a priori assumption that they are flawed, yet they are often unable to account for the self-criticism and self-doubt that result from this premise. As Hallstead analyzes the culture's requirements for the perfect woman, she traces how cultural forces permeate women's personal lives. In calling for solutions, she resurfaces the thinking of compelling historical women who responded, rather than reacted, to the patriarchal culture that devalued them. In engaging these women of the past, whose struggles were eerily similar to those of contemporary women, Hallstead encourages a responsive feminism that becomes the clear path leading outside Pygmalion's chamber door.

150 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy Hallstead's book is important in a couple of ways: as a reminder to those of us who have thought a great deal about patriarchy and its role in women's lives before, and as a wake-up call to those who may think it's old news. It's not. Pygmalion's Chisel: For Women Who Are Never Good Enough covers a lot of ground and serves as a comprehensive overview of many of the challenges women continue to face in our society today, from widely accepted social constraints to downright abuse. Hallstead discusses a number of important "first wave" women about whom I knew very little, and I was particularly taken by the story of the Grimke Sisters. But the book also serves as a stark reminder of how far we have yet to go, with particularly pertinent segments on the terrifying silencing of women on the Internet and examples of misogynistic advertising as chronicled on current websites like about-face.org. Hallstead ends with a call to action for us all, women and men, reminding us that we are not powerless in the face of patriarchy. We can choose not to be "cogs in the wheel." I highly recommend this book in particular for young feminists of any gender who may benefit from this thoughtful and thought-provoking overview of the issues.