What do you think?
Rate this book
Hot Feminist
*Perfect for fans of the Guilty Feminist* Hot (adj.) : (Of a person) Attractive 'a hot chick'Fem-i-n-ist (n.) : A person who supports feminism, the movement that advocates equal rights for womenPolly Vernon, Grazia columnist, Times feature writer (hair-flicker, Brazilian-waxer, jeans obsessive, outrageous flirt) presents a brave new perspective on feminism. Drawing on her dedicated, life-long pursuit of hotness - having dismissed many of the rules on 'good' feminism at some point in the early 90s - she'll teach you everything you ever wanted to know about being a feminist when you care about how you look. When part of your brain is constantly monologuing on fashion. When you check out your own reflection in every reflective surface. When your depilation practices are pretty much out of control. When you just really want to be fancied.Hot Feminist is based on a principle of non-judgment (because there's enough already), honesty about how often we mess this up, and empowerment through looks. Part memoir, part road map, it's a rolling, raucous rejection of all those things we're convinced we shouldn't think / wear/ feel/ say/ buy/ want - and a celebration of all the things we can.It is modern feminism, with style, without judgment
- GenresNonfictionFeminism
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2015
22 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 13, 2015
Ladies, are you ready to free yourselves from the heavy, unglamorous shackles of feminism? Do you look forward to the day when you won’t be judged for talking about sexist double standards while wearing bright red lipstick? Are you secretly waiting for permission to wear high heels while plotting the downfall of patriarchy?
After all, we know it’s nearly impossible to be both a feminist and a fashion-loving glamazon. And the same goes for all those heterosexual women who love men and want to be desired by them.
Of course, the statements above are ridiculously misinformed. But that’s not what Polly Vernon, UK Grazia columnist and author of a book called, deep breath, Hot Feminist, thinks. She dedicates nearly 400 pages to reminding us that a feminist has the right to be hot (and shares tips on how, precisely, to achieve maximum feminist sizzle).
As the chapters prance along and Vernon rambles on, it becomes a pretty exhausting – and infuriating – read. What makes the book work initially is Vernon’s voice: she’s witty, straightforward and doesn’t give a damn if she sounds like something of a Judas to “serious feminists”. She’s like Caitlin Moran, but even more self-absorbed.
Very early into the book you already have plenty to roll your eyes at and side-eye, and many reasons to throw it at the wall (if only you didn’t love books and respect paper so much).
Take, for instance, Vernon’s explanation of what type of feminist she is: “The shavey leggy, fashion-fixated, wrinkle-averse, weight-conscious kind of feminist. The kind who likes hot pink and boys; oh, I like boys! I like boys so much, I think of myself as ‘boy-crazy’ … I like messing about with new hairstyles, and fighting for equal pay.”
Now simply reword and play around with the above quotes, multiply several times, and you’ve pretty much read all of Hot Feminist. It’s an oversimplification of what feminism is about, and it reduces a complex concepts to a battle between Hot Feminists and The Feminists Who Hate Them.
Yes, mainstream feminism – especially online – is certainly very judgmental, displays bullying tendencies and often has a problematic “You can’t sit with us” attitude. Mainstream feminism’s biggest issue isn’t the battle over women’s looks, but its failure to acknowledge women of colour and recognise intersectionality.
But Vernon fails to explore any of this because that’s not her struggle, is it? This book is the literary equivalent of being stuck on the couch with someone who talks about themselves all night at a party. Rather pick up a copy of Roxane Gay’s delightful Bad Feminist. You’re welcome.
After all, we know it’s nearly impossible to be both a feminist and a fashion-loving glamazon. And the same goes for all those heterosexual women who love men and want to be desired by them.
Of course, the statements above are ridiculously misinformed. But that’s not what Polly Vernon, UK Grazia columnist and author of a book called, deep breath, Hot Feminist, thinks. She dedicates nearly 400 pages to reminding us that a feminist has the right to be hot (and shares tips on how, precisely, to achieve maximum feminist sizzle).
As the chapters prance along and Vernon rambles on, it becomes a pretty exhausting – and infuriating – read. What makes the book work initially is Vernon’s voice: she’s witty, straightforward and doesn’t give a damn if she sounds like something of a Judas to “serious feminists”. She’s like Caitlin Moran, but even more self-absorbed.
Very early into the book you already have plenty to roll your eyes at and side-eye, and many reasons to throw it at the wall (if only you didn’t love books and respect paper so much).
Take, for instance, Vernon’s explanation of what type of feminist she is: “The shavey leggy, fashion-fixated, wrinkle-averse, weight-conscious kind of feminist. The kind who likes hot pink and boys; oh, I like boys! I like boys so much, I think of myself as ‘boy-crazy’ … I like messing about with new hairstyles, and fighting for equal pay.”
Now simply reword and play around with the above quotes, multiply several times, and you’ve pretty much read all of Hot Feminist. It’s an oversimplification of what feminism is about, and it reduces a complex concepts to a battle between Hot Feminists and The Feminists Who Hate Them.
Yes, mainstream feminism – especially online – is certainly very judgmental, displays bullying tendencies and often has a problematic “You can’t sit with us” attitude. Mainstream feminism’s biggest issue isn’t the battle over women’s looks, but its failure to acknowledge women of colour and recognise intersectionality.
But Vernon fails to explore any of this because that’s not her struggle, is it? This book is the literary equivalent of being stuck on the couch with someone who talks about themselves all night at a party. Rather pick up a copy of Roxane Gay’s delightful Bad Feminist. You’re welcome.
April 14, 2016
As a fashion book, this is pretty good. If you like reading 'Cosmopolitan' or 'Glamour', but wish it was a bit more in depth and opinionated, this is a good book for you.
However (the largest however I've ever used), as a feminist book this is not good.
Not good at all.
Polly Vernon doesn't really seem to subscribe to the idea of feminism, so much as she subscribes to the idea of selfism (aka. being completely and utterly obsessed with the self). She talks about the three feminist ideas she subscribes to most seriously, and they are all ideas that strongly relate to her. She gives a paragraph over to lesbianism, no words at all to transgender or asexual people, and manages two mentions of the plight of women from different countries - one while giving her fashion forward opinion on niqabs and burkas, the other while mentioning FGM as a concern for some feminists. An entire aspect of feminism that she hardly even touches upon, preferring instead to focus solely on the components that affect the white middle class in the UK.
Combined with this, she's completely patronising. She won't "compromise" her "feminist politics" by learning to clean, so she employs a woman to clean for her instead. She also has an idiotic sense of humour - calling one of her chapters "a funny story about rape" isn't funny, cute or clever - it's a trigger for rape victims, and it's not cool. Also, relating the fact that you used your sexual assault, your near rape experience, for male attention? Wow. Just wow.
Maybe if she wasn't so stereotypically "hot" I'd be able to subscribe to her beliefs a bit more, but when you're adamant that "hot" is being used as a synonym for "cool" but go on to talk about how much make-up you wear and how thin you are... Well, this book isn't going to help the regular woman. Yes, I know, feminism is all about not hating other women, about supporting them in their life choices, attitudes and actions, but when it feels like someone has been paid for 300+ pages of gloating about how good their life is... Well, you're allowed to hate them at that point (even if only a little bit).
I did question whether to review this title or not, because Polly makes a very big effort of scolding "Snarking and Trashing", but I think shooting things down - in print, nonetheless - is just an excuse to stop comment and debate, and to make people feel uncomfortable about speaking their dissenting opinions, so this is me speaking mine. "Hot Feminism" is not a good thing to subscribe to - in fact, it's one of the most vapid and egotistical things I've ever read. It's absolutely fine to look beautiful, make an effort with your clothes and make-up, and still care about womens issues - but please, care about the issues on the whole rather than just YOUR issues. Yes, legal abortions are important. Yes, it will be great when there is eventually equal pay between the genders. But illegalising FGM, minimising honour killings, stopping transgender bashing of all kinds... These are important to, and these deserve attention as well.
However (the largest however I've ever used), as a feminist book this is not good.
Not good at all.
Polly Vernon doesn't really seem to subscribe to the idea of feminism, so much as she subscribes to the idea of selfism (aka. being completely and utterly obsessed with the self). She talks about the three feminist ideas she subscribes to most seriously, and they are all ideas that strongly relate to her. She gives a paragraph over to lesbianism, no words at all to transgender or asexual people, and manages two mentions of the plight of women from different countries - one while giving her fashion forward opinion on niqabs and burkas, the other while mentioning FGM as a concern for some feminists. An entire aspect of feminism that she hardly even touches upon, preferring instead to focus solely on the components that affect the white middle class in the UK.
Combined with this, she's completely patronising. She won't "compromise" her "feminist politics" by learning to clean, so she employs a woman to clean for her instead. She also has an idiotic sense of humour - calling one of her chapters "a funny story about rape" isn't funny, cute or clever - it's a trigger for rape victims, and it's not cool. Also, relating the fact that you used your sexual assault, your near rape experience, for male attention? Wow. Just wow.
Maybe if she wasn't so stereotypically "hot" I'd be able to subscribe to her beliefs a bit more, but when you're adamant that "hot" is being used as a synonym for "cool" but go on to talk about how much make-up you wear and how thin you are... Well, this book isn't going to help the regular woman. Yes, I know, feminism is all about not hating other women, about supporting them in their life choices, attitudes and actions, but when it feels like someone has been paid for 300+ pages of gloating about how good their life is... Well, you're allowed to hate them at that point (even if only a little bit).
I did question whether to review this title or not, because Polly makes a very big effort of scolding "Snarking and Trashing", but I think shooting things down - in print, nonetheless - is just an excuse to stop comment and debate, and to make people feel uncomfortable about speaking their dissenting opinions, so this is me speaking mine. "Hot Feminism" is not a good thing to subscribe to - in fact, it's one of the most vapid and egotistical things I've ever read. It's absolutely fine to look beautiful, make an effort with your clothes and make-up, and still care about womens issues - but please, care about the issues on the whole rather than just YOUR issues. Yes, legal abortions are important. Yes, it will be great when there is eventually equal pay between the genders. But illegalising FGM, minimising honour killings, stopping transgender bashing of all kinds... These are important to, and these deserve attention as well.
February 19, 2016
Watch a Beyonce video instead.
July 3, 2015
Grazia columnist Polly Vernon's new book promises modern feminism with style - and without judgement; but does it cut the mustard?
Take one white, female, middle class, heterosexual, London-based journalist. Add a clutch of anecdotes from the 90s; some cultural commentary about gender; a pinch of insight: a splash of irreverence; a generous helping of jokes; a sprinkling of exclamation marks; and a clickbait-style title. Et voila! You’ve got yourself a guide to contemporary feminism. Polly Vernon’s Hot Feminist is the latest in a line of provocative handbooks constructed using this template.
The Grazia columnist’s début is a mish-mash of rants, reported conversations, hints and tips and descriptions of her experiences (from her induction into the fashion world and being sexually assaulted at 18, to her 3 abortions). And, in keeping with the genre’s conventions, the tone is chatty and over familiar.
Hot Feminism’s central tenets are 1) thou shalt assert your right to care about your looks as well issues of importance to feminism, and 2) thou shalt be non-judgemental about opinions you don’t share.
It’s borne of two of Vernon’s personal bugbears. First up is second wave feminism’s demonisation of women who prettify themselves for men (and the fourth wave’s concerns about the omnipresence of narrow and unrealistic beauty ideals). Second on Vernon’s hit list is the fourth wave’s call out culture. She despairs of what she views as a toxic, McCarthyesque, social media-facilitated environment, where everyone is gleefully judging everyone else from their vantage points on the moral high ground.
But feminism isn’t anti looking good per se. It’s anti the idea that women’s sole value lies in how they measure up to externally defined, Eurocentric and male-centred notions of sexual attractiveness. (As opposed to their ability to run the country, be decent human beings, or find a cure for cancer.)
And yes, finger wagging and shouting others down isn’t helpful or constructive. But there are some things which need to challenged. Discrimination and exclusionary language, for example, just aren’t OK. So maybe what’s in order is: championing intersectionality, cutting out the vitriol and replacing judging with measured and nuanced discussion focused on understanding the rationale for others’ positions. Which, granted, is impossible to do in 140 characters or less.
Vernon advocates treating feminism like a buffet. Not fussed about Page 3? No worries! There’s loads of other stuff to choose from! Who has the time, energy or inclination to get their knickers in a knot about all of the many and varied crimes against womanhood? Save your wrath for whatever it is that you feel most strongly about. But, despite arguing for a non-hierarchical, individualist, pick ‘n’ mix type of approach, she does seem to imply that Photoshopping and wolf whistling (‘the small stuff’), aren’t as worthy of attention as the gender pay gap, rape and sexual assault and attempts to limit women’s reproductive rights.
The suggestions about how to be fancied are very much tongue in cheek, and Vernon’s fashion, exercise and weight loss tips are mainstays of any self respecting lifestyle blog. For someone advocating turning down our internal judgeometers, she issues an awful lot of diktats (‘Do spend shitloads on jeans’ and ‘Do aspire to looking cool’) or maybe it’s just ‘advice.’ She’s much stronger when it comes to making serious observations about issues like ageing, modern motherhood and porn.
Vernon’s pleas for tolerance and the right to make mistakes are eminently sensible. And some parts of Hot Feminist will have readers nodding in agreement (she’s spot on about the astoundingly low domestic bar for men). But, for the most part, it’s a frothy read that’s not really bringing anything substantial to the feminist party.
Like this review? For more features on championing women's writing head over to http://forbookssake.net/
Take one white, female, middle class, heterosexual, London-based journalist. Add a clutch of anecdotes from the 90s; some cultural commentary about gender; a pinch of insight: a splash of irreverence; a generous helping of jokes; a sprinkling of exclamation marks; and a clickbait-style title. Et voila! You’ve got yourself a guide to contemporary feminism. Polly Vernon’s Hot Feminist is the latest in a line of provocative handbooks constructed using this template.
The Grazia columnist’s début is a mish-mash of rants, reported conversations, hints and tips and descriptions of her experiences (from her induction into the fashion world and being sexually assaulted at 18, to her 3 abortions). And, in keeping with the genre’s conventions, the tone is chatty and over familiar.
Hot Feminism’s central tenets are 1) thou shalt assert your right to care about your looks as well issues of importance to feminism, and 2) thou shalt be non-judgemental about opinions you don’t share.
It’s borne of two of Vernon’s personal bugbears. First up is second wave feminism’s demonisation of women who prettify themselves for men (and the fourth wave’s concerns about the omnipresence of narrow and unrealistic beauty ideals). Second on Vernon’s hit list is the fourth wave’s call out culture. She despairs of what she views as a toxic, McCarthyesque, social media-facilitated environment, where everyone is gleefully judging everyone else from their vantage points on the moral high ground.
But feminism isn’t anti looking good per se. It’s anti the idea that women’s sole value lies in how they measure up to externally defined, Eurocentric and male-centred notions of sexual attractiveness. (As opposed to their ability to run the country, be decent human beings, or find a cure for cancer.)
And yes, finger wagging and shouting others down isn’t helpful or constructive. But there are some things which need to challenged. Discrimination and exclusionary language, for example, just aren’t OK. So maybe what’s in order is: championing intersectionality, cutting out the vitriol and replacing judging with measured and nuanced discussion focused on understanding the rationale for others’ positions. Which, granted, is impossible to do in 140 characters or less.
Vernon advocates treating feminism like a buffet. Not fussed about Page 3? No worries! There’s loads of other stuff to choose from! Who has the time, energy or inclination to get their knickers in a knot about all of the many and varied crimes against womanhood? Save your wrath for whatever it is that you feel most strongly about. But, despite arguing for a non-hierarchical, individualist, pick ‘n’ mix type of approach, she does seem to imply that Photoshopping and wolf whistling (‘the small stuff’), aren’t as worthy of attention as the gender pay gap, rape and sexual assault and attempts to limit women’s reproductive rights.
The suggestions about how to be fancied are very much tongue in cheek, and Vernon’s fashion, exercise and weight loss tips are mainstays of any self respecting lifestyle blog. For someone advocating turning down our internal judgeometers, she issues an awful lot of diktats (‘Do spend shitloads on jeans’ and ‘Do aspire to looking cool’) or maybe it’s just ‘advice.’ She’s much stronger when it comes to making serious observations about issues like ageing, modern motherhood and porn.
Vernon’s pleas for tolerance and the right to make mistakes are eminently sensible. And some parts of Hot Feminist will have readers nodding in agreement (she’s spot on about the astoundingly low domestic bar for men). But, for the most part, it’s a frothy read that’s not really bringing anything substantial to the feminist party.
Like this review? For more features on championing women's writing head over to http://forbookssake.net/
March 2, 2017
I thought 'hot feminist' might be related to the idea that it was a 'hot' topic of conversation, or that her ideas would be 'hot' and exciting. How wrong could I be. No, literally Polly Vernon means how to be a feminist and also look hot. As if anyone cares. Added to that it's all about 'me, me me!' Honestly it's so infuriating, it's entertaining. Read it for a laugh, but don't expect anything remotely deep or inspirational.
February 13, 2016
4.5 stars. Review to follow...
October 30, 2020
Polly Vernon is a fashion writer for Grazia who is funny and witty. I saw her as a speaker at the Henley Literature Festival and I bought her book as I liked her. This book is about ‘a man mad woman’ who has a few tips on being a ‘hot feminist.’ Some of it was interesting and is based solely on her life experiences. There was an attempt to try and understand how a mother would feel or think, but I felt she didn’t quite cut it. What I think Polly was trying to portray was just because she likes make-up, fashion, men etc, it doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a feminist. That she can at times lapse and still be deemed as a woman who is fitting to be one. Some of her values don’t fit with what I believe but aren’t all our values different? What Polly appeared to be showing, with unashamedly comfortableness was her herself (wart and all). Her honesty is powerful but she contradicted herself at times because she did seek approval from men, which fed her self-esteem. Again, is this part of acceptance that just because you want to be noticed, you can still a feminist. It did get boring in parts and towards the end so I skimmed through lots of it. I can’t say I disliked it but I didn’t love it either.
October 16, 2019
I won't lie, I can't appropriately convey how intensely I reacted to this book in an online review to be read by strangers - you're welcome to hear me rant about it in the pub sometime. Expect something along the lines of that time Lisa Simpson got really, really angry with her Malibu Stacey Doll.
Yes, Vernon does express feminist ideas in this book, to show us she thinks feminism is a good. I also recognise that she's had first hand experience of some of the darkest and hardest parts of being a women and I don't seek to diminish those experiences. That said...
The *bulk* of this book, and its *core* idea is centred around the idea that being a feminist and being hot are possible - hurray! - by discussing at length how hot she is and how with a little bit more effort you can be as hot as her.
But how does the extent of one's hotness make a difference to how feminist it is????
...
Well, she's like, really hot you guys.
...
Well, it's really fun being hot.
...
She talked to her friends about being hot this one time! It was just like in Bridget Jones!!!
...
...
....
Yes, Vernon does express feminist ideas in this book, to show us she thinks feminism is a good. I also recognise that she's had first hand experience of some of the darkest and hardest parts of being a women and I don't seek to diminish those experiences. That said...
The *bulk* of this book, and its *core* idea is centred around the idea that being a feminist and being hot are possible - hurray! - by discussing at length how hot she is and how with a little bit more effort you can be as hot as her.
But how does the extent of one's hotness make a difference to how feminist it is????
...
Well, she's like, really hot you guys.
...
Well, it's really fun being hot.
...
She talked to her friends about being hot this one time! It was just like in Bridget Jones!!!
...
...
....
June 10, 2018
I was trying hard not to hate it but I did. Self involved to the extreme.
November 28, 2023
me trying to meet the word requirement on an essay about something i didn’t research for
July 15, 2017
I found this book in the social sciences section of my local Waterstones, which now strikes me as particularly ironical. I would qualify it as a fine example of shallow journalism, certainly not as an academic book (to be fair, the author herself never pretends to be an academic).
This book lures you by its light tone; you expect a witty account of non-politically correct feminism. But witty it rarely is and quite honestly, it is almost an insult to feminism. In her own words, Polly Vernon is a "hot feminist" because she loves fashion, wears make-up and would never consider not shaving. Okay, why not. But then she goes on explaining to the reader that she is a feminist even though she doesn't care being called "babe" by colleagues or even her boss, doesn't get the debate on photoshopping (explaining it can't be bad since it doesn't make her feel uncomfortable), and can't be bothered about Page 3. That's when I started wincing. You actually soon find out she pretty much only cares about issues concerning her directly, such as the gender pay gap (since she is a working woman), rape (having been a victim of a sexual assault), and abortion (because she's had three). I couldn't help thinking that she might be a feminist, but then a very self-centered one.
Still, I carried on. And suddenly found myself being told that I should "sort my hemlines", "spend shitloads on jeans" and totally invest into grey clothes. Having checked that some pages of Glamour of Cosmopolitan hadn't been accidentally been stuck into the book (they hadn't), I wondered what those chapters on fashion had to do with the topic (the answer probably is: nothing).
To be fair, the book is quite readable and some passages are really interesting: for instance the one where Polly Vernon explains how having worked as a waitress where the tips where in proportion to the size of her Wonderbra eventually made her feel belittled, or the one where she evokes the tendency of many men to subtly and unconsciously turn their girlfriend into the responsible partner who ends up being the one who has to remember everything from birthdays to shopping for food. But it is not what I expected. I had just read Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole and I hoped I would find there the same blend of fun and insight. Not quite.
This book lures you by its light tone; you expect a witty account of non-politically correct feminism. But witty it rarely is and quite honestly, it is almost an insult to feminism. In her own words, Polly Vernon is a "hot feminist" because she loves fashion, wears make-up and would never consider not shaving. Okay, why not. But then she goes on explaining to the reader that she is a feminist even though she doesn't care being called "babe" by colleagues or even her boss, doesn't get the debate on photoshopping (explaining it can't be bad since it doesn't make her feel uncomfortable), and can't be bothered about Page 3. That's when I started wincing. You actually soon find out she pretty much only cares about issues concerning her directly, such as the gender pay gap (since she is a working woman), rape (having been a victim of a sexual assault), and abortion (because she's had three). I couldn't help thinking that she might be a feminist, but then a very self-centered one.
Still, I carried on. And suddenly found myself being told that I should "sort my hemlines", "spend shitloads on jeans" and totally invest into grey clothes. Having checked that some pages of Glamour of Cosmopolitan hadn't been accidentally been stuck into the book (they hadn't), I wondered what those chapters on fashion had to do with the topic (the answer probably is: nothing).
To be fair, the book is quite readable and some passages are really interesting: for instance the one where Polly Vernon explains how having worked as a waitress where the tips where in proportion to the size of her Wonderbra eventually made her feel belittled, or the one where she evokes the tendency of many men to subtly and unconsciously turn their girlfriend into the responsible partner who ends up being the one who has to remember everything from birthdays to shopping for food. But it is not what I expected. I had just read Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole and I hoped I would find there the same blend of fun and insight. Not quite.
May 18, 2022
I had zero doubt that I would love this book. Like many, I buy Grazia magazine – (well, subscribe to it internationally), mostly because of Polly Vernon’s column. I love them. I don’t always agree with her angles, but mostly I do and always they are clever, well thought out and I feel better for having read them. If I see she’s done an interview for The Times, I get a friend in the UK to buy it and send it to me. Her stuff is good.
I found out this book existed via an Instagram post from Polly, talking about its release about 7 years ago and how it wasn’t well received. I had a flick through the reviews on here and couldn’t believe it. I would’ve read this book anyway, but the reviews made me want to do it even more. What was going on here? Anyway, I ordered it on Kindle, devoured it in a couple of sittings and loved it like I knew I was going to. It’s exactly like the columns. It’s authentic, it’s full of refreshing takes (even 7 years on they feel fresh) on all the usual subjects. It’s brave and sassy and funny…it made me laugh, many times. (‘Guess again mofos’, the footnotes, a completely appropriate and well selected use of the c-word).
I think the problem comes when you consider the word ‘feminist’. As the book points out in better words than this, the term is volatile and somewhat divisive. Whilst this book makes lots of good points about it – Polly sums it up as what it means to her – no pay gap, no raping and that good old humdinger, choice. 100% agreed on all. She talks about many other things and gives her take on them, page 3, clothes, cat calling. All of it is solid and shows who she is. And even though you certainly wouldn’t mess with her, I’m even more convinced that deep down she is properly kind. (AND… HALLELUJAH! she doesn’t advocate for smoking).
Reading this book felt like a couple of hours spent listening to Polly Vernon at her best. It was like a drip feed of Grazia columns. It made me think, it made me laugh and it made me happy. There! I knew it.
I found out this book existed via an Instagram post from Polly, talking about its release about 7 years ago and how it wasn’t well received. I had a flick through the reviews on here and couldn’t believe it. I would’ve read this book anyway, but the reviews made me want to do it even more. What was going on here? Anyway, I ordered it on Kindle, devoured it in a couple of sittings and loved it like I knew I was going to. It’s exactly like the columns. It’s authentic, it’s full of refreshing takes (even 7 years on they feel fresh) on all the usual subjects. It’s brave and sassy and funny…it made me laugh, many times. (‘Guess again mofos’, the footnotes, a completely appropriate and well selected use of the c-word).
I think the problem comes when you consider the word ‘feminist’. As the book points out in better words than this, the term is volatile and somewhat divisive. Whilst this book makes lots of good points about it – Polly sums it up as what it means to her – no pay gap, no raping and that good old humdinger, choice. 100% agreed on all. She talks about many other things and gives her take on them, page 3, clothes, cat calling. All of it is solid and shows who she is. And even though you certainly wouldn’t mess with her, I’m even more convinced that deep down she is properly kind. (AND… HALLELUJAH! she doesn’t advocate for smoking).
Reading this book felt like a couple of hours spent listening to Polly Vernon at her best. It was like a drip feed of Grazia columns. It made me think, it made me laugh and it made me happy. There! I knew it.
March 27, 2018
This book sound like a chat with friends full of banalities that actually think their ideas are something original. MaybeI just took it wrong, maybe it's just a statement on what normal women thinks compared to stereotyped feminists. Maybe.
Anyhow I found it quite egocentric, banal, not inspirational at all. There is not a single thought I actually appreciate or found new or that made me think. Probably my ideas are too similar to the author and this book didn't give me anything new to think about. I think making a book out of this ideas was too much, maybe as a columnist or in a web site this would work better. I am sorry but it's a big no :(
I also skip pages, something I never do with books.
Anyhow I found it quite egocentric, banal, not inspirational at all. There is not a single thought I actually appreciate or found new or that made me think. Probably my ideas are too similar to the author and this book didn't give me anything new to think about. I think making a book out of this ideas was too much, maybe as a columnist or in a web site this would work better. I am sorry but it's a big no :(
I also skip pages, something I never do with books.
October 19, 2023
Only took me 8 years to limp through this but I did. I agree with the author on a lot of things so I gave it five stars initially but then, on reflection, it did take me over 8 years to read it all. I gave it a go every few months and couldn’t help being distracted by other books. So maybe it should lose a couple of stars for that?
September 26, 2017
Absolutely Fabulous (reference fully intended), and followed by a wonderful exchange with the actual author on Instagram! Part bio part discussion on what defines feminism today. And funny...
March 11, 2018
Great read for a young woman defining her own version of feminism.
May 5, 2018
I didn’t so much finish this book as give up a third of the way in! I found the style irritating and felt it didn’t have much to say.
February 1, 2020
Really hated this book. No judgement-just DID NOT mix well with my personal ethos for feminism-I do find it an important voice in the discussion.
March 3, 2020
you are not oppressed as a skinny, conventionally attractive, heterosexual white woman with a well-paying corporate job because you like to wear lipstick PLEASE go outside
March 27, 2016
This review was first published for The Hans India
The gears of feminism have shifted putting into motion a new wave of political ideologies towards gender equality. Polly Vernon’s first book is modern feminism 101 with tips and tricks for acing it
Unabashedly real, unapologetically brazen
London-based Grazia columnist, Polly Vernon sure knows how to brew a storm in a teacup. Those who read her in the past know how she brazenly talks on controversial subjects. And, what more controversial a subject than 'feminism', in this case, 'hot feminism'?
Polly's first book, ‘Hot Feminist’ is heavily white and almost memoir-ish. But, fret not. It might be perceived as feminism for only whites or for a certain class of people, but in reality what Polly is trying here is to empower women of all colours through the anecdotes she narrates. And, make you laugh a little in that process.
Narrated in an offhand language, the book is presented in four major chapters, ‘Non-Judgement Day’, ‘The Fashionable Feminist’, ‘Beauty and the Feminist’ and ‘Men, wives, babies’ and two complementary chapters, ‘The Other Things’ and ‘The N Word’.
Polly Vernon strips the behaviour of women and bravely bares it all revealing the most intimate reasons of doing what they do. Yikes! From being a bitch to other women to assorting to manipulative behaviour to get their way, from shaving the ‘V’ for a quality “bang” to campaigning for the right to safe abortion; Polly’s version of a modern feminist does it all unapologetically.
A hot feminist’s rule of thumb is non-judgement; let others be what/who they want to be, let them do what they want to do and so on and so forth. On a much deeper level though, a hot feminist does not spend her energy in challenging every little thing that is sexist and comes in the way of gender equality. “Because we have a shitload of feminist wrath built up within us, and sometimes we misdirect it,” writes Polly. Although, she understands that the little things are a contributing factor to the major things, on which she has her eyes set on by the way, Polly’s feminism directs the feminist “wrath” calculatedly—this includes gender pay gap; right to legal and safe abortion; and rape and sexual assault.
While most the content is globally relevant, geographical idiosyncrasies do creep in especially in the chapter that talks about men and their role in raising children. In Polly’s version, men do not have the mental and emotional stress in raising a child (as much as women do) because they are never conditioned about the burdens of the said “job” and never questioned about it in social groups. However, this is not true in India. Stereotypical gender roles dictate a man to be the sole bread earner in the family and this particular role is a much-discussed one in all social groups in the country.
This could have been Hachette India’s boldest publication so far if not for the ‘Foreword to the Paperback Edition’ that sort of melts the book’s point away; Polly has had to put in justifications for her choices she mentions in it and the backlash she received when it was first published in the UK.
Having said that, if you’re anything like the “hot feminist” — you started shaving your legs at 12 years of age to look sexy because you read somewhere that Angelina Jolie does that, you love to check out guys and imagine scenarios in your head involving them and you don’t want to have babies —this book will make you feel that you’re not alone. And, that’s saying something because it is not a conventional thing to be a woman of such hotness!
The gears of feminism have shifted putting into motion a new wave of political ideologies towards gender equality. Wanting to be ‘hot’ may have more than a little to do with choice, but one cannot deny that there is a certain amount of desire of being fanciable to a potential “partner” associated with it. In the face of changing feminist values, the book comes in as a handyguide as one struggles with their political stance on feminism. It provides an understanding so that one can justify their hypocrisy in the face of little compromises they make with their male/female counterparts in personal and professional lives merely to get along or get their way. Feel a little better about yourself because there is no such thing as a perfect feminist.
It is time to rave the world in red – Ruby Woo lips, Louboutin heels and strappy Gucci dress – take charge and seize power.
The gears of feminism have shifted putting into motion a new wave of political ideologies towards gender equality. Polly Vernon’s first book is modern feminism 101 with tips and tricks for acing it
Unabashedly real, unapologetically brazen
London-based Grazia columnist, Polly Vernon sure knows how to brew a storm in a teacup. Those who read her in the past know how she brazenly talks on controversial subjects. And, what more controversial a subject than 'feminism', in this case, 'hot feminism'?
Polly's first book, ‘Hot Feminist’ is heavily white and almost memoir-ish. But, fret not. It might be perceived as feminism for only whites or for a certain class of people, but in reality what Polly is trying here is to empower women of all colours through the anecdotes she narrates. And, make you laugh a little in that process.
Narrated in an offhand language, the book is presented in four major chapters, ‘Non-Judgement Day’, ‘The Fashionable Feminist’, ‘Beauty and the Feminist’ and ‘Men, wives, babies’ and two complementary chapters, ‘The Other Things’ and ‘The N Word’.
Polly Vernon strips the behaviour of women and bravely bares it all revealing the most intimate reasons of doing what they do. Yikes! From being a bitch to other women to assorting to manipulative behaviour to get their way, from shaving the ‘V’ for a quality “bang” to campaigning for the right to safe abortion; Polly’s version of a modern feminist does it all unapologetically.
A hot feminist’s rule of thumb is non-judgement; let others be what/who they want to be, let them do what they want to do and so on and so forth. On a much deeper level though, a hot feminist does not spend her energy in challenging every little thing that is sexist and comes in the way of gender equality. “Because we have a shitload of feminist wrath built up within us, and sometimes we misdirect it,” writes Polly. Although, she understands that the little things are a contributing factor to the major things, on which she has her eyes set on by the way, Polly’s feminism directs the feminist “wrath” calculatedly—this includes gender pay gap; right to legal and safe abortion; and rape and sexual assault.
While most the content is globally relevant, geographical idiosyncrasies do creep in especially in the chapter that talks about men and their role in raising children. In Polly’s version, men do not have the mental and emotional stress in raising a child (as much as women do) because they are never conditioned about the burdens of the said “job” and never questioned about it in social groups. However, this is not true in India. Stereotypical gender roles dictate a man to be the sole bread earner in the family and this particular role is a much-discussed one in all social groups in the country.
This could have been Hachette India’s boldest publication so far if not for the ‘Foreword to the Paperback Edition’ that sort of melts the book’s point away; Polly has had to put in justifications for her choices she mentions in it and the backlash she received when it was first published in the UK.
Having said that, if you’re anything like the “hot feminist” — you started shaving your legs at 12 years of age to look sexy because you read somewhere that Angelina Jolie does that, you love to check out guys and imagine scenarios in your head involving them and you don’t want to have babies —this book will make you feel that you’re not alone. And, that’s saying something because it is not a conventional thing to be a woman of such hotness!
The gears of feminism have shifted putting into motion a new wave of political ideologies towards gender equality. Wanting to be ‘hot’ may have more than a little to do with choice, but one cannot deny that there is a certain amount of desire of being fanciable to a potential “partner” associated with it. In the face of changing feminist values, the book comes in as a handyguide as one struggles with their political stance on feminism. It provides an understanding so that one can justify their hypocrisy in the face of little compromises they make with their male/female counterparts in personal and professional lives merely to get along or get their way. Feel a little better about yourself because there is no such thing as a perfect feminist.
It is time to rave the world in red – Ruby Woo lips, Louboutin heels and strappy Gucci dress – take charge and seize power.
April 10, 2016
'Hot Feminist' is part memoir, part discussion on feminism today and part Vernon inventing and presenting her own spin on modern feminism. Written in a chatty, light-hearted manner this book will be an easy read for anyone interested in fashion and feminism.
I personally have very mixed feelings about this book. I picked it up thinking that it would be a witty and insightful discourse on feminism and why it's so great; I didn't realise it would be a proposal for a new type of feminism heavily interspersed with details about Vernon's life. While this is a fine concept for a book in itself, I was rather disappointed that the cover of the book had mislead me.
At the start of the book I had a lot of issues with the content; I won't go into detail as it would take too long, but there were quite a few things I heavily disagreed with. First of all, Vernon makes some incredibly sweeping assumptions, deciding that photoshop definitely doesn't mess with the self-esteems of many people around the world and that gay men can all be categorised as boy-band loving, fashion conscious incredibly camp guys. These assumptions are just wrong on so many levels; I'm assuming Vernon didn't ask every single person on Earth their opinions on photoshop so who is she to say that it doesn't affect people? And Vernon definitely needs to update her school of thought on what gay men are like.
A very large portion of the book was focussed on fashion and fashion tips, something I wasn't really expecting to come upon when I bought this book. Although most of her tips seemed reasonably solid (I'm not really a fashion fanatic) there were a couple that I intensely disagreed on, such as 'Don't buy anything in the sales'. Why? Sales are my jam; they're the best time and place to buy good quality clothes from more expensive clothes that you can't normally afford. Vernon seems to be teaching people to look like her, or look 'cool', rather than look like themselves and be comfortable with the way they dress. However, fashion is a big element of Vernon's 'Hot Feminism' so if you are more fashion conscious then I would definitely recommend this book for you.
There were a couple of other issues I had with this book. I personally felt that Vernon's sentences were rather too long and confusing. Feminism is also a movement for the equality of both genders so it would have been nice if Vernon could have targeted 'Hot Feminism' to men as well.
Having made those complaints, I found that the book really improved as it went on, and I found myself enjoying it more and more. Vernon raises and talks about some serious issues such as the abortion and rape, made more relevant with Vernon's own life experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Vernon included discussions with her friends, which gave multiple perspectives on the various issues she talks about. Much of the book is also incredibly relevant, and yes, although it is true that a lot of this stuff has and is being talked about, it's always refreshing to hear it said again by someone else. Vernon allows us to accept our flaws as feminists and embrace the fact that sometimes we do really care about the way we look, whether or not that's a feminist anxiety to have. In the world of social media and increased pressure on men and women to subscribe to a certain ideal of feminism I find it incredibly refreshing that Vernon is addressing the fact that although some of our actions may not be stereotypically feminist we are still all feminists at heart.
So, to wrap up this very long review, I do think that this is a good book but I also found it an incredibly aggravating one. Never before has a book made me so much want to carry around a pencil at all times so I can annotate it and scribble my frustrations and jubilations in the margins.
I personally have very mixed feelings about this book. I picked it up thinking that it would be a witty and insightful discourse on feminism and why it's so great; I didn't realise it would be a proposal for a new type of feminism heavily interspersed with details about Vernon's life. While this is a fine concept for a book in itself, I was rather disappointed that the cover of the book had mislead me.
At the start of the book I had a lot of issues with the content; I won't go into detail as it would take too long, but there were quite a few things I heavily disagreed with. First of all, Vernon makes some incredibly sweeping assumptions, deciding that photoshop definitely doesn't mess with the self-esteems of many people around the world and that gay men can all be categorised as boy-band loving, fashion conscious incredibly camp guys. These assumptions are just wrong on so many levels; I'm assuming Vernon didn't ask every single person on Earth their opinions on photoshop so who is she to say that it doesn't affect people? And Vernon definitely needs to update her school of thought on what gay men are like.
A very large portion of the book was focussed on fashion and fashion tips, something I wasn't really expecting to come upon when I bought this book. Although most of her tips seemed reasonably solid (I'm not really a fashion fanatic) there were a couple that I intensely disagreed on, such as 'Don't buy anything in the sales'. Why? Sales are my jam; they're the best time and place to buy good quality clothes from more expensive clothes that you can't normally afford. Vernon seems to be teaching people to look like her, or look 'cool', rather than look like themselves and be comfortable with the way they dress. However, fashion is a big element of Vernon's 'Hot Feminism' so if you are more fashion conscious then I would definitely recommend this book for you.
There were a couple of other issues I had with this book. I personally felt that Vernon's sentences were rather too long and confusing. Feminism is also a movement for the equality of both genders so it would have been nice if Vernon could have targeted 'Hot Feminism' to men as well.
Having made those complaints, I found that the book really improved as it went on, and I found myself enjoying it more and more. Vernon raises and talks about some serious issues such as the abortion and rape, made more relevant with Vernon's own life experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Vernon included discussions with her friends, which gave multiple perspectives on the various issues she talks about. Much of the book is also incredibly relevant, and yes, although it is true that a lot of this stuff has and is being talked about, it's always refreshing to hear it said again by someone else. Vernon allows us to accept our flaws as feminists and embrace the fact that sometimes we do really care about the way we look, whether or not that's a feminist anxiety to have. In the world of social media and increased pressure on men and women to subscribe to a certain ideal of feminism I find it incredibly refreshing that Vernon is addressing the fact that although some of our actions may not be stereotypically feminist we are still all feminists at heart.
So, to wrap up this very long review, I do think that this is a good book but I also found it an incredibly aggravating one. Never before has a book made me so much want to carry around a pencil at all times so I can annotate it and scribble my frustrations and jubilations in the margins.
August 3, 2016
Check out my full length review here: https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/20...
Well. Isn’t this the most controversial read of 2016?!
For a long time, I didn’t identify with the word “feminist”. This was mostly due to a general lack of awareness, my own ignorance of the concept, and the many, many negative connotations that younger-me didn’t want to be associated with – hairy armpits, man-hating, and bra burning, anyone? Of course, I’m now very aware that none of those are prerequisites to waving your feminist flag, or beating your feminist drum. Peer opinion mattered much more to teenage-me than to present-me. Present-me doesn’t much mind if you think I don’t own a Gillette, or that I burn my Ann Summer’s specials in a fiery pit of protest in my back garden.
Are we giving in to the societal perception of beauty by taking care of our appearance? Are we being anti-feminist when we paint our nails? Are we part of the problem?! Some of us want to have careers, and some of us want to have families, and some of us want to have both, but where do we stand on that now? Do we want to “have it all”, or do we want a work life balance? WHAT ARE THE RULES?!
I think the point Vernon illustrates particularly well with this book, is that there are no rules. You can be a feminist and care about your physical appearance, you can be a feminist and find the fashion industry inspiring, you can be a feminist and decide to bow out of the rat race to raise your rug rats instead, you can be a feminist and be many other things at the same time!
Hot Feminist is Vernon’s gift to women everywhere – yes, be a feminist, but lets take the insane pressure off – stop trying to be the “perfect feminist”. Vernon’s approach, while maybe not conventional and overtly “serious”, is to stop trying to take on each and every single equality issue down to whether or not it’s acceptable to graciously receive a compliment about your physical appearance, in case that somehow undermines your intellectual abilities at the same time…
Vernon has received some major shade for this book, and while I can’t say I agreed with all of her views (honestly, do you ever 100% agree with someone’s opinions?), I could at least accept her position, occasionally finding merit in her views, even when they were not my own.
It has to be said that I really enjoyed Vernon’s tone and sense of humour throughout this entire read. I have a very dry and sarcastic sense of humour, and I rarely find myself laughing out loud while reading books, because lets be honest, it is very difficult to convey sarcastic humour in the written form. I actually think this is part of the reason why the book hasn’t been so well received, because some readers just aren’t getting the tongue-in-cheek vibe in places, or are insulted by someone being tongue-in-cheek in the first place about Feminism.
When I started this read, I was expecting a heavy, serious and researched opinion piece. If that is what you’re after I suggest you pick up something else. When I quickly learned that wasn’t what this book was about, and read it for what it was – part memoir, part Feminist essay, full entertainment (with educational value), I enjoyed it so much more.
I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
Well. Isn’t this the most controversial read of 2016?!
For a long time, I didn’t identify with the word “feminist”. This was mostly due to a general lack of awareness, my own ignorance of the concept, and the many, many negative connotations that younger-me didn’t want to be associated with – hairy armpits, man-hating, and bra burning, anyone? Of course, I’m now very aware that none of those are prerequisites to waving your feminist flag, or beating your feminist drum. Peer opinion mattered much more to teenage-me than to present-me. Present-me doesn’t much mind if you think I don’t own a Gillette, or that I burn my Ann Summer’s specials in a fiery pit of protest in my back garden.
Are we giving in to the societal perception of beauty by taking care of our appearance? Are we being anti-feminist when we paint our nails? Are we part of the problem?! Some of us want to have careers, and some of us want to have families, and some of us want to have both, but where do we stand on that now? Do we want to “have it all”, or do we want a work life balance? WHAT ARE THE RULES?!
I think the point Vernon illustrates particularly well with this book, is that there are no rules. You can be a feminist and care about your physical appearance, you can be a feminist and find the fashion industry inspiring, you can be a feminist and decide to bow out of the rat race to raise your rug rats instead, you can be a feminist and be many other things at the same time!
Hot Feminist is Vernon’s gift to women everywhere – yes, be a feminist, but lets take the insane pressure off – stop trying to be the “perfect feminist”. Vernon’s approach, while maybe not conventional and overtly “serious”, is to stop trying to take on each and every single equality issue down to whether or not it’s acceptable to graciously receive a compliment about your physical appearance, in case that somehow undermines your intellectual abilities at the same time…
Vernon has received some major shade for this book, and while I can’t say I agreed with all of her views (honestly, do you ever 100% agree with someone’s opinions?), I could at least accept her position, occasionally finding merit in her views, even when they were not my own.
It has to be said that I really enjoyed Vernon’s tone and sense of humour throughout this entire read. I have a very dry and sarcastic sense of humour, and I rarely find myself laughing out loud while reading books, because lets be honest, it is very difficult to convey sarcastic humour in the written form. I actually think this is part of the reason why the book hasn’t been so well received, because some readers just aren’t getting the tongue-in-cheek vibe in places, or are insulted by someone being tongue-in-cheek in the first place about Feminism.
When I started this read, I was expecting a heavy, serious and researched opinion piece. If that is what you’re after I suggest you pick up something else. When I quickly learned that wasn’t what this book was about, and read it for what it was – part memoir, part Feminist essay, full entertainment (with educational value), I enjoyed it so much more.
I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
May 12, 2016
Phew! This book took me two months to read and never have I had such a rollercoaster of a time! Hot Feminist by Polly Vernon is controversial to the point of antagonistic and when it first was released it was- explosive. So I took a step back and read it when everything and everyone calmed down. I can definitely see why the uproar happened though.
I loved the chapters where Vernon got into the nitty gritty of the wage gap and rape statistics. But it takes up a very small portion of the book. She talks about focusing on the 'big stuff' and I was nodding my head along with some of her ideas, but that message is slightly diluted when it gets to the chapters about fashion. I can appreciate that the girls in Pretty Little Liars are amazingly dressed but it doesn't apply to my life. I spend 98% of my time in some sort of gym wear. So when I pick up a book about Feminism, I'm not expecting to be told to buy 4 pairs of jeans and to "smoke a little weed" instead of shopping while sad.
There were definitely things I disagreed with, sure, the internet can be a bit witch-hunty, but I'd rather that then letting people get away with saying awful things just because nobody is calling them out anymore. And as for her opinion of selfies- anything that makes women embrace how attractive they are and feel confident enough to put it out there is a plus in my book. But the core of her message; you can dress, act, be how you want in a patriarchal world that doesn't always fit the 'classic feminist' way, is spot on.
However, it's also full of all those little nit-picky things that are less disagreeable and just wrong for me in non-fiction; Polly Vernon also makes the assumption that her readers are straight women (this is vaguely addressed in a footnote almost 300 pages in), she uses the term 'OCD' as a way of describing her dedication to hair removal, and that any woman involved in porn is 'not entirely in control' (something I feel people who choose to do it for a living would disagree with).
When she started talking about exercise I found myself wishing that, like the blurb promoted, Vernon could not judge things that she didn't agree with. I wanted her to embrace the fact that she loves walking without putting down the alternatives. I love my trainer, she's a gift from god, and I can't walk for miles everyday. I wanted more positivity.
Polly Vernon has some really important things to say, and I'd love to have a sit down natter with her one day because I think we'd get on. But its a very waffle-y book and around half way through I started wondering where the editor was. I could see whole chunks- whole chapters near the end that could have been scored through with a red pen.
Review originally posted on Imogen’s Typewriter.
I loved the chapters where Vernon got into the nitty gritty of the wage gap and rape statistics. But it takes up a very small portion of the book. She talks about focusing on the 'big stuff' and I was nodding my head along with some of her ideas, but that message is slightly diluted when it gets to the chapters about fashion. I can appreciate that the girls in Pretty Little Liars are amazingly dressed but it doesn't apply to my life. I spend 98% of my time in some sort of gym wear. So when I pick up a book about Feminism, I'm not expecting to be told to buy 4 pairs of jeans and to "smoke a little weed" instead of shopping while sad.
There were definitely things I disagreed with, sure, the internet can be a bit witch-hunty, but I'd rather that then letting people get away with saying awful things just because nobody is calling them out anymore. And as for her opinion of selfies- anything that makes women embrace how attractive they are and feel confident enough to put it out there is a plus in my book. But the core of her message; you can dress, act, be how you want in a patriarchal world that doesn't always fit the 'classic feminist' way, is spot on.
However, it's also full of all those little nit-picky things that are less disagreeable and just wrong for me in non-fiction; Polly Vernon also makes the assumption that her readers are straight women (this is vaguely addressed in a footnote almost 300 pages in), she uses the term 'OCD' as a way of describing her dedication to hair removal, and that any woman involved in porn is 'not entirely in control' (something I feel people who choose to do it for a living would disagree with).
When she started talking about exercise I found myself wishing that, like the blurb promoted, Vernon could not judge things that she didn't agree with. I wanted her to embrace the fact that she loves walking without putting down the alternatives. I love my trainer, she's a gift from god, and I can't walk for miles everyday. I wanted more positivity.
Polly Vernon has some really important things to say, and I'd love to have a sit down natter with her one day because I think we'd get on. But its a very waffle-y book and around half way through I started wondering where the editor was. I could see whole chunks- whole chapters near the end that could have been scored through with a red pen.
Review originally posted on Imogen’s Typewriter.
November 10, 2019
I like that there are books like this available for women like me to read. This doesn't mean, however, that I like this book.
Hot Feminist is a kind of self-help manifesto for the modern woman who isn't quite sure that she's doing feminism right.
Maybe she spends more money on clothes than is rightly sensible. Maybe she likes being looked at by men (the horror!). Maybe she's shagging multiple men, some of whom are younger than she is.
PV (as her friends might call her, although I don't know that after writing this review we might be friends) says go for it! While you're at it, here's some tips on what clothes you should buy, some aspirational ideas about living in London and some anecdotes from my youth that you might enjoy.
It's all relatively light-hearted, a very approachable approach to a hot topic and some somewhat difficult concepts. This is entry-level feminism with gags and good times, not exactly a dumbed down version of How to be a Woman, but a glossy version for the less bookish gals.
But here's the thing.
Everything PV is saying seems like common sense.
Of course you can be hot and be a feminist at the same time. You can be driven with a desire to attract people and still be highly engaged with the issues of feminism. It seems redundant to write a book with this argument as your entire premise.
The idea that as women we are judging each other constantly is one that doesn't sit well. This, I fear, has less to do with feminism and more to do with modern society. All the feminists I know seem pretty keen to recruit anyone who wants to be on the team to the team. We don't care how you look, what you earn, where you holiday and who you shag - all we care about is that you are thinking about the issues facing women and doing something, however small or large, to work for equality in your little patch of the world.
I think modern feminism is less about the 'rules' and more about just doing the right thing, whatever that means for you, within the general boundaries of furthering women's rights.
I also think that this is what PV is alluding to, but she's doing it in a jumbled way with too many words and sentences that trip over themselves as they try to appeal to too wide an audience. Including those who actually use FOMO non-ironically in conversation.
Hot Feminist has been a wonderful success in bringing feminism more visibility in certain circles. I'm sure that women who may not have considered themselves feminists might have seen book excerpts in Grazia or Mamamia, and on reading maybe change the way that hey think about women in society. That's a huge win and it sits squarely on PV's shoulders.
But somehow it doesn't feel like that's enough - this book had the potential for so much more.
Hot Feminist is a kind of self-help manifesto for the modern woman who isn't quite sure that she's doing feminism right.
Maybe she spends more money on clothes than is rightly sensible. Maybe she likes being looked at by men (the horror!). Maybe she's shagging multiple men, some of whom are younger than she is.
PV (as her friends might call her, although I don't know that after writing this review we might be friends) says go for it! While you're at it, here's some tips on what clothes you should buy, some aspirational ideas about living in London and some anecdotes from my youth that you might enjoy.
It's all relatively light-hearted, a very approachable approach to a hot topic and some somewhat difficult concepts. This is entry-level feminism with gags and good times, not exactly a dumbed down version of How to be a Woman, but a glossy version for the less bookish gals.
But here's the thing.
Everything PV is saying seems like common sense.
Of course you can be hot and be a feminist at the same time. You can be driven with a desire to attract people and still be highly engaged with the issues of feminism. It seems redundant to write a book with this argument as your entire premise.
The idea that as women we are judging each other constantly is one that doesn't sit well. This, I fear, has less to do with feminism and more to do with modern society. All the feminists I know seem pretty keen to recruit anyone who wants to be on the team to the team. We don't care how you look, what you earn, where you holiday and who you shag - all we care about is that you are thinking about the issues facing women and doing something, however small or large, to work for equality in your little patch of the world.
I think modern feminism is less about the 'rules' and more about just doing the right thing, whatever that means for you, within the general boundaries of furthering women's rights.
I also think that this is what PV is alluding to, but she's doing it in a jumbled way with too many words and sentences that trip over themselves as they try to appeal to too wide an audience. Including those who actually use FOMO non-ironically in conversation.
Hot Feminist has been a wonderful success in bringing feminism more visibility in certain circles. I'm sure that women who may not have considered themselves feminists might have seen book excerpts in Grazia or Mamamia, and on reading maybe change the way that hey think about women in society. That's a huge win and it sits squarely on PV's shoulders.
But somehow it doesn't feel like that's enough - this book had the potential for so much more.
May 25, 2016
Lately I have been dipping a toe into the pool of feminism. I would like to believe I am a feminist – not a staunch one who burns my bra or throws myself under a horse but I do believe that being female shouldn’t automatically put you at a disadvantage. I believe that we should all have equal rights and my biggest bug bear on this topic is the discrepancy in pay. However, after reading a few books on the topic of feminism, I have realised that I am more of an observer –I’m not a doer. This made me a bit sad.
Salvation has come (in a sense) with Polly Vernon’s book Hot Feminist. In her book, Vernon veers away from traditional feminism and encourages you to create your own style. Vernon argues that it is ok to want to look good and still want equal pay; it is ok to have relationships with men without thinking that they are trying to hold you back; basically, Polly Vernon’s overall message is that it is ok to be a modern day feminist.
I do feel that parts of the central theme went off track in the middle of the book. However, that could be just that the whole section on what you can wear just didn’t interest me personally.
What I did find really encouraging is that Vernon used the opinions of her friends rather than just having her own beliefs dominating the stories in Hot Feminist. Through this you saw how modern day women are still working their backsides off to get equality and doing it when also maintaining a sense of identity.
Hot Feminist is an interesting take of modern day feminism and it is the perfect size to fit in your handbag (tongue, firmly, in cheek).
Hot Feminist by Polly Vernon is available now.
Follow Polly Vernon (@PollyVernon) on Twitter.
For more information about Hodder and Staughton (@HodderBooks) titles please visit the official website www.hodder.co.uk.
Salvation has come (in a sense) with Polly Vernon’s book Hot Feminist. In her book, Vernon veers away from traditional feminism and encourages you to create your own style. Vernon argues that it is ok to want to look good and still want equal pay; it is ok to have relationships with men without thinking that they are trying to hold you back; basically, Polly Vernon’s overall message is that it is ok to be a modern day feminist.
I do feel that parts of the central theme went off track in the middle of the book. However, that could be just that the whole section on what you can wear just didn’t interest me personally.
What I did find really encouraging is that Vernon used the opinions of her friends rather than just having her own beliefs dominating the stories in Hot Feminist. Through this you saw how modern day women are still working their backsides off to get equality and doing it when also maintaining a sense of identity.
Hot Feminist is an interesting take of modern day feminism and it is the perfect size to fit in your handbag (tongue, firmly, in cheek).
Hot Feminist by Polly Vernon is available now.
Follow Polly Vernon (@PollyVernon) on Twitter.
For more information about Hodder and Staughton (@HodderBooks) titles please visit the official website www.hodder.co.uk.
July 16, 2015
If there's one thing that Vernon knows how to do (and I'm sure there are plenty) it's how to cause a storm in a teacup. It's a factor that has plagued her entire career and I have to confess that I am secretly a fan of her work, her Grazia column is one of the first things I read in the magazine each week and so when I saw that she was publishing a book, I knew that I needed to get it.
Here we go.
I loved a LOT of this book and for people that are scared of the traditional notion of feminism, it can be seen as a window of opportunity and a chance to rebrand the entire concept. I'm a huge believer in feminism and I subscribe to the idea that there are thousands of different versions of feminism and like many different political schools of thought, there is no one size fits all. So it's ok that there are certain parts the book that I hugely disagree with and bits where I think Vernon is missing the point, but is more than entitled to her opinion. I believe that it's through debate and professional argument that we achieve progress.
Yet the book quickly changes tone and moves from a funny, witty, clever and thought-proviking feminist manifesto to a tacky self-help guide that adds absolutely nothing to the debate. Sigh. You almost feel as if the second half is simply an attempt to fill the word count and to fill the remaining blank pages.
It's a good attempt but I think it would have been made better had it been left at the half way point, a short but readable modern guide to feminism. It's a shame but I still love Vernon's writing style and I do look forward to what she does in the future. However "Hot feminism" as a concept is deeply flawed.
Here we go.
I loved a LOT of this book and for people that are scared of the traditional notion of feminism, it can be seen as a window of opportunity and a chance to rebrand the entire concept. I'm a huge believer in feminism and I subscribe to the idea that there are thousands of different versions of feminism and like many different political schools of thought, there is no one size fits all. So it's ok that there are certain parts the book that I hugely disagree with and bits where I think Vernon is missing the point, but is more than entitled to her opinion. I believe that it's through debate and professional argument that we achieve progress.
Yet the book quickly changes tone and moves from a funny, witty, clever and thought-proviking feminist manifesto to a tacky self-help guide that adds absolutely nothing to the debate. Sigh. You almost feel as if the second half is simply an attempt to fill the word count and to fill the remaining blank pages.
It's a good attempt but I think it would have been made better had it been left at the half way point, a short but readable modern guide to feminism. It's a shame but I still love Vernon's writing style and I do look forward to what she does in the future. However "Hot feminism" as a concept is deeply flawed.
September 1, 2020
3.5 stars really. I was bored at first (fashion advice), agreed with some things (sure you can be a feminist and wear lipstick or care about your hair; and yes, we should definitely all pull together to achieve harsher punishment for rape and remove all remaining stigma from abortions) but found those things so obvious. To me, feminism has long lost its stigma anyway. 4th wave, bitches.
I don't care for Vernon's stance on hair removal but at least she admits that she can't make that one fit into feminism. How much she loves being thin might be quite unlikeable – but then again, I can't help but admit that I, like many other women, have striven to occupy less physical space in the world while simultaneously proudly trotting about with my BIG personality. Less physical space does not equal less mental/conversational/emotional/etc. space. It's the aesthetic preference of an adult woman (in my case). Is that contradictory? I don't think so, actually.
The book gets better after the chapter on body hair... all in all, quite enjoyable even. Don't take it too seriously would be my advice. Even better advice is to read Nora Ephron since she's said all that Vernon says better (!) and much earlier (!). Caring about your hair does not mean you don't protest social injustice. Fact.
I don't care for Vernon's stance on hair removal but at least she admits that she can't make that one fit into feminism. How much she loves being thin might be quite unlikeable – but then again, I can't help but admit that I, like many other women, have striven to occupy less physical space in the world while simultaneously proudly trotting about with my BIG personality. Less physical space does not equal less mental/conversational/emotional/etc. space. It's the aesthetic preference of an adult woman (in my case). Is that contradictory? I don't think so, actually.
The book gets better after the chapter on body hair... all in all, quite enjoyable even. Don't take it too seriously would be my advice. Even better advice is to read Nora Ephron since she's said all that Vernon says better (!) and much earlier (!). Caring about your hair does not mean you don't protest social injustice. Fact.
December 18, 2016
While I like Polly Vernon's columns and agree with much of what she has to say about 'Hot Feminism' I ultimately found this book pretty disappointing. It has the same kind of feel you get with many a blogger who is handed a book contract - what works in short blog posts/columns doesn't work as a whole book.
Vernon's writing style comes across as a naff and contrived conversations between hip friends/ironic use of 'pop' culture style of writing which really starts to grate. Her attempt to describe a philosophy of feminism comes across more as 'here is how I like living my life; my excuse is it is my brand of feminism; don't judge me I am not judging you, okay'? Which does not a fulfilling read make. While she has some very interesting points about modern identity politics they are lost in the contrived style and attempt to dish out fashion tips.
Vernon's writing style comes across as a naff and contrived conversations between hip friends/ironic use of 'pop' culture style of writing which really starts to grate. Her attempt to describe a philosophy of feminism comes across more as 'here is how I like living my life; my excuse is it is my brand of feminism; don't judge me I am not judging you, okay'? Which does not a fulfilling read make. While she has some very interesting points about modern identity politics they are lost in the contrived style and attempt to dish out fashion tips.
September 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, I liked Vernon's take on feminism. I didn't agree with everything she wrote but I still respected her opinion. The ending wasn't great, it kind of dropped off but it was a great read nonetheless. It combined her ideas of feminism, her thoughts on style as well as a bit of guidance for life in general. Her take was fresh and was very easy for me to read. I recommend it to anyone with a similar view on feminism as Vernon or who I believe could use a different take from their own.
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
May 19, 2015
I thought Vernon's was a frustrating (even startling!) perspective of feminism - although I'd like to believe that feminism is having the freedom to think, feel, and act in an authentic and relatively unrestricted way (whatever that means for you).
I don't think that being allowed to think and act without judgement means that we should all race to find the youngest, hottest partner we can and objectify them in the same manner that we have found so oppressive and burdensome.
Perhaps "desire" is a feeling too quickly judged, but in my mind, there is a distinction between desire and this objectifying attitude that I feel Vernon describes!
I don't think that being allowed to think and act without judgement means that we should all race to find the youngest, hottest partner we can and objectify them in the same manner that we have found so oppressive and burdensome.
Perhaps "desire" is a feeling too quickly judged, but in my mind, there is a distinction between desire and this objectifying attitude that I feel Vernon describes!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews