I just received "Stiffed" (also by Susan Faludi) in the mail today, so before getting started on that, I thought I'd take a look at "Backlash" again, & remember how it had felt to read it.

It's been quite a few years since I first came to "Backlash", & back then, I remember that it had made a strong impression on me. It turns out that it was a lasting impression, since, reading parts of the book again now, I see that there are points that have stuck with me & formed parts of arguments I myself use sometimes in conversations! The book is not dated, in my opinion, even though it was written in the 80s. Also, the book may be specifically addressing US society, but the basic arguments apply to European countries, as well.

The basic premise of the book you probably know, so I'll just briefly say that it has to do with the backlash that has risen against feminism & its achievements. You could state it like this: Feminism takes 1 step forward & then gets forced to take 1 step back. After reading "Backlash" the first time around, I remember thinking how clear & logical (& true to my experience here in Greece) is Susan Faludi's argument. Lots of people (mostly men, but women too) are threatened by womens' advancements. So they chose the easy way out: they deride feminism, laugh at "lesbian / ugly / man-hating" etc etc feminists & fail to see that feminism is nothing more than the wish for equality between the sexes: not sameness. But equality.

Susan Faludi painstakingly finds evidence that supports her basic argument, & presents loads & loads of research & interviews to prove her point. There are 2 things that I found a little disappointing: one is the harshness of some of her characterizations: I understand what she's trying to do, she's trying to make some of the "backlash movers & shakers" come alive, with vivid writing & many examples. But sometimes her descriptions are purely cruel, & over the top. People are not one-dimensional as she sometimes shows them to be. Second thing I (kind of) didn't like was the extreme length of the book. It did get tiring at times, & did overdo some of the arguments by repeating & repeating them. But maybe her goal was achieved, since these basic arguments have stayed with me for so many years!!

All in all, a landmark book in women studies / feminism, & an interesting book even today, in 2002, quite a few years after its first appearance in bookstores. ( )

I read this book for a Women's Studies course in college and it shocked the hell out of me. Faludi reveals the ways fashion and the media are brainwashing women to believe beauty myths and body image requirements....the sad part is all right in front of our face by we don't see it until it is placed in a concise book such as this.

It's long, but don't be intimidated, because it's really, really good. Faludi details the '80s backlash against the feminist strides made in the '70s, tracing it through pop culture, journalism, government programs and more. Eminently readable, more than a little scary, and even though it's discussing the '80s, it's very relevant today. (Think about all the girl-friendly stuff going on in '90s pop culture. Then think about the Bush Administration.) Highly recommended. Great if you're already interested in feminism and gender issues, but very readable to people who are new to the subject as well. ( )

This is a very informative and interesting book on the backlash to the feminist movement. The author published this in 1991 but I think a great deal of what she talks about is similar today. She focuses on the 80s primarily and a lot of it suprised me. I didn't realize how pervasive the backlash was and how the media willingly took part in it. The book does get a little tedious to read just because of the enormous amount of research the author did and the amount of studies she cites/uses. But I like the amount of research because it backs up her arguments extremely well.

I highly recommend this for anyone who considers themselves a feminist. If you don't consider yourself a feminist, then you'll most likely hate this book and disagree with everything in it. ( )

A seminal book on culture, women, feminism, and backlashes against women. ( )