Erin Gibson

I have to admit that when I placed this library hold, I thought the author was someone else. My bad.

Nevertheless, this was a genuinely funny take on the continuing problems that women encounter everywhere from politics to medicine in living their lives, and how Gibson handled it from teenage-hood through two marriages. She narrates as an admittedly imperfect but sharp and likeable protagonist that you want to cheer for, whether she's facing off with her loony gynecologist or Mike Pence. show more Some of the content was v-e-r-y bawdy and I have to admit that even my jaded ass blushed a few times, but it was all done in service of a consistent theme and in a genuinely funny tone. show less

If you like your feminist tirades full of crude humor, swear words, and zero tolerance for bullshit, then this one is for you. Needless to say, I was on board from the very beginning. Gibson takes on several topics affecting women, from lack of representation in STEM fields to abortion to #MeToo. Sample chapter title: "The Terrifying Prospect of Mike 'Vaginas are the Devil's Mouth Flaps' Pence." She is funny and irreverent and angry, and she makes some good points (she makes some not-so-good show more ones, too, drawing simplified conclusions about certain topics or research in a sloppy way that weakens her important points). Her goal is to entertain but also to enlighten - to draw attention to ways in which women are discounted, dismissed, and disrespected every. single. day. And in ways we often take for granted. This book won't be for everyone, but I appreciated her frankness and bravery. As she says in the introduction:

"For the last nine years, I've dedicated my career to repackaging lady sadness into digestible comedy so that we can all be a little smarter and a little savvier and can laugh together at the insane ways people try to control us." show less

I'm a huge Throwing Shade fan, so an Erin Gibson book promised a real treat. And it is more than that: it is a tour de force of rage, humor, and absurdity over feminist issues that do not receive enough attention. I laughed and raged at the same time, and I left a little more educated. I hope there is a sequel, as well as companion books by Bryan and Sam, named Homosensual and Heterosensitive, respectively. Long live Lady Attorney!

The author, a comedian by trade, writes about some of the day-to-day sexism she encounters, which is just the tip of the iceberg. As Gibson says in her conclusion, "Can you believe we covered so much and still didn't get to INCELS, middle school period bathroom breaks, the struggles of trans women, pregnant detainees, Hollywood being surprised First Wives Club was a hit, sexism in China the corporatization of International Women's Day, eating disorders, child marriage in America, GOP sex show more scandals, obstacles for female attorneys and the problem with gendering jobs in the first place, Hollywood being surprised Bridesmaids was a hit, sexual assault in the Olympics, female artificial intelligence, reproductive care on campus, female incarceration, bikini season, workplace discrimination against mothers, imposter syndrome, loan discrimination, Hollywood being surprised Girls Trip was a hit, vocal fry, One Million Moms, and when the FUCK is Harriet Tubman gonna show up on my twenty-dollar bills?!" Given that she had plenty of other things to discuss, as she herself lists, it was a little disappointing that Gibson chose to dedicate an entire chapter advising women to "Watch Out for These Backstabbing Bitches." Here she discusses anti-feminism women like Phyllis Schlafly, but it still seemed a little odd to have a 200-page book about "Surviving the Patriarchy" fall into a minor screed about how bad some women are (even if the 'bad' in this instance is standing in the way of progress for other women).

Nevertheless, this was on the whole an entertaining and surprisingly informative read. The first couple of chapters, which tackled politics and the Me Too movement respectively, were filled with so many zingers that I found myself reading aloud particularly amusing parts of it to my boyfriend. Granted, the topics are not amusing, but Gibson has a way with words to make even horrible things sound funny in one of those 'we-have-to-laugh-so-we-don't-cry' kind of ways. Warning though, Gibson's humor can be a bit crass at times, so it might not be for everyone.

Later chapters weren't quite as good, but still interesting enough. Gibson devotes an entire chapter to the cosmetics industry. It was eye-opening to learn about how so many of these companies -- who make their money by selling products almost exclusively to women -- are run by men, even if there's a female name to the company. Gibson does her research and presents it to the reader in regards to finding cosmetics companies created and run by women. While I'm not a huge makeup fan, this is definitely handy information to have.

All in all, this was an entertaining enough read for those who like some facts with their humor. There's probably not a whole lot in here that isn't 'preaching to the choir' for anyone who would pick up this book based on the title, but it is reassuring sometimes to know that someone else is noticing these things and speaking up about them, even if I'm not sure that it'll help. show less