Bad Feminist: Essays

I roared through this collection of essays for which the tag "feminism" falls far short. Gay certainly brings a feminist lens to her essays of literary criticism and deconstructions of pop culture, but her perspective is far more complex than that. The collection's title comes from her assertions that feminism is flawed, that she is an inconsistent feminist (aren't we all?), and that neither she nor feminism should be disregarded because of these facts. She notes, as well, that eschewing the entire movement based on its failings is exactly what those who would most benefit from the movement's demise would like to see happen.

Gay's essays explore race and class and sexuality as well as gender. I found myself laughing out loud at times, show more googling certain personalities or events to learn a bit more, saying "amen" under my breath. Her writing is deft and accessible, which is not to say that it's not sophisticated. It is. Her voice is steady but nuanced, suggesting that she is exquisitely conscious of various audiences. I love her boldness. I love her frankness. I love her vulnerability (although I suspect she would have something to say about why I love that latter quality). I loved the essay about the Scrabble tournament.

Here's one favorite example of her straightforward writing style:

In "Some Jokes Are Funnier than Others," she is exploring the ongoing debate about comics' and others' "right" to tell jokes at others' expense, especially rape jokes, racist jokes, etc. I hear this debate a lot on college campuses where the tension between "free speech" and "safe spaces" is palpable, and students all too frequently want their own free speech protected but not necessarily the free (and often hurtful) speech of others to be controlled by the administration. Gay simply says "We are free to speak as we choose without fear of prosecution or persecution, but we are not free to speak as we choose without consequence." I will be repeating this sentence.

The essay collection is divided into sections and the one called "Race and Entertainment" was where I learned the most. This is probably because, as a white woman, her musings on gender and feminism fit within my longer-term consciousness. Also, I'm in my mid-50s (well, I'm probably more accurately in my late 50s but who's to say?) so many of the pop cultural references were less familiar to me. I googled. I learned. I resonated and appreciated and considered my own reactions to some of the films or songs or tv shows with which I was familiar. This was an enlightening read.

I can't wait to read more of Gay's work. show less

At the end of her essay, "I Once Was Miss America", Roxane Gay states: "Books are often far more than just books." I believe that this statement applies to Bad Feminist. It is so much more than just a book on my shelf. It's the discussions I've had with my friends put in the form of prose as well as a conversation with a new acquaintance on topics I haven't considered before. It was both familiar and new, and the combination of the two made it an impactful and enlightening read.

I absolutely loved this book! It's a book that every woman should read, especially any woman who calls herself a feminist but feels guilty for maybe not being the model feminist that she feels she is supposed to be at all times. Yes, sometimes we tend to like show more things that we probably shouldn't. I was a fan of Outlander even though it contains some rather questionable scenes. I've liked songs with a catchy beat that didn't paint women in a positive light. Everyone has done it! No one is immune, and Roxane Gay makes sure that we understand that in this collection of short essays. We are only human after all.

Throughout this collection, I found myself laughing at Roxane's often sharp and critical wit, crying through descriptions of injustice and violence that she and millions of women are faced with, and angry that we are still fighting a battle that has been going on for ages. Gay covers a myriad of topics including gender issues and race relations, and makes it very clear that we still have a long way to go. There are so many in this country who are treated as second class citizens. Many who have to work twice as hard to get half the success or attention. Many who never even get the chance to prove themselves. Yet many call this the "land of equal opportunity". How can we say something like this while inequality stares us right in the face?

I got the pleasure to read a viewpoint that is different from mine, and it was one of my better reading experiences. Sure, there were times that I disagreed with her on minor things, (I doubt there are two people in the world who would agree on absolutely everything) but that never made this book any less poignant to me. I respect her opinions, and I know that she would respect mine. At times, I even felt more like I was having a discussion with her. This could be because I have had many of these conversations with my friends, but it's also because I never felt like she was talking at me, but rather talking with me.

Roxane Gay has taught me that it's okay to be a "bad feminist" sometimes. We can't be perfect, and no one can expect us to be perfect feminists all the time. We slip up. That's part of being human. We shouldn't let these moments of doubt stop us from claiming feminism. Instead, we should use these moments to become better people in the future. show less

Roxane Gay, New York Times opinion writer and university professor, writes about feminism, fat acceptance, homophobia, racism, sexual violence, kink, pop culture, and a lot more in this collection of essays. She doesn’t come across as a know it all like some essayists do; she consistently admits to her own failings and prejudices. She’s funny and insightful at times; heartbreaking at others. Her own brutal gang rape at age twelve is fodder for her writing, as is 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight. The book is a mixed bag.

I have seen a lot of reviewers criticizing this book. One, for the writing not adhering to regular essay format but rather being more like blog posts. Yes, this is true. But I don’t feel that detracts from the show more content, and they are easy to read and digest. There is a trend among people today to glance at a more formal looking piece and think ‘tl;dr’. The other complaint I’ve seen is that a lot of them are on pop culture. I don’t see why this is a problem. Pop culture is what people are reading/watching. It’s what’s influencing people. Pop culture needs to be written and thought about. She doesn’t solve the feminist problem- she considers herself a bad feminist because she likes pink and she’s not a man-hating, angry woman. Well, I’m a bad feminist, too, despite being right out of the 1970s feminist wave. I, too, like pink, and I love makeup (I am angry, though, a lot of the time).

I loved this book. Is not only funny and thoughtful, she puts herself out there. I came across this book by happenstance, but I’m going to look for her other work now. show less

In this collection of short essays, Roxane Gay talks about race and gender, books and writing, pop culture and rape culture, and about some of her own experiences, from the amusing to the horrific. And she does so, often, in a way that I've seldom seen before, almost as if she's having a conversation with herself in the act of writing, trying to think her way around fantastically complex subjects without minimizing their complexity, even embracing and acknowledging her own contradictory thoughts and feelings, rather than reducing everything to absolutes and tidy thesis statements that brook no argument. This resonates with me deeply, even makes me feel a little less alone in my own messy thoughts about messy things, and it's immensely show more refreshing and valuable, given that nuance often appears to have been the first victim in the culture wars. And yet, even while embracing that messiness and nuance, she is still capable of pointing at things that are awful and saying, in a clear and composed voice: This is bullshit, and I am not okay with it. It's strong stuff, honest and vulnerable and angry, and very much worth reading.

Although it is, I think, necessary to note that this collection was published in 2014. It's astonishing how much that shows, and not just in the essays towards the end where she talks about then-current news stories, or even in the couple of more-or-less neutral, offhand references to Bill Cosby. There has been so much more to talk about in the last six years, and I find myself thinking I'd like to seek out more of Roxane Gay's writing, to see what she has to say about it all. show less

Un ensayo muy íntimo, plagado de refexiones a programas, películas y series que todas conocemos, haciendo un análisis un poco crudo y cínico sobre el feminismo de verdad y el que no lo es. Roxane Gay escribe con personalidad, sin tapujos, y siendo ella misma. Una lectura para aprender, para mejorar y para sentir.

I loved it. I found it intellectually challenging in the best way, and it made me want to read all the books she critiques.

Roxane Gay is very much in my milieu of intersectional feminism (looking at the interplay of race, class, sexual identity, etc., with gender), which meant some of her claims and essays were very accessible to me in a way they may not be to my mom, for instance, who is an older generation of feminist who doesn't understand why some people of color feel slighted by first- and second-generation feminists.

The most compelling and heart-wrenching is her essay on rape culture, which should be required reading for all humans.

Beyond that, I thought her essays on literary and film criticism were the strongest. They had the show more most to say that I was sometimes not familiar with (exception: people who pay attention will not find "Twilight is full of domestic abuse themes" surprising, but I've also had to argue with people that it is, so clearly there are people who didn't see it). These are also the essays I most want to revisit.

[Edit 3/21/16: I am reading the books she cites, with commentary, here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/219942] show less

Thank you, neighbourhood Little Free Library (and whomever in the neighbourhood has excellent taste) for bringing me this book! I’ve heard of Roxane Gay before (from where, I am not sure tbh), but I couldn’t resist a book called Bad Feminist! I mean, we’re all “bad feminists” to someone, so why not own it? Gay does exactly that in the book, laying bare the (occasionally mortifying) ways that she feels that she’s failing as a feminist while critiquing the movement as a whole. I’m of the firm belief that feminism is what we each make it as individuals, with the big tenant being that the choice to be a feminist is what makes us such, so I can totally see where Gay is coming from. The harmful bickering amongst the movement and show more lack of inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality within “feminism” is what keeps us from making progress in the first place, so having a major figure step forward and admit their shortcomings alongside their critical thought is gratifying in the inevitable moments of self-doubt. Yes, we can be feminists and still like men, dresses, and cosmopolitans (among other crimes) - or not. The choice is ours, as long as we’re still fighting for equality, liberty, and love for each other. show less