Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters

I've read this book twice now, because I absolutely love Valenti's style. I don't agree with everything she says, but the way she says it keeps me coming back for more. I'm currently working to get more of her books in our school library's (slightly outdated) feminist section.

This book is plainly aimed at women younger than myself, but it is still a great read, even though some of the slang and the extremely casual tone made it less accessible to older women. It is a full-on attack on the idea that feminism's work is done, or feminism is dead, as well as all the feminist stereotypes (hairy legs, bra-burners, ugly man-haters) that have been leveled at feminist for decades. The author attempts to reclaim the word feminism, to convince all those who start out with "I'm not a feminist but..." that they should actually claim the word feminism and embrace it. She also discusses the ways in which feminism is good for men. There are a few parts where I find her a bit smug, but it is the smugness of youth, not of show more self-righteousness, and for that more to be amused at than annoyed at. And she does manage to carve out a rationale for doing those things she enjoys (high heels, make-up) and remain a feminist, while ordering other women not to change their names when they marry for any reason (which is a bit much, and seems like a bit of special pleading - her issue? Yes. Other women? No.). Otherwise, a fine book. show less

I thought this book was fantastic! It functions really well as a primer of sorts for people who are interested in feminism, but don't really know where to start. I especially loved Jessica Valenti's tone through the book. It was very relaxed (and also contained a lot of profanity, but that was fine with me) :) and it made me feel like this could be one of my friends telling me about feminism. I would highly recommend it to any high school and up young women who are at all interested in feminism, or just want a really thought-provoking read.

Jessica Valenti, editor and contributor to the excellent Feministing.com, recently published this book. She writes for a younger audience, using a somewhat grating vernacular. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this book. There certainly are not many contemporary books on feminism written by young women authors, and Valenti has done an admirable job.

It is amazing to me that a person writing book about feminism for young women would opt to talk down to her readers. I am hurtling toward old age, and I have been a feminist for many years, in fact I have already raised a feminist. I was a Women's Studies minor when the voices we were hearing from were people like Dworkin and MacKinnon and though they pissed me off plenty, and I disagreed with them mightily on many issues they never wrote down to me. They expected me to do the work I needed to support, ignore, or oppose what they were selling. Valenti writes as if to someone who has lived in a sealed room exposed to nothing but The Bachelor and Mel Gibson movies for entertainment and Quiverfull theology and who needs to be eased into show more reality. Its as though she is trying to make feminism simple, and who wants to do that? The second star is a gift. show less

As a loud and proud 30-something feminist, I don't think I was really the target reader for this book, which is really designed for younger woman who might think that "feminist" is a dirty word. Valenti spends a lot of time trying to convince the reader that feminists are not dirty, man-hating lesbians or whatever...and that feminism can be cool. The fact that this book is even necessary is a little sad. Plus, like the other reviewer, I regularly read www.feministing.com (which you should too!), so a lot of this wasn't new to me.

That all having been said, I thought this was a fun little read and I am always glad to support the ladies of Feministing in their endeavors. The one thing I really wondered about though - is this really how show more young people think and is the language they use really this dumb? I think Valenti's writing style on the blog is pretty funny and sometimes really all you can say in response to some of these news items is "what the f*ck?!" - but in a book form, it just doesn't fly so well. I know that Valenti was trying to appeal to a young audience that isn't down with feminist theory and whatnot, but sometimes I wished that her analysis went a little deeper than "what the f*ck?!" show less

I was very impressed by the same author's Purity Myth when I read it last spring. Full Frontal Feminism covers a lot of the same material, but is written in a different tone of voice--the author was aiming at teens and young women, whereas Purity Myth is written for a broader audience. I'm not the target audience, so I'm not sure that it's fair for me to critique her writing style, but I don't know that it would have appealed to me even when I was 18. I appreciate a well-placed swear word, but I would call Valenti's use of foul language here to be gratuitous swearing. Unfortunately, I think over use of bad language makes the speaker sound inarticulate and less intelligent. Which is too bad, because Valenti is obviously articulate and show more intelligent. My other problem with this book is that it's very US-centric, which limits its value. Even though Valenti is obviously writing to a US audience, it would have been both interesting and inspiring to hear about the struggles and triumphs of women in other parts of the world. I think The Purity Myth is a much better book, but I will go ahead and purchase Full Frontal Feminism for my niece, just because social activism is new to her and I think this book will speak to her on her level.

Recommended for: the target audience (14-22 year olds). show less