How to Be a Woman
by Caitlin Moran
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe book that launched a feminist revolution—the hilarious memoir/manifesto from Caitlin Moran, "the UK's answer to Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, and Lena Dunham all rolled into one" (Marie Claire).
Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant show more talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?
Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children—to jump-start a new conversation about feminism. With humor, insight, and verve, How to Be a Woman lays bare the reasons why female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.
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nessreader My love for Hadley Freeman is unbounded. Both these authors are columnists in the UK newspapers, young, female, funny and intelligent. If you've read the books of both and are hunting more in the same vein, try Lucy Mangan from the Guardian (My Family And Other Disasters)
Alas, the jacket design for be awesome is godawful.
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Member Reviews
A raw and honest description of a girl's journey from pre-pubescence towards womanhood (even if she never quite gets there). Irreverent and funny -sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. I really enjoyed the book for the first two thirds. Then it started to flag a little for a couple of chapters. BUT! The chapter on abortion is a must read for every woman (or man) who thinks that they have to feel bad about an abortion. Searingly honest - but not in a "bring you down way" - this chapter makes the book a must-read. Followed by a brilliant explanation of why the belief in an after-life is the opposite of life affirming; well done Caitlin Moran.
How To Be A Woman is part memoir and part discussion on the state of modern feminism. Moran uses milestones in her own life as jumping off points for her feminist discussion, ranging from topics such as clothes and shoes to porn, hair removal, weddings, abortion and motherhood.
Moran writes with wit and honesty, and plenty of humour. I have no knowledge of feminist theory, but I found I did agree with a lot of Moran’s arguments, and in a couple of places she had a way of putting into words things that I had unconsciously noticed but had never really considered.
I really enjoyed this book. The memoir aspect of the book may not have been anything out of the ordinary in regards to the events described, but Moran has a fun voice, and the show more feminist aspects I found interesting and relevant. The capitalisation of whole exclamations throughout the book, while in keeping with Moran’s exuberant personality, did wear a bit thin by the end. I had to admire a writer who can have me feeling a bit queasy after a description of a really horrible labour and birth, and then by the end of the next page I’m sniggering with laughter again.
How To Be A Woman is not an academic treatise on feminism, but it doesn’t need to be when it has insight, good common sense and humour to make an argument that is very accessible. show less
Moran writes with wit and honesty, and plenty of humour. I have no knowledge of feminist theory, but I found I did agree with a lot of Moran’s arguments, and in a couple of places she had a way of putting into words things that I had unconsciously noticed but had never really considered.
I really enjoyed this book. The memoir aspect of the book may not have been anything out of the ordinary in regards to the events described, but Moran has a fun voice, and the show more feminist aspects I found interesting and relevant. The capitalisation of whole exclamations throughout the book, while in keeping with Moran’s exuberant personality, did wear a bit thin by the end. I had to admire a writer who can have me feeling a bit queasy after a description of a really horrible labour and birth, and then by the end of the next page I’m sniggering with laughter again.
How To Be A Woman is not an academic treatise on feminism, but it doesn’t need to be when it has insight, good common sense and humour to make an argument that is very accessible. show less
I'm a couple of years older than Caitlin, grew up in less than affluent circumstances (my family wasn't as large or as poor as hers - I didn't have 7 siblings - thank goodness! one was enough!), was a chubby teen and rather bookish. So we start from a similar place, making this, for me, a thoroughly familiar journey to womanhood. We're going to have to disagree on some details of pants (her - big is better, me - it depends), and heels (I can walk in them, she can't. Not saying I'm elegant in them but I love my heels). At times this had me laughing out loud while listening in the car. That's not to say that it is avoiding difficult issues, the chapter on abortion, in particular, pulls no punches. She tackles difficult issues of body show more confidence, misogyny, reproduction, the media and the benefits of a good duffel coat. Written a while ago now, this is part memoir, part rant, part essay. It was a timely reminder of how awful being a teenager was and how much better life is now than then. Like her, I can only think I've got this being a woman thing nailed, but I have only ever got my version of it nailed. show less
A feminist who says it like it is and makes no apologies for being a woman. She shares anecdotes and life experiences from getting drunk and discussing feminism with Gaga to talking about her abortion. She unapologetically explains why women need to be comfortable and love their vagina, and encourages women to embrace that being confident, in control and in support of women's rights will never be a bad thing. She's a Brit who doesn't hold her tongue and does so in a hilarious and snarky way - total win in my book. I recommend this audiobook as it's read by the author - and she's pretty funny!
You can't really top the wacky adventures of Moran's semi-autobiographical Johanna Morrigan aka Dolly Wilde, but her nonfiction feminist manifesto was still a fun read. Her perspective on life is at once brutal and humorous, delving into the harsh realities of the modern feminist movement with just enough pathos not to come off as bitter. I mean, we all know the patriarchy is trash anyways, so it's great that she doesn't waste a lot of time lamenting "oh what should we do" and instead takes a more practical approach: demanding change, doing what you want, and holding the world accountable for its actions. There were a few spots where I was challenged by her writing, namely her chapters dealing with children, as I'm firmly in the camp of show more "no thank you" and I will disagree endlessly and tactlessly with anyone who dares question my life choices (it is none of their business, thank you kindly to shut up), but she redeemed herself in the end with a rather brutal but honest discussion around abortion. While she may come off as a pretty rambunctious take on modern feminism and kind of a goofball, Moran's voice is unique and holds true to the punk-ethos that feminism goes hand in hand with: make your choices, let no one tell you what to do, and live your life to be happy for yourself and those who love you. Seeking out more of her work, tout suite! show less
I was a little put off by the title of Caitlin Moran’s bestseller, but the book came with a glowing recommendation from a friend that shares very similar tastes with me, so I decided to go for it. For the next couple days, I was moved, comforted, inspired… To use one of my current English teacher’s favorite expressions, the book felt like both a window and a mirror. I not only related to Moran’s escapades, but also got to see parts of her life – from growing up impoverished in a small English town to interviewing the likes of Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga – that I will never be able to fully comprehend.
I also laughed to the point of tears. A lot. Sometimes on the tube. Not even sorry.
I also laughed to the point of tears. A lot. Sometimes on the tube. Not even sorry.
"The UK'S version of Tina Fey's Bossypants" trumpeted the cover, and at halfway through the book I thought that was selling "How To Be A Woman" short. By the end, though, I thought that was probably fair. As indicated in its title, Moran's book sets itself out to be a modern manifesto on modern feminism, explored through stories of Moran's life. Some of the thoughts on feminism are coherent, well-reasoned and practical. But unfortunately, the parts on feminism get less compelling as the book goes on, until by the end it does just feel like a memoir. It's a shame, as I thought the first half was terrific.
I have no idea if this was due to fatigue or writer's block or rushing to deadline, but it felt to me like Moran had some great show more material to begin the book but then struggled to maintain that standard. I think that it would have benefited from Moran having really argued through the later material with people before commiting it to paper.
Perhaps another reason is that the first part corresponded to the earlier part of her life, which was generally more interesting than the later parts, dealing with a more settled and successful Moran. She was also perhaps rather too pleased that she hit it off with Lady Gaga.
All that said, the first half or so was very good. Her life has been interesting and unconventional and her descriptions of her family are particularly vivid. It's brave, honest (I think) and at times very funny. And she's a good writer - on occasion she has a cracking turn of phrase. (I don't like her use of upper case for emphasis - particularly later in the book where it seems to stand in for well-honed argument. To paraphrase: "this is my point of view that should be reasoned through carefully BUT INSTEAD SARKY HUMOUR IN ALL-CAPS FTW!")
So while I think it fails as a true manifesto of "strident feminism", as too many of the arguments are insufficiently supported, taken as a whole it still seems to me a valid and worthwhile approach to how to live one's life as a modern-day strident feminist.
And all that said - I've written more about this book than most, so that indicates that I feel it's worthy of some attention. show less
I have no idea if this was due to fatigue or writer's block or rushing to deadline, but it felt to me like Moran had some great show more material to begin the book but then struggled to maintain that standard. I think that it would have benefited from Moran having really argued through the later material with people before commiting it to paper.
Perhaps another reason is that the first part corresponded to the earlier part of her life, which was generally more interesting than the later parts, dealing with a more settled and successful Moran. She was also perhaps rather too pleased that she hit it off with Lady Gaga.
All that said, the first half or so was very good. Her life has been interesting and unconventional and her descriptions of her family are particularly vivid. It's brave, honest (I think) and at times very funny. And she's a good writer - on occasion she has a cracking turn of phrase. (I don't like her use of upper case for emphasis - particularly later in the book where it seems to stand in for well-honed argument. To paraphrase: "this is my point of view that should be reasoned through carefully BUT INSTEAD SARKY HUMOUR IN ALL-CAPS FTW!")
So while I think it fails as a true manifesto of "strident feminism", as too many of the arguments are insufficiently supported, taken as a whole it still seems to me a valid and worthwhile approach to how to live one's life as a modern-day strident feminist.
And all that said - I've written more about this book than most, so that indicates that I feel it's worthy of some attention. show less
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The joy of this book is just that: the joy. What Moran is really arguing for is more female happiness. Women spend too much of their time worrying, beating themselves up, going along with time-wasting, restrictive, often expensive, sexist mores. The triumph of How To Be A Woman is that it adds to women's confidence. It reminds us that sexism, and all that is associated with it, is not only show more repressive, it is tedious and stupid. It is boring. Best give it a body swerve and get on with having fun show less
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Author Information
11+ Works 5,919 Members
Caitlin Moran (born Catherine Elizabeth Moran; 5 April 1975) is an English broadcaster, TV critic and columnist at The Times. Moran was the British Press Awards (BPA) Columnist of the Year for 2010, and both the BPA Critic of the Year and Interviewer of the Year in 2011. In 2012 she was named Columnist of the Year by the London Press Club, and show more Culture Commentator at the Comment Awards in 2013. Her book, entitled How to be a Woman, became listed on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Harper Perennial Olive Editions (2016 Olive)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Naisena olemisen taito
- Original title
- How to Be a Woman
- Original publication date
- 2011-06-16
- First words
- [Prologue] Wolverhapmton, April 5, 1988
So, I had assumed it was optional.
[Postscript] So do I know how to be a woman now? - Quotations
- "Pencil skirts, skin-tight jeans and leggings - they all allow us to witness an exact outline of the wearer's pants, rather like the 'Geo-Phys print-out of an ancient drainage system on Time Team."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)But as the years went on, I realised that what I really want to be, all told, is a human. Just a productive, honest, courteously treated human. One of 'The Guys'. But with really amazing hair.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)[Prologue] A fairly comprehensive telling of every instance that I had little, or in many cases, no idea . . . of how to be a woman.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)That's the very, very last thing women are.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)[Postscript] But with really amazing hair. - Blurbers
- Ross, Jonathan; Winkleman, Claudia; Lawson, Nigella; Pegg, Simon; Laverne, Lauren
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Sexuality and Gender Studies, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 305.420207 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Social group - Age, Gender, Ethnicity Women Social role and status of women Standard subdivisions Humour
- LCC
- PN5123 .M683 .A3 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Journalism. The periodical press, etc. By region or country
- BISAC
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- 13 — Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Galician, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
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- 14