A Review of 'How To Be A Woman' by Caitlin Moran

"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 best by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians?  Why do bras hurt?  Why the incessant 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 life, 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, 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 female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for woman today but also for society itself."

There was a lot of talk surrounding this book on GoodReads.com and among BookTubers on YouTube, so of course I had to get my hands on this book and see what it was all about for myself!

It was much funnier than I ever thought it would be.  I didn't expect a 100% serious conversation about womanhood and feminism, but I was still pleasantly surprised by what I did read and how Caitlin Moran wrote (writes?).

I really like that Caitlin Moran creates an atmosphere for and about women.  It felt good to be included, however indirectly.  There's just one thing though.  I do wish that the conversation included men more.  Caitlin (yeah, we're on a first name basis now) has some really excellent points.  Not every chapter should involve men (like, the chapters on childbirth maybe.  Or periods), but there are some conversations in this book that are for all genders.  Feminism isn't just about women.  It's about the equality of all genders.  So when Caitlin said something along the lines of "Do you have a vagina?  Do you want to control it?" in an attempt to define what feminism is and when one is a feminist, I felt that her definition needed to be more inclusive.  Yes, I want to control my body by making my own decisions about when and how often I give birth, how much I want to have sex per week, whether or not I'm on birth control, etc.  I want the same amount of pay a man gets for holding the same job as I do.  Likewise, I want it to be perfectly normal and okay for a man to be sensitive (as opposed to our society's ideal of a macho tough guy), I want men to be able to take on roles that a woman has traditionally played in the past, I want men to be able to get proper help and to be taken seriously if they're sexually assaulted (because sexual assault isn't solely a crime against women... it shouldn't be a crime against anyone).  I don't want those who don't identify as either male or female to be completely defined by their body parts.

So feminism isn't just for women.  In order to find ourselves in a truly post-feminist world, we need everyone's help and input.  One gender can't do it alone.  There won't be equality if there isn't a group effort.

It would be kind of cool if there was some discussion in the comments,

This was an excellent read.  I laughed, I felt for Caitlin in certain situations, and it really got me thinking.

I give 'How To Be A Woman':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude