Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Jessica Valenti is a part of the feminist blogger elite, and for good reason. The blog that she was part of establishing, Feministing.com, gets a lot of traffic and is well-known among internet savvy, young, hip feminists. Full disclosure: I read Feministing on a somewhat regular basis. Having read Valenti's writing on the blog - which tends to be oversimplified and, quite frankly, bratty - I was hoping her analysis in book form would show at least a tad more depth. Unfortunately for Valenti, there's a downside to fame; it opens you up for public criticism.

If Full Frontal Feminism is supposed to be the spark that ignites young women to identify as feminists and hop on the movement train, then women are in deep trouble. Valenti writes like a feminist version of Ann Coulter, and let's face it, Ann Coulter is hardly known for her intelligence. Flamboyant and egotistical, much of Valenti's commentary is trite, at best. She makes sweeping generalizations ("When you're a feminist, day to day life is better. You make better decisions. You have better sex."), repeatedly calls her opponents juvenile names [...], confuses "truth" with "opinion," and has apparently done very little actual research to prove her claims, as there is little to no citation of her assertions. At times, she doesn't feel the need to make an assertion at all, responding to the opposition with a facile yet grandiose "Puke," a deliberately ironic "Yeah" or a pithy and useless "Terrifying", as though she has made her case. And despite hackneyed attempts every now and again to mention other marginalized groups, the truth is that this book overwhelmingly reflects the viewpoint of its white, middle class, (primarily, if not entirely) heterosexual, entitled, American, liberal feminist writer.

Valenti doesn't give her readers credit that they can do the thing she most wants them to do: think, analyze, and be critical. This is apparent in the fallacious style by which she presents her perspectives. My personal favorite - taken straight from the right wing, talk radio instruction manual - is when Valenti uses the "straw man," a common misleading bait-and-switch tactic, to "prove" her point (e.g., contending that anti-abortion advocates simply hate sex). A close second is when she uses the most extreme cases as though they weren't the exception to the rule (e.g., making the case for all women to have access to Emergency Contraception because rape victims should have access to it).

Perhaps Valenti believes that young women won't be moved unless they're completely scared to death. Fear is a powerful motivator, but it belittles the audience in the process. Oh, and did I mention that she uses the book as a forum to talk public trash about petty tiffs she's had with other bloggers? If fear doesn't sell you on feminism, apparently Valenti believes taking her side in some inane, personal dispute will.

Full Frontal Feminism is written in sound bytes, each chapter being comprised of smaller (usually) page-long explanations of a given issue: sex education vs. abstinence only, virginity pledges, expensive weddings, unattainable beauty standards, and other typical feminist fare. Apparently, the television has taken its toll (or so Valenti thinks) on the public because there is no sense of organization or logic to the structure of the book. And solutions? Those must have been left for someone else to tackle because you won't find them here, at least not outside of the standard volunteer, give money, and vote.

Now I know I've pretty much run this book into the ground, but I do want to say that I get what Valenti is trying to do here. And it's a really smart idea. She wants to reach out to young women who don't yet identify as feminists and let them know that it's okay, cool even, to be down with the F-word. She wants to tell them that they already believe in feminist ideals and have benefited from the women's movement. She wants to encourage them to continue in that tradition and kick some misogynist ass. That's a really honorable goal that, unfortunately, was a victim of poor execution.

If you're truly looking to find out why feminism matters, you'd be better served to flip to the booklist in the back of Full Frontal Feminism and read some of the titles listed there - including Colonize This!, Listen Up: Voices from the Next Generation, To Be Real, and The Fire This Time - because cool packaging is really great, but if there's nothing of substance inside then what you are selling is just the packaging.

Written by Mandy Van Deven

So... I kinda hate this book. I am young, feminist, type and thought I'd give this book a shot for an easy read but I cannot finish it. The jist of it is the author stating a perceived slight to women and then saying, "wow, that is really sucky right? stupid anti-sex white men telling us what to do." There is no analysis, no measured reasoning. She also has a propensity for using the lazy technique of only stating the most extreme opposing viewpoint.

I actually agree with most of the tenets of this book but the way that the author presents them infuriated me. The book is supposed to be a primer for young women who would like to learn more about feminism but as a young woman, I was offended that Valenti didn't seem to think I was bright enough to read rationale behind the ideas and would blindly follow her. Big thumbs down.

While Valenti does provide good information in this book. I feel at times she does cross the border into being discriminatory towards certain people. For example, she refers to the Quiverfull religious movement as "wacky." I am a young feminist. However, I do not feel that calling a religion "wacky" is going to earn you any points. That's offensive. Whether you agree with it or not, that is their religion and people do have a choice to have one, which one to have, or to not be religious at all. I truly feel that if you want people to be more open-minded, then, you have to be open-minded as well. I also agree with another reviewer who said that she confuses truth with opinion more than once in this book. She does have a tendency to be rather immature regarding people who disagree with her.

I also agree with the reviewer when they said, "Valenti doesn't give her readers credit that they can do the thing she most wants them to do: think, analyze, and be critical. This is apparent in the fallacious style by which she presents her perspectives. My personal favorite - taken straight from the right wing, talk radio instruction manual - is when Valenti uses the "straw man," a common misleading bait-and-switch tactic, to "prove" her point (e.g., contending that anti-abortion advocates simply hate sex)." I couldn't have said that better. That is exactly how I feel. Now, I am pro-choice. I do not entirely agree with abortion, but I do believe that every woman should be able to make that choice for themselves. Do I hate sex? Hell no. Do my opinions on abortion make me against same-sex marriages (which she also implies you will be against if you don't agree with abortion)? Again, a resounding, hell no.

She makes a lot of unfair generalizations towards people she doesn't agree with, and I'm not okay with that. She is of the opinion that women don't actually want to stay at home and take care of their children, but instead a stay-at-home mom has just been filled with all of these ideas that men are more superior and should be the breadwinners. Sorry Stay-at-home Moms! She fails to realize that some women do actually want to be at home with their children, and not because their significant others or society makes them feel this way. And there ARE stay-at-home dads, as well, even though she fails to mention that and says something along the lines of, "If staying at home with the kids is so great, why aren't men doing it?" Again, just because it's something she doesn't agree with, it's crazy.

I'm not going to say don't read this book. I think that you should read it and form your own opinion on it, but I will say that it made me angrier as I read it. She does make a few valid points ... in an immature, filled-with-generalizations way.

Casually written book that does a great job of reaching out to young women who may not think of themselves as feminists. The casual tone can be a tad deceptive, because the book is absolutely stuffed full of information about the current state of feminism, the current state of sexism, and why feminism is still relevant and why any young woman with a reasonable amount of self-respect should embrace it. Jessica makes the case for being a feminist not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's personally important, and she draws on a number of personal anecdotes to show how often a little feminist theory can help you navigate many a personal situation where you might otherwise find yourself making decisions you won't like. The book drives home how feminism isn't some airy academic pursuit, but a social justice movement that goes right to the root of things in your daily life.

I see the book getting slipped into a lot of high school graduation gift baskets, since it's perfect for that. With all the anxiety about young women and early independence in college ramping up--especially the fear of the dangers of sexual experimentation and the feminist fears that the pressure to live for boys will overwhelm girls' internal need to live for themselves--this book really comes at a good time. Jessica addresses these issue for what they are, and doesn't engage in moralistic finger-wagging, far from it. She gives good, self-affirming advice to young women about the importance of feminism to help stiffen your backbone to face the onslaught of pressure on you to live a self-denying existence.

This book is one of many new books on the market that offer a primer on feminisms. I found this book just as interesting as Megan Seely's book.

Valenti offers a strong foray into a preliminary history of feminisms in the US. Her writing is clean and at times sarcastic, which I enjoyed for the most part. There are certain sections where I felt she needed to expand on some points to give a clearer view of the issue.

The audience for this book is a lay audience or university audience new to feminism or women's studies.

I found that the list of sources at the end of the book to be the most useful. However, I do think that Seely's information at the end of each chapter was more helpful for someone new to feminisms.

When I find the time to read I vary between the classics and feminist books. Working in a predominantly male environment and having mostly male friends I really enjoy studying feminism, the women's movement, and related issues. I also find that my male friends are often more then willing to discuss many feminist issues and often are very educated on them. This book gives both men and women very little credit. While Jessica says feminism is not all about the stereotypical man hating, she rarely leaves you feeling she has much respect for men. When men are discussed you are left feeling that there are so many criteria to consider when finding men that are worth your time. I was particularly turned off in any of the sections that discussed dating. After going on and on about female sexuality, choices, and freedom she gives a list of what to look for as a feminist dating. One of the bullet points says don't sleep with republicans... really? Does Jessica really believe feminism is such a black and white issue? I believe really smart empowered women are able to look at issues individually instead of writing off every single republican. And that doesn't even take into effect that one chapter earlier she talks about how women should never have to feel bad for their sex life, did she forget to include the clause: unless you slept with a republican?

I have read some really amazing books about modern day feminism, feminism in the 21st century, and feminist books written to empower young women to take up the cause... this was not one of them.

I don't own this book but...
As a WOMAN I do feel this needs to be said. After watching all of the four "killing us softly" videos by Jane Killbourne I have to say that it is surprising no one has commented on the cover of this book alone. A single body part is shown, nude of a white young girl. Now I understand the book is about the EMPOWERMENT of women which I believe is highly needed especially with domestic violence and rape prevalent in many developed and developing nations. However this cover is OBJECTIFYING a part of a woman's body, it doesn't show her face and it is sexual. How is that EMPOWERING?! This is exactly the types of depiction's women we DON'T want. I know that having a face on the cover would be maybe to personal but seriously, is a nude torso of an anonymous woman the message that feminism is trying to get out there. This picture is most likely airbrushed which brings up a host of issues that airbrushing causes like poor self esteem and the fact that most women will never look like. Airbrushing turns a picture of a real woman into an unnatural object -- I think feminism would try to avoid this...

Just some items to think about.

I have read this book several times, and I do think it is a good book. I am just the target audience Valenti seems to have in mind: young (I'm 25), female, white, single, liberal, and, yes, I do consider myself to be a feminist. This book, therefore, is perfect for a gal like me. I thought that it was relevant, thought-provoking, and actually quite entertaining to read. However, like other authors promoting political ideologies, Valenti's book fell short of perfect in more sense than one.

I'll start with the "strengths" of the book. Using wit, humor, and some nicely handled research, Valenti presents to the reader an array of reasons young women should care about feminism, discussing everything from sexuality, to sexism in the workplace and political arena, to reproductive rights, to body image, and she even dedicates a chapter to male feminism (a topic that has been shunned or minimized by other feminists). She also educates readers who might not be well-versed in feminist history about the three "waves" of feminism and the concept of "intersectionality" (thus putting her master's degree in women's and gender studies to good use). At the conclusions of each chapter (as well as at the conclusion of each book), she also suggests things that the reader could do to take action against certain issues that were raised in that chapter (e.g., boycott Abercrombie and Fitch for their sexist products and policies).

But. This book is definitely not without its flaws. Valenti may have done her homework, but there are things that she definitely could have done without. For one thing, she curses throughout the entire book-- so much that she even points out that she has a "potty-mouth" more than once. And she's not kidding about that; there hardly seems to be any page that isn't peppered in some way with her cursing like a sailor. Personally, I am not offended by curse words. However, my concern is there are some people who might look at this book, see the amount of times Valenti drops the F-bomb, and the constant swearing could cause them to stop taking her seriously. And honestly, I can't blame them. Let's be honest... is it REALLY necessary to curse quite this much?

Also, while she seems to show great balance in her opinion in some places (e.g., when she admits that she does wear makeup and heels, but that she is aware of the harmful beauty standards promoted by society), in others she comes off as an extremist. I was quite offended when I read her chapter about relationships and marriage. While I understand that some marriage traditions do have a shady history (e.g., women as "property" to her husband), I think that she was very unfairly biased in some of her assertions against certain practices. According to Valenti, it is unfeminist and sexist to wear an engagement ring (I believe the word was "dowry") and to change your last name to your husband's (never mind that for some women, they choose to "take his name" because they *gasp!* CHOOSE to do that). When I first read this book, I was engaged at the time. I wore a pearl ring that I loved dearly AND helped pick out, and I wanted to take his last name because I have no ties to my father's family anymore. But apparently, according to Valenti, this means that I'm giving in to sexism, even though my reasons for participating were (a) my own choice and (b) for reasons that had nothing to do with feminism. I think that maybe Valenti should actually know all of the facts before she decides to lump all of the women who do these things into the same category.

As someone who also has a degree in women's studies, and has read probably about as much academic feminist theories as Valenti has, this book was a refreshing summary of feminism and how it can be applied today. Flaws aside, I do think that this book at least deserves consideration. If you totally hate it, then at least give it to someone else who might appreciate it.

I thought this was an awesome book that was part of three bits of media that swung me to being a supporter of feminism. Until a few months ago, I had had mixed feeling about feminism, supporting some bits, but mostly feeling like it was going too far, and had achieved most of its victories.
A CBC documentary a few months ago sparked my interest in the topic, and made me think that I might be wrong. I went and read a Women's Studies book that made me more of supportive of feminism intellectually, but I found that material to be dry and too complex for me to be confident in my new opinions. A month later I got Full Frontal Feminism, which really solidified my new views. I love Valenti's style of slamming down sexist criticisms in just one sentence, and unveiling the true motivations of her opponents. Some of the contradictions she brought up were really powerful too. The one about conservatives not wanting to provide daycare for single mothers because a woman's place is in the home, but not giving her welfare because she should get a job, was probably the most influential moment in the book for me.
I see that the more negative reviews here disliked her book for the very reasons that I loved it. They seemed to find her arguments to be too simplistic, but simplification is what I needed to really grasp the issues.
I also saw the book criticized for its sweeping attacks on her opponents. I am usually a strong advocate for reasoning using sound logic backed up by evidence, but it is sometimes important to recognize when one's opponents are not being honest about their motivations, and when Valenti did this, I found it very helpful.
When I finished reading this book, I searched for the Feministing blog, and I now follow it daily.

I received this book in the mail less than a week ago and couldn't wait to start it. Since I'm an avid reader of the author's website [...] I had high hopes for the book. From the moment I ordered the book I was sure I would enjoy it, but I wondered if it would actually be accessible to people who don't already think of themselves as feminists. As I started to read the book I quickly found that it was even more fun to read than I had anticipated and that it could easily be a great introduction to modern feminism (or my brand of modern feminism at least) for anyone.

As a college student at an institution whose students seem to be less and less interested in anything activism related every year, I was very excited to read a book with this much energy. As the next president of my campus' feminist group,which is very low on membership, and a passionate person who can't understand why people are apathetic about issues that affect their lives, I've been searching for ways to communicate to people the importance of caring and being involved. This book gave me new ideas and new energy to keep pushing for people to get involved in their lives, and it helped me find a better understanding of what I believe and why it's so important.

Informative but not overly technical, the book's casual tone makes it very accessible to young people. The writing style finds the book reading like a friend or older sibling telling the reader about all the cool, worldly things they've learned since going to college. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that it makes things clear and easy to understand so that anyone could get a useful message from it. "Experienced" feminists can use it as a refresher course and a boost for their belief in feminism as a movement, newer feminists can use it to gain confidence in their oppinions and to sort of clarify thier understanding of modern feminist issues, young people who do not identify as feminists, or who don't have much of an idea as to what feminism actually is can learn about feminism and why it is important so they can develop oppinions of their own.

All in all a fantastic book, I would recommend it to anyone, and I probably will recommend it to everyone.