F 'em!: Goo Goo, Gaga, and Some Thoughts on Balls [Paperback]

Jennifer Baumgardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

From Jennifer Baumgardner, one of the leading voices of Third Wave feminism, comes this provocative, thoughtful, often funny collection of essays and interviews that offers a state of the union on contemporary feminist issues.

F 'em! is a mix of old and new essays by Baumgardner, ranging in tone from laugh-out-loud confessional to sobering analysis. She investigates topics as varied as purity balls, sexuality, motherhood, and shared breastfeeding; rape, reproductive rights, and the future of feminism. The essays in F 'em! are rounded out by candid one-on-one interviews with leading feminists who have influenced Baumgardner's perspectives—including Riot Grrrls' Kathleen Hanna, Native American activist Winona LaDuke, transgender activist Julia Serano, and artists like Ani DiFranco, Björk, and Amy Ray. At turns intimate, fierce, philosophical, and funny, they are an intimate window into the minds and hearts of Third Wave pioneers. Holding it all together is Baumgardner's insightful thinking about what it means to be a feminist today, as she answers frequently-asked questions: What does it mean to be a woman today? Do we even need feminism anymore?

Thought-provoking and cutting-edge, F 'em! provides a clearer and more complete understanding of feminism—its past, its present, and its future.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (September 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580053602
• ISBN-13: 978-1580053600
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it. November 16, 2011

By The Feminist Texican [Reads]

Format:Paperback

She may joke about being in her "elderly" 40s, be completely clueless about Twitter, and refer to to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" as "Born That Way," but prominent Third Wave feminist Jennifer Baumgardner has consistently shown a commitment to keeping up with the (feminist) times. In her years as an activist and writer, she has continued to acknowledged the feminists who came before her and honored the experiences of the next generation of feminists trying to carve their own path. Her latest book, cheekily titled F `em! Goo Goo, Gaga, and Some Thoughts on Balls, continues her quest to build bridges between the feminist generations.

The book is composed of old and new material; about half of it consists of essays that have been printed elsewhere, while the other half consists of "epilogues" to the previously printed material and interviews with an array of feminists. Focusing on topics like motherhood, gender, sexual orientation, patriarchy, and the political and cultural legislation of female sexuality, Baumgardner explores the many contradictions within the feminist movement(s). Her willingness to explore these gray areas is the thing I loved most about this book.

There are a lot of valuable lessons to be gleaned from this book's pages; she frequently discusses the need for each feminist wave to learn from each other and properly build upon the previous generation's work. Baumgardner also writes openly about confronting her own privilege over the years; she is even willing to be honest about her transphobia in years past, analyzing the evolution of her behaviors and beliefs over the last couple of decades.

My favorite interview in the book is the one featuring Loretta Ross, who is the national coordinator for the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. I'm in awe of Ross's story, and I'm so glad her interview was included; she discusses at length the implications that the reproductive rights movement has had on women of color. In response to being overlooked, women of color organized and created the reproductive justice movement (which melds reproductive rights with social justice for women of color). The interview is a must-read.

Unfortunately, not every interviewee was as awesome as Loretta Ross; some of them clung stubbornly to the past and were completely out of touch with the current feminist climate. I was dismayed by BUST founder Debbie Stoller's interview in particular. Considering that she's running a magazine geared toward younger feminists, it was upsetting to hear her dismissing the work of...younger feminists! But worse than Stoller's dismissal of the work that younger feminists are currently doing is her troubling stance on major issues in feminism. For a Third Waver, she sure seems completely clueless about the necessity of intersectionality:

"There is this whole issue in feminism I always find really difficult and touchy. I don't even know if I can broach it. But I feel like trying to struggle for feminism, just feminism, is almost impossible, because all of these other causes get placed in front. If you look at the democratic convention from the 1970s, when women agitated for equal rights, then the feminist cause became the lesbian cause. Gay rights are absolutely important to me, but gay rights are not feminism. And neither are civil rights. I mean, these are all important things, but they're not central to feminism."

*sigh* Debbie. Debbie, Debbie, Debbie. That's so mainstream Second Wave of you. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Regardless of my "disagreements" with some of the interviewees, I do think it's incredibly important to hear opposing viewpoints, and Baumgardner does a good job trying to clarify questionable statements. There's a good balance of differing perspectives presented throughout the book, and readers will undoubtedly find something that resonates. I read a lot of books on feminism-all waves included-and F `em! is one of the most engrossing feminist reads I've encountered this year.

4 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars At the end of feminism. November 7, 2011

By SarahK66

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good book for everyone who is interested in feminism. Jennifer is a good writer and has always been analytical enough to demystify a lot of assumptions people make about feminists. With that said I will point out some of the things that bothered me in the book.

1. Why do we have to stick up for women who have 3-4 abortions? It is not something to be proud of and the emphasis should be on preventive care. I am pro choice, but this is ridiculous. Just because you have an abortion does not make you a feminist nor if you are against abortion makes you an automatic anti feminist!
2. Why is Kathleen(i married the rich dude from Beastie Boys)Hanna even interviewed in this book? Her ideas of feminism keep on changing and only are relevant in her head to the situation she is currently in. When she was young, poor and "gay" in Bikini Kill she was all about anti capitalism/ anti male politics and now that she married Adam Horowitz and was on a major label with her band Le Tigre her stance has completely changed.
3. Lastly, there is no fourth wave...Girls have killed it. If you read all the books by Wolf,Fauldi,Dworkin,Hooks,Brownmiller, Firestone, Friedan, Paglia, Steniem, Roiphe etc etc etc you will realize most of the issues discussed in their impressive books are of little interest to young girls today. Which is sad really.

I think we need to focus on women who are dealing with international issues and trying to get them the desperate help they need. That is where feminists should focus on. Lets stop over thinking American culture and how it sees women and focus on (especially for the rich feminists who have resources to help) on helping women in countries who don't have one third of the rights we have.