Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future (Paperback)

by Jennifer Baumgardner (Author), Amy Richards (Author) "We were both born in 1970, the baptismal moment of a decade that would change dramatically the lives of American women..." (more)
Key Phrases: feminism dead, older feminists, young feminists, Third Wave, Second Wave, New York City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Two youthful alumnae of Ms. magazine present not a manifesto, but a talky defense of contemporary feminism, directed in part at disappointed Second Wave foremothers. Arguing that feminism is already all around us, the heart of the book is a long, unbridled paean to tough and sexy "girlie culture," as represented by Xena, Ally McBeal, the Spice Girls and little girls wearing Mia Hamm jerseys. Sporting green nail polish and Hello Kitty lunchboxes isn't infantile, the authors declare, but a "nod to our joyous youth." At the same time, they caution young women not to stop and rest on the success of cultural feminism, but to develop political lives and awareness. The book suffers mightily from its determined evenhandedness; Baumgardner and Richards typically temper any negative comments with an immediate positive note, and vice versa. Whether this feminist duo's ambivalence reflects schisms in the movement, their own fear of offending other feminists or simply the awkwardness of joint authorship, the result is shallow, both as a critique and a call to arms. Analysis of the few Third Wavers who are already visible in the media ought to have been surefire; instead, the chapter "Who's Afraid of Katie Roiphe?" comes too late (after 200-odd pages) and is too tame and indecisiveAthe authors pointedly clamp down on their own irritation with Roiphe, referring to her simply as a "controversial" figure among left-wing feminists. Fewer history lessons and more pique might have given this book more force. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Baumgardner and Richards, two writers with Ms. affiliations, start their analysis of U.S. feminism with a wonderful assumption: that "girl culture," from women rock stars and athletes to female entrepreneurs and inventors, have become an integral part of the national psyche. Thanks to Second Wave feminist agitators, today's young womenDthose who grew up believing that they could be anything they wanted to beDhave unprecedented opportunities. Now, as responsibility for women's liberation falls to them, decisions about goals, strategies, and direction have to be made. Manifesta, which is far less shrill than the name suggests, urges young women to pick up where their mothers, aunts, and adult mentors left off. Their challenge? To fulfill feminism's promise of justice, equality, and sexual freedom for all. Complete with appendixes to teach novices the nuts-and-bolts of community organizing, this book is a reasoned and passionate call to action and an exciting how-to guide for both burgeoning and seasoned Third Wave feminists. Recommended for all high school, college, and public libraries.DEleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (October 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374526222
• ISBN-13: 978-0374526221
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #250,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, but very uneven, December 4, 2001

By	Amanda Marcotte "amanda panda" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps my problem with the book came from the fact that it was written by two people working together, which probably contributed to its uneven tone. Jennifer and Amy (as they call themselves) try to encompass quite a bit of description and critique of certain youth-oriented trends in feminism, and sometimes it falls apart by the sheer width of their scope. And even though they continually point out that they are members of the Third Wave, the younger wave of feminist women, sometimes they seem strangely removed from the ideas that they purport to describe. For instance, they feel obliged to dismiss Girlie feminists as ineffectual, when this brand of feminism probably attracts more young people to the movement than any other. They were also dismissive to the huge contributions that Third Wavers have made to incorporating men to the cause. On the other hand, they were particularly adept at dismantling some of the myths that are commonly believed about feminism, which is a valuable task for anyone, Second or Third Wave. It's worth reading, but don't accept it as encompassing as a manifesta should be. Even the authors ask this of the reader.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very good but limited insiders review, May 6, 2004

By A Customer

This book does an excellent job of evaluating the feminist movement from an insider's perspective. However many of the threads involve women who work either in the movement or live in a liberal cultural environment. I am disappointed though that it doesn't address what I see as an important current problem: why does feminism fail to connect with a large percentage of women who are reluctant to identify themselves as feminist. Until the voices/minds of the apparently apathetic nurse/beautician/receptionist and "annoying dissentors" etc are explored (and considered "valid" not just "unliberated") I am afraid that feminism will remain in its ivory tower and not as effective as it should be, perhaps hijacked from the "ordinary" "unliberated" plebs. These women vote. (Why would a women's shelter volunteer be put off by her women's studies class?) The authors didn't explore why many women (and potentially supportive men) are totally put off by their women's studies class and never want to be associated with the feminist label after that. Where does an orthodox Jewish women fit into this picture. Is she just too stupid to know she's oppressed since she doesn't share the "agenda". What does she think? I haven't found a book who's interviews explore these marginalized, "unliberated" women's perspective with respect. The attitude of "support our troops" (feminist or otherwise) seems to pervade our society.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Important, but incomplete, October 11, 2000

By	Shawn Lea "allegro100" (Bothell, WA United States) - See all my reviews

The most recent in a string of books about "Third Wave" feminism, Manifesta is one of the more well-researched and forceful out there, and its attempt to reconcile "Girl Power" with Second Wave philosophy laudable. It is, unfortunately, lacking in several areas.

As the Kirkus review mentions, there is quite a bit of repetition in this book. There is also far too much of a meandering and verbose approach to making their statements and conclusions. It shouldn't take 41 pages to say that the "Girlie" feminists are cool, but lack a political foundation. I imagine that much of this wishy-washy feel is probably the authors' own attempts to come to agreement about many issues, but what that results in is something that is very much unlike a manifest(a) and more like a jointly written diary- a soul-searching hunt for a true opinion and foundation. The authors also seem to blindly present an essentialist and "difference" feminism viewpoint without, apparantly, an understanding of what those two philosophies really mean, and a clear idea of why those viewpoints are, in their opinion, more important and relevant than constructionism and "equality" feminism. The authors also come from a background of suburban and urban feminist culture (including feminist mothers) and access to good educations and high-profile media jobs, and don't seem to be aware of how that biases the conclusions they make- especially in their examinations of "Girlie" feminism and Girl Power. They don't go very far into examining the effect class and capitalism have on creating those two movements, for instance. It is also clear that they are coming from a background of publishing and print media, but they don't seem to understand, much less clearly state, exactly how deeply this colors their examination of media, culture and women in general.. "Write what you know" of course, but make sure the reader knows that that's the reason you're skimming over certain things. I'm also very disappointed at the lack of examination of heterosexual and binary gender dynamics as they contribute to current feminist culture. I would hope that women's/gender studies has advanced to the point where we truly understand that feminism is not solely an issue for biological women, but they seem to have missed that class. GLBT and alternative sexuality culture and writings are probably the most cutting-edge and insightful examinations of gender dynamics, theory and politics out there today, and it's unforgiveable to completely ignore what has been said from that perspective. I would higly recommend that the authors read Kate Bornstein's Gender Workbook, for instance, just as a start into seeing exactly how clearly GLBT culture understands feminism. I do, however, give great praise to their thoroughness in researching feminist history. If you buy the book for this information alone, it is well worth it- just skip the conclusions they make about what Third Wavers should be doing now.