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Paperback – May 14, 2007

by Julia Serano (Author)

100 customer reviews

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Paperback, May 14, 2007

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Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity

Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
$13.59
(100)
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A provocative manifesto, Whipping Girl tells the powerful story of Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist. Serano shares her experiences and observations—both pre- and post-transition—to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole.

Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. She exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this “feminine” weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire.

In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activist must work to embrace and empower femininity—in all of its wondrous forms.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With her first full-length book, biologist, writer and musician Serano positions herself as a Betty Friedan of the transsexual community. Making a case that trans discrimination is steeped in sexism and that trans activism is a feminist movement, Serano delivers a series of articulate, compelling and provocative essays that unmask many of the misconceptions surrounding transsexualism, gender and feminism. Where most books on the topic focus either on first-person accounts or clinical observations, Serano approaches her topic from multiple angles. Tempering her own experience as a transsexual woman with psychological documentation, historical research and sociological data, she explores the debate on biology versus socialization; the media's "lurid," "superficial" and "contrived" depictions of trans women; the psychology of transitioning; "boygasms" versus "girlgasms"; nonacceptance and marginalization of transsexual women by the feminist community; and the subtle shades of gray between masculinity and femininity. Though her writing is dense at times, Serano largely succeeds in breaking down complex issues and offering deep insights that will be valued by anyone interested in transsexualism or gender studies. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Julia Serano is a writer and spoken-word artist on the subject of gender with a PhD in Biochemistry from Columbia University. She is a researcher at UC Berkeley in the field of Evolutionary and Developmental Biology and has performed her spoken word at such high-profile events as the National Queer Arts Festival, San Francisco Trans and Dyke March Stages, Ladyfest Bay Area, and The Vagina Monologues. Serano's work has appeared in Bitch magazine's BITCHFest, Clamor, Kitchen Sink, The Believer, The San Francisco Chronicle, and on Invisible Ink Radio (NPR). Julia lives in Oakland, CA.

Product details

Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: Seal Press; 32361st edition (May 14, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580051545
ISBN-13: 978-1580051545
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
Average Customer Review: 100 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #968 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Minority Studies
- #1161 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Sexuality
- #1620 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Feminist Theory

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Intense, In Depth, Insightful

July 15, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Julia seems to pour every fiber of her being into this book. It can be somewhat "heady" at times. Her point of view is interesting, she makes some great observations about feminism, gender & their roles in society. There is nothing to big for her to tackle in this book. It is not for beginners or the faint of heart as it elucidates some very controversial & complex topics. As the title says, I think Julia amply covers the subject in depth and detail. When I finished the book I had to get a bucket of ice water and stick my head in it to shrink my brain back down. It is well written and will keep your attention. Transgendered people can sometimes be maligned and misunderstood, Ms. Serano puts it into perspective taking into account all aspect of feminism and the correlation of this to trans. She shows that trans women are "real women".

5 people found this helpful

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Breakthrough Book

July 31, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is whole new territory for me, the trans* journey and understanding it. I needed desperately to educate myself more about this journey as a close family member has recently come out as trans. Julia Serano knows all the ins and outs of gender identity, how fluid it is, and how people identify their genders--or not. It's not easy reading, in one sense, but is essential for anyone who wants to educate themselves more about how trans* people experience their genders and their lives.

3 people found this helpful

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caster of shadows

Trans-Feminist or Pro-Humanist!!!

October 20, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I really loved this book on several levels. It brought new concepts and terminology to help me understand some of the depth of our world, it was fun to read and at the same time was as informative and comprehensive as a college course textbook. Julia Serano helped me make it through my transition with much more confidence and preparation than I would have had without her book. Its a little ironic how she spends a very important portion of the book discussing how the media sexualizes transwomen by use of unnecessarily sexual and irrelevant footage, and the cover is only somewhat better than the token "putting on lipstick and high heels" imagery. In between the covers is 95% gold and only 5% eh.

2 people found this helpful

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A lesbian feminist's perspective

August 2, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a book that has really changed me. Other reviewers have remarked on Serano's specific discussions, so I'll be more general and personal. I am an 80-year-old lesbian feminist and I had a "liberal"/"accepting" attitude towards transgender/transsexuality. "Whipping Girl" rearranged my head and heart and sexual perspectives. (I now see gender/sexuality as immensely more fluid, at the same time that Serano helped me understand that our "intrinsic inclinations" of gender--our sense of who we are as gendered beings, unconscious in most of us, acutely dissonant in others--are essential aspects of our being quite apart from how we wish to exercise our sexuality. And I now see the issue of trans oppression as much more than how we should relate to a sexual minority--that there is a great deal to learn about all human gendering and sexism from an understanding of trans experience.)

Serano responded with meticulous care and penetrating analysis to every media-induced or reflexly stereotypical assumption I had about trans experience. (I didn't realize I had so many!) She doesn't guilt-trip--instead she helped me to see all the elements in my world that--of course--prevent almost all of us from "getting it" about transgender/transsexuality. Rather than challenging my feminist perspective, her insights deepened it as she shows how powerful a factor sexism plays in transgender oppression.

Serano writes with admirable clarity--still, even though I found an important insight on every page, " Whipping Girl" is undeniably a dense book to read through, and so it will not be as easily accessible as one would wish. Other books will be able to mine this one for a wider audience.

(Alas, the title and cover--in-your-face ugly and suggesting S&M more than trans experience--would have turned me off if a trusted friend hadn't handed it to me. I would have missed a brilliant, powerful and important book.)

13 people found this helpful

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Excellent perspective on sexism and the pain of being transsexual

November 13, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

While there are other reviews of Ms Serano's book that stress the sexism and femininity aspects, her discussion of the emotional and psychological pain of being inherently transsexual stand out to me as the most comprehensive presentation of this experience that I have read.
The author goes deep into the discussion of sexism as the basis of not only homophobia and transphobia, but also the driving force behind patriarchy and the binary system. Sexism, as Serano sees it, insists that males are superior to females and that masculine characteristics are superior to feminine characteristics in both genders. Many women buy into this concept. Even feminists seem to agree, since they accept trans men into their society - they gain male privilege by transitioning - while rejecting trans women as "not real women."
As Ms. Serano states early in her book, transsexuals "lie at the intersection of multiple forms of gender-based prejudice." She discusses her rationale for this statement in her Transsexual Manifesto, identifying by her own experience and research the myriad forms of gendered discrimination experienced by transsexuals (and all gender variant people). The author calls for a rebellion against sexism in all its forms, but reserves a particular animosity for cissexism - the idea that those whose gender variance is at odds with their assigned gender are unnatural, unreal, and/or are trying to "put something over" on the dominant society.
The overwhelming societal and media attitude of fear and loathing puts tremendous strain on all transgender people, but even more so on transsexuals. Trans women are depicted negatively in most media, even when the media outlet thinks they are reporting "accurately" and compassionately. Surmounting the constant barrage of attitudes that transsexuals are "less than" the expectations of society puts tremendous pressure on the individual's psyche. In the discussion of sexuality and gender in Whipping Girl Ms Serano shows over and over why it takes a very strong person to admit to and undertake transition from their assigned gender to their inherent birth gender.
Anyone trying to understand their transsexual child, sibling, or parent should read this book. It reads somewhat like a Ph.D. thesis, but with more clarity than most sociological theses I have seen. This would seem an important work to include in any gender studies program.

10 people found this helpful

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