I know I’m a few years late on this, but whatever. To all my readers who haven’t read it, especially the young ones, I’d like to recommend Ariel Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Rauch Culture. It’s not breaking new theoretical ground or anything, and I already knew a lot of the history in it, but it’s a great book for budding feminsts and anyone who feels like something might not be quite right when they hear about mom-and-daughter pole dancing classes. It’s a fun, easy read, and if I had a daughter I’d make her read it today. Buy it for a teenager.
My comp sci teacher recommended it to me, and I adored it! It really helped me flesh out my views on just what is wrong with the sex-pos ideology. (I’m 17, FWIW) At first I thought I wouldn’t like it, because I’d been told it was anti-feminist. I didn’t really have a stand on many things she covered, but after reading that book I did more research and am now a proud anti-porn feminist It’s on my recruitment shelf right next to Valenti’s FFF.
I wanted to read it, but it isn’t in the library.
I’ve been hearing a lot about this book lately and now I must read it. Thanks for the recommendation, it’s going on the need-to-read list.
I shall attempt to find it in my library, thanks for the recommendation.
I’ve wanted to read this ever since I first read about it. The incredibly apparent flaws of sex-positive feminism, or indeed sex-pos culture in general, pretty much leave me flabbergasted, and as a man trying his darnedest to be egalitarian the self-objectification that many women put themselves through turns me off to no end. Anyway, thats for reminding me of the book, and thank you for this blog. You are my favourite feminist on the blogosphere, keep up the good work.
Just found this blog from another site.
I had to read Female Chauvinist Pigs for my Gender and Women’s Studies 101 class last fall. It was one of the few books that I kept, and didn’t try to sell back.
Glad to hear other people recommending it.
It is an excellent read, with many salient points. I appreciate that Levy recognizes the need for balance when it comes to sexuality–Victorian repression and fear of sex is not justifiable behavior, but neither is a Mommy-n-Me peep show.
You know what is a great book? ‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf.