Status
Available
Publication
Berkeley, CA : Seal Press, [2014]
Description
Now in its updated second edition, Full Frontal Feminism is a book that continues to embody the forward-looking messages that author Jessica Valenti propagated as founder of the popular website, Feministing.com. Full Frontal Feminism is a smart and relatable guide to the issues that matter to today's young women. This edition includes a new foreword by Valenti, reflecting upon what's happened in the seven years since Full Frontal Feminism was originally published. With new openers from Valenti in every chapter, the book covers a range of topics, including pop culture, health, reproductive rights, violence, education, relationships, and more.Chapters include:You're a Hardcore Feminist. I Swear. Feminists Do It Better (and Other Sex Tips) Pop Culture Gone Wild The Blame (and Shame) Game If These Uterine Walls Could Talk Material World My Big Fat Unnecessary Wedding and Other Dating Diseases Real" Women Have Babies I Promise I Won't Say Herstory" Boys Do Cry Beauty Cult Sex and the City Voters, My Ass A Quick Academic Aside Get to ItSince its original publication, Full Frontal Feminism has reassured readers,yeah, you're feminists, and that's actually pretty cool.… (more)
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Media reviews
User reviews
LibraryThing member ryvre
I'm a bit torn by Full Frontal Feminism. On one hand, it is very readable and engaging. It seems to be aimed at teenagers, and the language and tone reflects that. On the other hand, I feel like the tone detracts from the seriousness of the issues Valenti writes about. It spends more time trying to
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convince the readers that they are already feminists than it spends talking about feminist issues. I'd recommend this book to teenagers unfamiliar with feminism, but not to anybody with a serious interest in it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nickelini
I was very impressed by the same author's Purity Myth when I read it last spring. Full Frontal Feminism covers a lot of the same material, but is written in a different tone of voice--the author was aiming at teens and young women, whereas Purity Myth is written for a broader audience. I'm not the
Recommended for: the target audience (14-22 year olds).
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target audience, so I'm not sure that it's fair for me to critique her writing style, but I don't know that it would have appealed to me even when I was 18. I appreciate a well-placed swear word, but I would call Valenti's use of foul language here to be gratuitous swearing. Unfortunately, I think over use of bad language makes the speaker sound inarticulate and less intelligent. Which is too bad, because Valenti is obviously articulate and intelligent. My other problem with this book is that it's very US-centric, which limits its value. Even though Valenti is obviously writing to a US audience, it would have been both interesting and inspiring to hear about the struggles and triumphs of women in other parts of the world. I think The Purity Myth is a much better book, but I will go ahead and purchase Full Frontal Feminism for my niece, just because social activism is new to her and I think this book will speak to her on her level.Recommended for: the target audience (14-22 year olds).
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LibraryThing member Narshkite
It is amazing to me that a person writing book about feminism for young women would opt to talk down to her readers. I am hurtling toward old age, and I have been a feminist for many years, in fact I have already raised a feminist. I was a Women's Studies minor when the voices we were hearing from
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were people like Dworkin and MacKinnon and though they pissed me off plenty, and I disagreed with them mightily on many issues they never wrote down to me. They expected me to do the work I needed to support, ignore, or oppose what they were selling. Valenti writes as if to someone who has lived in a sealed room exposed to nothing but The Bachelor and Mel Gibson movies for entertainment and Quiverfull theology and who needs to be eased into reality. Its as though she is trying to make feminism simple, and who wants to do that? The second star is a gift. Show Less
LibraryThing member DDay
A good beginner's look at issues in feminism for the younger woman in America. As a regular reader of feministing.com, it didn't captivate me as much because I pretty much knew everything in the book. That said, it was still entertaining and framed issues nicely.
LibraryThing member cristeanna
This book was clearly written for the high-school to early college crowd. as a grad student i knew a lot of this stuff. but still an interesting read and i got a few insightful nuggets out of it. if anything its a good jumping-off point for those new to feminist works and women's studies, etc.
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since it has some good references in the back. i would definitely recommend this to my younger sisters or any other teen girl (or boy) in my life. wish i had read a book like this when i was in high school. Show Less
LibraryThing member alycias
For review in Feminist Collections.
LibraryThing member scote23
I think this is a good introduction to feminism, and it definitely left me feeling more fired up (in a productive way) than I had in a while. I think the cover image is an interesting choice considering the inside content. I do understand the complaint that it focuses a lot on young white
ETA: I just reread the subtitle of the book and was thinking further about what the book is about. Does the book guide young women to realize why feminism matters? I think it does.
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upper-class cisgendered straight able-bodied women, however, since it is an introductory text, I guess I am okay with that. It's not that they are ignored completely, but the focus could be seen as what I listed above. Of course, maybe that is easy for me to say since I fit pretty perfectly into that description. I guess I'll have to read more reviews by other people. Overall, for me, it was a good book.ETA: I just reread the subtitle of the book and was thinking further about what the book is about. Does the book guide young women to realize why feminism matters? I think it does.
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LibraryThing member weeta
I am still trying to understand exactly how a 250-page blog entry written in Valley Girl speak is supposed to help anything. Did I pick up the "girl power" edition of Cosmo by mistake?
LibraryThing member briannad84
I absolutley LOVED this book! It has gotten me even more into feminist issues and has even helped me to get a better view on where I stand politically. There were so many awesome women and subjects mentioned in here and it was so funny! I even checked "Ms." magazine out of my local library and
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subscribed after reading just two issues. Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
This book is plainly aimed at women younger than myself, but it is still a great read, even though some of the slang and the extremely casual tone made it less accessible to older women. It is a full-on attack on the idea that feminism's work is done, or feminism is dead, as well as all the
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feminist stereotypes (hairy legs, bra-burners, ugly man-haters) that have been leveled at feminist for decades. The author attempts to reclaim the word feminism, to convince all those who start out with "I'm not a feminist but..." that they should actually claim the word feminism and embrace it. She also discusses the ways in which feminism is good for men. There are a few parts where I find her a bit smug, but it is the smugness of youth, not of self-righteousness, and for that more to be amused at than annoyed at. And she does manage to carve out a rationale for doing those things she enjoys (high heels, make-up) and remain a feminist, while ordering other women not to change their names when they marry for any reason (which is a bit much, and seems like a bit of special pleading - her issue? Yes. Other women? No.). Otherwise, a fine book. Show Less
LibraryThing member shulera1
I've read this book twice now, because I absolutely love Valenti's style. I don't agree with everything she says, but the way she says it keeps me coming back for more. I'm currently working to get more of her books in our school library's (slightly outdated) feminist section.
LibraryThing member BurrowK
It annoyed me that it was trying to sell faminism as "sexy." Sure it has some really good points and can be a good primer, but it framed it all in how "sexy" feminism is.
Subjects
Awards
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2008)
Language
Original publication date
2007-05-01
Physical description
279 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
9781580055611