--- product_id: 2579659 title: "Bad Feminist: Essays" price: "€ 22.47" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/2579659-bad-feminist-essays store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Bad Feminist: Essays **Price:** € 22.47 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Bad Feminist: Essays - **How much does it cost?** € 22.47 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/2579659-bad-feminist-essays) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “Roxane Gay is so great at weaving the intimate and personal with what is most bewildering and upsetting at this moment in culture. She is always looking, always thinking, always passionate, always careful, always right there.” — Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be? A New York Times Bestseller Best Book of the Year: NPR • Boston Globe • Newsweek • Time Out New York • Oprah.com • Miami Herald • Book Riot • Buzz Feed • Globe and Mail (Toronto) • The Root • Shelf Awareness A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched cultural observers of her generation In these funny and insightful essays, Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman ( Sweet Valley High ) of color ( The Help ) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years ( Girls, Django in Chains ) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better, coming from one of our most interesting and important cultural critics. Review: Feminism, Racism and Scrabble. - Roxanne Gay is a good writer. The book is well written and, for the first half and the final couple of chapters, highly entertaining. The middle and later chapters drag somewhat as she deviates from discussing feminism to dealing with her issues around race, in particular, black racism. However, my dissatisfaction with these chapters may be more my fault than hers. I bought the book thinking it dealt exclusively with feminism. I guess that just because the word feminist is in the title doesn’t necessary guarantee that only feminism is discussed. Strictly speaking the title of the book describes the writer, not the subject matter. Throughout the book the writer refers to a feminist as being someone who advocates for the equality of men and women. Since the writer refers to herself as a bad feminist one is left wondering what she herself wants. Inequality? It isn’t until the final chapter that the writer explains why she thinks of herself as a bad feminist and, perhaps inadvertently, provides us with a fuller, more comprehensive definition of the feminist ideal. According to the writer, a bad feminist is a woman who (a) likes men, (b) wants to be taken care of and have someone to come home to, (c) believes in gender specific domestic chores, (d) loves babies, (e) makes career sacrifices to raise children, (f) shaves her legs, (g) enjoys pretty shoes and purses and matching outfits, and (h) likes pink and reads Vogue. I gather from this that a good feminist would hate all these things. It’s a peek behind the curtain; probably the most honest definition of feminism I’ve seen in print. The writer devotes one chapter of her book to “Women’s Fiction” and how it is not valued as much as fiction written by men. She points out, correctly, that women read books written by men, but men seldom read books written by women. Her proposed solution requires “men (readers, critics, and editors)... to start to bear the responsibility for becoming better, broader readers.” Incredibly, she states that it is the fault of men that women’s fiction is not more popular and proposes an affirmative action program for women writers. I’m a moderately heavy reader. I read perhaps 40 or 50 books a year. I can honestly say that I’ve never read a book, or even considered reading or not reading a book, based on the sex of the author. That being said, all the books I have read, except for books dealing with feminism and feminist issues, have been written by men. I’ve read a couple of dozen books on feminism and all of those were written by women. In general though, I read books based on interest and nothing else. If some books don’t appeal to me I can’t help that. The fact that they are written by women is irrelevant. To paraphrase the writer, maybe women need to become better, broader writers if they seek success equal to men. Finally, there’s the inevitable chapter on women’s reproductive rights and abortion. There are many mentions of “men trying to control women’s bodies.” The writer frames the abortion debate as men against women. I know this to be a distortion and blatantly incorrect so I looked up the facts. The Pew Research Center study into public opinion on abortion found that 60 percent of women and 61 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal. 38 percent of women and 38 percent of men believe it should be illegal. A Gallup poll on abortion trends (1975 - 2019) found similar results and essentially no change in opinion over the 44 year period that the poll has been conducted. Gallup found that 50 percent of women and 56 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal under all circumstances. 24 percent of women and 25 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal under certain circumstances, and 24 percent of women and just 18 percent of men believe abortion should be illegal. Abortion is a religious issue, not a gendered issue. The writer mentions none of this, presumably because it doesn’t fit her world view of women as victims of male oppression. Male politicians represent their voters and this writer uses their actions as an example of men trying to control women’s bodies. Her argument is dishonest and contrived. My overall impression of the book is positive, with reservations. The author admits to often feeling angry, even wanting to slap and punch people for their views on more than one occasion, and this anger comes across in the writing. However, amusing anecdotes provide some relief and, for me, were enough to hold my interest to the end. Review: Worth your money - Roxane Gay’s book, Bad Feminist, implies how we have been blinded from the things we see on the media. Gay is a comment and a professor at Yale University. Even though Bad Feminist was released five years ago, it is relevant due to still facing the same problems of how not only women but people of color are portrayed and seen through the eyes of media. The book is divided into four sections with small essays that challenge your point of view. Gay has a chapter titled, “The Trouble with Prince Charming, or He Who Trespassed Against Us,” which gives a broad idea of the hidden message in fairytale movies. Gay gives examples of movies on how women have been portrayed as being fragile and vulnerable. “The women in the fairy tale is generally the one who pays the price” (193). This shows how the princess always has to sacrifice themselves, like in Shrek, Fiona becoming an ogre to be with Shrek. Another quote is, “She is the virginal good girl who can lead the dark bad boy to salvation” (197). Gay points out how women always try to change men for good. The woman is helping out the man to get out of that dark hole in order to find his destiny or his purpose. Moving on with another chapter called, “Blurred Lines, Indeed” talks about songs that are sung by men are always about sexualizing and objectifying women. “The age-old belief that sometimes when a woman says no she really means yes” (187). Gay is saying how Robin Thicke’s song, Blurred Lines, says how he thinks woman like to behave when surrounded by men. It gives the wrong idea that men will always be dominating women. Up to this point, there are still men that think that way. Another important chapter is, “The Politics of Respectability,” where Gay mentions how black people have a stereotype of behaving a certain way and how white people think black people can overcome those behaviors. Gay states, “We hold all people to unspoken rules about who and how they should be” (257). This shows that people of color have grown up with a belief that we have to follow a certain norm because of what society expects from us. “It’s a nice idea that we could simply follow a prescribed set of rules and make the world a better place for all” (259). Gay describes that even if there were to be those rules, that would not eventually stop racism. As a society, many cultures hold those invisible rules for each individual, and it is up to the individual to make a change on how they want to judge someone without knowing them. Overall, this book should be taught in schools because it gives a good message. To take a look beyond what you encounter in your daily life and think about the obstacles that you can overcome. It is a well-written book about activism toward women, people of color, the LGBTQ community. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #23,420 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #34 in Feminist Theory (Books) #118 in Sociology Reference #715 in Memoirs (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 5,406 Reviews | ## Images ![Bad Feminist: Essays - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ftyZ7JqHL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Feminism, Racism and Scrabble. *by W***S on June 12, 2020* Roxanne Gay is a good writer. The book is well written and, for the first half and the final couple of chapters, highly entertaining. The middle and later chapters drag somewhat as she deviates from discussing feminism to dealing with her issues around race, in particular, black racism. However, my dissatisfaction with these chapters may be more my fault than hers. I bought the book thinking it dealt exclusively with feminism. I guess that just because the word feminist is in the title doesn’t necessary guarantee that only feminism is discussed. Strictly speaking the title of the book describes the writer, not the subject matter. Throughout the book the writer refers to a feminist as being someone who advocates for the equality of men and women. Since the writer refers to herself as a bad feminist one is left wondering what she herself wants. Inequality? It isn’t until the final chapter that the writer explains why she thinks of herself as a bad feminist and, perhaps inadvertently, provides us with a fuller, more comprehensive definition of the feminist ideal. According to the writer, a bad feminist is a woman who (a) likes men, (b) wants to be taken care of and have someone to come home to, (c) believes in gender specific domestic chores, (d) loves babies, (e) makes career sacrifices to raise children, (f) shaves her legs, (g) enjoys pretty shoes and purses and matching outfits, and (h) likes pink and reads Vogue. I gather from this that a good feminist would hate all these things. It’s a peek behind the curtain; probably the most honest definition of feminism I’ve seen in print. The writer devotes one chapter of her book to “Women’s Fiction” and how it is not valued as much as fiction written by men. She points out, correctly, that women read books written by men, but men seldom read books written by women. Her proposed solution requires “men (readers, critics, and editors)... to start to bear the responsibility for becoming better, broader readers.” Incredibly, she states that it is the fault of men that women’s fiction is not more popular and proposes an affirmative action program for women writers. I’m a moderately heavy reader. I read perhaps 40 or 50 books a year. I can honestly say that I’ve never read a book, or even considered reading or not reading a book, based on the sex of the author. That being said, all the books I have read, except for books dealing with feminism and feminist issues, have been written by men. I’ve read a couple of dozen books on feminism and all of those were written by women. In general though, I read books based on interest and nothing else. If some books don’t appeal to me I can’t help that. The fact that they are written by women is irrelevant. To paraphrase the writer, maybe women need to become better, broader writers if they seek success equal to men. Finally, there’s the inevitable chapter on women’s reproductive rights and abortion. There are many mentions of “men trying to control women’s bodies.” The writer frames the abortion debate as men against women. I know this to be a distortion and blatantly incorrect so I looked up the facts. The Pew Research Center study into public opinion on abortion found that 60 percent of women and 61 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal. 38 percent of women and 38 percent of men believe it should be illegal. A Gallup poll on abortion trends (1975 - 2019) found similar results and essentially no change in opinion over the 44 year period that the poll has been conducted. Gallup found that 50 percent of women and 56 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal under all circumstances. 24 percent of women and 25 percent of men believe that abortion should be legal under certain circumstances, and 24 percent of women and just 18 percent of men believe abortion should be illegal. Abortion is a religious issue, not a gendered issue. The writer mentions none of this, presumably because it doesn’t fit her world view of women as victims of male oppression. Male politicians represent their voters and this writer uses their actions as an example of men trying to control women’s bodies. Her argument is dishonest and contrived. My overall impression of the book is positive, with reservations. The author admits to often feeling angry, even wanting to slap and punch people for their views on more than one occasion, and this anger comes across in the writing. However, amusing anecdotes provide some relief and, for me, were enough to hold my interest to the end. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worth your money *by N***A on December 11, 2019* Roxane Gay’s book, Bad Feminist, implies how we have been blinded from the things we see on the media. Gay is a comment and a professor at Yale University. Even though Bad Feminist was released five years ago, it is relevant due to still facing the same problems of how not only women but people of color are portrayed and seen through the eyes of media. The book is divided into four sections with small essays that challenge your point of view. Gay has a chapter titled, “The Trouble with Prince Charming, or He Who Trespassed Against Us,” which gives a broad idea of the hidden message in fairytale movies. Gay gives examples of movies on how women have been portrayed as being fragile and vulnerable. “The women in the fairy tale is generally the one who pays the price” (193). This shows how the princess always has to sacrifice themselves, like in Shrek, Fiona becoming an ogre to be with Shrek. Another quote is, “She is the virginal good girl who can lead the dark bad boy to salvation” (197). Gay points out how women always try to change men for good. The woman is helping out the man to get out of that dark hole in order to find his destiny or his purpose. Moving on with another chapter called, “Blurred Lines, Indeed” talks about songs that are sung by men are always about sexualizing and objectifying women. “The age-old belief that sometimes when a woman says no she really means yes” (187). Gay is saying how Robin Thicke’s song, Blurred Lines, says how he thinks woman like to behave when surrounded by men. It gives the wrong idea that men will always be dominating women. Up to this point, there are still men that think that way. Another important chapter is, “The Politics of Respectability,” where Gay mentions how black people have a stereotype of behaving a certain way and how white people think black people can overcome those behaviors. Gay states, “We hold all people to unspoken rules about who and how they should be” (257). This shows that people of color have grown up with a belief that we have to follow a certain norm because of what society expects from us. “It’s a nice idea that we could simply follow a prescribed set of rules and make the world a better place for all” (259). Gay describes that even if there were to be those rules, that would not eventually stop racism. As a society, many cultures hold those invisible rules for each individual, and it is up to the individual to make a change on how they want to judge someone without knowing them. Overall, this book should be taught in schools because it gives a good message. To take a look beyond what you encounter in your daily life and think about the obstacles that you can overcome. It is a well-written book about activism toward women, people of color, the LGBTQ community. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What you need to know? Bad feminist *by F***L on December 11, 2019* Have you ever been in a position where the word Feminist is something unknown for yourself? Well, Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist is a reliable book for understanding what is considered in society being a bad feminist. Roxane Gay is a famous American writer, professor, editor, and commentator in relation to women’s injustices. The genre of this book is nonfiction and it provides critical thinking about culture and varies observations throughout her deeply critics in the book. There are many topics such as privilege, prejudice, and gender equality. In her collection of short essays, privilege in her definition is a form of benefit that some races take as an advantage to acquire their own purposes. For example, in her chapter “Peculiar Benefits” Gays establish that “ Look at white men when they are accused of having privilege, they tend to be immediately defensive, they say ‘it’s not my fault I am a white man’, instead of simply accepting that, in this regard, yes, they benefit from certain privileges others do not” (Gay 17). This evidence shows that in our society white supremacy is around the world where white people obtain most of their power by implementing norms and rules. There is no equal treatment for other ethnicities in a society where skin color matters more than values. Gays empathize with the unequal balance that our society has to follow through to raise their own status quo. Furthermore, another theme that Roxane Gays highlights is prejudice, but more specific is misogyny against women. In the chapter “Blurred Lines, Indeed”, discusses the role that women play in society explaining that “In truth, this is all a symptom of much more virulent cultural sickness- one where women exist to satisfy the whims of men, one where a woman’s worth is consistently diminished or entirely ignored” (Gay 189). This quote illustrates the women are misrepresented and seen more as the complement of men. Lighting up that women do not have that equal value as men do, instead women are objectified and mistreated by men. Overall, the book focuses on many relevant aspects that place in modern times. I felt that feminism is a broad theme that sometimes can be complicated to understand. Perhaps, Gays does an acceptable work demonstrating some social issues that we may face on a daily basis. As a reader, I recommend this book to anyone that wants to develop a better sense of how is to live in an unequal society such as America. I also believe that her main points are solid and concrete, where each of them are back up with evidence analyzing the effects that our society has taken for many years. Lastly, Gay writes about gender equality emphasizing the stuggles that many feminist and women have to overcome. In her chapter “Bad Feminist: Take Two” argues that “ I want to be strong and professional, but I resent how hard I have to work to be taken seriously, to receive a fraction of the consideration I might otherwise receive. Sometimes I feel an overwhelming need to cry at work, so I close my office door and lose it” ( Gay 314). This evidence reveals Bad Feminist as a working guide for how to treat women in an America where most part is dominated by men. I hope readers throughout the book achieve that knowledge and wisdom from a talented person. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/2579659-bad-feminist-essays](https://www.desertcart.be/products/2579659-bad-feminist-essays) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-05-26*