Miss Representation

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Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

Review: Wartime Women - A Mass Observation Anthology

I first learned about the book Wartime Women and the Mass Observation Project on Hannah Stoneham's blog.  I was immediately fascinated.  The Mass Observation Project is just such a good idea.  According to the website, it "was founded in 1937 by three young men, who aimed to create an 'anthropology of ourselves'.  They recruited a team of observers and a panel of volunteer writers to study the everyday lives of ordinary people in Britain."  Thus, many Britons throughout World War II would answer open-ended questionnaires or keep diaries and send them in to the organization, detailing everyday thoughts and feelings and reactions to issues great and small.

This particular book focuses on women's responses to specific issues before and during the war, with specific emphasis on employment, family life and morale.

Review: Bachelor Girl

Bachelor Girl:  100 Years of Breaking the Rules - A Social History of Living Single was one of my rare impulse buys.  I saw the title and snatched it up immediately and gloried in the anticipation of reading a book celebrating single women in the 20th century.  However, that wasn't exactly what I got.

Betsy Israel starts her book by describing her own single life before she married in the 1980s.  She then goes back through history, starting with the American Victorian era and continuing through the early 2000s to describe what life as an American single woman was like.  But this book ended up disappointing me in almost every way.

First, Israel focuses almost solely on women in New York City.  She hardly ventures outside the city at all (she does chat about Boston for a bit), and to me that really smacked of the "New York City is the center of the universe and no one who doesn't live here matters" mentality.  I wish she had gotten out of the city a bit more as I am sure women who lived singly in rural areas faced a very different situation than those in New York.

Also, Israel's references were not what I hoped.  She used secondary sources for the most part, looking at newspaper articles.  She also appears to have watched every movie about women ever made and her conclusions drawn from this research were, to me, fairly sketchy.  I really hoped to get more first-person accounts of what it was like to be living single, and she had very few of those.  So really, her book wasn't so much about what it was like to be single as it was about media perceptions of single women.  I also was very disappointed by Israel's take on modern single women.

One thing that I found interesting and that bowled me over somewhat was how dangerous single women were made out to be in the past.  As though an unmarried woman threatened the very make-up of society and might lead to apocalypse.  This is something that comes up again and again in countless cultures and eras and it is so disturbing to me.  Really, the treatment of women throughout history disturbs me as people are always trying to classify us or put us into some box.  It doesn't seem like people have that same compulsion for men.  There is no need to "define" a man by his role, but there seems always to be a need to do that to women.  Single women are made to seem unnatural and hateful and horrible, and I ached for the women in this book who were made to feel so alone because they didn't go the traditional route.

I also found interesting that the feminists of the 20s and 30s were very disappointed with their daughters of the 40s and 50s for not doing more to advance women's rights.  From what it seemed like in the book, women of the 1940s felt that the generation before had achieved a lot, but also sacrificed too much for the attainment of it.  I think this is very similar to the way women who came of age in the 60s and 70s view the current generation, thinking that we aren't doing enough to advance our cause.

Overall, though, this book fell very flat for me and I am disappointed it didn't convert on what I think is a fascinating subject matter.  I think I'll just have to go for primary sources from each historical period for a more accurate representation of the feminist movement.

Review: Ladies of the Grand Tour

Ladies of the Grand Tour:  British Women in Pursuit of Enlightenment & Adventure in 18th Century Europe was a complete impulse buy for me some years ago.  I pretty much buy any non-fiction book I find about Georgian or Regency England, and this one sounded so completely up my alley!  Georgian era?  Check.  Women?  Check.  Travel?  Check.  And there went my check to pay for the book.

Dolan's book is separated into nine chapters, most of which detail why upper-class Englishwomen went to the Continent during the 18th century.  Some went for the reasons we go now- to see the sights, to absorb a different culture, to learn more about the world around them.  But a very large number also went abroad to escape unhappy marriages or scandals at home.

Review: The Yellow Wallpaper (Short Story)

Title:  The Yellow Wallpaper

Author:  Charlotte Perkins Gilman

First Published in 1899

Plot Summary:
A young family goes to a country home in a small American town for the summer.  The husband is a physician who hopes that being in the country will help his wife over her currently unhappy state.  The wife has just recently given birth to a son and is probably suffering from what we would today call postpartum depression.  She feels sad and tired often, and her physician husband's cure for this is to isolate her in the attic of their rented home.  The attic has barred windows, a bed nailed to the floor, and hideously yellow wallpaper.  As time moves on, we see the woman, who narrates the story, become more and more enthralled with the wallpaper- first she sees it as ugly, then she sees patterns and shapes in it and finally she sees that there is a woman trapped behind it, trying desperately to get out.  And she decides to help this poor woman.

After reading Wish Her Safe at Home late last year and loving it, I heard a lot about this short story, The Yellow Wallpaper.  It is very short- I read it in two "longest" DailyLit installments.  This is also the first e-story I've ever read.  I highly recommend clicking the link on the title above and reading the story!

In Wish Her Safe at Home, we also had a woman narrator who is slowly going insane, but in a completely different situation.  The narrator in that story chose to go insane, and live out the life she always wanted for herself.  In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator asks her husband multiple times to let her out and to allow her to socialize and write and enjoy her life, but he refuses, citing her health as his reason.  As the narrator says, her husband "is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction."  Thus, isolated as she is and suffering from what starts as a seemingly mild form of mental illness, the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper descends into insanity and no one even notices until it is too late.

Review: Wish Her Safe at Home

Title:  Wish Her Safe at Home

Author:  Stephen Benatar

Favorite Line: 
There are things money can’t buy, things like fresh youth to replace the one you’ve hardly been aware of, things like lost opportunities which might conceivably have led to nothing, but which on the other hand might have led to fulfillment and serenity and new lives and passionate involvement… And human nature being what it is this is the version you’ll unquestionably believe.

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy.

Plot Summary: 
Rachel Waring is a middle-aged, plain English woman stuck in a dead-end job in 1980.  She has never been in love, never been married, both her parents are dead and she has very few friends.  Thus, when she receives notice that she inherited her great-aunt’s beautiful old mansion in Bristol, Rachel is thrilled.  She visits the house, falls in love with it, notes that it has one of those famous blue plaques on it signifying it was lived in by a (minor and no longer remembered) member of the anti-slavery movement, and decides to move in, leaving her past behind her in London.

She plants a garden with the help of an attractive younger man, begins writing a biography of the 18^th century (minor and no longer remembered) anti-slavery advocate and goes about being friendly and cheerful to everyone she comes across  As the story continues, readers have the sense that not all is quite right with Rachel.  She invents a new life- even a new past- for herself as she goes “quietly and genteelly crazy.”

Joint Musings: Fingersmith

Title:  Fingersmith

Author:  Sarah Waters

# of Pages:  582

Publisher:  Riverhead

Plot Summary:

Susan is a petty thief in London, living what she thinks is an ideal life.  Until Gentleman comes to her and her adopted family with a proposition- to entice a naive country lady into marriage with Gentleman, throw her into a mental institution, and abscond with her fortune.

Maud is that country lady, but she is not naive.  She is tired of her life in the country, locked up in her uncle's home with no power or authority.  In Gentleman, she sees a way to escape.

But things, for both ladies, don't turn out quite as they expect, and this novel is full of twists and turns that will make your head whirl.

A short plot summary, but it's hard to summarize when there are so many potential spoilers!

The below review is done jointly between Kailana and I.  See the first half of our discussion on her blog here, and then come back here for the conclusion.  My thoughts are in green and hers are in black:

I was expecting a lesbian relationship because that is one of the common themes in Waters' books. I was surprised that it wasn't more of a major theme than it was, though. I thought it was tastefully done, though, and if it played more of a theme than I probably wouldn't have liked the book as well. I am not big on romance novels. I am looking forward to read more from Waters next year, actually. The two books by her that I don't own are all ready on my 'buy with Christmas money' list. I think I am reading one of them with Ana from things mean a lot, but I can't remember what at the moment! Anyways, I agree on it being natural and built on trust.

As to my favourite character, I am like you. I can't really say who I enjoyed. I thought that Maud and Susan both had redeeming characteristics, so I actually liked both of them. Maud and her reading appealed to me at first. Then, though, there was everything that happened afterwards that made me not so fond of the reading anymore. I don't really want to say a lot because it is a potential big spoiler. Really, I could gush on and on about the characters and their stories and everything that came to pass, but if others want to read this book without knowing everything that happens I guess I cannot say nearly anything that I would love to say!

Yes, I know exactly what you mean!  It's hard with a book that has so many twists and turns to review it without spoilers.  I agree with you on the romance aspect- I expected it to be a more prominent plot piece, but I think the book succeeded really well with it being pushed pretty far away from mainstage because we got to see the characters on their own, and get to know them individually, rather than as two halves of a whole couple.

I thought that Waters did well with the settings, too.  The old, decrepit country house that was so dark and gloomy, where Maud spent so much time trying to keep her mother's grave clean.  The way the Thames by the house was so thin and weak, whereas in London it was so wide and busy.  Seeing London as a frightening and dirty place that was kind of the end of the road for a lot of people.  And the idea now that someone living only about 40 miles from such a huge city but never having been there is so hard to fathom, but just again goes to show the level of isolation women felt.  And then the scenes in the institution were written so well, too, and just make a reader ache to read.  Just great writing style all around!  Do you agree?

Oh, yes, I felt like I was there! I think she is fantastic all around writer. Not only did I feel like I really got to know the characters, but I felt like I was there. Even now that it has been a couple days since I finished the book I can close my eyes and picture the story through her description. I have never seen anything that she mentioned myself, but I feel like I almost have now. She is the sort of author that does not waste a word, but at the same time she is not long-winded either. She has just the right balance. Plus, she throws in the twists and turns, so just when you are starting to feel 'safe' you have another moment to consider what just happened! Talking about the book gets me very excited. I have read a lot of really good books this year, but I was feeling like I was lacking in the 'wow' books. The type of books that you are very sad to see end and that you want to reread again because you miss it all ready. That was this book for me! Reading this book was an experience and I cannot wait to have another one! I am not going to let it be two years this time!

That's great!  I love "wow" factor books, too.  I will have to think back over everything I read for my year-end wrap-up post.  I think Waters will be on the list of "newly discovered but long-on-my-shelf" authors.  A great book- I can't really add to your description above, so I'll just say "hear, hear!"  Thanks for reviewing it with me- it's definitely the sort of book that is fun to discuss with someone else, so I'm glad we did this!

Well, she won't be alone on my 'wow' list. There have been a couple others, but judging the total read compared to how many there are it is not really a very large amount! This was fun! And, it is about time we read a book together. Now, we need another one...

The B Word

This post really has nothing to do with books, but it relates somewhat loosely to the Women Unbound challenge.  It started when I was watching Top Chef last week and one of the contestants said something about being a b*tch and that she was happy to "own that word."  What?  Who are you?  Why would you ever want to "own" that word?  How are you happy to be associated with it?  Then there's the picture with this post...

And now I'm reading Helen Hollick's excellent book The Kingmaking, and the book is just littered with the word everywhere- however, at least in that book, it's used very much in a derogatory sense and no one is happy to be the recipient of the term.  That is fine with me- I don't think it's something you should like being called.  I would be highly offended if someone called me that.  And I'd be mortified if I had done something to earn the term.  But I seem to be in the minority.

Really, what is with women today being so proud to be called the b-word?  I don't know when being associated with a word that means rude, aggressive, mean and all-around horrible became a badge of honor.  But it seems more and more to me that women use the word and don't apologize for it. 

And then I got to thinking about how many people feel the word feminist has a negative connotation.  And that maybe these are related.  I feel like the term b*tch has become, for some, synonymous with "feminist."  This is upsetting and disturbing.  Feminists are assertive about their rights, not aggressive about stupid, negligible things.  Feminists want equality, not to be seen as dominant.  Feminists know their end goal, but that doesn't mean they'll sabotage other people to get there.

B*tches, on the other hand... well, they do whatever they want and don't seem to care for the consequences.  And I think for many people, when they hear the word "feminist," they think of the word "b*tch."  Because they think of really aggressive, spoiled women who go after what they want, regardless of how it may affect other people.

I understand that language evolves as the use of words changes.  Maybe the b-word has a stronger connotation for me than it does for other people who use it so loosely.  Personally, I rarely ever swear or cuss (I can't even type out the b-word on this blog).  And so when I do, each word really means something to me.  And when I hear a word that has such a negative association, and when I hear women cheerfully referring to themselves by that word, it really gets on my nerves.  Being a b*tch is not cool.  It doesn't mean that you value your independence or that you are willing to make sacrifices to get where you want to be in life.  It means you are manipulative and crafty and not the sort of person anyone wants to be around.  Why in the world would you ever want to own that word?

What do you think about this?  Am I being overly sensitive?  Am I making random and baseless connections between the increase of the usage of the b-word and the negative view people have of the word feminist?

Women Unbound: Reading List & Meme

I have a reading list for Full Suffragette Status on the Women Unbound Challenge!  To be a Suffragette, you must read eight challenge books, three of which must be non-fiction.  So here's my (tentative and totally likely to be changed) list:

Ladies of the Grand Tour:  British Women in Pursuit of Enlightenment and Adventure in 18th Century Europe, by Brian Dolan

The Road from Coorain, by Jill Ker Conway

Mistress of the Elgin Marbles, Susan Nagel

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland

The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

The Firebrand, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Stress of Her Regard, by Tim Powers

As I've never read any of the above books, I can't be sure that they all really qualify as being "feminist-ish."  So if they are not, and I read them, I will take them off the list.  And if I read other books, and they qualify, then I will just use those.  It's all about flexibility, right?  :-)

And now, for the meme!

WOMEN UNBOUND Start of Challenge Meme

1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act?

It's funny, as I'm the one who came up with these questions for the meme, and I have no idea how to answer any of them!  Feminism to me is more a feeling than anything else.  I think a woman has the right to feel welcome, safe and equal in a work or social situation.  To me, it's all about comfort- feeling comfortable in a variety of different situations, and feeling confident enough to share your ideas and thoughts (politely, of course!).


2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

I don't think I'm actively feminist, but I do believe strongly in making the most I can of the opportunities I am given.  I also, though, think that I judge women more harshly than men (I certainly do in literature!), and I like to think that is because I hold females up to a high standard.  But why don't I hold men up to the same standards?  Or do I just notice annoying things more in women than men?


3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?

I think that women are treated more fairly now in many places than they used to be.  But I also think their roles have become more complicated.  Previously (and I'll stick with the western world for now), women didn't have the right to vote or to keep property or to initiate divorce proceedings.  Now, they have the right to do all those things, but they're also expected to play so many roles.  Women, more than men, I think, want to do everything.  They want to be brilliantly successful in their careers and then pick their kids up from school and cook their husbands three-course meals.  If they're not married, they think there's something wrong with them.  If they don't want to be a careerwoman, then they think there's something wrong with them.  If they don't want to be a mother, they think there's something wrong with them.
Really, I think the biggest obstacle women face is their own insecurity.  We've come a long way in a short amount of time to being treated as equals from a legal standpoint.  But I don't think "society" has caught up to the law yet, and I don't think we as women are comfortable yet with making decisions and prioritizing, which we'll have to do eventually to keep our sanity!

And he doesn't read this blog, but happy birthday to my dad :-) 

Women Unbound Reading Challenge

Well, I'm definitely late to the game in posting this.  Or at least, I feel late to the game in posting, even though this whole challenge only came about yesterday.  On Twitter (it's a whole new world on there, I tell ya), Eva mentioned that she would like someone to host a Women's Studies Challenge.  Care said she thought that sounded like a good idea, I mentioned that Rosie the Riveter would be proud of all participants, and somehow the three of us ended up co-hosting this challenge.

Whatever it means to host a challenge (I don't know; I never have and yet am planning on doing another one in addition to this.  Go big or go home, I say), this was a huge community effort.  So many people contributed to making the Women Unbound challenge what it is, between coming up with the name (I had no part in that), the buttons (I had no part in that), the time frame (I had no part in that), the commitment levels (I had no part in that), the website (I had no part in that), suggested reading lists (guess what part I had in that), etc., etc.

So really, everyone else did all the work and I'm just taking the credit :-)  Works for me!

Anyway, the Women Unbound Challenge goes from November 1, 2009 - November 30, 2010.  That gives you 13 months to read books that center around "the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender."  This is a fairly broad definition and encompasses both  fiction and non-fiction books.  The three levels are:

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

Generally, my approach to challenges is to bite off more than I can chew and then fail miserably to meet my goals.  As I am a creature of habit, I will be sticking with this somewhat misguided system and am signing up to be a Suffragette!  I have so many history books on women on my shelves that it's time to get them down and get them read.  I will post my reading list once I determine which of those books interest me the most at the moment, and then after posting that list, I'm sure I'll promptly lose all interest in reading any of them.  But at least I'll have shown initiative!

In any case, if you are interested in participating in the Women Unbound challenge, please go to our challenge website here and sign up!  You don't need to have a blog- you can sign up and just challenge yourself to do the reading and then send any reactions you might have to me and I will ensure that they are posted on our website.  The site also gives suggested women's studies reading, and Eva has a great list up at her website here, too.  Hope you all participate- it will be fun and feminine and awesome :-)