FEATURE:
She Said
IN THIS PHOTO: Emily Ratajkowski (whose 2021 book, My Body, I have recently purchased and am engrossed in)/PHOTO CREDIT: Superga
Why Feminist and Gender Studies Books Should Be Discussed More
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I will put out…
PHOTO CREDIT: Monstera Production/Pexels
another Feminist Icons feature soon. For this feature, I wanted to talk about a bit of a personal quest. Or an objective at least. I have said in other features how I have recently been purchasing feminist books. Whether you label it as such or ‘gender studies’, it tends to be among the most far-off points at a bookshop. Not as prominent as it should be. At a time when women’s safety, equality and voices should be discussed, heard and supported, I always find it a little strange that books from incredible women on subjects around feminism and women’s rights are slightly buried. Over the past month or so, I have been reading some incredible books. Caitlin Moran and Laura Bates authors I have known about for a whole but am starting to look back and read their essential work. I will come to this a bit more soon. There are websites and pages that recommend great feminist literature. I do think that there should be more awareness and vociferousness when it comes to the importance of these books. I know people can seek them out if they want to read on these particular subjects, though, for me, reading incredible books around a range of subjects relating to feminism and women’s rights have been really inspiring. Rather than indiscriminately picking any book and building a collection, I have been tactical about it. I consider myself to be a feminist but, until now, I have been applying this to be music journalism and not really doing a lot of reading and research. How these few books I have already purchased have been so eye-opening and impactful. Whether it is anger and outrage reading about sexual assault and misogyny and the struggles women face or books around different waves of feminism, I think it is making me a more informed and better feminist. That might sound strange or self-aggrandising. What I mean is the huge value and power these books have. At a time when women’s rights and safety are threatened and seen as unimportant by some governments, these books are so key. I do hope that these works become standard in schools and places of higher education.
PHOTO CREDIT: Monstera Production/Pexels
One book I am reading that has particularly struck a chord is Emily Ratajkowski’s 2021 book, My Body. Her only book to date, I do wonder if she will write another. Whereas most of the books I have been reading have related to women more widely – with personal input and experiences from the authors -, this is from the perspective of Ratajkowski. Though, of course, many women will be able to relate to My Body. You can buy the book here:
“A deeply honest investigation of what it means to be a woman and a commodity from Emily Ratajkowski, the archetypal, multi-hyphenate celebrity of our time.
Emily Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, an engaged political progressive, a formidable entrepreneur, a global social media phenomenon, and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture's commodification of women is the subject of this book.
My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture's fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.
Nuanced, unflinching, and incisive, My Body marks the debut of a fierce writer brimming with courage and intelligence”.
I am going to move on in a minute. Though I cannot personally relate to Ratajkowski's experiences and what her and many women face on a daily basis, it has affected me. Made me think about men’s treatment of women and how they (women) are seen as commodities still. At a time when influential misogynists are brainwashing many men, it is such an important book. Something that needs to be revisited and spotlighted once more. Before pressing on, here is part of a review of My Body by The Guardian:
“A couple of times I was reading her book in public, and acquaintances made variations on a snort at the idea of a collection of feminist essays by a person such as Ratajkowski, a model and actor who became famous dancing in a thong in Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines video, whose Instagram glitters with nudes and shots advertising her bikini collection. There was a similar noise internationally in 2020 when New York Magazine published one of these essays, Buying Myself Back, about the many ways in which she does not own her image, from attempting to buy a piece of art that is a screenshot of her face to the sexual assault by a photographer who later sold three separate books of Polaroids he’d taken of her that night. After people read it, the noise quieted. Rather than simply a story written from a place of great power and privilege, it was a story about that power and about that privilege. About the boundaries of a power that lies solely in beauty. Hers, readers found, was an extreme version of a reality familiar to many women who had also been forced to consider where their image ended and their self began.
The tone is that of a thriller – the sense something terrible is looming, perhaps in the waves, perhaps in her phone
The book continues in the same vein; essays that shock and illuminate as they walk around the central themes of what it means to be a woman and a commodity, poking at them with a variety of sharpened tools. One essay sees Ratajkowski waking in a $400m Maldivian resort with her husband, where she has been paid “a shit ton” to post pictures of their sponsored holiday. A headache blooms over the course of a restless day spent on the beach, checking Instagram as a picture of her ass collects a million likes and thinking darkly about money.
The tone is that of a thriller or horror film – the sense something terrible is looming, perhaps in the waves, perhaps in her phone, perhaps in her body. Contemplating the “glistening skin” of her hips in a bikini from her swimwear line, “the whole of the ocean stretched out before me and yet I felt trapped”. In another she accepts $25,000 from a billionaire to join him at the Super Bowl. Watching a model grind purposefully against him, Ratajkowski contemplates the transactional nature of her industry, both contracted and unspoken. “I liked to think I was different from women like her. But over time it became harder to hold on to that distinction or even believe in its virtue.” The model went on to marry a tech mogul, and peers who married pop stars suddenly got Vogue covers. “The world celebrates and rewards women who are chosen by powerful men,” she notes. “Wasn’t I on the same spectrum of compromise?” At times the reader is a popcorn-eating audience; at other times her therapist, offering balloons.
Throughout, glamour is tempered with boredom and, sometimes, pain. Early in her life Ratajkowski learned that beauty gave her power, but also that it was complicated. “It wasn’t just the way I looked that made the boys notice me, it was also my perceived status in the outside world as an attractive girl,” she writes, one eye then on Britney Spears, “a warning”. She learned to be wary of people who responded to her beauty; there’s a hidden violence present as she walks through parties. While filming the video that made her not just famous, but “famously sexy”, pop star Robin Thicke grabbed her breasts. It only occurred to her recently that “the women who gained their power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place”
There is another strand to this. The books I have been buying are largely factual and non-fiction. It is also important to highlight and promote non-fiction feminist literature. The importance, value and brilliance of women’s voice. There is no understating the importance of feminist literature. Works that call for equality and greater rights for women. Also designed to make the world a better place. Apologies if my thoughts are a bit scattershot. I have been so engrossed in the books I have purchased and feel, with each page, there is this feeling of anger and horror. The need to do more and ensure more and more people – especially men – read these works. There is no denying the essentialness of feminist literature, as this feature highlights:
“Despite progress, feminist literature remains relevant in addressing ongoing challenges and emerging issues. Modern feminist authors continue to explore evolving concepts of gender, sexuality, and identity, ensuring that the movement remains dynamic and responsive to societal changes. "We Should All Be Feminists," an essay adapted by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from her TEDx talk, has become a widely referenced contemporary work because of its compelling, yet accessible, exploration of contemporary feminism. Drawing from her own experiences as a Nigerian woman and weaving in anecdotes that resonate universally, Adichie makes a compelling case for the necessity of feminism in the 21st century. In this concise yet impactful essay, she examines the pervasive nature of gender inequality and dismantles common misconceptions associated with the term 'feminism.' Adichie argues that feminism is not an exclusionary ideology but a movement that benefits everyone, challenging ingrained stereotypes and urging for a world where individuals are not confined or limited by gender roles. Her engaging prose and persuasive arguments make this work a rallying cry for equality, appealing to readers from all walks of life to embrace feminism as a shared cause that enriches societies by fostering fairness, justice, and dignity for all. Adichie's "We Should All Be Feminists" serves as a powerful introduction to feminist principles, inviting readers to reflect on their own beliefs and actively participate in the ongoing pursuit of gender equality.
As feminist literature continues to evolve and respond to emerging challenges, its impact persists, fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and empowerment for individuals across diverse backgrounds. It is crucial to recognize the enduring impact of feminist literature and support the writers who continue to use their words to shape our world for the better. Through literature, the call for equality resonates, inviting readers to reflect, engage, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on gender justice in the pursuit of a more equitable future”.
A lot of my male peers and colleagues do not really know much about feminist literature. They might be familiar with a couple of the authors but, by and large, they do not read the books. Working in music, most of the articles written around women’s rights, bodies, safety and equality are written by women. Rather than me saying male music journalists are not feminists – many of them are -, I do think that there does need to be more emphasis on feminist literature (or gender studies books). A lot of what is written about impacts and relates to modern music. It seems more important now than ever. Whether reading a Laura Bates book or Emily Ratajkowski’s My Body, I have come away engrossed and deeply moved. Shocked by what I have read. Rather than these amazing and powerful books being resigned to a few shelf inches or less accessible in bookshops than works of fiction and other genres, these incredible works should be…
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TALKED about constantly.