How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran is a fresh, 20th century, down-to-earth tutorial on being a feminist, and being a woman. The book is filled with anecdotes from Moran's personal experiences, as well as things she has observed in the world with regards to how women are treated compared to men. She discusses topics ranging from puberty to sexism in the workplace to pornography to abortion. The entire text is written in a humorous, direct, no-nonsense, albeit raunchy manner. Moran uses language and references that may not be considered "appropriate" in polite company or for regular discussion, but her use of such language makes her book more believable/true. She captures the true essence of feminism and sexism, not dressing it up in the slightest; she shows the reader the bare-boned, naked truth. The book provides viewpoints and advice on most of the key points of being a woman and being a "strident feminist" (one of Moran's favorite terms) boldly, provocatively, and humorously.
Throughout the text, Moran offers continuous anecdotes and references that firmly establish her ethos on the subject. She tells of her time working at a music paper, interviewing stars such as Lady Gaga, encountering sexism in the workplace, and raising children. These all represent her as fully qualified to be speaking as a woman and a feminist on important matters as well as trivial ones (fashion or abortion). Moran's appeal to logos is her fresh, raunchy, provocative attitude which translates into the words she writes. She wastes no time "classing up" what she says, choosing instead to tell the simple, bare truth, no matter how inappropriate or shocking it may seem. Her appeal to pathos is mainly her appeal to all women reading her book. She discusses the issues/problems facing almost every woman, almost always accompanying each one with a story of her own personal experience with the subject. This allows her to become more relate-able, and, at the end of each discussion of an issue, the advice she provides is more likely to be followed.
Caitlan Moran uses her book to urge women to "...stand on a chair and shout 'I AM A FEMINIST'" (p. 68). Her goal is for women to become less obsessed with society's view of them, for society to not place such an emphasis on the looks of women, and for women to establish themselves as the equals of men. According to Moran, a woman's independence and freedom ranges from being able to wear whatever she wants without fear of being criticized, to having an abortion without being stigmatized by the rest of society. One the controversial subject of abortion, she says, "...ending a pregnancy 12 weeks into gestation is incalculably more moral than bringing an unwanted child into this world" (p. 269). Her view on the abortion issue is quite clear, and she is resolved to stand by all her beliefs, on every subject, no matter the social repercussions.
I believe Moran did a superb job on crafting the equivalent of a tutorial on how to be a woman/feminist in the 21st century. I found myself relating to some of the problems she describes that women are facing, and agreeing with many of her ideas/points. The book was entertaining as well as interesting, providing new viewpoints on some issues and strengthening my beliefs on others. I would highly recommend this book for any young woman who is not sensitive to coarse language, and who believes herself to be a feminist. According to Moran...you are a feminist if you "a. have a [female-specific body part] and b. want to be in charge of it."
*Apologies for any inappropriateness of that last quote, however, I believed it relevant to my analysis of this text*
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