---
product_id: 2579659
title: "Bad Feminist: Essays ― A NYT Bestselling Work of Cultural Criticism on Feminism and Pop Culture"
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# Bad Feminist: Essays ― A NYT Bestselling Work of Cultural Criticism on Feminism and Pop Culture

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“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: Review - Roxane Gay, is an American author, professor, feminist, and social activist. Gay has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media, and feminism. I thoroughly enjoyed Roxane's raw perspective on feminism. She accurately describes the delicate and complex balance of living in this country as a strong, educated, opinionated, self identifying feminist while also struggling with all the negative press that comes along with identifying as such. Everyone has a different opinion on what feminism is and many are quick to tell you what is or isn't aligned with their idealism and how you are or aren't successful at it. It would be nice to say that equality is simple, but it is anything but that. Roxane covers a wide range of complications and subject that, on one hand can be considered feminist, but don't be fooled, this book is not just about gender and equality. This thought provoking and evocative compilation critically analyzes our culture on a multitude of complex issues that are relevant for all humans of all races. After reading “Peculiar Benefits” one quote that really stood out to me was when Gay said “ It was hard for a child to begin to grasp the contrast of such inescapable poverty alongside almost repulsive luxury, and then the United States” (15). This quote really impacted me it reminded when I was ten years old going to visit Tijuana, Mexico for the very first time with my aunt. Growing up I didn’t have much but to see worse it is for other people in a different country really made me feel more privilege than ever before and me feel guilty. Another, quote that caught my attention was when Gay said “nearly everyone particulary in the develpoed world, has something someone else doesn’t, something someone else wants for” (16). This quote really had me thinking and seemed very true to me because in my personal experience my friend Edgar has a Mazda 6 which is a car that I’ve been wanting for a long time. Last quote from this chapter that caught my eye was when Gay said “you need to understand the extent of your privilege…. And remain aware that people who are different from you move through and experience the world in many ways you might never know anything about” (17). This quote made me take a step back and made me realize how far people come from their struggles to get where they’re now. Finally, after reading this chapter it made me realize I’m more privilege than ever before and never take it for granted. Reading the chapter “The Last Day of a Young Black Man” Gay talks about Fruitvale station as I got into reading I recalled watching the movie a few times a couple years ago.I remember watching watching the movie and how every scene I wanted to see more and more like couldn’t. The movie leads to chronicle events that leads to a young black gentlemen who bruitaly was killed by white police men on New Years Eve. One quote that really caught my attention was when Gay said “ oftentimes you’ve got to be different people just to stay alive” (245). This quote really stood out to me because in the movie it showed Oscar having different personalities in order to get by a tough neighborhood. This movie shows how some men are forced to decide to sell drugs to support their family in this case Oscar throws a large bag of marijuana into the bay hoping to get his life back on track for his family. While not all of the essays resonated with me, the collection is well worth reading. Especially for those who are looking to understand feminism from a slightly different angle than the stereotypical one. The takeaway from Gay is that your view of being a feminist can be your own and still be valid. Especially for those who are looking to understand feminism from a slightly different point of view than the stereotypical one. The takeaway from Gay is that your view of being a feminist can be your own and still be valid. Overall I highly recommend this book despite its flaws, “Bad Feminist” signals an important contribution to the complicated terrain of gender politics. From the book’s beginning to its end, Gay struggles to define the parameters of the very movement she claims to eschew by being “bad” or contrary to and within it. In a personal and political way, the book tracks one woman’s journey to avoid categorization in any form, all the while knowing this is impossible.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #28,834 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #14 in Feminist Literary Criticism (Books) #20 in Women Author Literary Criticism #21 in Women Writers in Women Studies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 5,451 Reviews |

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## 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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by J***. on December 11, 2019*

Roxane Gay, is an American author, professor, feminist, and social activist. Gay has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media, and feminism. I thoroughly enjoyed Roxane's raw perspective on feminism. She accurately describes the delicate and complex balance of living in this country as a strong, educated, opinionated, self identifying feminist while also struggling with all the negative press that comes along with identifying as such. Everyone has a different opinion on what feminism is and many are quick to tell you what is or isn't aligned with their idealism and how you are or aren't successful at it. It would be nice to say that equality is simple, but it is anything but that. Roxane covers a wide range of complications and subject that, on one hand can be considered feminist, but don't be fooled, this book is not just about gender and equality. This thought provoking and evocative compilation critically analyzes our culture on a multitude of complex issues that are relevant for all humans of all races. After reading “Peculiar Benefits” one quote that really stood out to me was when Gay said “ It was hard for a child to begin to grasp the contrast of such inescapable poverty alongside almost repulsive luxury, and then the United States” (15). This quote really impacted me it reminded when I was ten years old going to visit Tijuana, Mexico for the very first time with my aunt. Growing up I didn’t have much but to see worse it is for other people in a different country really made me feel more privilege than ever before and me feel guilty. Another, quote that caught my attention was when Gay said “nearly everyone particulary in the develpoed world, has something someone else doesn’t, something someone else wants for” (16). This quote really had me thinking and seemed very true to me because in my personal experience my friend Edgar has a Mazda 6 which is a car that I’ve been wanting for a long time. Last quote from this chapter that caught my eye was when Gay said “you need to understand the extent of your privilege…. And remain aware that people who are different from you move through and experience the world in many ways you might never know anything about” (17). This quote made me take a step back and made me realize how far people come from their struggles to get where they’re now. Finally, after reading this chapter it made me realize I’m more privilege than ever before and never take it for granted. Reading the chapter “The Last Day of a Young Black Man” Gay talks about Fruitvale station as I got into reading I recalled watching the movie a few times a couple years ago.I remember watching watching the movie and how every scene I wanted to see more and more like couldn’t. The movie leads to chronicle events that leads to a young black gentlemen who bruitaly was killed by white police men on New Years Eve. One quote that really caught my attention was when Gay said “ oftentimes you’ve got to be different people just to stay alive” (245). This quote really stood out to me because in the movie it showed Oscar having different personalities in order to get by a tough neighborhood. This movie shows how some men are forced to decide to sell drugs to support their family in this case Oscar throws a large bag of marijuana into the bay hoping to get his life back on track for his family. While not all of the essays resonated with me, the collection is well worth reading. Especially for those who are looking to understand feminism from a slightly different angle than the stereotypical one. The takeaway from Gay is that your view of being a feminist can be your own and still be valid. Especially for those who are looking to understand feminism from a slightly different point of view than the stereotypical one. The takeaway from Gay is that your view of being a feminist can be your own and still be valid. Overall I highly recommend this book despite its flaws, “Bad Feminist” signals an important contribution to the complicated terrain of gender politics. From the book’s beginning to its end, Gay struggles to define the parameters of the very movement she claims to eschew by being “bad” or contrary to and within it. In a personal and political way, the book tracks one woman’s journey to avoid categorization in any form, all the while knowing this is impossible.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I like you even though you are very mean."
*by K***R on August 8, 2014*

Amazon made me read this book. It kept showing up in suggestions, and it is an editor's pick. Then Huffington Post chose it as the book they are talking about this week. I was in a grumpy mood about it since the blurb didn't invite my interest. Collections of essays so often are an excuse to show the author as witty and relevant. So the first essay of this book is self deprecating and explained the title. Gay is a bad feminist; she often does not aspire to the politically correct stance and can, at time, act as a girly girl. (gasp) Still I was not in love. But the book was creeping on me. I love this book. Interestingly the final sell was the chapter on likability in literature and in life. In taking issue with literary criticism that pans a book for unlikable characters, Gay put into words an idea that had been brewing in my own mind. She is a fan of the flawed character. She cares about the person who risks not meeting the standards of a the good girl, and she champions the authors who craft these women. The writing is unpretentious but literary and smart. In adding an essay about her own experiences of being a professional who risks her popularity to be herself, Gay rounded a well spoken discussion with humanity. Gay is dignified in her defiance, and like all my favorite writers, she struggles to be objective on her own short comings. I mean, the woman loves Scrabble. I am also a fan of Gay's approach to how society views women in general. She uses literature with a well balanced hand. I especially appreciate her mix of classic and contemporary fiction in her critiques. Some of the books are not high literature, and I appreciate this. While many of us would like to be seen as citizens of the literary world, I would guess that most people are like Gay is and like I am. I read junk sometimes. I share her guilty pleasure: reality TV. But I really laud the objective stance she takes with these pleasures and how she explores the picture of women that emerges. Gay widens her dissuasion with an exposition of how we portray our villains and victims. What does it mean that the Boston Marathon bomber was viewed with such empathy in Rolling Stone while the same magazine spent not a word on the black victim of the George Zimmerman shooting? It's a good question. So in summary, thank you to the critics that nagged me into reading this book. I hope you add my voice to your consideration and read it yourself.

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