“Why you gotta be so mean?” In this week’s episode of AP Taylor Swift, we put “Mean” (Speak Now), “nothing new” (Red, Taylor’s Version), and “mirrorball” (folklore) under the lens of feminist literary theory. We talk about the male gaze, the ingenue, gendered violence imagery, the punishment of “unlikeable” women, and why a song written over a decade ago can still feel like it was written yesterday.
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Book Episodes (Books, shows, movies) | Literary Theory & Rhetorical Device Episodes | Theme Episodes
This Week’s Extra Credit by Jenn
🫶 One of our new Substack Paid Subscriber benefits is access to some of the original lyrical analyses I do to prepare for our episodes. Today I’m bringing back part of the original Substack I wrote for our Feminist Theory episode full of my feminist book recs, but I’m updating it with some other books as well!
One thing I’ve learned about feminism is that I need to keep learning more. Many incredible women have dedicated their lives to educating and advocating for gender equality, so obviously this one Substack simply cannot cover it all. What I can do though is give you some high-level thoughts and then recommendations for further reading!
Becoming Feminists
When the Barbie movie came out in 2023, I remember a lot of mixed reviews on America Ferrera’s monologue about how impossible it is to be a woman. Some people thought it was reductive and overly simplistic. Other people’s lives were radically changed by it. In my personal opinion, that debate reflects the core of my opinions about feminism – start where you are, move forward, and don’t be ashamed of where you came from. Whether you’re 16 or 60, if you see or read something that makes feminism click in your brain and you want to learn more, that’s awesome! There can be a weird shame sometimes around not knowing “enough” as if there is a point where someone does know “enough?” Anyways, if anyone makes you feel ashamed about that, point me in their direction. I’ll take care of it.
The other thing I wanted to mention is the importance of intersectional feminism. As a white woman, I’ve definitely dealt with my fair share of nonsense, but I am acutely aware that the patriarchy in our country still affords me plenty of privilege. Intersectionality requires us to look at the layered factors of discrimination such as race, sexual orientation, religion, and more. Gender is important, but we are all a mix of identities and intersectional feminism acknowledges the complexity of that.
Getting Started With Feminist Literature
If you’ve listened to like two or more episodes of our podcast, you will have quickly noticed my affinity for history. I think understanding how we got to this point is very important in understanding where we need to go. The books I am going to recommend in the next couple of sections are mostly historical ones that are key texts in the history of feminism. I want to acknowledge that now because the origins of feminist movements were not particularly intersectional. I will add more modern recommendations at the end, but wanted to give context up front.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Ready To Dig Deeper?
Unsurprisingly, some cornerstone feminist texts are incredible yet dense. I wanted to separate these out, because they can be life-changing, but may not be the best starting point if you are tiptoeing into this world for the first time. If you are ready to dig in deeper though, these are absolutely worth your time.
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
More Books That I Want to Add to This List
Ok, so technically this list could be never-ending. But revisiting this Substack a little over a year after I originally wrote it, there are a few books I would want to add to this list. These books aren’t necessarily on any core feminist book, but they are ones that I keep recommending or thinking about, so I’m adding them to this list now!
Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya
Anna Bogutskaya basically spends the whole book making the case that "likeable" has always just been code for "conforms to what women are supposed to be," and she runs through nine archetypes (the Bitch, the Slut, the Shrew, the Trainwreck, and so on) to show how women who refuse to be nice get punished on screen. It’s amazing. I talk about it all the time a year after reading it. Please read it.
Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo
I read this book in college many years ago, and I still think about it probably once a month. It’s a book that made me deeply uncomfortable in the way that great literature can do. It made me question gender norms, racial inequality, and start to really unpack the long term impact slavery has had in this world.
The Journey of Feminism
This substack is already too long, so I’ll stop here and provide you a link to another list that covers a much wider range of books – 40 Essential Feminist Books to Read for Women’s History Month by Harper’s Bazaar. This list includes way more books by a diverse range of authors.
I know sometimes reading books in a time where women’s rights feel in danger can seem lackluster and selfish. But while advocacy and action are incredibly important, there’s a reason leaders throughout history have burned and banned books when they are trying to seize power. Ensuring that you are well-educated and aware is truly an act of radical defiance in a culture that eschews knowledge. Donate to causes. Participate in protests. Learn about the women who fought for their rights before us. All of these things are powerful, good things to do when you are feeling helpless or scared. And if you aren’t in the mood to read, but you need something, check out this amazing documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We could all use some inspiration from the great dissenter these days.
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