How to Win at Feminism

July 11, 2016
The writers behind the hilarious satirical website The Reductress skewer the most ridiculous tropes and clichés of millennial-era feminism in this send-up of advice books targeted at women. An “official timeline of feminism” sets the tone, marking women’s suffrage and the birth of Beyoncé as equally relevant, along with chapter introductions revering feminist “patron saints” like Oprah and Lena Dunham. The writers provide shrewd commentary on the divisiveness of feminist culture in which women are pitted against and ordered to support one another at the same time. Hillary Clinton tops a list of “bad feminists” because “her Twitter is whack.” Instead of the no-makeup selfie, they recommend the “no-self selfie” because “it takes a strong woman to show others the room she’s in.” The text is accompanied by stock photos curated for maximum absurdity, funny fake advertisements, and graphs, including one on work-life balance that asks, “What’s the most you can achieve without fucking up your kids?” Readers who cringe at popular culture’s use of the words spirit animal, don’t think their outfits should be a measure of commitment to the cause, and are tired of hearing about “having it all” will enjoy the irreverence.