Fifty Shades of Feminism
A new book out soon aims to redefine and promote feminism.
Fifty years after Betty Freidan published The Feminine Mystique and 60 years after Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex first appeared in English, 50 women will shortly publish their personal takes on being a woman today in a book titled Fifty Shades of Feminism.
Positioned partly as a response to EL James’s hugely successful ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy, Fifty Shades of Feminism has been described by its three compilers as an antidote to the notion that being a woman today is just about submitting to desire, in its variations of sex, shopping and masochism.
The idea behind the book came out of a conversation last September between two of the compilers, writer and novelist Lisa Appignanesi and psychotherapist Susie Orbach, and the writer Eva Hoffman about issues facing women today, Appignanesi said in The Observer recently.
The increase of violence in porn, domestic violence and US lawmaker Todd Akin’s ‘legitimate rape’ pronouncement featured in their conversation, along with many other topics including the lack and expense of childcare facilities, and pressure to diet.
Feeling the conversation had taken on ‘a plaintive note’ that made her want to act, Appignanesi then proposed Fifty Shades of Feminism, saying: “Well, let’s do something about it. Fight back. Do Fifty Shades of Feminism.”
She said she and the other two understood the undertaking as potentially “a fine antidote to the prevailing climate.”
“Fifty women exploring what the F-word means to them today, where women have got to, what still needs to be done – socially, politically, sexually, psychologically.
“And at the same time naming feminism, claiming it, owning to that sometimes reviled ‘ism’, which too often slips into the lexicon as a synonym for man-hating.”
The third compiler, cultural historian Rachel Holmes, quickly joined the project and by early October it was taken on by Virago Books, which publishes literature by and about women.
A special launch event for the book took place on 9 March at the Women of the World festival on London’s South Bank.
The 50 contributors comprise a range of women with different life experiences.
In addition to the three compilers, they include politicians, youth and cultural leaders, writers, women working in theatre, and barristers: the full list can be viewed on the book’s Amazon page.
Appignanesi also hinted that the book could be the start of a larger project, which could eventually include shades of feminism written by men.
Fifty Shades of Feminism will be released on 28 March.
Based on this and the one review on Amazon I have just bought the book. I look forward to reading it. Thanks!