If you have ever wondered what a feminist is, Caitlin Moran has an answer for you. In her best-selling How to Be a Woman, which Slate called her “memoir-slash-manifesto,” Moran argues that feminism is practical, universal, and crucial for 21st century women. With stories from her own life, she presents a humorous and in-your-face diatribe about everything from periods to thongs to childbirth. Her goal is to change the definition of feminism from something radical to something any and every woman can and should practice. She succeeds—with many capital letters, exclamation points, and stories about her transformation from overweight, lonely teenager to successful journalist who parties with Lady Gaga.
From Humble Beginnings
As the oldest of eight children in an impoverished family from Wolverhampton, England, Moran initially believed that there was “absolutely nothing to recommend about being a woman.” She came into her own at an early age, though, writing a novel by 15 and working as a columnist for the music weekly Melody Maker by 16. At 18, she was the host of a national television show, Naked City and later landed a job at The Times of London, where she is still a columnist. Early in her teenage years, Moran compiled a mental manual for navigating womanhood and discovered the feminist theories that she now brings to the common woman. At 15, she read the feminist canon of Germaine Greer, the author of The Female Eunuch, which encouraged women to embrace their differences from men in their struggle for liberation.
How to Be a Woman has been published in 18 countries and was on the British Top 10 list for almost a full year. In addition, she is active on Twitter with over 290,000 followers, to whose questions and general obsession she finds time to respond. Moran’s persona and fame are essential components to her message of making feminism mainstream. Her hundreds of thousands of readers are necessary for her goal of reaching all types of women, particularly those who would not otherwise be exposed to these ideas. Moran acknowledges that feminism has negative, radical, bra-burning and man-hating connotations, but wants to reclaim the word. To her, feminism does not need to be dumbed down in order for it to be practiced by any and every woman; feminism only needs to be packaged in a way that women find accessible.
Do-It-Yourself Feminism
Moran’s central argument in How to Be a Woman is that “it is technically impossible for a woman to argue against feminism.” She bluntly conveys her disdain for the 71% of American women who declined to describe themselves as feminists: “What do you think feminism IS, ladies? What part of ‘liberation for women’ is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? ‘Vogue’ by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good shit GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF SURVEY?” As vitriolic as this sounds, for Caitlin Moran, this is feminism: it is not about theory or hating men but about the very real ways in which society holds women back, from strip clubs to sexism in the workplace. Moran believes that all women are inherently feminists unless they reject any notion of personal freedom. She wants women to realize the importance of claiming the feminist identity, and putting it into the practice of stamping out misogynistic relics. Whatever beliefs stem from a woman’s personal acceptance of feminism are secondary to the feminist label itself. Furthermore, Moran believes that feminism is important for everybody, men and women; in fact, she cites her own husband as one of the most strident feminists she knows.
Moran is convincing because of her forceful and self-deprecating humor, which allows her to take on the persona of the everywoman. However, her style also has the potential to alienate many readers. Her desire is “that women counter the awkwardness, disconnect, and bullshit of being a modern woman not by shouting at it, internalizing it, or squabbling about it—but by simply pointing at it and going ‘HA!’ instead.” Though this philosophy makes feminism engaging and practicable (not to mention entertaining), she often seems to make light of serious affronts like sexual harassment in the workplace and pornography. This could inadvertently repulse readers who are already more accustomed to orthodox feminism or those on the other end of the spectrum who are completely unfamiliar with these ideas. Both may find her levity equally off-putting. While Moran would like every woman in the world to read her book, her target audience is women who are sympathetic to the ideas of feminism but have not yet identified with the word itself.
More Serious Notes
In some important areas, though, Moran puts joking aside. There is her analysis of strip clubs, which she views as the ultimate of socially acceptable objectifications of women. In her words, “But what are strip clubs and lap-dancing clubs if not ‘light entertainment’ versions of the entire history of misogyny?” She similarly makes a serious and in-depth comparison of the merits of Lady Gaga over popular British media personality and glamour model Katie Price (“imagine a cross between Snooki and Kim Kardashian but incalculably less charming”) as role models. To her, Price is not an example of female sexual empowerment but instead is a product of misogynistic cultural norms. Lady Gaga takes the over-sexualization of pop stars and turns it on its head: her music, videos, and outrageous fashion do not cater to men’s sexual desire but to Gaga’s own creativity.
Moran’s most earnest moment is her chapter on her personal experience with and opinions about abortion. Moran rejects the notion that all abortions are surrounded with shame and that each baby “that is not brought to fruition must be accounted and mourned and repented for, and would remain unforgiven forever.” While How To Be a Woman explodes with hilarity, the author tempers her lightheartedness at crucial points.
A Billion Different Feminists
Wouldn’t a book called How to Be a Woman imply a single, monolithic ideal of feminism? When asked by the HPR over Twitter if her book is prescribing how all feminists should be, Moran was quick to clarify that her path to feminism is not the one that every woman should take. “Of course not!” she replied. “I want a billion different feminists!”
This response ought to be reassuring, since many may find some of her proposals for correcting sexism hard to swallow. Take, for example, her position on sexism in the workplace. Now that women are vying for the same positions in the workplace as men, Moran thinks sexism is an attempt to preserve the traditionally held dominance of males. But she does not frown upon flirting in the workplace to get ahead, as most canonical feminists do. “Your male peers are flirting with their male bosses constantly,” she writes. “That’s basically what male bonding is. Flirting…. They are bonding with each other over their biological similarities. If the only way you can bond with them is over your biological differences, you go for it.” This demonstrates Moran’s firm belief that women should make feminism work for them. However, her opinion could also estrange readers who believe that playing into the system is degrading and inimical to progress.
In Moran’s feminism, there are a billion different feminists. Readers of How To Be a Woman might not agree with Caitlin Moran on many issues. They might find her style distasteful. Yet that is not what is at stake for the author and for women everywhere. Moran’s message is clear: feminism is for everyone. It is not about bra burning, hating men, or rejecting femininity or sexuality. It is about women having power over themselves. Women achieve that by making their own choices, be they about getting a Brazilian wax or an abortion.