bad is Better than nothing

I had never heard of any of Roxanne Gay's work before reading the majority of this essay collection, and I can't believe I haven't discovered her sooner! She writes in an incredibly conversational, entertaining, and viscerally vulnerable way that I found myself learning more and more about her as if she were an old friend with every passing essay. The book is made up of various previously published essays that all broadly circulate around feminist ideologies and topics - mainly how Gay views herself as an imperfect but driven woman who would rather be a flawed feminist than no feminist at all. I was really struck by how she blended her loves for things like The Hunger Games series and Scrabble into topics like sexual abuse, harassment, rape, and other mature subjects. Her identity as a black woman as well as a feminist was very interesting since I felt like it gives all of the essays even more unique voices on a wide range of topics. I definitely recommend this book to those who identify as feminists, those who don't, and those who are willing to learn more about what it can look like to more fully lean into being a "bad" feminist.



Some of my favorite quotes from Bad Feminist:

"I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all."

"When feminism falls short of our expectations, we decide the problem is with feminism rather than with the flawed people who act in the name of the movement."

"Books are often far more than just books."

"Abandon the cultural myth that all female friendships must be bitchy, toxic, or competitive. This myth is like heels and purses--pretty but designed to SLOW women down."

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