bell hooks books feminism is for everybody

When I talk about the feminism I know - up close and personal - they willingly listen, although when our conversations end, they are quick to tell me I am different, not like the “real” feminists who hate men, who are angry.

They do not even think about feminism as being about rights - about women gaining equal rights. Mostly they think feminism is a bunch of angry women who want to be like men. When I ask these same folks about the feminist books or magazines they read, when I ask them about the feminist talks they have heard, about the feminist activists they know, they respond by let- ting me know that everything they know about feminism has come into their lives thirdhand, that they really have not come close enough to feminist movement to know what really happens, what it’s really about. In- stead I tend to hear all about the evil of feminism and the bad feminists: how “they” hate men how “they” want to go against nature - and god how “they” are all lesbians how “they” are taking all the jobs and making the world hard for white men, who do not stand a chance. But feminist theory - that’s the place where the questions stop. It is easy for the diverse public I encounter to understand what I do as a cultural critic, to understand my passion for writing (lots of folks want to write, and do). Everyone goes to movies, watches television, glances through magazines, and everyone has thoughts about the messages they receive, about the images they look at.

Most people find this exciting and want to know more. I tell them I write about movies and popular culture, analysing the message in the medium. Bell hooks’ Feminism is for Everybody is the antidote to every ‘when’s international men’s day?!’ tweet. Designed to be read by all genders, this short, accessible introduction to feminist theory, by one of its liveliest and most influential practitioners, seeks to rescue feminism from esoterism and academic jargon simplifying, arguing and convincing.Įverywhere I go I proudly tell folks who want to know who I am and what I do that I am a writer, a feminist theorist, a cultural critic.

Bell hooks books feminism is for everybody