I've just finished reading 'How to be a Woman' by Caitlin Moran. I bought it after hearing her on BBC Radio Four's 'Chain Reaction' and was so intrigued by what she said that I wanted to know more.
'How to be a Woman' is a funny, rude, mischievousness, cheeky, honest, realistic, thought provoking, passionate romp through what it means to be a modern woman. Part-autobiography, part feminist rant, it begins with a chilling account of Moran being pursued by a gang of boys as a 13 year old, following her through puberty, then into her first relationships, motherhood and her reflections on what feminism means today.
This book is laugh out loud funny thanks to the author's gloriously irreverent style. The prose rollicks along shamelessly peeping into every nook and cranny of what it's like to grow up as a white, western female of the species before delving into the specific life experiences of the writer. Reading it made me remember things I'd long forgotten and made me marvel at how different we all are as teenagers.
Despite its humour, it is a quite serious book because it does something ordinary women don't do; it makes readers face up to the fact that girls do some pretty potty things that boys simply aren't expected to. Moran talks about many things that have been irritating me for years, but I've always felt like I'm the odd one out for suspecting that there's anything amiss. It's such a relief to find I'm not the only one who thinks the way we behave sometimes is utterly bonkers and distracts us from the more important achievements in life that might get more women in the boardroom or in Parliament.
This is not a book for everyone, however. There is an awful lot of swearing used, which some people may dislike, along with references to heavy drinking and drug taking, which may also cause disapproval.
But I really identified with Moran's arguments and wish there were a few more people willing to pipe up and say that, actually, society's expectations of women are a bit out of order. It's not enough to be clever, talented, generous and rich, women also feel they have to be beautiful, thin, fashionable and popular. Despite hope spread by modern day icons such as Lady Gaga, the princess ideal still lives in showy weddings and WAGs.
I have two hopes as a result of reading this book. 1) That Moran will revisit it when her daughters are older and see how her experiences compare with theirs and how things have changed since she was their age. 2) That someone will write 'How to be a Man' so we can hear the other side of the story. There's part of me that suspects that a lot of men think what we do is bonkers too. Worse still, I think a few of them are also getting sucked into bad habits like worrying about body image too.
Right, back to the shelves!
