SEXY FEMINISM

A fun and enlightening guide detailing the multifaceted ways women can integrate an inclusive mode of feminism into their lives without compromising their ideals and giving up their lip gloss.

Co-founders of the blog SexyFeminist.com, Armstrong and Rudúlph examine their individual journeys to becoming feminists and why they wrote this book: “We want to help other women find their own feminism, just as we found ours.” The authors aim to “show young women how fun, empowering and, yes, sexy it is to fight for women’s rights and choices.” After a minihistory of feminism, they cover a variety of topics, including Brazilian wax jobs, plastic surgery, vanity and makeup, dieting, fashion, dating, the conundrum of working women, female friendships and feminism in the bedroom. The chapter on plastic surgery decodes the different types of procedures, followed by a Sexy Feminist Action Plan, titled “Invest in Yourself, Not New Boobs.” Armstrong describes her personal experience in “What I Learned from a Laser Facial Peel.” Though the tone is light and playful, there is plenty of information packed into each chapter. Most include follow-up questions for further exploration. The afterword, “Real Ways To Fight For Feminism,” lists feminist charities and pointers on becoming literate in politics and media. The appendix includes resources for sexy feminists, and the book serves as a quick and satisfying read for women of a certain age who might need a refresher course.

A sexy heads up for young women who may not grasp how culture and media continually manipulate women into thinking that what they have and how they look are never quite good enough.