GIRLS CAN KISS NOW

A White, gay woman uses her love of pop culture to reflect on her continuing journey toward accepting her whole self, including her sexuality.

Gutowitz grew up in New Jersey in the “aughts,” a time she describes as “the least romantic era of pop culture, or just culture, in modern history.” Aside from the terrible fashion decisions and the lack of decent pop music, the author classifies the early 2000s as a time of rampant homophobia that was both created and reinforced by mainstream media. After imbibing this toxic media throughout high school, she went to college, where she found herself catering to the needs of men rather than discovering her sexuality—an experience she compares to the underlying sexist messaging of the TV show Entourage. Gutowitz finally realized her sexual orientation at the age of 23, when she fell in love with her best friend—a love that was, sadly, unrequited—and extricated herself from an abusive heterosexual relationship. The author concludes with several essays celebrating the love she shares with her current partner, Emma, whose presence has made her question the obsession with celebrity that she says governed her life before they met. At its best, the prose shines with humor, vulnerability, and poignancy. Particularly noteworthy is the chapter detailing Gutowitz’s experience with sexual assault, which is written in the form of a letter to her past self, both formally inventive and searingly personal. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency to consistently center Whiteness and to avoid intersectional analysis makes the book feel somewhat superficial and outdated.

A witty essay collection about pop culture and queerness that privileges Whiteness to its disadvantage.