Free Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism
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Ever since the release of her seminal first book, Sexual Personae, Camille Paglia has remained one of feminism's most outspoken, independent, and searingly intelligent voices. Now, for the first time, her best essays on the subject are gathered together in one concise volume. Whether she’s calling for equal opportunity for American women (years before the founding of the National Organization for Women), championing a more discerning standard of beauty that goes beyond plastic surgery’s quest for eternal youth, lauding the liberating force of rock and roll, or demanding free and unfettered speech on university campuses and beyond, Paglia can always be counted on to get to the heart of matters large and small. At once illuminating, witty, and inspiring, these essays are essential reading that affirm the power of men and women and what we can accomplish together.
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This was suggested to me by someone who suspected I might share some of Paglia's views. Up until now I'd only known her as the weird female edgelord who'd argued her way into publicly supporting pedophilia in order to own the libs.
In a classic case of a broken clock being right twice a day, I do agree with some of her views. Also, her rage is entertaining - she can definitely throw a creative diss even if she keeps going after a handful of the same people.
However, she seems very stuck and resistant to new data about a whole lot of things. Her bizarre insistence that homosexuality is a choice is the main one that comes to mind, but this kept bothering me throughout the book. Also, somehow pigeon masculinity says something about human masculinity? I guess if you're aboard the Jordan Peterson train and also clueless to the existence of penguins, swans, heck really all of the animal kingdom. It gets tiring after a while, like listening to the argumentation of someone who refuses to google. She keeps coming back to numerous straw men that I can only guess are second wave feminist arguments of yore.
Exhausting.
