AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ THEM TOO
Lauren Hannigan, Contributor
Illustration by Nichole Daniels
To me, Chick Lit is any book that makes me think, “It is so stellar to be female!” Women are often portrayed in books as the damsel in distress, needy, slightly dumb, pretty, and fragile. I like girl power books that make me proud to say, “Yes, sir. All this and I’m smart too!” I love Chick Lit, and I’m an English literature major and women and gender sexuality studies minor. Thusly, I call myself a Chick-Lit-Ologist. I’ve read a plethora of books (I’m an insatiable bookie, I’d shoot up literature intravenously if I could) that I’d classify as Chick Lit. Here is a list of my favorite five and why you should totally check them out too.
The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath’s one-and-only novel is the semi-autobiographical tale of Esther Greenwood, a woman who has a seemingly perfect life; however, mental instabilities and ruthless self-doubt lead her to (almost) complete self-destruction. This story focuses on topics such as mental disease, suicide, feminism, sexuality, individuality, and the process of “rebirth”. I read this tale at an interesting time in my life; I was experiencing a rebirth of my own while simultaneously reading about Esther’s rebirth. I was entering into the world of womanhood, the last few months of my high school career were approaching, and I was experiencing one of the worst cases of a broken heart mankind has ever known. I felt a deep connection with the struggles of the young and confused Esther Greenwood. Furthermore, her triumphs at the end inspired me and that inspiration still lingers to this day. Sylvia Plath, although strange and somewhat troubled, was one of the most edgy, audacious, and bitchingly cool woman writers (hell, a writer is a writer, why did I even need to define her gender?) of the 20th century. This book is just as hot and captivating as the oven in which Plath eventually ended her life.
The Second Sex (1949) by Simone de Beauvoir
This is 732 pages of literary genius. Simone de Beauvoir explains at the beginning of her tale, “One day I wanted to explain myself to myself…and it struck me with a sort of surprise that the first thing I had to say was, I am a woman.” This book explains the history of mankind in an incredibly straight forward way, delves into the anatomy of what makes us man or woman, maps out the evolution of the roles of women, and goes into detail about why females, more often than not, are considered to be the second sex. I bought this book my junior year of high school with some babysitting money. My entire life I attended an extremely conservative Christian school. Then in the middle of high school, I transferred to a local Catholic girls school, which, little did I know, was run by hardcore feminists. I got interested in feminism and bought this book to teach myself more about “other” ways of thinking about gender roles besides what I had been taught growing up. The Second Sex, like The Bell Jar, coached me through the rebirthing process of becoming a feminist. This book made me take a step back and think to myself, “Being a female isn’t too bad… Actually, we’re pretty great!” Although this book is very dense, and Beauvoir doesn’t hesitate to go into incredible detail on every topic she covers, I couldn’t help but stay up late at night reading this and highlighting almost everything she says. Read this book. Seriously, it’ll give you, whatever your gender, a new sense of belonging in the human experience.
Feminism is for Everybody (2000) by bell hooks
Feminism is for Everybody is probably one of the most pleasant and straightforward works on feminism I’ve ever encountered. This book is about 100 pages of information about the history of feminism, the different waves of feminism, social media, body image, eating disorders, sexuality, reproductive rights, and humanist thought brilliantly tied together through the rich wording of the legendary bell hooks. Hooks continuously reminds her readers that even though the “Establishment” and pop culture say otherwise, every human being has value and worth. Whether you’re a feminist newbie or a jaded feminist ideologist, this passion-laced short book is a must read.
The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaids Tale is not only one of my favorites of the Chick Lit genre, but also of the dystopian genre. This book is nothing less than completely epic. The action is just as intense as the themes of women’s liberation, individuality, sexual freedom, separation of church and state, government control, and identity. Nearly every line of dialogue is filled with sexual innuendos and purposeful sexism, and yet it remains mysteriously erotic. I love the idea of “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” in The Handmaid’s Tale, which is Latin for something like, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Read this book and you will find yourself viewing society and feminism in a profoundly new way.
The Feminine Mystique (1963) by Betty Friedan
The Feminine Mystique is such a pleasure to read! This book took an entire generation of women who felt inadequate being stay-at-home mothers and told them they could be more if they wished. This book explains the emptiness women felt during the Nuclear Era of America and explains, on a very organic level, that females are more than just our mothers, wives, cooks, and maids. Friedan criticizes society’s views on women and even criticizes Sigmund Freud’s ideologies on the role of females. This book is a fantastic debate of feminism and is chock-full of brilliant close-to-home examples of sexism in society from Friedan herself. This book is a massive part of feminist history, as it is said to have ignited t he Second Wave of the feminist movement. Reading The Feminine Mystique was an excellent way to remember how desperate and dissatisfying the lives of many American women were during this time in history and how far as a society we have come today.
