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Review
Nina Power's One Dimensional Woman (0 Books, £7.99) was a welcome reminder that there is more to feminism than Either/Or (Pradettes apussyfooting in Jimmy Choos/Moms amoosehunting on the campaign trail). A rabblerousing joy to read. --Helen DeWitt, Books of the Year, New Statesman
It's always a risk to suggest, as Power does, that no one else is doing what she is of course there are activists, bloggers and thinkers who are doing this work. But many mainstream debates about gender equality remain boring, simplistic, even dangerous. That is why I salute this book: because it makes you think. --The Guardian, 16th Jan 2010
One Dimensional Woman offers an interesting contribution to the current debate on work, sex and politics. The book covers an impressive array of subjects. The most interesting section looks at the ahistorical nature of feminist debate on pornography. --Jacqui Freeman, Socialist Review
It's always a risk to suggest, as Power does, that no one else is doing what she is of course there are activists, bloggers and thinkers who are doing this work. But many mainstream debates about gender equality remain boring, simplistic, even dangerous. That is why I salute this book: because it makes you think. --The Guardian, 16th Jan 2010
One Dimensional Woman offers an interesting contribution to the current debate on work, sex and politics. The book covers an impressive array of subjects. The most interesting section looks at the ahistorical nature of feminist debate on pornography. --Jacqui Freeman, Socialist Review
Product Description
Where have all the interesting women gone? If the contemporary portrayal of womankind were to be believed, contemporary female achievement would culminate in the ownership of expensive handbags, a vibrator, a job, a flat and a man. Of course, no one has to believe the TV shows, the magazines and adverts, and many don't. But how has it come to this? Did the desires of twentieth-century women's liberation achieve their fulfilment in the shopper's paradise of 'naughty' self-pampering, playboy bunny pendants and bikini waxes? That the height of supposed female emancipation coincides so perfectly with consumerism is a miserable index of a politically desolate time. Much contemporary feminism, particularly in its American formulation, doesn't seem too concerned about this coincidence. This short book is partly an attack on the apparent abdication of any systematic political thought on the part of today's positive, up-beat feminists. It suggests alternative ways of thinking about transformations in work, sexuality and culture that, while seemingly far-fetched in the current ideological climate, may provide more serious material for future feminism.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This little book is - I would suggest - one of the most important publications of recent years concerning the way feminism operates today. It asks some uncomfortable questions about how consumerism has taken such a hold on women to the extent that many are simply concerned with buying the current 'must have' designer handbag rather than trying to change the world for the better.
The author argues that feminism has lost the plot and the position of women is not improving. She highlights the way women's bodies are objectified - even by women themselves, and deplores the prevailing fashion which decrees women must imitate porn stars. 'Sex and the City' shows women obsessed with their appearance, buying the latest consumer desirable and obsessing over whether their latest man is 'The One'. Feminism seems to have lost the plot when appearance is the only thing that matters in every sphere of life.
Feminism has been subsumed into the idea of feeling better about oneself whatever one does and recent books about feminism aimed at young women are all about self esteem rather than about the politics of women's position in the world. I urge anyone interested in these issues to read this book - especially if you feel feminism has lost the battle or even the war.
The author argues that feminism has lost the plot and the position of women is not improving. She highlights the way women's bodies are objectified - even by women themselves, and deplores the prevailing fashion which decrees women must imitate porn stars. 'Sex and the City' shows women obsessed with their appearance, buying the latest consumer desirable and obsessing over whether their latest man is 'The One'. Feminism seems to have lost the plot when appearance is the only thing that matters in every sphere of life.
Feminism has been subsumed into the idea of feeling better about oneself whatever one does and recent books about feminism aimed at young women are all about self esteem rather than about the politics of women's position in the world. I urge anyone interested in these issues to read this book - especially if you feel feminism has lost the battle or even the war.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A pugnacious and necessary pamphlet which makes a compelling case for the reclamation of a class dimension in contemporary feminism and a rejection of the superficial promises of liberation dangled by those who would confuse commodification with freedom. Nina Power is one of a generation of thinkers who have established themselves as exciting theorists and analysts by blogging (in this case over at infinite thought) while maintaining commitments both to serious intellectual enquiry the traditional way (PhDs in philosophy, lectureships and academic publishing) and to political activism (as in the recent attempt to articulate a feminist manifesto for the 21st century).
Some reviewers here seem to have read a different book. Although certainly tightly and passionately argued, 'One Dimensional Women' is also frequently subtle and even generous. The discussion of pornography is particularly free of dogmatism, and MacKinnon and Dworkin are dealt with fairly as well as critically. Moreover, Power eschews easy condemnation and plenty of effort is made to understand how and why the co-option of feminist thematics has taken such problematic forms. Yes, potential reader, it is true that some feminists are specifically named-and-shamed for their embracing of personal expression over collective struggle, but this is hardly enough to suggest some naive assault on the entirety of previously-existing feminist thought. On the contrary, the links established with currently under-represented strands of feminist thought suggests fidelity much more than a rebellious acting-out.
Which is not to say that this is entirely perfect - there are moments where repetition or over-description somewhat disrupt the flow. But this is more than balanced out by the immediacy of the tone and the urgency of the issues at stake. Where else could you cover the role of pleasure in feminism, the necessity of an account of economic exploitation for liberatory thought and Sarah Palin as ideological symptom in an afternoon's reading? Angry, but also surprising in its wit and its occasional flashes of hope, this is well worth your time and the money that will end up with The Fistula Foundation if you buy it. Which I suppose is a kind of consumerist feminism, but one that I can live with for now.
Some reviewers here seem to have read a different book. Although certainly tightly and passionately argued, 'One Dimensional Women' is also frequently subtle and even generous. The discussion of pornography is particularly free of dogmatism, and MacKinnon and Dworkin are dealt with fairly as well as critically. Moreover, Power eschews easy condemnation and plenty of effort is made to understand how and why the co-option of feminist thematics has taken such problematic forms. Yes, potential reader, it is true that some feminists are specifically named-and-shamed for their embracing of personal expression over collective struggle, but this is hardly enough to suggest some naive assault on the entirety of previously-existing feminist thought. On the contrary, the links established with currently under-represented strands of feminist thought suggests fidelity much more than a rebellious acting-out.
Which is not to say that this is entirely perfect - there are moments where repetition or over-description somewhat disrupt the flow. But this is more than balanced out by the immediacy of the tone and the urgency of the issues at stake. Where else could you cover the role of pleasure in feminism, the necessity of an account of economic exploitation for liberatory thought and Sarah Palin as ideological symptom in an afternoon's reading? Angry, but also surprising in its wit and its occasional flashes of hope, this is well worth your time and the money that will end up with The Fistula Foundation if you buy it. Which I suppose is a kind of consumerist feminism, but one that I can live with for now.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't believe the haters: Nina Power's 'One Dimensional Woman' is an lucid, incisive, punchy and highly readable investigation of the problems with 'lifestyle feminism' and the compromised settlement that the women's movement has forced out of the patriarchal establishment. A suitable comparison for the book would be Susan Faludi's 'Backlash' - it far outstrips the efforts of third-wavers like Jessica Valenti or Ariel Levy at critiquing the current situation, at least in part because Power is an excellent writer: witty and cutting, steely and angry, drilling a topic for all it's worth or pinwheeling deftly on a thought. Power is expertly conversant with theory - she is a senior lecturer at Roehampton University - but never too in love with it, always using it as a critical tool for analysing real conditions and real lives, and not squashing the reader with jargon. As a male feminist, I found it extremely helpful in understanding what the structural problems are for women under neo-liberal capitalism, and the possible exit-routes. Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting ideas that need expanding on
Besides the author having an appropriate name for women's studies (Ms Power) she also has some very interesting ideas. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jo B
good start, disappointing end
This was suggested to me by my supervisor (I'm a PhD student). I consider myself a feminist and am always keen to read new literature. Read more
Published 19 months ago by morenita
One Dimensional Woman
I bought this book on the basis of a review in The Guardian newspaper and have been rather disappointed. I found it somewhat disjointed and rambling. Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by Ann L. Griffiths
Don't waste your money
The blurb on the back said this book was witty and angry. The extract on the back was indeed witty and angry in tone, but get past the intro (where the extract is taken from) and... Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by R. Kendall
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