Thought-provoking ideas, but falls short at times.

books:


	• He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know Jessica Valenti Seal Press, 2008 - 200 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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Not Just For Girls

Despite what you may think, this book doesn't just focus on double standards where women get the short end of the stick. It also talks about the crap these double standards cause men. The only critism I can think of is that #46 "He's Childless, She's Selfish" had a title that was misleading. I thought it was going to talk about how childfree women are considered selfish because apparently having kids is the only way women can contribute to society, society doesn't think twice about childfree men. Instead it talked about how single mothers are "selfish." While I agree what she was talking about there, I thought the title was misleading and she should have touched on childfree women as well.

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Tough to hear but an incredibly necessary book

Sexists will cringe at this clear, powerful book of not-all-together obvious double standards. While women and men are biologically different, they should never be subjected to different standards of treatment. Commentators who raise the issue of the sexes' physiological differences idiotically miss the whole point: differences should not lead to double standards and worse treatment. An excellent book. Women: please don't stop complaining about discrimination.

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A hilarious initroduction

And people say feminists don't have a sense of humor!

In this quick read, Jessica Valenti manages to bring up 50 arguments that any girl or woman has, and any boy or man should have, considered. From the funny (wondering why only women are required to shave armpits and legs) to the painfully serious (like societal double-standards being used to tolerate or condone violence against women), every point is more than valid. This is a great book for people who already identify as feminists (it's a nice break from dense theory!) or wouldn't touch "the F word" with a ten foot pole, since it's not so much a radical agenda pusher as a "Hey dudes, what's up with THAT?" eye-opener.

Hopefully this book will show people who rarely think about gender issues how much further we still need to go toward equality, and get non-politicized people more involved in what they read, think, say and how they act.

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Thought-provoking ideas, but falls short at times.

I honestly enjoyed this book. Having read Valenti's other publication, Full Frontal Feminism, I must say that I enjoy her easy-to-read way of writing. It's a good way to introduce new generations to feminism, with her sassy wording and fun, talkative mannerisms. Not to mention, the book really made me think. It had never occurred to me that there was a double-standard about stalking in relationships, so that was probably my favorite section.

However, some of the writing, at times, left something to be desired. I think the final part of each section, which told the reader what they can do if they were come upon such double-standards, really could have been left out. A majority of the time it was just the same answer ("uh... just be aware that the double-standard exists, I guess?") and it really seemed to dumb down the general atmosphere of the book. It really took away from the reading experience for me, and I finished the book wishing those parts hadn't made Jessica sound so much less intelligent than she really is.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Double standards are nothing new. Women deal with them every day. Take the common truism that women who sleep around are sluts while men are studs. Why is it that men grow distinguished and sexily gray as they age while women just get saggy and haggard? Have you ever wondered how a young woman is supposed to both virginal and provocatively enticing at the same time? Isn?t it unfair that working moms are labeled ?bad? for focusing on their careers while we shake our heads in disbelief when we hear about the occasional stay-at-home dad?

In 50 Double Standards Every Woman Should Know, Jessica Valenti, author of Full Frontal Feminism, calls out the double standards that affect every woman. Whether Jessica is pointing out the wage earning discrepancies between men and women or revealing all of the places that women still aren?t equal to their male counterparts?be it in the workplace, courtroom, bedroom, or home?she maintains her signature wittily sarcastic tone. With sass, humor, and in-your-face facts, this book informs and equips women with the tools they need to combat sexist comments, topple ridiculous stereotypes (girls aren?t good at math?), and end the promotion of lame double standards.

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