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Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti

Ever wonder why so many young women today refuse to call themselves feminists even though everything we believe in - equal rights, equal pay, equal parenting etc. - is inherently feminist? Us too. We think it may have to do with the hijacking of the movement somewhere along the way, sometime back in the early eighties when prominent feminists insisted that all heterosexual sex was rape and all women are victims of the evil patriarchy, essentially making it impossible for women to be feminists and aligned with men in any way…hmm…not too realistic, ya think?

Fast forward a generation (or two) and you get women firmly living our lives as 100% equals and firmly acting, achieving, working, parenting, screwing, orgasming equal to, if not better than, men (don't worry, we still love you baby.) At the same time, men are more and more embracing the concept. Sure there are still major inequalities - especially when it comes to reproductive rights - that effect women disproportionately, but the very essence of equality is no longer questioned. We would argue that, in fact, the inequalities that still exist seem to be matters of public policy - no universal health care, no universal day care, no paid paternity leave - and are matters of economics and class first and foremost, rather than gender related per se.

So why don’t more women identify with the f-word? Perhaps there is still a stain on the word, perhaps it is an obsolete concept in an age of such female potential and progress. But then again, how about that Supreme Court decision to outlaw an abortion procedure or the fact that vibrators are illegal in some states or the federally mandated, just debunked abstinence-only sex education programs…but again these policies are crappy, but does that make them specifically “feminist” issues or are they everyone’s issues?

In her new book, Full Frontal Feminism, Jessica Valenti, the woman behind the website Feministing.com, is on a mission to get back to our feminist roots and get young women back on the feminist bandwagon. Specifically she makes the case that feminism is more relevant than ever as a progressive movement. She is primarily concerned that a lot of young women are not identifying as “feminists” even though they clearly believe in its tenets. She asks the reader - “Do you think it’s fair that a guy will make more money doing the same job as you? Do you feel like shit about your body? Do you ever feel like something is wrong with you because you don’t fit into this bizarre ideal of what girls are supposed to be like?" She also asks “Does it piss you off and scare you when you find out about your friends getting raped?” Oops there is that victim paradigm again. She concludes that if you agree with any of those statements, then “you’re a hardcore feminist.” She swears.

The definition of feminism is “the belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes,” so since we are not quite there, yeah everyone is a feminist right? Valenti almost succeeds in convincing us of that except for her pesky insistence that no woman in her right mind would chose that "bizarre" ideal of what girls are supposed to be like - so what if you identify with that ideal - are you not worthy of the feminist title?

Then again, the book has a positive message about female sexuality that we wholeheartedly endorse which is - Feminists do it better. Meaning that women who are in touch with their sexuality, feel good about our bodies and demand sexual equality in the bedroom, ahem, equal orgasms please, are better in bed. We could not agree more. FFF is part Beauty Myth, part Manifesta and part Our Bodies, Ourselves wrapped up in fun, accessible language - and earns its own CAKE Seal of Approval.

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(photo: Thad Russell - NY Magazine)