Name: We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement
ISBN: 9781610395892

Andi Zeisler

We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement

Wynter

Does a good job unpacking marketplace feminism and reminding us to exercise critical thinking when engaging in mainstream brand of feminism as delivered by celebrities and corporations. I wish that structurally it was a bit tighter, and a clearer message would have been much appreciated, but We Were Feminists Once totally played into my own cynical worldview, so I am appeased.

Maggie Gordon

Bitch Magazine has been one of my favourite magazines for a long time, and I really enjoyed Feminism and Pop Culture, so when I saw that Andi Zeisler had a new book coming out critiquing the commercialisation of feminism, I knew that I had to read it!

We Were Feminists Once is a book that looks at how feminism has been coopted by commercialisation over the years. From movies to beauty products and even leadership seminars, people use the idea of feminism to sell people stuff, and this presents us with a whole host of problems to work through. Is the real message of feminism really getting through when we’re so focused on individual “empowerment”? Zeisler argues that the commercialised version of feminism that is so prevalent today ignores and undermines the systemic goals of the movement. Instead of focusing on broader goals, feminism has become mired in conversations about whether one can be a feminist and still like X consumer good. These dialogues are great for filling up content space on a website, but they don’t do much to advance gender equality in a substantive manner. 

What is particularly great about this book is that Andi Zeisler really knows what she is talking about. There are a lot of books about feminism by people who see it as a trendy topic that can be a good cash cow. They have neither the expertise nor the long-term understanding of the movement to really accurately be able to write about feminism in a coherent, helpful manner. Zeisler, on the other hand, has been writing about feminism and pop culture for years. This book is the culmination of her experiences, observations, and research on a topic that she is intimately familiar with, and her in-depth knowledge is readily apparent. 

The book is split into two halves, some chapters focusing new, modern areas of feminism (that are really just examples of commercialism in disguise), and others looking at how this new era of individual empowerment has affected some of the big issues that feminists have been working on for decades. From products to politics, Zeisler embarks on a thorough takedown of feel-good feminism, showing readers exactly why we must rise up and retake the feminist movement. After all, feminism and pop culture are powerful tools, but we need to make sure that we are actively helping improve society with them, not carelessly embedding harmful stereotypes and behaviours. 

We Were Feminists Once is an extremely readable, engaging book. It is accessible to the average reader, filled with funny quips, but devastatingly smart and cutting. I highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about modern feminism and how to undermine corporate cooption of social movements. 


Thank you to NetGalley and Public Affairs Books for the ARC of this book!

Archita Birla

what to do when you’ve pulled your back, other than to read 😅😅

This book is a really fascinating exploration of feminism and capitalism, and how the two intersect. It feels more and more relevant when thinking about 2020/2021, and the celebrity of feminism. 

I took a point off because: 
1) i don’t think the author explores the nuances of feminism enough (i would’ve loved more discussion on fashion and beauty and how that intersects with feminisms) 
2) i really don’t think it’s appropriate how the author says “marketplace feminism” instead of “white feminism”
3) lena dunham is Such a white feminist and it was v annoying to see her painted like a wonderful, inclusive feminist
4) the fixation on beyoncé is weird and Too Much 

overall, i liked this book as it discusses the history of feminism in the context of advertising, capitalism, and celebrity!

Caitlin Berger

Hands down one of the best books I have EVER read. A must read for everyone, but certainly for those who call themselves feminists and who truly wish to take down systemic inequality and oppression, and who realize that what Zeisler terms ‘marketplace feminism’ is a hindrance to those goals. 
I’ll probably write a blog post about this when I start my blog and I’ll link to it in this review when I publish it!

We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement

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