Anna Quindlen

Betty Friedan

Gail Collins

Feminine Mystique

The book that changed the consciousness of a country—and the world. Landmark, groundbreaking, classic—these adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and long-lasting effects of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. This is the book that defined "the problem that has no name," that launched the Second Wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with its insights into social relations, which still remain fresh, ever since. A national bestseller, with over 1 million copies sold.

The Feminine Mystique

Kay so Queso

I keep getting so involved in committees I don't care about. It's the thing to do to get in with the crowd here. But it doesn't make me feel quiet inside, the way I feel when I feel when I paint.

"In a free enterprise economy," he went on, "we have to develop the need for new products. And to do that we have to liberate women to desire these new products.”

Facts are swallowed by a mystique in much the same way, I guess, as the strange phenomenon by which hamburger eaten by a dog becomes dog, and hamburger eaten by a human becomes human.

Funny, I didn’t know those who served in WWII were called pussies too. I guess there’s always a problem with the new generation.

World War II revealed that millions of American men were psychologically incapable of facing the shock of war, of facing life away from their "moms."

The sex-directed educator cites approvingly Cardinal Tisserant's saying, "Women should be educated so that they can argue with their husbands."

Oh my, there is something so funny to me about this being the unsolvable question for Sigmund Freud

"The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is, what does a woman want?"

Damn, I feel like this theme hits nowadays too

It was popular in recent years to laugh at feminism as of history's dirty jokes: to pity, sniggering, those old-fashioned feminists who fought for women's rights to higher education, careers, the vote.

Reminds me of what Malcolm X was saying too

"There are so many of us now they don't dare do it openly the way they used to, so you think there's something wrong with you. It's worse, now that it's so subtle." (xii)

lamia 

ok i read this in like 2018 idk how i forgot to log this but yeah this was pretty fucking iconic...

This was a really good read and takes you on a fascinating journey through understanding the plights of American women living under the feminine mystique in the mid-20th century, and of course it’s really interesting to see which parts of this discussion are still relevant nowadays, while some parts have diminished in relevance.

I can’t say this book kept me intrigued the entire time, but that’s likely due to my perspective reading it as a man 60 years after its publishing. Regardless, I think it’s a very worthwhile and thought provoking read in this time. It’s very interesting to see where some of the origins of our popular feminist thought came from and I’d definitely recommend this book to most people. Although it’s not necessarily a fun, casual read, I believe it’s worth the commitment.

This was a really good read and takes you on a fascinating journey through understanding the plights of American women living under the feminine mystique in the mid-20th century, and of course it’s really interesting to see which parts of this discussion are still relevant nowadays, while some parts have diminished in relevance.

I can’t say this book kept me intrigued the entire time, but that’s likely due to my perspective reading it as a man 60 years after its publishing. Regardless, I think it’s a very worthwhile and thought provoking read in this time. It’s very interesting to see where some of the origins of our popular feminist thought came from and I’d definitely recommend this book to most people. Although it’s not necessarily a fun, casual read, I believe it’s worth the commitment.

Cindy

This was a little difficult to rate for me. Hence the unsatisfactory 3. 

It’s historical significance and impact is obviously huge. However, the near absence of data/reporting on lower class, non-white, queer people with uteruses and femmes was appalling. Equally disturbing was the blame mothers received for autistic children being autistic and the vitriolic use of fear mongering rhetoric about “man haters” and “radical extremists”.

When Betty Friedan produced The Feminine Mystique in 1963, she could not have realized how the discovery and debate of her contemporaries' general malaise would shake up society. Victims of a false belief system, these women were following strict social convention by loyally conforming to the pretty image of the magazines, and found themselves forced to seek meaning in their lives only through a family and a home. Friedan's controversial book about these women - and every woman - would ultimately set Second Wave feminism in motion and begin the battle for equality. This groundbreaking and life-changing work remains just as powerful, important and true as it was forty-five years ago, and is essential reading both as a historical document and as a study of women living in a man's world. 'One of the most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century.' New York Times 'Feminism ...... began with the work of a single person: Friedan.' Nicholas Lemann With a new Introduction by Lionel Shriver

Angbeen Abbas

i can't take a book seriously when it literally compares american suburbia to a concentration camp. nor can i take it seriously when it's written with white upper/middle class women as the sole focus.

Feminine Mystique

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