Our world is filled with double standards for both men and women. Some of them are more obvious, such as the wage gap, and some of them are much more subtle, like the fact that women tend to pay more money for a haircut than men, but they are there. Jessica Valenti, a feminist writer with a sharp tongue and a lot of sarcasm and wit, combed through and selected 50 double standards that she thinks all women should be aware of in her book, "He's a Stud, She's a Slut and 49 Other Double Standards Every Women Should Know."
I like Valenti's writing because it's a breath of fresh air. After reading textbooks and scholarly articles all day long, it's nice to be able to pick up a Valenti book and still be educated on a more relaxed level. She uses curse words, jokes, common references and other tools to make sure the book is on a comprehension level that is easier to work with. The topics she writes about are important, but she doesn't bog the writing down with words that require a dictionary or thoughts so complex that only those who have studies in the gender curriculum would understand.
What I love the most about this particular book is how easy it is to follow. It is split into 50 different segments. Each one is dedicated to a different double standard that she analyzes. She introduces the double standard and then spends somewhere between two to four pages explaining it, giving examples and supporting her argument with legislature if applicable. The book is smaller than a standard novel, so each page has less content, making each segment of the book a quick read.
She ends each chapter with a "so, what to do" segment, which is my favorite feature of this book. Instead of throwing all these concerns and problems on you and walking away, she actually gives you easy steps to take to try and have an impact in terms of that double standard. For example, in the chapter entitled "He's got G.I. Joe, She's got Barbie," Valenti examines the different ways men and women are portrayed in television shows. You find that oftentimes women are not given strong models to look up to. In the "so, what to do" segment, she recommends writing letters to the producers of television shows and encouraging them to write in stronger female characters.
A common criticism I found when researching this book is that American women overall have a much better life with more freedoms and more rights than many women in many other countries. This is very true, and I absolutely do no dispute that fact. I still believe, however, that we can fight for more equality within our country. Many of the double standards Valenti brought up are basic concepts and easy to fix. Many of them can be as simple as changing the way you talk about a certain gender and encouraging others to be more careful with what they say as well.
I do warn you, Valenti's message is loud and it is strong. She is a self-proclaimed feminist, and she is eager to share what she has learned in her course of study and observed in society. If you are easily offended this might not be the best book for you. If you can approach concepts with an open idea, however, I highly encourage you to give this book a try. Even if you don't take the time to read the chapters, scanning the list of segment titles can give you a better example of how much men and women are treated differently.
I thought when I first read the book that it was going to be very nitpicky and too concentrated on making big deals out of small things. In reality, Valenti drew out a huge variety of examples. I did feel like some of her criticisms were repetitive, but overall she opened my eyes to a lot of double standards that I did not even realize I was facing. The title does say double standards every woman should know, but I think men could benefit from reading this book as well. This book is a quick read and worth the time.
