How to Be a Woman
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Short description|2011 non-fiction memoir by British writer Caitlin Moran}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title = How to be a Woman
| name = How to be a Woman
| image = Caitlin_Moran,_How_to_be_a_Woman_Cover.jpg
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| author = Caitlin Moran
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| genre = Memoir
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| published = 16 June 2011
| publisher = Ebury Press
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| pages =
| awards = Galaxy National Book Awards, Irish Book Award
| isbn = 978-0091940744
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How to Be a Woman is a 2011 non-fiction memoir by British writer Caitlin Moran. The book documents Moran's early life (from teens until mid-thirties) including her views on feminism. As of July 2014, it had sold over a million copies.{{cite web | last=Crocker | first=Lizzie |title=Join Caitlin Moran's Riotous Feminist Revolution |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/29/join-caitlin-moran-s-riotous-feminist-revolution.html|work=The Daily Beast| date=September 29, 2014|access-date=February 9, 2016}}
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Overview
Caitlin Moran wrote How To Be a Woman with the goal of making feminism more approachable for every woman by telling stories of her own life's struggles. She wants women to stop seeing feminists as radical man-haters and to start seeing them as advocates for true equality. In her book Moran calls out any woman who doesn't identify as a feminist saying that all women are inherently feminists unless they reject any notion of personal freedom. Being labeled as a feminist could be positive or negative.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/books/how-to-be-a-woman-by-caitlin-moran.html|work=New York Times|first1=Emma|last1=Brockes|date=2012-07-26|access-date=2015-08-23|title=These Stilettos Are Not Made for Walking, Nor Is the Thong}} Moran tells her own feminist stories using "forceful and self-deprecating humor" that any woman can relate to. In an interview done by NPR, Moran says that she uses humour in her writing because "it's kind of hard to argue with someone who's making you laugh".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/26/caitlin-moran-how-be-woman|title=How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran – review|date=2011-06-25|access-date=2015-08-23|first1=Miranda|last1=Sawyer|work=The Guardian}}
Content
Moran discusses topics such as the concept of naming body parts, her own experience of childbirth,{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/07/caitlin_moran_s_how_to_be_a_woman.html|access-date=2015-08-23|date=2012-07-15|first1=Peggy|last1=Orenstein|title=They Don't Make Feminists This Outrageous Anymore|publisher=Slate}} and the stigma surrounding abortion.{{Cite web|title = How To Be a Woman, By Caitlin Moran|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/how-to-be-a-woman-by-caitlin-moran-2305805.html|website = The Independent|access-date = 2015-12-02|language = en-GB}}{{Cite web|title = A Little Advice On 'How To Be A Woman'|url = https://www.npr.org/2012/07/18/156856370/a-little-advice-on-how-to-be-a-woman|website = NPR.org|access-date = 2015-12-02|first = Maureen|last = Corrigan}}
Fifth-wave feminism<!--'Fifth-wave feminism' redirects here-->
In How to Be a Woman, Moran calls for a fifth wave of feminism to rise up.{{Cite web|last=Counter|first=Rosemary|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/caitlin-moran-forces-us-to-ask-is-it-time-for-fifth-wave-feminism/article4486313/|title=Caitlin Moran forces us to ask, is it time for fifth-wave feminism?|date=17 August 2012|work=The Globe and Mail}}{{Cite web|url=https://thenewagenda.net/2012/08/31/dear-fifth-wave-feminists-we-need-you/|title=Dear Fifth Wave Feminists, We Need You!|date=2012-08-31|website=The New Agenda|access-date=2016-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925022632/https://thenewagenda.net/2012/08/31/dear-fifth-wave-feminists-we-need-you/|archive-date=25 September 2016|url-status=dead}} Moran states, "But if there is to be a fifth wave of feminism, I would hope that the main thing that distinguishes it from all that came before is that women counter the awkwardness, disconnect, and bullshit of being a modern woman not by shouting at it, internalizing it, or squabbling about it—but by simply pointing at it and going 'HA!' instead."{{cite book|last1=Moran|first1=Caitlin|title=How To Be a Woman|date=2012|publisher=Harper Perennial|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-212429-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/howtobewoman00cait/page/13 13–14]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/howtobewoman00cait/page/13}}
Critical response
Emma Brockes of the New York Times described the work as "a book that needed to be written". Miranda Sawyer of The Guardian called the book "a joy" and "a triumph". Peggy Orenstein of Slate gave the book a favorable review, writing "she is, in equal measure, intellectual, rebel and goofball." The Independent wrote, "it would be almost unkind to call this an important book, because what it is mostly is engaging, brave and consistently, cleverly, naughtily funny, but actually it is important that we talk about this stuff." NPR spoke positively of How to Be a Woman, describing her as in the vein of the late Nora Ephron.
The Telegraph, while praising the book, noted "The book has not, however, met with universal approval. Germaine Greer, whom Moran idolises as "Goddess Greer" but nonetheless disagrees with on a number of issues, has accused Moran of setting up a 'straw woman' version of herself to argue with, and of skimping on her homework."{{Cite web|title = Ceri Radford on Caitlin Moran|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8637971/Ceri-Radford-on-Caitlin-Moran.html|website = Telegraph.co.uk|access-date = 2015-12-02}} Time called How to Be a Woman "hugely lovable" but "problematically narrow."{{Cite web|title = Review: In Her First Novel, Caitlin Moran Explains How To Build a Girl|url = https://time.com/3421173/caitlin-moran-how-to-build-a-girl-review/|website = Time|access-date = 2015-12-02|first = Megan|last = Gibson}}
Awards
- 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards, Book of the Year{{cite news
|newspaper=The Telegraph
|title=Caitlin Moran wins Galaxy Book of the Year
|date=23 December 2011
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8974782/Caitlin-Moran-wins-Galaxy-book-of-the-year.html
}}
- 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards, Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year{{Cite magazine
|title=Hollinghurst, Moran, French win at Galaxy awards
|magazine=The Bookseller
|date=7 November 2011
|author=Katie Allen
|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/hollinghurst-moran-french-win-galaxy-awards
}}
- 2011 Irish Book Award, Listeners Choice category, How to Be A Woman{{Cite web
|title=A Winning Night at Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards
|date=18 November 2011
|website=Dublin City
|url=http://www.dublincity.ie/story/winning-night-bord-gais-energy-irish-book-awards
}}
=Nominations=
- Goodreads Choice Awards Best Humor
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|last=Moran|first=Caitlin|title=How to Be a Woman|year=2012|publisher=Ebury Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-091-94074-4|edition=paperback|author-link=Caitlin Moran}}