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    Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
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    Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
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    Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
    Audiobook7 hours

    Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    "Petersen's gloriously bumptious, brash ode to non-conforming women suits the needs of this dark moment. Her careful examination of how we eviscerate the women who confound or threaten is crucial reading if we are ever to be better." —Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies

    From celebrity gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen comes an accessible, analytical look at how female celebrities are pushing boundaries of what it means to be an "acceptable" woman. 
     
    You know the type: the woman who won't shut up, who's too brazen, too opinionated—too much. She's the unruly woman, and she embodies one of the most provocative and powerful forms of womanhood today. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of "unruliness" to explore the ascension of pop culture powerhouses like Lena Dunham, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian, exploring why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures. With its brisk, incisive analysis, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud will be a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks celebrity today.

    "Must Read List" – Entertainment Weekly
    Named one of Cosmopolitan's "Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This Summer" 
    Selected one of Amazon's "Best Books of the Month"
    A Refinery 29 Editor's Pick
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 20, 2017
    ISBN9781524776510
    Unavailable
    Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman

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    Reviews for Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud

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    • 4/5
      ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

      Women have grown up with an expectation that they must be a certain way, but as they age they challenge those societal norms, embracing who they are loudly and proudly. Anne Helen Petersen challenges the preconceived notion of how women must be with ten analytical essays that breakdown how women are perceived, specifically in the media. The celebrities featured in each essay come from different background, their careers vary, and their type of unruly behavior is not the same, but the message from AHP is clear; society's perception of women is an issue that needs to be challenged.

      Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman is written by Anne Helen Petersen, an author with Buzzfeed. The Buzzfeed part will either scare off readers or bring more to the table. AHP examines ten female celebrities and the media's perception of them; Serena Williams is too strong, Nicki Minaj is too slutty, and Jennifer Weiner is too loud. The short essays, though about different celebrities, read very similarly to one another and I found that they were better when read over a lengthy period of time. The unruly behaviors became repetitive, but I still found myself challenging my own preconceived notion of myself, of other women, and of celebrities. You'd think it might be hard to connect yourself to Nicki Minaj, a female rapper who makes money in higher quantities than I could ever imagine having, but AHP writes in a way that has you nodding your head and putting yourself in their shoes. In fact, that was my favorite essay of all and I am not a fan of her music at all. The essay broke down her struggles to get respect, to embrace who she was, and how she continues to challenge the world to embrace her as well. I don't have to be a fan of her music to respect her drive, her continued reign in the music industry, and her smoking hot body that if I had I'd probably show off too.

      I didn't agree with the entire book, because AHP calls out some celebrities by name who have embraced the societal norm. There's no study to why they may have chosen that route, but rather harsh judgement and critique, which I felt really took away from the message of Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud. The book challenges the reader to look at specific celebrities' hurdles and how they overcome them publicly, yet puts down those that embrace their feminism in a different way. It comes across as telling the reader we should applaud and celebrate those that are truly unruly (we should), but condemn those that are happy as housewives with lifestyle brands (we definitely should not). If I rate this on a personal level, I think it's a novel that can challenge readers to accept unruly behavior, that shows the positives, but I also think it does nothing to challenge the judgement we inflict on one another every day. In fact, it reads as though AHP encourages readers to judge those blonde, thin celebrities that are classic in their aging, as though that is a negative when it is in fact not. I think it was appropriate of AHP to compare women to one another, in several essays the comparison is complimentary, but in others I think it was a step backwards. I would've been happier had the message been more about accepting every type of size, age, look, attitude, etc. If we are to truly reach a point where we are equal women too need to embrace both the "standard definition" of femininity and the unruly femininity featured in this book.

      Overall, I really enjoyed Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud and Anne Helen Petersen does an excellent job of taking a massive topic, Women's Studies, and making it easy to read and very accessible. The book is branded in a way that will bring in more readers and I think that's an incredibly positive step forward. In a world where many people rely on the gossip of celebrities' lives in order to make any decisions, AHP breaks down the media critique and how it impacts their personal lives and how it changes our humanity. I think the subject matter is excellent for reaching a broad customer base and will encourage discussions with its thought-provoking exam of feminism and pop culture. I may not have agreed with the entire book, but I agree with its goal and I think more women need to be challenging the norm and turning their judgement into acceptance.
    • 4/5
      I give this book 4.5 stars.Anne Helen Petersen uses notable women in pop culture to illustrate the pressures faced by women who don't meet society's expectations of a certain "feminine" behavior. This includes women deemed too fat, too slutty, too loud, too strong, too old, too queer, too shrill, too gross, too pregnant, and too naked. Each topic is broken out into an essay built around the relevant pop culture example - for example, Serena Williams is used to illustrate how society treats a woman deemed "too strong." (Petersen does acknowledge that any woman of color, as well as queer and trans women, automatically have more judgement to overcome than white/cis/het women.) Overall, this is a great book and really speaks to women who themselves have been told they are too much or not enough of something. I deducted 1/2 a star only because I think the essays could have worked in more of the complexity of each woman and her role within the machine itself (e.g. Kardashian was indeed body shamed during pregnancy, but she also peddles appetite-suppressant pops on Instagram.) None of us are free from our own problematic behavior - but I understood where Petersen was going with her essays and that each piece was more about the topic than the person used for illustrative purposes.
    • 3/5
      Best for: Those interested in a detailed analysis of the different ways women are seen as not conforming (unless you’re interested in those who are too old - that chapter was not great).In a nutshell: Buzzfeed writer Petersen looks at ten different women and how each can be an example of being too ‘something’ that women aren’t meant to be, and how they use that to subvert the system.Line that sticks with me: “To call Clinton ‘too’ anything is to authenticate and fortify power, broadly speaking, as the proper province of men.” (p 158)Why I chose it: The premise is pretty cool.Review: I read this book while on vacation, and so was able to consume it chapter by chapter, reading pretty much each one in its entirety. I highly recommend going that route, because each section can stand alone as its own story and analysis. Ms. Petersen’s premise is that there are many different ways that women can be ‘too’ something for society, and that some women use that as a means to fight the systems that oppress us. Specifically, she looks at being too strong, fat, gross, slutty, old, pregnant, shrill, queer, loud, and naked, and associates one woman with each of these characteristics. She recognizes that her list is overwhelmingly white (80%), cis (90%), and straight (unclear how each woman identifies, but I’d say probably in the 80-90% range). Given that, she can’t get too deep into any one area because by picking a representative archetype of the ‘too’ characteristic, she necessarily ends up limiting herself.But that’s not to say that each chapter only looks at the woman she chooses. Some focus more on the specific woman than others, but each does explore the broader implications of some other individuals who have faced down the condemnation around the unruly behavior (e.g. she discusses Roseann Barr in the ‘too fat’ section that focuses on Melissa McCarthy).The chapter that I found the must anger-inducing is probably the Serena Williams one, because she has been treated so blatantly unfairly over the years, from the sexism to the racism to the misogynoir. She’s robably the greatest athlete of all time, but, y’know, she has muscles and is a black woman, so of course she gets a ton of shit. I also was a bit teary-eyed after reading the Hillary Clinton chapter (’too shrill,’ because of course); that does not bode well for when I pick up her book next week.What I found interesting was that, for the vast majority of the sections, Ms. Petersen seems to be on the side of the woman fighting the system. She’s picked someone who is kind of like ‘fuck you, I’m going to do what I want’ to fit the adjectives, and explores how these women have done it in a supportive manner. She is a bit ambivalent in the Melissa McCarthy chapter, but even that one she does see McCarthy as generally not caring about her size in a way that sees her obsessing over reducing it. I suppose she’s also more critical in the Caitlyn Jenner chapter (’too queer’), but overall makes a strong argument.But the stand-out exception to me is the chapter on Madonna (’too old’). In the other chapters, Ms. Petersen makes argument about how these women are fighting back and don’t give a fuck, but she takes real issue with how Madonna has chosen to represent that. Her analysis is primarily that by choosing to be so into keeping her body fit, Madonna is not rebelling against age, but simply conforming to the ideas of beauty. Which … perhaps? But this analysis doesn’t fit well with the rest of the book. I think there’s an interesting discussion to be had there - is it more harmful to fight the system by keeping one’s body fit into one’s 60s and demand to be seen as sexy, or to lessen one’s regular workouts so that one can age in a more ‘traditional’ way and then demand to be seen as sexy? I’m not entirely sure, and I don’t think Ms. Petersen is either, which is why I feel like this chapter either belongs in another book, or she should have picked a different woman to represent that adjective, given how the same analysis doesn’t seem to hold in the other chapters.I still recommend this book despite the three stars (usually I go with four+ for my strong recommendations) as I think there is some interesting cultural commentary here.
    • 4/5
      My Review of "The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Women" by Anne Helen Peterson  PLUME, An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 2017I appreciate the timeless hours of research that Anne Helen Peterson, Author  of "The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman" has spent in providing, what I feel seem like "essays"  of famous women in today's Pop Culture.   Is it any wonder in today's "Me Too"  Generation, that there is a feeling of discontent?  There always has been a difference in the way men and women have been treated in terms of Politics, Salaries, and Role- models. This book will make you feel something. I know that I had very strong feelings, and memories of many unfair things have  happened through the years. Recently, I did research  on a car I wanted to purchase. Only when I brought my husband to "sit" while I discussed what I wanted, was I taken seriously.What is "Unruly" behavior? According to the dictionary, "unruly" disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control." The women discussed in these chapters have "exhibited "  "UNRULY" behavior in one way or another, and the outcomes are different.The author spans across women in today's Pop-culture, and focuses on the things that make them seem unruly. These are the chapters and women discussed:   "1"Too Strong"-Serena Williams.  2. "Too Fat- Melissa McCarthy"  3. "Too Gross"-Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer" 4. 'Too Slutty"-Nicki Minaj"  5. "Too Old"-Madonna  6.Too Pregnant"- "Kim Kardashian" 7. "Too Shrill"-Hilary Clinton"  8."Too Queer"-  Caitlyn Jenner " 9. "Too Loud" -Jennifer Weiner" and "Too Naked"- Lena Durham"This is a "taste" of the smorgasbord of "unruly" women, but you really have to read the chapters to understand more. For example, Author Jennifer Weiner, not only wanted to be recognized for her own accomplishments, she wanted the New York Times to represent Women Authors Seriously. Kudos to Jennifer Weiner for opening the door to The New York Times to hire a woman in that department, and give women authors a fair chance.This is a dry book that at times, feels like I was doing homework. There were some intriguing points of interest mentioned and researched data for each chapter. There is not one touch of humor at all.I stay away from describing my feelings about politics. I have seen friends give ultimatums and become bullies if things weren't seen their way.  I could see that this book could set off some arguments about society and the establishment. The chapters on "Fatness" and "Aging" as well as Pregnancy, and the other chapters are all open to possibly unfriendly debate.  This is not an easy read, and certainly doesn't fall in the category of "entertainment" . I would recommend this for readers that show an interest in  reading about contemporary issues with an open mind.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the essays individually, but the book doesn’t really come together as an argument for “the rise and reign of the unruly woman.” Some of the women Peterson chose to represent unruliness in a certain realm didn’t really work: Nicki Minaj as “too slutty,” Madonna as “too old,” and Caitlyn Jenner as “too queer,” especially. However, I really enjoyed the essays on Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, Kim Kardashian, and Lena Dunham.
    • 4/5
      Petersen presents common "complaints" about women today through examples of famous women who people point the finger at for embodying those traits. Instead, Petersen turns the negative connotations on their heads and praises the women who dare to be other than what some would deem acceptable. Nothing in here is terribly revolutionary, but it was still enjoyable to read these feminist essays.
    • 5/5
      A very good piece of feminist cultural criticism. This is a genre I read little of because I find most often it is ridiculously obvious and/or merely unsupported opinion rants. (See, eg Bad Feminist.) These essays are neither. They do something I really like in my criticism; these essays call me on my shit. And because they are well supported, I can't rationalize my way out of that. I was made to see that things I was doing were in fact anti-woman, and I need to do better. That is not to say I agree with every conclusion here. This is commentary not algebra, there are no absolutely right answers. Regardless though of whether you agree with Peterson, you can't just dismiss this. I will mention too that Peterson lets you know why these things really matter, and I think that is very helpful for many who do not generally see how individual events impact what comes next.I am predisposed to like the author because she convinced UT to give her a PhD in celebrity gossip. But I am also predisposed to not like her for her mean-spirited and often unnecessary "think pieces" in Buzzfeed. So with that conflict as a foundation I read this and gave it 4.5 stars. It was not perfect. But it is necessary reading.
    • 1/5
      Sorry but I could not get past the introduction. Idolizing a criminal politician as a symbolic icon who represents feminism made me vomit!
    • 3/5
      While I appreciate the arguments presented in the book, the author did this primarily through the lens of popular culture, which I don't really care about. I don't think I was the right audience for this book. It was, however, well-written.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this. I thought the examples of celebrities there were used were well thought out, though they were primarily white women.
    • 5/5
      As a wanna-be librarian and lifelong reader, the chapter on Jennifer Weiner alone is worth grabbing this book.
    • 4/5
      A character study of several infamous women in pop culture today. All of them fall into the category of what the author calls "unruly women". These are women who do not meet society's standards of femininity in some way which leads them to be both widely lauded and vilified. For each one she analyzes their career and what it is about them that society refuses to accept. This then naturally breaks down into a discussion about what can be learned about society and its view of womanhood. The subjects range widely between political figures and reality TV stars, but all exemplify some character flaw that our society has label as unacceptable.
    • 4/5
      Too Fat Too Slutty Too Loud is a series of essays about women who have gained success, fame and/or notoriety in American culture and the ways in which they've had to go against mainstream cultural expectations about the ways women should behave (hence: unruly) in order to attain their goals. The premise--that American popular society places restrictive boundaries on its expectations for how women should behave and the ways in which they are and aren't "allowed" to achieve success--is hardly a new one. Nevertheless, while I found some of Petersen's examples and explanations problematic, these are issues that, in my opinion, need to be addressed and brought to our society's (especially male society members such as myself) attention endlessly and in many different ways. I thought that the best two essays were the first two: "Too Strong - Serena Williams" and "Too Fat - Melissa McCarthy." The "Too Strong" chapter explores the ways in which Serena Williams' physical strength and muscular body--and her unabashed pride in both--confounded the culture's expectations and caused pushback against her successes. Also particularly good was, "Too Pregnant - Kim Kardashian" which examines the ways in which women are and aren't allowed to be pregnant and famous in public. I did not find all of the chapters to be as strong or as coherent, however. For example, in "Too Old - Madonna," Peterson seems as critical of Madonna for trying to maintain a youthful-looking body and overall appearance as she is of the culture for forcing her into such choices in order to retain relevance in the pop music world. In "Too Queer - Caitlyn Jenner," Peterson criticizes Jenner's attempts to be transnormative, to attain as closely as possible the appearance of a "normal" woman and follows Jenner's progressions and growth via the episodes of her reality television show. So, not until the very end, is Jenner unruly enough to gain Petersen's approval. These are all, of course, essays about famous women, which may or may not reflect the experiences of "everyday" women (for lack of a better term off the top of my head). This is in one way predominantly a book about celebrity. While the overarching issues discussed in this collections are crucial, I think, across the board, the Kardashian essay about the perils of being pregnant in the media may not necessarily resonate with all women. Peterson, who, according to the back cover of the book, has a Facebook page titled "CelebrityGossipAcademic Style" spends a lot of time describing the reaction to many of her subjects from media outlets like People Magazine. Certainly, the ways in which we measure ourselves against the images and attitudes expressed in mainstream popular media is an important factor in our overall culture. It was problematic at times for me, though, because I have little interest in such publications. I'm so out of the loop culturally, in fact, that I hadn't even heard of some of her subjects. That didn't prevent be from being interested in Petersen's explorations of her topics, however. So, overall, I'm glad I read these essays. Much of the info will be old news to people who have followed these issues closely. Certainly, the general ideas were old news to me, but I still found the individual examinations of these issues to be useful overall. So that's my male perspective on this book.
    • 4/5
      -I received this book in exchange for my honest feedback-

      This book is well written and gives an insight into why certain celebrities are perceived in a certain way. This collection of short stories is a must read for all. It just reminds me why we should not wear labels but always be inspired to be the best, be unique and be kind to everyone. I recommend this book to all.
    • 5/5
      loved this book, its hard for women to even exist and this book puts into words exactly what it feels like to be a women in our times.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book! Her nuanced analysis of why each of this women is unruly is remarkable because it is not just praise but actual cultural representation commentary.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Top notch essays discussing societal backlash to women in power positions

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Anne Helen Petersen is my new hero and her book Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is my newest manifesto. Each of the women she investigates is someone who has been vilified in the media, sometimes for nothing more than for her appearance. Yet, as she details, each of them continue to do her own thing, thereby breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for women to follow in their footsteps without the scrutiny and derision. It is difficult not to take these stories and use them as inspiration to be unruly in your own life.As Ms. Petersen takes a detailed look at various women who have upset the status quo in recent years, she shines a light on just what that status quo is. She does not just focus her scrutiny on the easily-seen aspects of it but gets down into the nuances of exactly what bothers people about these women. The chapter on Hillary Rodham Clinton was particularly eye-opening for me, as she explains the vehemence behind the hatred towards her in a way that makes sense but also sheds light on the very hidden misogyny at its heart.Misogyny is at the heart of every chapter in the book, which comes as no surprise. What is surprising is the lengths to which people will go in order to pretend otherwise. What makes it even worse is the societal criticism women throw at other women, all in the name of some unspoken and impossible ideal that was created by someone somewhere and has been established as the norm. As Ms. Petersen shows, sometimes women are the worst enemies of other women, especially unruly ones.Each chapter within Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is essentially an essay on the chosen celebrity and her “crimes” against society. This makes it easy to read and digest everything Ms. Petersen uncovers and challenges. The desire to take notes, highlight passages, or mark certain sections with comments like “YES!” or “OMG, this happens to me!” is overwhelming, making the separate chapters a welcome natural pause.As more and more people recognize and express disgust at the way women and people of color are treated in society today, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is important in helping us identify underlying attitudes that are not always as obvious as one might think. Understanding the reasons for such vilification is important in striking back at it and being able to overcome it. Taking inspiration from any one of the women recognized and applauded by Ms. Petersen for her unruly behavior will help us all unleash our own unruliness. Only then can we make changes to the status quo.

      1 person found this helpful