I've not been trained in professional criticism and I've never taken a women's studies class everything I know has been taught to me, from friends, fellow bloggers, and authors of books and articles, and I am still constantly learning. 'Where are the lesbians?' the author asks, rhetorically, in the reality TV segment- ignoring an opportunity to talk about how bisexual women are fetishized on TV ( A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila was definitely out when this book was published), and how trans women and queer women are often portrayed as glaring caricatures (when they're portrayed at all).ĮNLIGHTENED SEXISM is a book that I was eagerly anticipating because I am a feminist and I guess, being a book blogger, I'm somewhat of a pop cultural critic- at least, in that I read things that are famous in the spheres of pop culture and then I comment on and critique them. Had this come out today, it would be laughably tone-deaf, because during several moments in this book, the author reverts to objectifying language herself, and, save for a chapter on Black women titled, perhaps unwisely, 'You go, girl!', does not really feel all that inclusive in how it addresses intersectionality.

This is important because ENLIGHTENED SEXISM does read as being very dated, both in terms of references, who it's written for, and what it's addressing. Keep in mind while reading this that this book was published in March 2010, which probably meant that the author was working on it for at least a few years before that.

Enlightened Sexism by Susan J. Douglas