Friday 14 June 2013



my idol. my woman. my google-to-see-if-hadley-agrees.


hadley freeman is undoubtedly one of my favourite writers. from the age of fourteen i've been addicted to reading her guardian columns, and as a more grown-up student, with a feminism module under my belt, i not only enjoy her almost mocking take on fashion, but also appreciate the kind of writing she puts out there for women.
clever women are making a breakthrough- or so that's what every magazine and newspaper reviewer will tell you. from lena dunham to bertie brandes, women are being praised for being funny, or being clever, or shockingly, women can actually be both! and whilst i'm all for this praise, it seems women were probably always doing this, hadley being a prime example (tina fey i'm looking at you too), so can we just hold back on referring to it as a 'new' thing.
but it is something i am glad to see more of and i'm glad is actually breaking into the mainstream; it beats last years mr grey obsession, and i'd much rather be swapping these books around the pool than having to trade my copy of caitlin moran's 'how to be a woman' for 'chelsea wives' next time i go on holiday with the girls (not going to lie though, with a switched off brain, chelsea wives went down as easy as the daiquiris!) but, there, we've hit the problem. if feminist books were as light hearted and easy to read as the chic-lit that comes free with cosmo, maybe they'd be as popular. and hadley knows how to do just this.
'be awesome' is essentially hilarious. i read it on the train and collected a few odd looks for snorting. filled with advice to rally women together under shared experiences, 'how to cheer up your friend who is depressed about being single' and on how to cope when bombarded with a plethora of very contradictory messages from women's media (why is this six stone woman selling me perfume along side this article that says 'love your body shape'). hadley is charming throughout, never judgmental, and fully understands the tearing dilemma of the woman who wants to be the best feminist she can be, but also may be a tiny bit in love with spencer matthews, and may be a tiny bit addicted to a certain newspaper's showbiz sidebar.
i read this book within two days of the little brown amazon package of joy arriving at my door, and although i enjoyed every last minute of it, i know i'll be dipping in and out at a slower pace to really soak up all her wisdom.

i love u hadderz. & alsooo...follow me with bloglovin!

1 comment:

  1. This was such a cool post!! I'm always looking for new books to read and I've really been getting more involved with feminism these last couple years. This is just what I needed.

    Also I followed back on bloglovin! :D

    http://fairycircles.net/

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