…a shrewd survey of, as the subtitle has it, "the buying and selling of a political movement"…Zeisler understands the fraught relationship between feminism and pop culture. It's a relationship of toxic codependency. Activists need the media to help spread the word, even as it pumps out sexist stereotypes; the media, meanwhile, cannot risk losing touch with the zeitgeist…The title of We Were Feminists Once promises the sort of squabble over who precisely is the best feminist that gets the mainstream press excited, but if you come to this book looking for a catfight, you'll be disappointed. Instead, Zeisler serves up a series of subtle and fascinating vignettes, from a dissection of reality makeover shows to the history of the iconic "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like" T-shirt, teasing out the tension between liberal politics and radical activism with all the smart banter you'd expect from an article in Bitch Magazine . This is a fun, funny, deeply learned book that is too clever to come to a simple conclusion.
The New York Times Book Review - Laurie Penny
02/29/2016 Zeisler, cofounder and creative director of Bitch Media, explores the history of feminism in the media over decades of resurgence and backlash, with a critical eye toward its commercialization and sanitization. She explores the ways advertisers have marketed products to women, from second-wave-era Virginia Slims cigarettes and Secret antiperspirant to contemporary “empowertising” that pays lip service to body positivity and posits that “any choice is a feminist choice.” Zeisler deems the 1970s “the golden era” of feminist television and celebrates the Norman Lear–produced programs that paved the way for Roseanne and Murphy Brown in the 1990s. She then eviscerates The Bachelor’s “interchangeable beauties... pledging instantaneous love for an equally vague mass of square jaws and biceps.” Zeisler also artfully blasts “postfeminists,” such as theorist Camille Paglia, who treat feminism like “an outdated personal accessory”; the current culture of elite women’s conferences poisoned by corporate sponsorship; and the 1990s devolution of Riot Grrrl’s punk spirit into the fangless Spice Girls ethos. Other topics include the dearth of opportunities for women in the film industry, the Bechdel test, and Spanx. Zeisler also takes on hollow celebrity feminist culture, in a chapter amusingly titled “Our Beyoncés, Ourselves.” Zeisler’s analysis of what she calls “marketplace feminism” is acute and endlessly relevant, highlighting the insidiousness of the coopting powers that be, and calling on feminists to direct their resources toward legitimate political action and reclaim feminism as an identity, not something commodifiable. (May)
A deeply researched account
The best part about Zeisler's writing on pop culture is that she doesn't hate it; she's a connoisseur, which makes her the most entertaining, well-informed of critics. She applies an almost encyclopedic knowledge of film, television, music, and advertising to reveal the funhouse-mirrorlike results of mainstream culture's co-optation of radical ideas
Witty, well-informed prose.” Rewire With delightfully dry wit, Zeisler carries the discussion of the portrayal of women in advertising, movies, television, and fashion both in the present day and recent history.
This thought-provoking yet sobering consideration of the current state of feminism emphasizes the need to continue to fight for full equality. Highly recommended for readers with an interest in women's studies, pop culture, and the media.” Library Journal , Editors' Spring Pick 2016 Spirited, witty, and ferociously incisive.” Kirkus Reviews Zeisler's analysis of what she calls 'marketplace feminism' is acute and endlessly relevant, highlighting the insidiousness of the coopting powers that be, and calling on feminists to direct their resources toward legitimate political action and reclaim feminism as an identity, not something commodifiable.” Publishers Weekly In a world where women still have so much work to do to achieve equality, this look at the feminism we're being sold will engross and enrage you, and will likely redefine what the movement means to you.” Molly Labell, BUST A razor sharp new book.” The Guardian Nuanced, smart and funny.” Susan J. Douglas, In These Times Zeisler aims to illuminate the route by which feminism arrived at its current state, to draw us all into the fight to make it better by showing us how we might have contributed to making it worse
If marketplace feminism is a way to promise the powerful that feminism poses no real threat to the status quo, this anti-market feminism isn't afraid to frighten the powerful. It is based in collective struggle. It is the only thing that will make change.” Sarah Jaffe, The New Republic Exceptionally well researched and documented, impressively well written, organized and presented, We Were Feminists Once is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. A critically important and very highly recommended addition.” Midwest Book Review Zeisler's cogent arguments are tempered with biting humor
Feminism is a duty; a mission, not a meme.”Heather Seggel, The Progressive Populist In this powerful book, Zeisler explores what happens when feminism is watered down and co-opted by corporations. Here's a hint: It's no longer transformational.” Evette Dionne, Revelist Zeisler draws readers in with her conversational prose and incisive wit, and employs plenty of specific examples to portray the countless ways in which feminism has been co-opted by entities ranging from Lilith Fair to Special K to Republicans to Botox.” Michigan Quarterly Review We Were Feminists Once explores how feminism evolved from a radical fringe movement into something that is altogether softer and sexier, a kind of lifestyle brand
But the context of Zeisler's book suggests that simply identifying oneself as a feminist is a fruitless goal. For her, the future of the movement depends not on who labels themselves feminist', but on what they're doing with feminism.' It seems wise to stay focused on that.” Anna Leszkiewicz, New Statesman [UK] A shrewd survey
Zeisler serves up a series of subtle and fascinating vignettes
with all the smart banter you'd expect from an article in Bitch Magazine. This is a fun, funny, deeply learned book that is too clever to come to a simple conclusion.” Laurie Penny, New York Times Book Review Ms. Zeisler is an incisive, tough-minded writer, attacking her subjects with a diamond cutter
A funny, polished, intrepid book.” Jennifer Senior, New York Times Sharp and witty, the book is filled with astute
analysis.” The New Yorker A sharp new examination of the uses and misuses of feminism
Wide-ranging and thoroughly entertaining.” Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe Artful and merciless
With this challenging book, Zeisler's proved that feminism can be complex and hard and fun, too.” The Washington Post A vital commentary
An ambitious project where the author pulls off deep, intelligent analysis in a markedly conversational tone. Zeisler has delivered an accessible, nuanced critique of how representations of feminism have shifted over decades.” Stacey May Fowles, The Globe and Mail
03/01/2016 Zeisler (cofounder & creative director, Bitch Media) explores feminism's current surge in pop culture popularity while questioning whether the increased visibility truly advances women's rights. The author first focuses on "marketplace feminism," a form of feminism that has been repackaged and rebranded so as to be easy to digest and nonthreatening to the status quo. With delightfully dry wit, Zeisler carries the discussion of the portrayal of women in advertising, movies, television, and fashion both in the present day and recent history. Additionally, she looks at current events and issues, highlighting areas in which marketplace feminism has glossed over women's rights issues thereby neutering the resulting conversation. Other topics analyzed include girls' education, the gendering of toys, the role of body image, and feminism as a political movement as well as the concepts of choice and empowerment. Ziegler argues that this type of feminism is detrimental to the movement, since it doesn't force society to confront the underlying structural topics that cause gender inequality. VERDICT This thought-provoking yet sobering consideration of the current state of feminism emphasizes the need to continue to fight for full equality. Highly recommended for readers with an interest in women's studies, pop culture, and the media. [See "Editors' Spring Picks," LJ 2/15/16, p. 28.]—Rebekah Kati, Durham, NC
2016-03-08 Bitch Media co-founder and creative director Zeisler (Feminism and Pop Culture, 2008) ruminates about how the current wave of feminism does not "challenge beliefs…so much as it offers nips and tucks." Fifteen years into the new century, feminism has come to occupy a complex, highly visible place in American popular culture. But according to the author, though the celebrity and consumer "embrace of feminism…positions it as a cool, fun, accessible…identity," the inequities that gave rise to the movement are alive and well. Celebrities like Beyoncé and Katy Perry transform feminist sentiments about independence and self-respect into hit songs that make them millions while doing little to promote real change. And while women seem to be appearing more prominently in big-budget Hollywood films, in 2014, only 12 percent of all leading roles in the top 100 grossing movies were for females. Clothing brands like Spanx attempt to make a connection to female professional success with slogans like "Re-shape the way you get dressed so you can reshape the world!" Though apparently positive, advertisements such as these subtly play on women's insecurities by suggesting that the only thing standing between them and success is a properly controlled physical appearance. As Zeisler astutely argues, choice is really for women with the socioeconomic status that can support it rather than "the vast majority" stuck outside the halls of privilege. The author makes clear that no great strides have been made in changing the prevailing capitalist structures that suggest women's liberation—for those who can afford it—can come through consumerism. Despite her critiques, however, Zeisler makes it clear that however much it has been co-opted by capitalism, popular culture can still be a tool to promote feminist ideas to a mass audience. But until marketplace feminism can disentangle itself from surface marketplace glamour, it is still a work in process. Spirited, witty, and ferociously incisive.