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12546darcy7890's review against another edition
3.0
Very repetitive and so boring at times that it's painful, however the parts that are interesting are very interesting, I particularly liked the chapter on how advertising contributed to the sexism that kept woman in the home. Also it's a bit homophobic but I guess that's a sign of times.
paola_servin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I would highly recommend this book however, when you start to read it it’s important to keep in mind the social context and gender of the writer as it mostly focuses on the issues and discrimination white medium class women face, although it’s a very insightful reading there are certain ideas that can be interpreted as homophobic and/or as an attack on women but for that we have to keep in mind that this book is based on the early stages of feminism, where most feminist had still a lot work to do to dismantle their sexist ideas
Overall it’s a good read that should be analyzed to get the best of it
Overall it’s a good read that should be analyzed to get the best of it
sreyasreya's review against another edition
3.0
If somebody asked you to show them the prime example of white and sectional feminism show them this book. The statistics and analogies to Freud were good and very interesting and in the introduction Friedan agreed that the book was very narrow-minded but it felt as if sometimes she blamed the the middle-class house wife demographic going backwards on the Civil Rights Movement or the Anti-War movement, with the idea that every other activist organization was against economically stable and middle class women's rights. Also the way Friedman talks about homosexuality is actually appalling, Friedman discussing how gay men are weak just shows how she believed that other activist organizations were a threat to what she wanted and what she believed. The book is okay and basic read into the feminist cannon, and gives an average view into the middle and upper-middle class women's struggles in the post war years.
kennnedyexe's review against another edition
2.0
pretty painful to read tbh. the feminine mystique is so deeply entrenched in the capitalist pretense, elitist and classist dogma, it's not even aware of these facts of its existence. there have been many wonderful, very well written critiques by much more eloquent intersectional feminists, so i wont try to do that here. while she may have helped to bring feminism to the white upper middle class, this perspective is equipped with some well-fastened blinders. it has long not sat well with me to affix in the "essential feminist" canon. best suited for an exercise in critical analysis or dialectics--- certainly not for new minds that struggle to dissect a "sympathetic" text.
merchantivory's review against another edition
lay beside her husband at night—she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question—“is this all?”
mercedesm1's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great nonfiction follow up to “Lessons in Chemistry”.
This book provides context not just to the state of feminism, but to American society as a whole, at the time of this being written. Remember the goal of this author: to help women wake themselves up, and claim their identity as a human first and a woman second. Sometimes, weird and hyperbolic comparisons are used (a housewife, to holocaust prisoners, for example) - but don’t let that take away from the big truths she helps shine a light on.
Every one should read this. But, I definitely recommend the audio book vs. reading physically due to the heavy academic language used at certain points in the book.
This book provides context not just to the state of feminism, but to American society as a whole, at the time of this being written. Remember the goal of this author: to help women wake themselves up, and claim their identity as a human first and a woman second. Sometimes, weird and hyperbolic comparisons are used (a housewife, to holocaust prisoners, for example) - but don’t let that take away from the big truths she helps shine a light on.
Every one should read this. But, I definitely recommend the audio book vs. reading physically due to the heavy academic language used at certain points in the book.
strea31218's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
samvanstokkom's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 sterren)
omg ik heb dit boek eindelijk uit. om een of andere reden nam ik telkens dikke pauzes tijdens het lezen van dit boek, ik heb het denk ik echt zeker een half jaar niet aangeraakt voordat ik het net weer oppakte hahaha. maar nu heb ik hem uit! ik heb geen hele uitgesproken mening over dit boek, ook dus omdat ik er niet heel actief mee bezig ben geweest. het was heel interessant om te lezen wat voor immense impact de huisvrouw-'epidemie' op de Amerikaanse samenleving heeft gehad en waarom die 'epidemie' zo uit de hand heeft kunnen lopen. je beseft je heel erg hoe veel er sinds de jaren '50 toch is veranderd mbt de rol van de vrouw in de samenleving, maar ook dat er stiekem toch nog veel hetzelfde gedachtegoed rondgaat. sommige dingen die betty friedan besprak waren gewoon echt bullshit, de manier waarop ze onderzoek deed en tot conclusies kwam was ook niet altijd waterdicht, en soms had ze uitspraken waarvan ik dacht okeee misschien had je dat beter voor jezelf kunnen houden, maar over het algemeen vond ik haar schrijfstijl heel duidelijk en toegankelijk, en was ik het gewoon heel erg eens met waar ze voor stond. dus ja i think this is a pretty valuable read
omg ik heb dit boek eindelijk uit. om een of andere reden nam ik telkens dikke pauzes tijdens het lezen van dit boek, ik heb het denk ik echt zeker een half jaar niet aangeraakt voordat ik het net weer oppakte hahaha. maar nu heb ik hem uit! ik heb geen hele uitgesproken mening over dit boek, ook dus omdat ik er niet heel actief mee bezig ben geweest. het was heel interessant om te lezen wat voor immense impact de huisvrouw-'epidemie' op de Amerikaanse samenleving heeft gehad en waarom die 'epidemie' zo uit de hand heeft kunnen lopen. je beseft je heel erg hoe veel er sinds de jaren '50 toch is veranderd mbt de rol van de vrouw in de samenleving, maar ook dat er stiekem toch nog veel hetzelfde gedachtegoed rondgaat. sommige dingen die betty friedan besprak waren gewoon echt bullshit, de manier waarop ze onderzoek deed en tot conclusies kwam was ook niet altijd waterdicht, en soms had ze uitspraken waarvan ik dacht okeee misschien had je dat beter voor jezelf kunnen houden, maar over het algemeen vond ik haar schrijfstijl heel duidelijk en toegankelijk, en was ik het gewoon heel erg eens met waar ze voor stond. dus ja i think this is a pretty valuable read