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oohsarracuda's review against another edition
2.0
I'm about 50 pages in and already wondering if I'm going to finish this one. I firmly reject two of the binaries the author laid out in the introduction, the first being that sex is either male or female. The high rate of intersex infants makes this patently untrue, and I would expect a gender studies academic to know better. Furthermore, the book so far is framed in terms of "feminist" vs. "femininity", which is an utterly false dichotomy.
Also, white people, could we stop using the word "ethnic" to describe anyone who isn't white? I agree with the author that "nonwhite" is problematic, but substituting "ethnic" is the opposite of a solution.
Edit: Well, I finished it, but I didn't like it (as evidenced by the two full weeks it took me to read it).
Also, white people, could we stop using the word "ethnic" to describe anyone who isn't white? I agree with the author that "nonwhite" is problematic, but substituting "ethnic" is the opposite of a solution.
Edit: Well, I finished it, but I didn't like it (as evidenced by the two full weeks it took me to read it).
brits_got_books's review against another edition
5.0
This book was incredibly insightful and a great read. I wish I had gotten the chance to read this in my 'pop culture and sociology' class back in college.
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
3.0
Decent! I was beyond excited to read this, but I admittedly thought it would be more about ... well, sex, as in sexual activity, versus sex. Perhaps my first tick against the author is the use of the title as an eye-grabber when in reality she’s talking about gender issues specifically - and one would think a gender studies expert would be more cognizant of conflating the two.
I am NOT a gender studies expert, but I am an avid Buffy fan. I enjoyed the attention given to this topic and how well it was treated, but my enthusiasm I think is dampened by the fact that I just overall disagreed with a lot of what Jowett had to say. I thought her insights were interesting, but outdated, though I have tried my best to account for the fact that I am reading this in late 2020, and it was written in 2005.
I felt that ultimately it was too rigidly focused on binaries, and the constant juxtaposition of “feminist vs. feminine” behavior and coding was irritating, and a (in my view) useless dichotomy. I understand what Jowett was getting at, but as a feminist who is painfully “feminine” myself, I thought it was reductive, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I also felt Jowett was too negatively focused on heterosexuality - she seemed to repeatedly imply that no one can be a good man or a strong woman if they are straight. Possibly an erroneous reading on my part, but that’s what I kept perceiving.
I thought the book really shone in its treatment of the male characters - the chapters “New Men” and “Dead Boys” were fascinating and enjoyable. But, that lends to the vague dissatisfaction with the book - its best chapters were about the men.
I think Jowett is flat out wrong in concluding that Buffy is not a feminist show, but she makes excellent and necessary points about the conservatism thats laced throughout the narratives, especially in relation to Buffy (vs Faith and Anya’s) sexual exploits. Jowett is also very good at sometimes pointing out where her opinion influenced her reading, and acknowledging she isn’t arguing that her word is law.
Lastly, I do not think this book is at all accessible to someone without a university level background in gender studies, which is disappointing to Buffy fans who may not have had that privilege. It reads like a dissertation, which is not great entertainment, but it’s a solid read that I’m glad I spent money on and sat and thought with.
I am NOT a gender studies expert, but I am an avid Buffy fan. I enjoyed the attention given to this topic and how well it was treated, but my enthusiasm I think is dampened by the fact that I just overall disagreed with a lot of what Jowett had to say. I thought her insights were interesting, but outdated, though I have tried my best to account for the fact that I am reading this in late 2020, and it was written in 2005.
I felt that ultimately it was too rigidly focused on binaries, and the constant juxtaposition of “feminist vs. feminine” behavior and coding was irritating, and a (in my view) useless dichotomy. I understand what Jowett was getting at, but as a feminist who is painfully “feminine” myself, I thought it was reductive, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I also felt Jowett was too negatively focused on heterosexuality - she seemed to repeatedly imply that no one can be a good man or a strong woman if they are straight. Possibly an erroneous reading on my part, but that’s what I kept perceiving.
I thought the book really shone in its treatment of the male characters - the chapters “New Men” and “Dead Boys” were fascinating and enjoyable. But, that lends to the vague dissatisfaction with the book - its best chapters were about the men.
I think Jowett is flat out wrong in concluding that Buffy is not a feminist show, but she makes excellent and necessary points about the conservatism thats laced throughout the narratives, especially in relation to Buffy (vs Faith and Anya’s) sexual exploits. Jowett is also very good at sometimes pointing out where her opinion influenced her reading, and acknowledging she isn’t arguing that her word is law.
Lastly, I do not think this book is at all accessible to someone without a university level background in gender studies, which is disappointing to Buffy fans who may not have had that privilege. It reads like a dissertation, which is not great entertainment, but it’s a solid read that I’m glad I spent money on and sat and thought with.
neurodivengeance's review against another edition
2.0
I wish I'd read this in sixth form: I feel like I have already had enough of an education of gender to find this book particularly elucidating (although, to be fair, it is entitled a 'primer,' so perhaps I should have expected less). I did like all the reminiscing about BtVS that I got to do whilst reading but, as demonstrated by the amount of TIME it took me to complete this, I didn't exactly find it gripping.
kaylasonlyheart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
link3's review against another edition
Generally, analysis felt weak. It might be that it’s a “primer” but it felt like the author consistently over explained things that weren’t interesting and skimmed over things that could have used evidence or been interesting to dig into.
Overall, very mid-2000s pop-feminist and for an audience that I am not.
Overall, very mid-2000s pop-feminist and for an audience that I am not.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
anniebgood's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty simple look at Gender in Buffy, but if you are interested at all in the characters it is worth a quick read. I didn't learn anything new, and was hoping for a more provocative and in depth study of the series. If you aren't a Buffy fan you aren't going to get much out of it, and if you are a feminist buffy fan you have probably come up with the same conclusions that Jowett does.
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