Synopses & Reviews
"Petersen’s gloriously bumptious, brash ode to non-conforming women suits the needs of this dark moment. Her careful examination of how we eviscerate the women who confound or threaten is crucial reading if we are ever to be better." — Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies
From celebrity gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen comes an accessible, analytical look at how female celebrities are pushing boundaries of what it means to be an “acceptable” woman.
You know the type: the woman who won’t shut up, who’s too brazen, too opinionated — too much. She’s the unruly woman, and she embodies one of the most provocative and powerful forms of womanhood today. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of "unruliness" to explore the ascension of pop culture powerhouses like Lena Dunham, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian, exploring why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures. With its brisk, incisive analysis, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud will be a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks celebrity today.
"Must Read List" – Entertainment Weekly
Named one of Cosmopolitan’s "Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down This Summer"
A Refinery 29 Editor’s Pick
Review
"In a time when women are under constant attack, I am so grateful for Anne Helen Petersen’s sharp and topical book. Petersen nails the magnetism of women who break boundaries and the punishment that often comes along with it. All women will see a bit of themselves in the 'unruly.'" Jessica Valenti, New York Times bestselling author of Sex Object
Review
"Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is an oasis in a sea of hot takes, a set of crisp essays on the provocateurs who fascinate and enrage us. With warmth and wit, Anne Helen Petersen celebrates the power of being just a little too much, seeking the rebel inside the trainwreck." Emily Nussbaum, critic at The New Yorker
Review
"A timely and essential read…Petersen’s analytical skills are as vigorous [and] her prose and reporting are entertaining." Keziah Weir, ELLE
Review
"Petersen writes with equal amounts of rigor and empathy…her point feels like a warning bell: Our cultural lens on celebrity women reflects back on women en masse. We don’t have to love their unruliness, but we need to change the attitudes that so narrowly define them." Andi Zeisler, Bitch
Review
"Supremely thoughtful…snappy and compelling…[Petersen’s essays] highlight the paradoxical expectations American culture places on women, in particular, the mixed messages it sends: the 'you can do anything,' rubbing awkwardly against the ‘you can’t do everything.'" Megan Garber, The Atlantic
About the Author
Anne Helen Petersen is a professor of film and media studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she also lives.