Synopses & Reviews
In the year 2000, girl culture was clearly ascendant. From Lilith Fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the WNBA, it seemed that female pride was the order of the day. Yet feminism was also at a crossroads; girl power” feminists were obsessed with personal empowerment at the expense of politics, while political institutions such as Ms. and NOW had lost their ability to speak to a new generation. In Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards brilliantly revealed the snags in each feminist hub, all the while proving that these snags had not imperiled the future of the feminist cause. The book went on to inspire a new generation of female readers, and has become a classic of contemporary feminist literature.
In the decade since Manifesta was published, the world has changed in ways both promising and disheartening for the feminist cause. Despite major strides forward, the wage gap remains vast; many feminist publications have died; shame around abortion has lingered and 90s-style anti-abortion terrorism has reemerged. Many of the points first raised so bravely in Manifesta remain urgentnamely, why its still critical for todays young women to focus on gender. This tenth anniversary edition of Manifesta, complete with updated back matter, commentary from the authors, and a provocative new preface, shows why the issues first raised by Baumgardner and Richards remain as timely as ever. Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards are the coauthors of Manifesta and Grassroots and the owners of the feminist speaker's bureau, Soapbox Inc.: Speakers Who Speak Out. Jennifer is the author of Look Both Ways and Abortion & Life; Amy is the author of Opting In: Having A Child Without Losing Yourself. Both live in New York City.
In the year 2000, girl culture was clearly ascendant. Lilith Fair, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the WNBA all seemed to indicate that female pride was the order of the day. Yet feminism was also at a crossroads; girl power” feminists were obsessed with personal empowerment at the expense of politics, while political institutions such as Ms. and NOW had lost their ability to speak to a new generation. In Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards brilliantly revealed the snags in each feminist hub, all the while proving that these snags had not imperiled the future of the feminist cause. The book went on to inspire a new generation of female readers, and has become a classic of contemporary feminist literature.
In the decade since Manifesta was published, the world has changed in ways both promising and disheartening for the feminist cause. Despite major strides forward, the wage gap remains vast; many feminist publications have died; shame around abortion has lingered and 90s-style anti-abortion terrorism has reemerged. Many of the points first raised so bravely in Manifesta remain urgentnamely, why it remains critical for todays young women to focus on gender.
Deftly applying Third Wave confidence to Second Wave consciousness, Baumgardner and Richards offer a perceptive indictment from within of the state of feminismand an incendiary call to arms. They show the vibrance from which the movement has evolved, detail important goalsones that have been achieved and ones still on the horizonand spell out what a world with true equality would be like.
This tenth anniversary edition of Manifesta, complete with updated back matter, commentary from the authors, and a provocative new preface, shows why the issues first raised by Baumgardner and Richards remain as timely as ever. "[The authors] have sorted out the fruits of this wave of feminismintended and unintended, media mess and truthfor a new generation. With wit and honesty, Manifesta shows us the building blocks of the future of this longest revolution."Gloria Steinem "Manifesta is a breath of fresh air. At last, Gen X takes on feminism and revamps a feminist manifesto for a new era. A jolt, a resource, a timeline, and a challenge, Manifesta is readable, well-informed, and necessary to any young womanor manwho craves gender equality."Naomi Wolf
"[The authors] have sorted out the fruits of this wave of feminismintended and unintended, media mess and truthfor a new generation. With wit and honesty, Manifesta shows us the building blocks of the future of this longest revolution."Gloria Steinem
"Great news from the frontfeminism lives! Bold, independent, generous, and cautionary, Manifesta leaves no doubt that for a new generation of women the F-word is not only speakable but shoutable and singable. To learn the tune and catch the beat, read this book."Alix Kates Shulman
"Manifesta is another step toward the empowerment of women. If caring about women matters, this book matters."Andrea Dworkin
"A reasoned and passionate call to action and an exciting how-to guide for both burgeoning and seasoned Third Wave feminists. Recommended for all high school [and] college [libraries]"Eleanor J. Bader, Library Journal
Review
"Manifesta is a breath of fresh air. At last, Gen X takes on feminism and revamps a feminist manifesto for a new era. A jolt, a resource, a timeline, and a challenge, Manifesta is a readable, well-informed, and necessary to any young woman--or man--who craves gender equality."--Naomi Wolf "[The authors] have sorted out the fruits of this wave of feminism--intended and unintended, media mess and truth--for a new generation. With wit and honesty, Manifesta shows us the building blocks of the future of this longest revolution."--Gloria Steinem "Great news from the front--feminism lives! Bold, independent, generous, and cautionary, Manifesta leaves no doubt that for a new generation of women the F-word is not only speakable but shoutable and singable. To learn the tune and catch the beat, read this book."--Alix Kates Shulman "Manifesta is another step toward the empowerment of women. If caring about women matters, this book matters."--Andrea Dworkin "A reasoned and passionate call to action and an exciting how-to guide for both burgeoning and seasoned Third Wave feminists."--Eleanor J. Bader, Library Journal
Synopsis
A powerful indictment from within of the current state of feminism, and a passionate call to arms
From Lilith Fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the WNBA--everywhere you look, girl culture is clearly ascendant. Young women live by feminism's goals, yet feminism itself is undeniably at a crossroads; girl power feminists appear to be obsessed with personal empowerment at the expense of politics while political institutions such as Ms. and NOW are so battle weary they've lost their ability to speak to a new generation. In Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards show the snags in each feminist hub--from the dissolution of riot grrrls into the likes of the Spice Girls, to older women's hawking of young girls' imperiled self-esteem, to the hyped hatred of feminist thorns like Katie Roiphe and Naomi Wolf--and prove that these snags have not, in fact, torn feminism asunder.
In an intelligent and incendiary argument, Baumgardner and Richards address issues instead of feelings and the political as well as the personal. They describe the seven deadly sins the media commits against feminism, provide keys to accessible and urgent activism, discuss why the ERA is still a relevant and crucial political goal, and spell out what a world with equality would look like. They apply Third Wave confidence to Second Wave consciousness, all the while maintaining that the answer to feminism's problems is still feminism.
Synopsis
In the year 2000, girl culture was clearly ascendant. From Lilith Fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the WNBA, it seemed that female pride was the order of the day. Yet feminism was also at a crossroads; “girl power” feminists were obsessed with personal empowerment at the expense of politics, while political institutions such as Ms. and NOW had lost their ability to speak to a new generation. In Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards brilliantly revealed the snags in each feminist hub, all the while proving that these snags had not imperiled the future of the feminist cause. The book went on to inspire a new generation of female readers, and has become a classic of contemporary feminist literature.
In the decade since Manifesta was published, the world has changed in ways both promising and disheartening for the feminist cause. Despite major strides forward, the wage gap remains vast; many feminist publications have died; shame around abortion has lingered and 90s-style anti-abortion terrorism has reemerged. Many of the points first raised so bravely in Manifesta remain urgent—namely, why its still critical for todays young women to focus on gender. This tenth anniversary edition of Manifesta, complete with updated back matter, commentary from the authors, and a provocative new preface, shows why the issues first raised by Baumgardner and Richards remain as timely as ever.
About the Author
Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards are the coauthors of Manifesta (FSG, 2000) and Grassroots (FSG, 2005) and the owners of the feminist speakers bureau Soapbox, Inc.: Speakers Who Speak Out. Both live in New York City.