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Staff Pick
From Serena Williams to Hillary Clinton, Petersen explores an array of famous women who continue to redefine and reshape our ideas about what it means to be a female icon. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
One of NPR’s Best Books of 2017
“Petersen’s gloriously bumptious, brash ode to nonconforming 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
NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR
From celebrity gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen, a bold, accessible, and analytical look at how female celebrities are pushing society’s boundaries
You know the type: the woman who won’t shut up, who’s too brazen, too opinionated — too much. Sometimes she’s the life of the party; other times she’s the center of gossip. She’s the unruly woman, and she’s on eof the most provocative, powerful forms of womanhood today.
There have been unruly women for as long as there have been boundaries of what constitutes acceptable “feminine” behavior, but there’s evidence that she’s on the rise–more visible and less easily dismissed. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of “unruliness” to explore the ascension of contemporary pop culture powerhouses, from Serena Williams to Kim Kardashian to Hillary Clinton. Petersen explores why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures, each of who has been conceived as “too” something: too queer, too strong, too honest, too old, too pregnant, too shrill, too much. With its brisk, incisve analysis, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks famous women today.
“Must-read list.” — Entertainment Weekly
Named one of Cosmopolitan’s “Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down This Summer”
A Refinery29 Editors’ Pick
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
“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
“Anne Helen Petersen’s gloriously bumptious, brash ode to non-conforming women suits the needs of this dark moment. Petersen’s 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
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
“Deeply thoughtful… after a few chapters of Petersen’s cautious, intelligent optimism, [the subtitle] feels instead like an instruction, a warning, a promise, a threat. Rise and reign. Maybe we could.” Annalisa Quinn, NPR
Review
“A timely and essential read…Petersen’s analytical skills are as vigorous [and] her prose and reporting are entertaining.” Keziah Weir, ELLE
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 received her PhD in media studies from the University of Texas, where she studied the industrial history of the gossip industry. Today, she writes about culture, celebrity, and feminism for BuzzFeed News. Her first book, Scandals of Classic Hollywood, was featured in The Boston Globe, Time, NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, Bitch, the New York Post, and The Rumpus. She lives in Brooklyn.