A Little F'd Up

April 30, 2012
Zeilinger, an undergraduate at Barnard College and the creator of TheFBomb.org, a feminist blog for teens and young adults, consolidates the ideas and goals of her website into this informative (and hilarious) debut. Zeilinger elucidates the importance of feminism for a new generation by offering a comprehensive view of the movement and how it relates to young women today, detailing its history from Ancient Mesopotamia to the digital age, addressing global issues like sex trafficking, eschewing unrealistic beauty standards, and positing that feminism is "Your Secret Weapon for Surviving High School." Her colloquial use of wit and sarcasm in addressing serious gender issues makes the complex world of feminism approachable, though Zeilinger never claims to be path-breaking. The text's ultimate goal is to prove that despite having made great strides in terms of economic, social, and political equality, the feminist cause is still entirely relevantâto women and men. While the book's snarky criticism of sexually conservative politics may be off-putting to some, this is ultimately an empowering and timely treatise, complete with resources for further reading (though neither Mina Loy nor Simone de Beauvoir make an appearance). Zeilinger's honesty and straightforwardness will appeal to the often jaded members of Generation Facebook, encourage newcomers to climb on board, and reenergize those already on the bandwagon.

July 1, 2012

Zeilinger, creator of a popular feminist teen blog, thefbomb.org, has written a primer on feminism for teenagers and young women. Now a student at Barnard College, she draws on her own high-school experiences to connect to readers who may be put off by both the language and the ideas of feminism. She devotes the book's first third to the history of feminism or, as she puts it, "The Badasses Who Came Before Us." Like the rest of the book, it is talky and thinly resourced (with the occasional error), but Zeilinger's goal is to entice her readers to stick with her as she demonstrates her understanding of their plight: the abundant "bullshit," "the fucking nightmare" of dealing with body image. (The patois seems intrinsic to her presentation of the issues.) Focusing on global issues, the Internet, and surviving high school, she describes feminism as both inclusive and empowering, with sound advice to young women dealing with the ongoing double standard and the images of perfect women that surround them. She concludes with a short list of other recommended resources for budding feminists. VERDICT Zeilinger has the bona fides to reach teenaged and twentysomething women. This just might work.--Cynthia Harrison, George Washington Univ., Washington, DC

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