Exploring such issues as body image and self-acceptance, education and empowerment, health and sexuality, political representation, economic justice, and violence against women, Fight Like a Girl looks at the challenges that women and girls face while emphasizing the strength that they independently, and collectively, embody. Seely delves into the politics of the feminist movement, exploring both women's history and current–day realities with easy-to-follow lists and timelines like those on “Women Who Made a Difference,” “Chronology of the U.S. Women's Movement,” and “Do's and Don'ts for Young Feminists.” A lot of people seem to be bothered by her angry tone and her excessive use of wit , irony and sarcasm . However , that is exactly what makes her Clmentine Ford. She neither embellishes nor dresses up her words to appeal and charm her readers and she unhesitatingly does not lower the tone of her voice so that you hear her till the end . If you really cared , you would look beyond her anger. Here are some statistics to help demonstrate the prevalence and severity of violence against women: A primer on the womens movement that brims with reading and film lists, web resources, and worthy reminders. . . . Textbook-y in the best way. . . . Several appendices give practical advice. . . . Its the perfect gift for the burgeoning activist in your life.

With an eye toward what it takes to create actual change, Seely offers a practical guide for how to get involved, take action and wage successful events and campaigns. And yes, Clementine Ford is pissed. It is infuriating to try to live one’s life in the middle of a flurry of double-standards, of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” choices – all the while watching the empirical evidence of the rigged game piling up but being often ignored or dismissed. It’s not just infuriating, it’s exhausting, too. And because she talks about it, loudly, she has to endure hate mail by the metric ton. I'd be pissed, too. In this book, she discusses body-image, rape culture, internalized misogyny, sex, activism and many other things that need to be an ongoing dialogue if we are honest about wanting equality. The piece of the discussion that I did find new and challenging were the sections on LGBQT issues and privilege—not topics we white middle-class feminists spent much time on during our consciousness raising sessions. As an activist, I worked with lesbians and women of color, but we didn’t talk a lot (any?) about the intersectionality of race, class, sexual preference, and gender identification. I’ve been more aware of those issues in the past decade, but had not pursued the intellectual and societal underpinnings. Thanks, Ms. Ford for bringing me up-to-date. Keep your legs closed – on public transport, in the living room, while watching TV, while lying in bed, while lying with someone else. Be the gatekeeper. Know that boys can’t help themselves, that it’s your job to help them learn self-control, but you must never, ever, ever tell them that, because it’s not fair to treat boys like they’re dangerous. Sacrifice yourself so that they might become better people. Be the scaffold they need to climb to heights greater than you’ll ever be supported to reach.

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Like many other feminists, young Clementine was your typical girl, brought up in a loving family, together with her older sister and brother. She couldn't quite find her place in the world, being a chubby girl (I know the biggest crime of them all!), until she became a teenager who decided "to take control" by becoming anorexic and bulimic. Interestingly enough, but not unusual, nobody in the family noticed, she was getting lots of compliments for losing that weight to become attractive. Her parents were loving and quite enlightened by comparison, still, they weren't perfect. The mixed messages we give girls, the ever-changing goalposts of what it means to be attractive, of what's acceptable and not acceptable. Just think of how we were parented and how we parent our boys and girls: for the girls - be nice and kind, make yourself pretty, cute, followed by don't go out at night, don't show too much leg, wear a bra, wear girly clothes, of course, not too revealing we don't want people to call/think you a slut. Shave your underarms, shave your legs (why is it so different for men?). The boys are mostly left to be themselves, go explore, be conquerors, be a leader, assertive, encouraged to go after what they want etc.

A] fun, frank and fearless feminist manifesto...anyone hoping for an introduction to the most pressing topics in identity politics would do well to brush up under Ford's tutelage.’ If you're a woman who thinks feminism is a dirty word and that you're not in favour of feminism, because you'd rather have equality? READ THIS BOOK OH MY GOD.Got a teenage daughter? Go out and buy her this book now. While you're at it buy one for yourself and everyone you know. Even better, give a copy of this book to every teenage boy you know. Seely dispels the notion that there are secrets to successful organizing by creating a step by step, compelling manual that challenges even the cynical Ford provides a lot of raw and familiar emotion as she realizes the world isn’t fair. I’m not minimizing her pain—we all felt it and still do. I personally didn’t need to read about it to understand. Younger women struggling with their own issues of body image, feelings of inferiority, and fighting to be different and respected, will find their feelings validated in this book. There’s a healthy dash of psychology on how society trains women to self-loathe that many young women will find new and interesting.

Fight Like A Girl is fuelled by Ford’s clear-eyed defiance and refusal to compromise, and by her powerful combination of personal testimony and political polemic. In the vein of Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Woman or Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist.’It's the wit and searing honesty of her own personal life laid bare where Fight Like a Girl truly shines.' An incendiary debut taking the world by storm, Fight Like A Girl is an essential manifesto for feminists new, old and soon-to-be.

Personal and fearless - a call to arms for feminists new, old and as yet unrealised by one of our most outspoken feminist writers. Clementine also discusses in depth, the importance of surrounding yourself with strong, positive female friendships and the impact a support network can have on the female subconscious. One aspect I found fascinating was the conversation which dissects the emphasis being placed upon our physical aesthetic, which determines our popularity and often sense of self worth. It's during those years of discovery and exploration where we need to instill in the next generation of young women, the importance of self confidence, how to assert ourselves and not to be ashamed of our bodies or allow men to reduce our valuation to objectification. Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner.Required reading for all young women in Australia... Yes, Fight Like A Girl will make you angry. It will make you feel uncomfortable. But, ultimately, it will inspire you to create change.’ Swearing aside, she is also a good writer, who expressed in clear and articulate ways some simple truths about being a woman that we sometimes take for granted that everyone understands because it’s our reality, but that more than deserve to be expressed to those who can’t read our thoughts. In fact, I thought this might be a good book for men to read when they wonder why women get pissed at stuff that may seem harmless to them.