When Sady Doyle’s debut work was published during the last US election season she thought a female president was an inevitability. 4 years on and the political landscape of the States is something unimaginable – but many hold hope that Senator Kamala Harris could be seen in the White House by the end of the year.
As the presidential race continues and the hope for a Biden/Harris ticket grows; Doyle’s analysis of women in the public eye and their relationship with the media is an essential read.
Comparing Taylor Swift to Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Bronte to Amy Winehouse; the collection of essays within the book all pose the central question, why do these women grab our attention and fascination most when they are struggling?
The reason as to why these women’s lows always gain so much more attention than their highs is somewhat simple: They are made examples of. They remind us of everything we don’t want to be.
Doyle focuses in on the Monica Lewinsky scandal and concludes that although Monica and Hilary were perceived as binary opposites in almost every way: provocative vs sexless. hysterical vs detached, naive vs calculating. Neither of them was seen as the ideal woman. Both of them came out of the scandal ripped apart and ridiculed. Neither was seen as displaying model behavior.
The author suggests these figures, ‘Trainwrecks’, will always live among us. It is unavoidable to be labeled a Trainwreck as the expectations of how women should behave have always and will always be unattainable. Lewinsky and Clinton are clear examples of this.
This text should be considered the Bible for the 21st-century feminist. A brilliant read that whilst remains cerebral and factual throughout will leave you angry and itching to go forth and make a change.
