Bitchfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine

by Lisa Jervis, Andi Zeisler, Margaret Cho

Book Overview

In the wake of Sassy and as an alternative to the more staid reporting of Ms., Bitch was launched in the mid-nineties as a Xerox-and-staple zine covering the landscape of popular culture from a feminist perspective. Both unabashed in its love for the guilty pleasures of consumer culture and deeply thoughtful about the way the pop landscape reflects and impacts women's lives, Bitch grew to be a popular, full-scale magazine...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374113432
• ISBN13: 9780374113438
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Great food for thought.

Gotta hand it to Bitch: - All of the articles are well written, if a bit dry at times. - Even if you don't agree 100% with what the author is saying they usually make some good points and at least make you think. - Many different views of feminism are offered. I highly reccomend this along with a subscription to Bitch Magazine.

Viva la revolucion!

Presenting... "Bitch" magazine - insightful, educational, hilarious - has been exploring "feminist response to pop culture" for the past decade and, at long last, several essays from the magazine have been collected into a book. The advent of "Bitchfest" is a blessing: the earliest issues of "Bitch" are nigh impossible to find anywhere due to the magazine's non-glamorous beginnings at a copy shop in the Bay Area (no glossy, Midtown Manhattan celebrity-laden launch for Bitch -- and we're all the better for it). I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to read some of the earliest essays. Plus, you also get ... How cool is it that some of my favorite essays are together at last? From Lori Tharp's well thought out rant on the absence of black characters from contemporary sitcoms to the snarky and oh-so-funny "Ten Things to Hate About JANE" (a dead-on critique of JANE magazine), each essay proves how all-pervasive pop culture has become, and why feminist thought can not afford to ignore it. Buy now and we'll send you ... "Bitchfest" also succeeds as a critical history of the feminist movement - one of the most incisive pieces in the book discusses the disconnect that occured when the feminist movement (at various times in its history) refused to single any one person out to be the "spokesperson" (for lack of a better word) for the movement. The result? The media anointed their own person, leading to infighting and yes, even pettiness that showcases the frustrations that can arise while trying to promote an egalitarian movement in a sensationalistic, media-controlled world. But wait - there's more! As an added bonus, there are a handful of articles that appear in this book for the very first time, in addition to introductory essays at the beginning of each section. It's nice to know that the editors cared enough to actually give the readers something extra rather than just throwing a handful of pre-published essays into a book and sending it to the printers. Sure I don't always agree with "Bitchfest" but nobody ever said I had to. This book is wonderful and truly proves how unique and necessary "Bitch" magazine is (and will hopefully continue to be) during these crazy times. Order yours today, it'll make a great present!