Feminism
Gay focuses on what feminism means in this day in age and also what it means to her on a personal level. She delves into various subjects that define a modern woman and the ideologies behind the feminist movement. The book emphasizes that the movement has become very complex over time due to the various and opposing notions. Therefore, with many feminist ideologies floating around, the idea of feminism becomes blurred for those who feel alienated by the mainstream concepts. She critiques the fact that a faction of women in the modern world have rejected the term feminism as it has become synonymous with ‘men-hating’ caricature for them.
Thus, Gay emphasizes that feminist-related perception is a product of misinformation, or rather some women feel isolated when they try to abide by the criteria set by mainstream feminism. Accordingly she stresses her criteria for being a feminism is personal and molded by her own experiences. Therefore, she terms herself a ‘bad feminist’ to stress that being a feminist is not necessarily abiding to every ideology behind the movement in order to be a feminist. As long as one believes in the equality of the sexes, the other variables under the crusade are a personal choice.
Intersectionality
Gay further acknowledges the different factions of the feminist movement and the schools of thought that they abide by. She affirms that mainstream feminism mostly caters to the middle-class white woman, therefore, alienating other groups. Gay acknowledges the validity of each faction because personal experiences and cultural ties impact the female experience differently. For her specifically, she focuses on intersectional feminism that accounts for race and ethnic background. As a black woman, her experiences and her idea of feminism will absolutely be different from a woman from a different race and background. Therefore, the term feminism is much broader than the mainstream picture and it can be even broader as other intersectional elements are incorporated.
Pop Culture
Popular culture plays a significant role in imitating and molding the human experience and thus a variable in social ideologies. She focuses on entertainment that fosters a negative perception of race, gender, and sexual abuse. She utilizes films and television shows to discuss the serious issues in our current society and how each impacts the other. She probes into what makes some of them appealing to the masses beyond their content in that how they are interpreted and what they represent. For instance, the show Lena Dunham’s Girls in why it is appealing to the masses, is it the realistic portrayal of the female experience, or is it the ground-breaking aspect of the show outside its actual content. The gender representations in pop culture is a major focus in her analyses on various literature and multimedia. She also affirms her lack of shame for enjoying the entertainment that would be considered as ‘not feminist’ by mainstream ideas because it is a personal choice.
