Don't Tell Me To Smile

Be nice, but not too nice. Be heard, but don't be loud. Look pretty, but don't be too feminine...or too masculine. Are you getting this?

No. Absolutely not. I don't get it.

When I was speaking to my best friend about the sexism I felt I was facing at my workplace, she was empathetic, having similar experiences at her own job. When I spoke to my best male friend about these instances, he asked me why I was determined to find a problem with all of my male coworkers.

Needless to say, these polar opposite responses to my experiences forced me to question whether or not these instances were sexist...until I stumbled upon Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett in a bookstore.

An Official Survival Manual

Jessica Bennett is an award winning journalist who based Feminist Fight Club on her own experiences, and the experiences of the women in her own FFC. Most of the book was light-hearted while discussing this very serious topic, which makes it accessible and welcoming to all readers (regardless of gender or sexual orientation), who wish to learn about the continuous existence of sexism in the workplace.

Although there are light, humorous moments in the book, Bennett backs up her words with her research, providing 16 pages of citations to guide you to the resources she used. Numbers and statistics made the reality of the situation clear, but quotes from and about women from multiple backgrounds effectively utilized the emotional side of the story. Additionally, Bennett doesn't just describe the subtle and overt forms of sexism that might occur in the workplace, but she also discusses ways for anyone to combat sexism.

Rules of FFC

I loved how the book started with the rules of Feminist Fight Club, mostly because of Rule #3: "We fight Patriarchy, not each other." While Bennett recognizes that most of the problems she faced in the workplace (and listed in the book), are white-middle class issues, she also acknowledges how sexism is often worse for women of colour, and the LGBTQ+ community. But as Rule #3 states, we should be supporting each other by recognizing these differences, and refusing to be satisfied until every woman benefits from Feminist Fight Club.

I firmly believe that everyone should read this book (along with other feminist literature, of course). Not only did it help me learn more about how to stand up for myself in the workplace, but it made me want to learn more about this issue from different perspectives. 5 Stars!

That's all for now! If you have any questions, comments or recommendations for me, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com), or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

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