Material Girls by Kathleen Stock

[TheShadowyFeminist]

Review by Helen Saxby

I'm mulling over buying this, & thought it would be worth a thread to discuss the content & "that bit" too.

If anyone has an opinion about it, "that bit" & whether it's worth the £15, I'd be interested in your views.

[Fallingirl]

I think “that bit” demonstrates that Stock is ignorant of how widespread men’s sexual interest in dressing up in frilly knicker or other porn inspired get up is.

I read somewhere 1 in 30 men do it to some extent. I also, unfortunately, think Stock is unaware of abuse dynamics within too many relationships involving men. She could benefit from reading Lundy Bancroft.

I can’t just overlook “that bit” in case the rest of the book is fantastic, as “that bit” gets to the heart of too many women’s actual lived realities, I am not impressed.

I don’t care how awesomely “feminist” a book is, if the book and the feminism cannot encompass ordinary women and their realities.

Trans widows’ lives matter, and there are more of them than Stock realises.

[WhatKatyDidNot]

That's a.... long review. Was it written by a friend of Stock? It comes across as a bit defensive.

I've read the whole book. It was okay. If you believe there is such a thing as gender identity and that people who think they have one should be treated differently by society to those who don't. I don't think there is such a thing as a gender identity in the way the political movement thinks of it. I am uneasy at the idea anyone's metaphysical beliefs should result in different treatment by society - should we treat someone differently because they believe they have a soul?

To be fair, the bit that has blown up all over the internet is a tiny part of the book. I think it demonstrates that Stock has a blindspot and a predictable one given her ivory-tower-not-grassroots-frontline background but if we are thinking about the book as a whole?

I'd call it weak sauce.

[SnoopyLights]

I have bought the book but not read it yet, although I plan to start it shortly.

I've started something of a personal project - I'm buying books where the book / author / both have been victims of cancel culture for one reason or another.

This is one of those books - due to the reports of the harassment Dr Stock has received from students, colleagues, and others, because of her views.

I also try to print an article or two which discusses the reasons for the 'cancellation' of the author / book, to keep with it.

I'm not saying I necessarily agree with the views of the authors / the topics in the books I am buying, but I definitely do not agree with cancel culture so this is my personal sticking two fingers up at anyone who buys into it. Just recently there have been a few books by gender-critical authors so I am reading quite a lot around this subject.

It's led to some very diverse reading if nothing else. I've read a few books I wouldn't normally have picked up if not for the weird bits of controversy that have blown up around them.