Depressed about Caitlin Moran

[shinynewusername]

I loved How to be a Woman but all her work since seems to have recycled the same ideas and it sounds as if her "new" book will be more of the same.

AIBU to feel she is ripping her public off?

I remember when she was 'discovered' by one of the Sunday papers when she was a young lass (13? 14?) & was touted as the most amazing insightful yoof blah blah writer ever. I didn't think much of her columns then - I wanted to, out of young feminist solidarity! - & sadly haven't fallen any further in love with her work since then.

She was my idol as a teenager as she was the same age as me. Now I feel irritated by the 'mad I am!' personality she portrays

I read How To Be A Woman when baby DD was very ill and I had to sit by her bedside, and it did make me laugh and distract me. But I was surprised when it was hailed as feminism. She doesn't address feminism in a coherent or political way at all - she doesn't really need to when she can just riff on about her own specially unique home-ed life peppered with lots of masturbation and taking drugs at raves. I was a bit at parts, I was thinking "role model, I don't think so!" I think she can be a good writer but it's a bit wasted because contrary to appearance she's not actually saying much. Or not in what I've read.

Also agree about the gurning and "I'm mad me!" faces in every photo. It doesn't make me want to be her friend, she comes across as annoying.

I think people do become flavour of the month though and get totally overexposed, and they can chuck together a load of drunken ramblings on the back of an envelope and it will get published, resulting in total overkill.

Put her in a closed invite only venue with Jack Monroe, Victoria Coren and India knight. Let them be all hilarious together while we can roam the tv screens, press and bookshops free from fear of bumping into their output.

She's the new Kathy Lette, endlessly repeating the same completely predictable gags while shrieking LOOK AT ME, I'M FUNNY! AND A FEMINIST! I'M A FUNNY FEMINIST!

I'd forgotten about Lette but you are absolutely right.

I went to one of her spoken word shows in Birmingham a year or two ago.

I was disappointed as she told pretty much the same stories she had already written about in HTBAW.

Felt pretty swizzed really - esp as the tickets were not cheap !

Totally agree about Lette. I just want to shake her and say, "Stop making the pathetic puns".

yanbu she depresses me too

I agree that her take on feminism....is not, well, really a take on feminism, it's incoherent and non existent.

HTBAW is just a bunch of stories about herself that are 'daring' and 'radical' and 'brave' or whatever.

But overall her biggest crime is not being funny.

You can forgive a lot of shit if someone is funny.

I like Grace Dent, yes she's slightly 'one of them' but she's got a great writing style and she makes me laugh.

Not sure why a post about an author and columnist not producing new material has descended into slagging off her personality?

I think it's her personality (or "ooh I'm so offbeat and ker-ayzee and talk about wanking, squeee!" persona) that she trades on and uses as both her material and her appeal. So I don't have a problem with discussing that and why it's irritating.

There are funny women who have talked about feminism and women's lives before, like Jo Brand, Janet Street Porter, Jenny Eclair (who is also a brilliant novelist). Whether or not you like them, to me they seem more genuine.

Urgh Kathy Lette's puns! Why why why does she do it? I actually think she is intelligent, and I saw a really good documentary about autism in which she appeared with her son and seemed lovely. I wonder if it's that she's not British-born and doesn't quite get that British humour doesn't quite gel with endless clever-clever puns. They make me squirm!

I'll have to google this person to see if I agree.

She's a shit writer.

I like Victoria Coren but totally agree re India Knight and Jack Monroe and yes I would put Caitlin Monroe in the same (tedious and derivative) room.

She winds me up irrationally - especially in the Times photograph in the denim shorts and DMs.

Lauren Laverne, interesting. I realised recently that I feel under some kind of weird pressure to like her (mainly on 6 music) because she's northern and funky and cool, but actually if I'm honest I don't. It's the same thing as with Moran, it doesn't feel like she really means it. Give me Cerys any day.

This is the second bitchy thread about CM that has appeared out of the blue this year.

does someone have a personal problem with her?

Is it another tedious twitter spat?

Why would you think it's personal or Twitter related? The OP clearly started the thread as Moran has a new book out, that she linked to.

I think the fact that many women on here feel disappointed and pissed off with her is because she held herself up as something she is not. And the fact so many of us feel the same is why the thread is trundling on.

Nobody could be as bad as Kathy Lette.

And it's interesting you called it 'bitchy' rather than, say, 'negative' - is that because she's a woman or we're women?

If someone is putting themselves out there as an author then people are allowed to say their book is shite if it is.

It's not exactly bitchy.

I do remember the other thread last year and someone wrote on here pissed off because CM had blocked them on Twitter I think.

Everyone has to be marketable, if she showed up and didn't do the 'Mad Moran' thing then her publishers might get the huff.

I think she's written some great articles over the years. Moranthology was a great read and How To Be a Woman is a good book for woman who don't believe in feminism. Everyone has to start somewhere and it's nice and non-threatening. And upon first read, it is amusing. I'm sure it broadened a few minds. I gave some friends copies and had some great conversations afterwards that we would never have had otherwise.

I actually like her writing, its just the repetition thats annoying. Paying hard earned dosh to see a live spoken word show to have the same tales told was just a let down. Same with her books, not so much her Times column.

Think i have been spoilt by seeing Henry Rollins do his spoken word shows - they're fantastic, never any repitition. He spoke for 3.5 hours non stop at his last show in Jan and it felt like 30 mins - fabulous. ...I digressed - sorry.

I like her writing and have often found it insightful and funny.

She's not always consistent in her views and I've not always agreed with her take on things, but that's ok. ... She's not in charge of feminism.