Please help me remember this book!

[Merrylegs]

In my teen years I discovered some marvellous 'liberating' and feminist writers and books (Dale Spender, Marge Piercy Woman on the Edge of Time, Marilyn French, Lisa Alther etc etc). I am revisiting them now (Just re-read Margaret Attwood's Edible Woman).

But there is one book I just can't place.

It was in the ilk of the above, a novel, dystopian I think and the only thing I can clearly remember is that the women ruled and the men all stayed at home and coiffured their beards, so they had lovely curly locks. And were slightly plump I think? It leans closest to Marge Piercy's writing but I don't think it's her.

Googling curly beardy men only brings up hipsters, sadly. Does anyone know this book?

The Daughters Of Egalia. Can't remember author, think it was Virago but it might have been Women's Press.

Gerd Brantenberg.

Any of these ring a bell? I've read a lot of sci-fi - especially the older stuff that you end up reading when you're working your way along the library's single SF shelf, or you get your books from the second hand market stall (do those even exist anymore? I used to get so much from them) but it's not ringing a bell...

www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/9-sci-fi-books-women-run-show/

Ah! well done Countess - I might have a look at that once I've finished the latest Robin Hobb (it's all getting very emotional and I'll need some light relief I think)

I dont want to derail but can I add one?
In a dystopian future, peoples looks were given a rating. Those with beautiful faces were penalised, so they had them replaced with synthetic faces.
Someone took my copy and I haven't been able to replace it.

Facial Justice by L.P.Hartley #onaroll

That sounded familiar - but I was thinking of a vonnegut short story that was similar - however on the wiki page for that story, it linked through to this one en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_Justice which might be what you're talking about Baggy?

ARGH Countess! So fast on the keyboard!

Hurrah - thank you so much Countess! That's it. Amazon has it as Egalia's Daughters. Brilliant!

"Welcome to the land of Egalia, where gender roles are topsy-turvy as "wim" wield the power and "menwim" light the home fires. This re-telling of the prototypical coming-of-age novel will have readers laughing out loud and wondering who should prevail: poor Petronius, who wants more than anything to cruise the oceans as a seawom; or his powerful and protective mother Director Bram, who rules her family with an authoritarian righteousness. But for better or for worse, as the masculist party begins to organize and protest, the landscape of Egalia threatens to change forever. More than just a humorous romp, Egalia's Daughters poses the provocative question of whether the culprit in gender subjugation is gender itself or power-no matter who wields it."