What kind of feminist are you? Thanks to Company magazine

[Ewe]

Link here

Seen it tweeted by a couple of people on Twitter and thought you ladies might be interested in seeing it. I am often saying that I think more young women need to understand and engage with feminism, Company could have used this as an opportunity to produce a good article about feminism without using a stupid quiz like this.

Interestingly though when you have completed the survey it says that it is from The Noughtie Girl?s Guide to Feminism by Ellie Levenson - has anyone read it?

Ugh, that's an annoying quiz!

Reduction: Are you
(a) A doormat
(b) A seventies Feminist Cliche?
or
(c) A confused woman who thinks she's "empowered" when she might actually be taking a load of shit from a load of people, but at least she's not (b), eh?!

And C is regularly presented as the only sane option.

"Secretly feel flattered" when you get wolf-whistled at by builders?

"Secretly not trust" your partner who offers to take care of contraception?

FGS!

I remember why I don't read magazines.

Oh come on, this is clearly tongue in cheek. Surely

I am sure it is done with humour but this is one of these cases where the fact it is humorous doesn't nullify the underlying message, unfortunately....
When I saw this I thought 'great' but then I actually did the quiz

still at least the word feminist is out there AND being a feminist of sorts is touted as the sane option.

And actually the first option seems to me to be presented the most negatively.

so on balance probably a good thing and part of the feminist revival rather than the opposite?

my favourite bit was the bit at the end, after you'd found out whether or not you were a feminist (how else were you gonna find out?!), which encouraged you to "do more quizzes", such as:

"Are you a prude?"
"Are you a beauty Junkie?"
"Is your man into you?"

and the photograph of the burning bra that accompanied the quiz was inspired!

The author has said on Twitter that it was tongue in cheek and meant to spark discussion

Unfortunately, when lots of young women do hold the stereotypical bra burning man hating view of a feminist I don't think it does anything but reinforce those views.

That book was reviewed by a friend of mine on her journal and it got a pretty big, and seemingly well-deserved, kicking. I lost all respect for Elle L from then on & have no plans to read the book at all.

If anyone's interested, here is my friend's review.

Did not BELIEVE the actual photo of actual burning bra.

Apparently I am "full of contradictions" and "sure of myself" - well the latter is pretty true. As for the former, what bollocks! How fed up I do get of women being so "contradictory" and "complex" - yes that's called being an individual. It's not because I have breasts thank you.

thanks for link - I am about a quarter of the way through the review (it's very long!)
the book sounds awful
your friend's review is very funny & well-written

The quiz made me want to puke at about - ooh - question 1, so I didn't do it, but I am enjoying your friend's review comixminx, so thanks for that!

Oh dear, definately another b and a reminder why these mags are banned from pysch wards , however am cheered to know i am most like the glee character sue sylvester. Restrained myself from the is my man into me quiz as am assuming he is with me because he wants to be, and not because i don;t waste my time and money on these extended adverts for all the things you never realised you did not need.

ha hah! glad people are enjoying the linked review - yes it is long, fuelled by pure RAGE!

That quiz gives me the rage.

comixmix, yes I'm enjoying the review (am about halfway through)

Dittany, it sounds like the book in question is exactly the sort of thing you were trying to discuss in the Choice Feminism thread:

(from the linked review

"The Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism is written to try and make all women call themselves feminists. However, I don't know why Levenson wants women to call themselves feminists - in order to make feminism palatable to her imagined audience, she strips it of all meaning. Feminism is "what you want it to be", and any choice is a feminist choice as long as you think it's okay"

I found myself unable to pick any of the answers for most of the questions. Because they were nearly all such stupid answers. It did however once more confirm my general belief that all lifestyle magazines are utterly shite.

Author has responded on her blog although it just seems to be another opportunity to promote her book. That is slowly getting cheaper and cheaper.

Reading that blog post has given me the rage.

'sour grapes'? 'cyber bullying'?

dunno about sour grapes, but I bet she wishes she could write as well as Comixminx's mate

Jeebus. If the quiz had actually been any good I wouldn't have minded the fact it was on Company magazine's website, or the fact that it was done in tongue in cheek stylee. It's the quiz that's rubbish, not (necessarily) the publication it's in. (Disclaimer - have never knowingly read Company.)

Thanks for the links here, I have read all of them (which is A LOT ) and got really fired up (and aghast at the "pah, rape. It's only a penis!" line. Coming from a FEMINIST