This is a short, fun read, with lots of snark. Example from the first page:
"You've been compiling your near-constant failures as a woman ever since. You know what a woman is supposed to be. She takes up just the right amount of space. Small is best. You need to prove yourself worthy of the molecules you displace, madam."
I related.
The author's thesis is that "well-behaved women almost exclusively made history. Women from Cleopatra to Ruth Bader Ginsburg found their place in history by doing what was expected and allowed--just doing it extremely well." This book covers the ones who history didn't much care for.
Right off the bat, the book starts out with Celesta Guyer, a professional performing fat lady who really loved her career and was unashamed...until her fellow fat lady friends started dying and she successfully lost a ton of weight and kept it off. Flabbergasting. There's the Cherry Sisters, who wanted attention, even if it was negative and their acts were terrible. The creator of Lane Bryant is in here.
I enjoyed her writeup of Lillian Gibreth's career and how she had to adapt it once her husband died. Especially noticing that women won't wear ugly shoes, so they were wearing uncomfortable prettier ones and getting tireder. She improved kitchen design and menstruation products. I also cracked up at Aimee Semple McPherson and the lengths she went to to cover up an affair, including having a body double.
Fun read, four stars.
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