Misogynation - Laura Bates [Review]

Laura Bates is the mastermind behind the Everyday Sexism Project, and author of the book by the same title. I believe this is her third book on the topic of sexism, and can be loosely described as an attempt to uncover the institutionalised misogyny in our society and simultaneously dismantle the myths that uphold it in the form of a collection of essays originally published in The Guardian in 2017/2018, with sporadic features from entries to the Everyday Sexism Project.

Bates has a way of writing that is conversational but not unduly informal, and a way of simplifying a step by step thought process without veering into condescension. I have spoken before about how people turn up to online debates with perfectly legitimate opinions but often fail to use the strongest evidence available, giving the opposition a chance to launch a rebuttal where really they shouldn’t have a leg to stand on (I’m thinking climate change and COVID denial, for example). I think Bates, in a lot of conversations, provides simple, strong, and well thought out examples with evidence that we can all use to dismantle some of the most prevalent myths surrounding sexism denial. It is also a testament to Bates’ knowledge and dedication that she is able to explain something so simply, so succinctly, in so many different ways while remaining completely coherent. 

I was never in any doubt that I would be impressed by this book, but at times it felt a lot like reading Everyday Sexism, only more up to date. In reality this only further highlights how little progress is being made in this department. The repetition is, in many ways, part of the process and I suppose the priority is to try to get through to those who think they are doing their bit but are unknowingly contributing to these issues (these people are the most susceptible to change), a constituency from which I haven’t excluded myself. Even if you have read Everyday Sexism, if you have the capacity to I would recommend reading this.