Review: Sady Doyle, Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy and the Fear of Female Power

Abstract

First Edition. "The Female Monster is alive and well in the pop-cultural imagination. What does she tell us about ourselves and how we live today? Funny, smart and encyclopedic, nimbly addressing everyone from the biblical Lilith, to the movie Carrie, to Hae Min Lee (whose death was the focus of the first season of "Serial") to the cult film "The Craft", this book explores the female dark side, as represented in female monsters throughout pop culture. These monsters express taboo truths about female life and femininity. They embody patriarchal fear of women. They speak to urges women are encouraged to hide, or deny. They also speak to the viciousness with which a sexist society inflicts traditionally feminine roles upon us. This is a sympathetic -- or, at least, curious -- look at the women we fear and what they show us about how women navigate a dangerous and frightening world"--