Roxane Gay's essays were not just about feminism. While the movement may have been a unifying theme, Gay shared her perspective on a variety of topics. She talked about some of the -isms out there (sexism, racism, etc.), but she also talked about specific topics including sexual assault, movies, music, and even board games like Scrabble. She talked about her likes and dislikes, her impressions and internalization of media, her challenges in and out of the workplace. Her writing did not fall into dry academic prose, but remained conversational and even confessional. Her words gave life to her flaws and her strengths. For all these reasons, I have to give this book five full stars even though I didn't always agree with her assessment of a given movie, book, or news-worthy event.

However, I must say that after listening to these essays, I, too, will claim that I am a bad feminist. I want equality in the workplace and in the home. I want women to be treated with respect and not targeted by abusers. I want to live in a world where what a woman is wearing doesn't determine her (perceived) willingness to be sexually harassed or worse. I want to live in a world where working moms and stay-at-home moms are equally respected and neither is deemed less womanly because of their personal choices.

That being said, I am much like Roxane Gay in that I enjoy music with terrible sexist lyrics. I find myself laughing at jokes that, if I were a better person in general, I probably wouldn't or shouldn't laugh at. I watch movies and read books that leave much to be desired in terms of equality. I even have a few prejudices that I struggle to admit and find very difficult to overcome. I am flawed. I am imperfect. But I still consider myself a feminist, albeit it a bad one.