I think, as an early 40-something, that I have aged out of this book. I would totally get this for a young woman who is just sort of newly exploring these ideas (maybe like a 14 or 15 year old?) but the seasoned feminist reader will not likely find anything new here - I wanted something with a little more intellectual rigor and a LOT less quotes. Again, however, I don't really think this is for me. I can't strongly recommend it, as such, but I'd be happy to pass this on to any of the young women I know who are starting to probe at the edges of feminism.

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman is a non-fiction, feminist book based around women in the public eye and the status quos they have kicked down and made their own.

This was a really great read and I think it’s one that everyone will be able to identify with, young or old, gay or straight, black or white etc. It covers sports stars like Serena Williams to reality TV celebrities like Kim Kardashian and discusses young celebrities like Nicki Minaj and Lena Dunham as well as older women in the public eye like Hilary Clinton and Madonna. The chapters all focus on one celebrity and a social norm they have either kicked apart or not stood up such as Kim Kardashian and her pregnancy and how she was treated during it, how Hilary Clinton is regarded as a woman in politics and how Lena Dunham flaunts her nakedness despite her body not being the perfect silhouette that’s most often seen on TV and in Hollywood.

I just loved the points that were brought up in this book and I think it’s readable for those who might not read a lot of non-fiction or feminist texts and that’s great. It’s also very appealing to a young, female audience due to the type of celebrities it deals with but it references a lot of women from the 80s and 90s that older women would identify with and recognise as well (and, of course, the chapters about Clinton and Madonna).

Here’s to being an unruly woman and proud of it.

Included it in Summer Reading Roundup for culture vultures, in 24 Hours newspapers

I felt like I've read this entire book before in other places. While this will certainly appeal to some people, I don't think that the women chosen to represent the categories were necessarily the best choices or even good ones in some cases. I don't associate the Kardashians or Jenners with feminism in any way, shape or form. Caitlyn Jenner voted for Trump and still thinks that she can work with Trump to somehow not make this world terrible. Pass.

Women have grown up with an expectation that they must be a certain way, but as they age they challenge those societal norms, embracing who they are loudly and proudly. Anne Helen Petersen challenges the preconceived notion of how women must be with ten analytical essays that breakdown how women are perceived, specifically in the media. The celebrities featured in each essay come from different background, their careers vary, and their type of unruly behavior is not the same, but the message from AHP is clear; society's perception of women is an issue that needs to be challenged.

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman is written by Anne Helen Petersen, an author with Buzzfeed. The Buzzfeed part will either scare off readers or bring more to the table. AHP examines ten female celebrities and the media's perception of them; Serena Williams is too strong, Nicki Minaj is too slutty, and Jennifer Weiner is too loud. The short essays, though about different celebrities, read very similarly to one another and I found that they were better when read over a lengthy period of time. The unruly behaviors became repetitive, but I still found myself challenging my own preconceived notion of myself, of other women, and of celebrities. You'd think it might be hard to connect yourself to Nicki Minaj, a female rapper who makes money in higher quantities than I could ever imagine having, but AHP writes in a way that has you nodding your head and putting yourself in their shoes. In fact, that was my favorite essay of all and I am not a fan of her music at all. The essay broke down her struggles to get respect, to embrace who she was, and how she continues to challenge the world to embrace her as well. I don't have to be a fan of her music to respect her drive, her continued reign in the music industry, and her smoking hot body that if I had I'd probably show off too.

I didn't agree with the entire book, because AHP calls out some celebrities by name who have embraced the societal norm. There's no study to why they may have chosen that route, but rather harsh judgement and critique, which I felt really took away from the message of Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud. The book challenges the reader to look at specific celebrities' hurdles and how they overcome them publicly, yet puts down those that embrace their feminism in a different way. It comes across as telling the reader we should applaud and celebrate those that are truly unruly (we should), but condemn those that are happy as housewives with lifestyle brands (we definitely should not). If I rate this on a personal level, I think it's a novel that can challenge readers to accept unruly behavior, that shows the positives, but I also think it does nothing to challenge the judgement we inflict on one another every day. In fact, it reads as though AHP encourages readers to judge those blonde, thin celebrities that are classic in their aging, as though that is a negative when it is in fact not. I think it was appropriate of AHP to compare women to one another, in several essays the comparison is complimentary, but in others I think it was a step backwards. I would've been happier had the message been more about accepting every type of size, age, look, attitude, etc. If we are to truly reach a point where we are equal women too need to embrace both the "standard definition" of femininity and the unruly femininity featured in this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud and Anne Helen Petersen does an excellent job of taking a massive topic, Women's Studies, and making it easy to read and very accessible. The book is branded in a way that will bring in more readers and I think that's an incredibly positive step forward. In a world where many people rely on the gossip of celebrities' lives in order to make any decisions, AHP breaks down the media critique and how it impacts their personal lives and how it changes our humanity. I think the subject matter is excellent for reaching a broad customer base and will encourage discussions with its thought-provoking exam of feminism and pop culture. I may not have agreed with the entire book, but I agree with its goal and I think more women need to be challenging the norm and turning their judgement into acceptance.

This is a great, timely book that looks at how society views women, how women should dress, behave, speak, be presented, and how amazing women are turning that around. Women can be as strong, talented, gross, sexual, humorous, as their male counterparts, and yet society thinks they should stop that. This amazing book shows people in pop culture and who are on our TVs, etc. today and making strides to break those stereotypes. This is a sad sometimes, but exciting time to be a woman. I love seeing the examples of those who are working to show we are not slutty, bad people, we should be treated equally, whether you like it or not.

Unruly women are ones who don't fit into the stereotypical box set out for women. Ten different celebrities are described in this book in the way that they are unruly. Serena Williams is "too strong" because she is such a powerful tennis player. Melissa McCarthy is "too fat" in today's culture that doesn't want to see fat people on their screens. Meanwhile, Lena Dunham is "too naked" because she doesn't contour her body into the perfect nude image. In a similarly unruly way, Nicki Minaj flaunts her sexuality in her own way, which puts her in the category of "too slutty." The creators of Broad City, Anni Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, are "too gross" because they discuss female topics that are usually taboo. Madonna is "too old," Kim Kardashian is "too pregnant," and Hillary Clinton is "too shrill." Caitlyn Jenner has used her trans identity to give a voice to marginalized trans women, but she is considered "too queer," while Jennifer Weiner's outspoken opinions on women in publishing have made her "too loud." 

This book covers many aspects of women that are always being criticized like sexuality, age, and size. This makes it very relateable. 

I like that these celebrities are discussed through a feminist lens. It demonstrates that (for most of them) their professional decisions from interviews to clothing choices have been premeditated choices that contributes to their identity. 

This book is perfect for the feminist movements happening right now. It also made me view some of the celebrities in a more positive light because they are making conscious decisions to become the "unruly" women they are today. I really liked this book. 

This review will be posted on my blog on June 23, 2017.

The stunning backlash against powerful outspoken women was clearly apparent with the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the November 8th 2016 Presidential Election. The unpopularity of Clinton echoed at rallies with Trump supporters chanting “lock her up!” and others wore colorful shirts reading: “Monica Sucks, Hillary Swallows.” In: “Too Fat Too Slutty, Too Loud:, The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman” NYC journalist Anne Helen Petersen explores widespread negative American cultural attitudes against the unruly women that decline to follow acceptable societal norms, rules, and expectations that define traditional feminine conduct and behavior.

Too Strong: Women’s Tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams were coached by their father, who actually hired hecklers on the court to build the powerhouse strength the sisters are known for. “Tennis has always been a game defined by Whiteness” (Essence Magazine-1998). The Williams’s would “reset” professional tennis with their dominance, “pure delighted swagger” and confidence that they approached and took over the game. In addition, the sisters changed the traditional dress code, gone were the “tennis whites” and replaced various outfits that heavily accented (black) female form including a “catsuit” and “dominatrix style” outfit. The media had a field day with commentary, as the sisters “paraded” on the courts various fashions and designs that set them apart from others.
Too Fat: Melissa McCarthy is the “living proof that self- acceptance and self-perseverance can make a dream come true.” Fat jokes have been a part of comedy on film and TV for decades. McCarthy challenges the Hollywood stereotypes of women teetering around in high heels, and declines to discuss negativity regarding her weight. As with Ellen DeGeneres, a little love, kindness and extreme politeness can go a long way.

Too Slutty: Hip Hop was created to express the hard edge masculinity of black American men, mostly affiliated with racism, drug, gang violence and police brutality. Women in Hip Hop videos are typically shaped sexually by the desire of the male artist, their personality and character minimized with the focus on their visual ability to provide viewers with sexual gratification. Nicki Minaj was among the first female rappers to dominate Hip Hop, in addition to her successful music career; she found empowerment in promoting herself and exercised full control of that presentation. Queen Latiifa won roles in mainstream TV and films when she exceeded the Hip Hop norms and promoted positive imagery in the portrayal of black women.
Too Old: Madonna! Did anyone actually think one day the Queen of Pop would retire from the spotlight and give tea parties? With her 2015 World Tour grossing over $300 million USD, and approaching her 60th birthday, Madonna refuses to hide or fade away in a culture that expects her to do so. Petersen highlights the shame of female ageing with the inability to maintain youthful appeal. Older men are viewed differently as they age—Cary Grant, George Clooney, Sean Connery with their silver hair, lined faces were celebrated as “the world’s sexiest men.”

Too Gross: The zany stars of Broad City (2014-) Abbi Johnson and Ilana Glazer embrace their lifestyle with the confidence of a man, fueled by their consumption of lots of weed. In no hurry to attend college, marry, or raise a family-- the pair forges their way towards enlightenment discussing all bodily functions from poop to periods. Naturally, not all women act the way they do, they claim that many do. The focus of the show is their friendship, their bold “boundary pushing” behaviors, and refusal to play nice.
Too Naked: Lena Dunham is easily regarded as an artistic genius, with her HBO series Girls (2012-2017) and her NYT bestselling confessional memoir “Not That Kind of Girl” (2014) she has already had a career of epic proportions. Not everyone agrees with her artistic vision from appearing on her show in weird outfits or in the other extreme of not wearing clothes at all. Dunham’s nudity isn’t presented in a manner that appeals to male interest, and has invited intense criticism. With a huge following of internet trolls that comment on her every move, Dunham is one of the most powerful women in her generation.

The unruly independent woman, that dominates popular culture, “inflames popular consciousness” according to Petersen. A New York Post headline screeched: “Could someone please tell Kim Kardashian she’s pregnant?” – The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s pregnancy was “feminine and classy”. Despite the feeling of liberation among the unruly woman, Petersen also noted how difficult, disheartening, and exhausting it is to be a public figure, and how quickly criticism can ignite into a backlash of scorn and cruelty, that directly magnifies and impacts our humanity and culture. ~ Many thanks to Penguin Random House via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.

First, I will say I was very surprised that I did like this book. I read it in a day.
This book is divided into ten chapters, each focusing on a popular celebrity to elaborate a certain attribute that's considered unruly. For example, the first chapter focuses on Serena Williams and her unruly "Too Strong" body; this chapter also touches on race and social class.
Of course, most of these types of "unruly" women, we are, already, aware of, and we say we're okay with them but what this books explores is how okay are we with it, while providing the evidence of that measure. It's true we tend to cheer on women who are strong and outspoken and daring but when they do too much of it, society is quick to criticize.
Yes, nothing in this book is really news, we all know about most of what's talked in this book, already, but I did enjoy the evidence Petersen provides.
A criticism I have is that most of the celebrities featured in this book are white, which I am not surprised by but I do understand that in some ways it helps make a point yet still where are the latinas?
This was a super quick and interesting read.

There’s no denying that when it comes to the way that women are perceived in the modern media, there’s a specific way that women are supposed to look/act. Usually, that specific way translates to “whatever men desire”, but in a President Trump world, society feels like it has taken a step backward or perhaps a giant leap when it comes to gender politics. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman, Anne Helen Petersen outlines the different ways that women are criticized or ostracized. The features that tend to be focused on are ones that males would not be criticized for (or at least would be treated more mildly for).

From the very beginning, I was hooked. The first chapter focused in on Serena Williams and how her strength and her unwillingness to conform to the more delicate female norms within tennis were changing the game. Since Serena was someone I didn’t know much about, I found it fascinating to hear her story and explore the ways in which the media has not only been unkind, but actively unfair to her. Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud doesn’t shy away from race or from calling out the even more hypocritical standards applied to women of colour.

But as time went on, I felt the book dragging more for me. I had settled down for an intricately woven nonfiction journey and instead I came to find a set of longform essays. They were well-written longform essays, but it’s not a medium that lends itself to binge-reading.

As time went on, I found myself noticing just how repetitive the chapters felt and getting worn down by them. Instead of finding the triumph in the unruly actions of the women featured, I found my energy floundering at the hurdles they had to face. It didn’t matter that at the end of the chapter, they would usually have overcome those hurdles. The moment of victory was too brief to be savoured and then we were on to the next set of roadblocks that had been set up in an unruly woman’s way.

I have to agree with Bri from Girl With A Book Blog https://girlwithabookblog.com/2017/06/04/too-fat-too-slutty-too-loud-the-rise-and-reign-of-the-unruly-woman-by-anne-helen-petersen/ when she concludes:

Because of how this felt like a series of long reads, I recommend reading each piece as a stand-alone and not concurrently. Set aside 20-30 mins to read a chapter and then come back to the book the next day to read the next standalone piece. Otherwise, it feels repetitive and the book as a whole becomes less shiny.

By the end of the book I felt like I was slogging my way through it and that’s not really Petersen’s fault. Once I had put the book down to come back to it later, it all felt more cohesive and inspiring than it had before.


Reading the book like I had also meant that I wasn't in the best of moods when I reached the Caitlyn Jenner chapter of the novel. Whereas other chapters were celebratory and sometimes critical, Caitlyn Jenner's chapter felt like it had a different tone. I'm not sure at this point if it's my own wish that a different trans-woman had been chosen or if there really was a difference, but it was a chapter that almost felt out of place compared to the rest of them.

All in all, <em>Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman</em> is well-written and enjoyable. However, it's a dense read with a lot of information being thrown at you at once. So if you came into this because you thought it would read like Buzzfeed, this is not the book for you. Here, read this <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarrylee/times-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-gifted-us-with-her-wisdom?utm_term=.ia0GRX58K#.aolQmY4Mo" target="_blank">listicle about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie sharing her wisdom with the masses</a> (it's amazing, I promise).

7/10
Read it one chapter at a time and you’ll enjoy it more.

Incredible, accessible, and thorough - three words that are hard to apply to gendered social critique. Peterson, however, manages the balance. The strongest chapters, in my opinion, are those on Serena Williams, Hillary Clinton, and Jennifer Weiner - simply because they shine in their conciseness.

I'll be adding this to my list of recommended reading for gender critique from here on out.

Book: Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
Author: Anne Helen Peterson
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgally and Plume Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


This book is comprised of today’s women who have been in some way criticized for something. Most of them are high profile celebrities and well known people. I didn’t know a lot of these women and many chapters I didn’t understand what was going on. This was one of my pet peeves throughout the entire book. Anne really didn’t explain how these women were relevant to her book. She wrote like everyone knew what she was talking about without providing the necessary details. I guess it’s fine if you follow pop culture and the tabloids, but if you don’t, then don’t waste your time reading this book.


I guess I found it really hard to put a lot of faith in Anne’s book. I have read a lot of books for Our Shared Shelf and I thought maybe this one would be a possible group recommendation, but I don’t think it will be. There was just something off in the writing. I think Anne had a wonderful idea and the bones of a great book are there, but there was something that feel short. It felt more as if I reading someone’s thesis instead of a serious book. I am just going to pause for a moment and compare it to the Our Shared Shelf books. To me, those books were more meaningful and got their message across a lot quicker. They were more richly developed and put together a lot better. It was just lacking something.


Now, since I gave it a three star, I clearly did not hate the book. I loved the Serena Williams and Melissa McCarthy chapters. They were probably the most well done in all of them. It really opened my eyes up to Serena Williams and the hardships she faced to get to where she is now. Melissa McCarthy was also well written. The other chapters, it really felt like Anne was struggling to find justification for including them in her book. She just seemed to struggle and started to almost blame men for everything. I don’t what it is, other than the writing really seemed forced and kind of awkward. I know I have an ARC, so things will probably be cleaned up before publication day.


Again, it’s not a terrible read, but there was just something missing and I can’t quiet put my finger on it. This may be one of those books that I will have to put to the side for a little bit and just think about it.

This book comes out on June 20, 2017.

This was an incredibly interesting and thought provoking read. Media portrayals of what a 'woman' should like is something that isn't going away. Would recommend to any woman, or man interested in the topic.

While the idea behind this book is interesting, it reads more like a college thesis than a serious book. Petersen uses contemporary celebrities as examples of how women are judged by society. Serena Williams is too strong, Lena Dunham is too naked, Hillary Clinton is too shrill. For the most part she picks good examples. I wasn't a fan of the Caitlyn Jenner chapter, I think she could have picked a better trans/queer person. I think the Jennifer Weiner and Lena Dunham chapters illustrated their points the best.

I found the writing repetitive. She describes her subjects as unruly multiple times per chapter. She refers to Kim Kardashian's pregnancy as "abject" multiple times. It comes across as awkward. I think Peterson has some good ideas, but the execution was off.

Bravo to the author on the interesting array of women she choose to highlight. Famous women from all walks of fame which gives us someone for every woman to relate to. The author shines light on these women to criticize the societal expectations that are projected upon ALL women, not just the ones she speaks of. Too masculine, too pregnant, too naked... the subject matter was well researched and speaks to all - I went into this thinking that the book would read too much like the a feminist parody almost... that it would poke fun but it wasn't; it delved much deeper - race, class, body shaming, etc.

"Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman" should be required reading for high school kids. This collection from the wonderful Anne Helen Petersen studies unruly women, from Lena Dunham to Kim Kardashian. Women who are often called 'too loud, too fat, too naked'. You know...all the good things to be, that society often says are bad things.

The writing is engaging and well researched, with plenty of pop culture references, but enough of a feminist, educated voice that I felt I learned something from each essay.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Anne Helen Petersen for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for this review.

I like the concept of the novel more than its execution, as I feel that the author could have selected better, less problematic women to put forth as examples. The author does remark on the shortcomings of some of the women (eg Caitlyn Jenner) but only mentions it in passing for other (Lena Dunham). The book presents good information but I feel like it could have been stronger if better role models had been chosen. For instance, much of the chapter on Jenner focused on her problematic issues - I couldn't help but feel someone better could have chosen - perhaps someone like Janet Mock?

A concise examination of the "unruly woman". Petersen deconstructs how eleven female celebrities - in a very broad sense: sometimes their fame is global (Serena Williams, Hillary Clinton), but others may be less known to non-US readers (Jennifer Weiner, Caitlyn Jenner), and they cover all kinds of celebrity (athletes, politicians, artists, reality stars) - have been 'too much something' and/or how they've been considered as such. Compelling, never lazy and accessible.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I thought that Petersen, for the most part, did a really good job of investigating her subjects without putting them on a pedestal. She pointed out the reasons why judgement against them was unfair, but also pointed out the less gender-based reasons why they aren't perfect (particularly when looking at Madonna, Jenner, and Clinton). If you like pop culture and feminism, this a great, quick read.