While I could have easily read 5 or 6 more profiles and the use of the word "unruly" is kind of out of control, overall Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is an extremely enjoyable critical analysis of the many ways public women damn themselves in the public eye. Petersen ties the images of various celebrity women to current societal expectations and views of non-public women, uncovering persistent, insidious, and exhausting attitudes at large.

Loudmouths like to posit that we all know better than to model ourselves on popular culture. Maybe if we could each go into a cave for the rest of our lives with only back issues of Ranger Rick for company we could overcome the reptilian parts of our brains that respond to the "not good enough" and "too much" messages that barrage us. Until we get our caves, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is a great addition to the recent feminist literature canon that encourages women to accept themselves and others despite years of bullshit wearing us down.

Honestly, I just couldn't get into this book. I did enjoy the mini-biographies she included (especially Serena Williams and Melissa McCarthy), but the feminist agenda was just a little too loud for me.

This was really good. I don't know what I was expecting from it, but I was pleased with what I ended up getting. I think the author did an especially good job with the Nicki Minaj chapter; I think I got the most from it. That's not to take away from most of the other chapters, though, because I got a lot out of the book in general. (Take this review with a grain of salt, though, because I too am an unruly woman! That may be why I liked it so much.)

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Very astute observations on sexism, racism, body-shaming and a number of other more subtle injustices women face in the world today. As an unruly woman, I know how much this text is needed, especially in our current political climate.

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is extensively researched, with a writing style that nicely balances academic and more layman styles. The premise--examining the ways women can be "too much" in a patriarchal society using 10 famous contemporary figures representing 10 traits--is intriguing and illuminating in all the right ways. This book came at a perfect time, and I am recommending it to everyone.

Petersen is a good and thorough writer, but I feel that the group of famous women focused on makes this a book that will be irrelevant very quickly. Most of the focus is on an overarching view of the women that allows for some flexibility in their longevity, but all it takes is one exciting change for one of those women for their whole essay to fall apart and become old news. It also feels very generic, with hardly any new analysis. I will recommend this to anyone looking for celebrity-based essays, perhaps after reading Alana Masseys "All the Lives I Want," or maybe even to people interested in beginner's pop cultural analysis, but that's it. I do not think it is timely enough to be worth my library spending money on it.