Staff Picks: "Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves" by Sophie Gilbert
“A blazing critique of how early-aughts pop culture turned women and girls against each other—and themselves—with disastrous consequences. What happened to feminism in the 21st century? This question feels increasingly urgent after a period of reactionary cultural and legislative backlash, when widespread uncertainty about the movement’s power, focus, and currency threatens decades of progress.” — Provided by Publisher
Recommendation from Mikaela Taylor, Special Collections Public Services and Outreach Specialist:
Though I typically gravitate toward fiction, I read a review of this book in the New York Times (which you can access for free with your Midd credentials) and requested that the library purchase it. While I was waiting for the library copy to arrive, I read it as an ebook through the Ilsley Public Library (you can get a library card there too!). Then I read it again, in print. It is beautifully researched and written, gripping, heartbreaking, and revelatory. I have read chapters aloud to my partner, recommended it to every person I know, and am currently waiting for the audiobook to become available so I can hear it in the author’s voice. Even if you don’t identify as a woman, millennial, feminist, or pop-culture enthusiast, you will still learn something from this book.
Get It!
Borrow Girl on girl : how pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves from the library.
Citation: Gilbert, S. (2025). Girl on girl : how pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves. Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.