This book offers a sharp critique of specific feminist tropes in popular culture, arguing they exploit and distort experiences of marginalized groups for personal gain. Through the lens of "mean girl feminism," Nguyen offers that these performances ultimately reinforce existing power structures, hindering genuine progress towards intersectional liberation.

This was such an interesting title, I had to pick it up! It was an interesting and thought provoking look into what it means to be a white feminist in today's world, and the unconscious biases that need to be worked on within the feminist movement.

The book does read a bit more scholarly than others, which may make it somewhat harder to read.

Thanks to University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Readers should be warned that this is an academic book coming from an academic publisher. It is a bit challenging to parse, as this area of theory is something I'm hardly familiar with, but it is well worth pushing through the challenge. Kim Hong Nguyen has a lot of great ideas here, and I loved not only learning a lot but also recognizing some ideas I'm familiar with written in a much more eloquent way than I've ever been able to put them.

dnf chapter 2
So this might be on me, but when I requested this book I was kind of under the impression that this would be a lighthearted satire/comedy poking fun at white feminism, but this turned out to be a legit thesis paper kind of thing??? And there's nothing wrong with that, its just that the bright pink cover and the title made me think otherwise, so I went into this expecting witty take-downs of girlboss feminists, and got this instead. Anyway, for the rest of this review keep in mind that I don't read serious research papers ever, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about.
This book is full of citations, which may be normal for a research paper, but was just tedious to read. I feel like this book contained more citations than the author's own thoughts, which had to backed up with citations too. And the introduction was incredibly long, it introduces the main concept of this book, which is the different categories of "mean girl feminists", then immediately begins dissecting each category, and this is all in the introduction chapter. Which is a pity, because I agree with a lot of the points of this book, but I just couldn't get through this.
Moving on to the contents, I think the author makes excellent points about the pitfalls of white feminism, from the way white feminists weaponise white femininity against POC, to the "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" mentality white feminists embody. However, something I have to question is who this book is even for? I don't see white feminists being interested in picking this up, and the concepts introduced in this book aren't new to women of colour. Not to mention that this text is pretty dense, which creates an additional barrier of inaccessibility.

I really love the cover of this book but the inside of it didn’t have the same impact for me. This book took me awhile to read because it was more academic than I was anticipating.

A very well researched piece of work looking at how feminism interacts with intersectionality, though perhaps more academic essay than book. I enjoyed the pop culture references (I was very proud to recognise them all!) and reflecting on them in a new light was eye-opening. At times however, it seemed a little disjointed with some jumps, and the text didn’t necessarily flow logically.

Thank you to University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

In "Mean Girl Feminism" by Kim Hong Nguyen, readers are confronted with a scholarly work that delves into the intricacies of contemporary feminist discourse. Despite its misleading cover that might suggest a more accessible narrative, the book is a dense exploration requiring a keen intellectual engagement.

Nguyen skillfully weaves through layers of theory, laden with numerous scholarly citations and pop culture references. For those accustomed to scholarly reviews, this text demands an attentive reader ready to navigate the intricate web of ideas presented.

It's essential to note that the book may, at times, feel inaccessible to a broader audience, and even seasoned readers might find themselves grappling with the scholarly depth. However, amidst this labyrinth, Nguyen's work raises crucial discussions that demand our attention. The author delves into pertinent issues within feminism, urging readers to hold themselves and the movement accountable. By dissecting these complex topics, Nguyen encourages a continuous dialogue, emphasizing the importance of ongoing scrutiny and self-reflection within feminist discourse.

In essence, "Mean Girl Feminism" presents a challenging but vital contribution to feminist literature. While its dense nature may pose hurdles, the book serves as a reminder of the necessity to engage in nuanced discussions within the feminist movement.

While this typically isn't the type of book I would reach for (I tend to opt for mysteries and memoirs), the cover and title were intriguing enough for me to opt for something different.

A timely read, this offers a unique perspective on feminism, particularly how white women can avoid failing women who are often marginalized. The pop culture approach of breaking the book down into four white girl feminist tropes adds a little levity to what is actually a dense study on modern feminism. The pink cover and title should not fool readers; this is a book meant to be thoughtfully read and considered.

This book is recommended for anyone looking to take a dive into current social issues regarding feminism.

Woah! This was a breathe of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. Incredibly insightful and eye-opening. I recommend this to all women whether of color or white, it's a must read for this day in age.

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity.

This book is nearly impossible to read. It feels like reading an essay more than a nonfiction book. It uses the same buzzwords repeatedly to the point where you can get lost on the page. I feel like the author was making good points but it was hard to see them through her delivery.

An interesting analysis of how white feminism can be misguided in what it is promoting and standing for. A little technical at times, but still thought provoking

It seems that the author deliberately made the text dense to sound more serious. This was hard to read.
I have a habit of looking up things that I can look up, to know more about them. In the beginning of the book, there is a story about how Taylor Swift is mean because of a story where it says she lied about giving permission to talk about her very crudely in a song. The story in the book is that she denied it and then a tape was released proving she was a liar, but I found out in about two minutes that the tape was edited to make her look like she said something she didn't. Why leave in a story that isn't really true to make the point?
I also found the entire premise wrong. Blaming women for being "bitches" isn't realistic. It really presumes a lot about their power.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I'm giving this 3 stars because anything less doesn't feel fair. This book is written more like an educational text vs a book you can read casually.

I am so thankful to the University of Illinois Press, Kim Hong Nguyen, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access to Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss before this psychologically interpreted exposé hits shelves on January 9, 2024.

From comparisons in media and pop culture, our author reveals how white women have been putting on a show in the name of being accepted by a group they don’t even want to be a part of, because they are all talk and a lot of bite, as their performativity and meanness projects a clearer message than their feminism.

From toxic patriarchal-conveying power couples such as Hillary and Bill, to Hillary never standing up for herself and women every way to keep face to fictional examples such as Chuck and Blair and Dan and Serena from Gossip Girl, this book has everything to convince you that a majority of white women suck and I hate to be associated with them.

Very interesting but rather dull at times. I thought the content was compelling and an important message for people to read, but the writing could've been more engaging.

"Mean Girl Feminism" is a work of art that I really wish had existed when I was in college. I would have loved to dissect every chapter with classmates as we discussed all of the intricacies that are involved with the word "feminism."

Nguyen dives in deep, providing timely real-world examples to express what is meant by "mean girl feminism." I highly recommend this book to any and everyone!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*3.5
Mean Girl Feminism is a book I liked the idea of but the execution was a bit drier than expected. There were times (especially within the first couple chapters) where I felt like I needed to reread sections multiple times. I found the section about conservative feminism/Laura Bush/the war on terror the most fascinating.

The actual rating for Mean Girl Feminism is 2.5 stars but I rounded up to 3 stars.

First — I'd like to preface that I think the actual content and discussion of white feminism employing 'mean girl' tactics is an incredibly important one and Kim Hong Nguyen makes compelling arguments with a multitude of examples.

I also think that the description didn't quite give way to how much of an academic research novel this was vs. more of an analytical nonfiction, if that makes sense. There's nothing wrong with it clearly stemming from an academic research paper, but it threw me off when I first started reading. And maybe that's on me for not taking the publisher being University of Illinois Press as an understanding—I'll take that.

But beyond, I did struggle with aspects of it. As someone who has written many a research paper, I understood and appreciated the structure of Mean Girl Feminism and found the break-down of the archetypes fascinating and apt for our current culture. I also felt like Hong Nguyen's cited sources and references that backed her arguments were compelling. But, there were times where I felt like the language was purposefully dense and complicated—especially in the first two chapters, I felt like I had to reread and reread not just paragraphs, but even just sentences.

I also felt like her actual analysis could have been stronger. There were points where Hong Nguyen would explain her example, link it to the previous research, have a little bit of expansion and move on. There was definitely room for her to expand upon her argument beyond just the source/example and I was itching for it. Her conclusion to me, funny enough, was the strongest to me and I enjoyed her shorter analysis, though she listed several examples of her argument of white women deploying mean girl feminism that weren't previous touched on—which was disappointing as the brief analysis of these examples were so strong.

Overall, I appreciated the message and discussion from Mean Girl Feminism and I think that there's a lot to digest from it. However, I think in terms of the analysis itself, there were opportunities to expand on Hong Nguyen's own voice and argument while making it a little more digestible to other readers.

Hmm.. this took me a while to read. This book has some interesting theories, but it is very scholarly. I felt like I was reading someone's PhD thesis. That considered, the cover is kind of misleading. It is very nice and gripping, so it makes you think you will read a gripping book. But the way the theory is presented is dry. I am also not really on board with trying to prove the theories using fictional movies and TV-series, which are often very dramatized. I don't feel like these situations are often in our daily lives, so why try to prove a point using them?

The theories are quite interesting, but the presentation of the information is not for me.

Thank you to Kim Hong Nguyen, University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I don't think the message of this book got through to me. I've read quite a few feminist books, where the ideas were clear and fluid. I systematically expect to have a book in my hands that speaks to me, that I understand without having to rack my brains too much, especially when it's a book that aims to educate and inform people about a social issue. I didn't find any of that here. From the very first pages, the writing style is jerky, with convoluted terms that sometimes mean nothing when put side by side. The scientific aspect has clearly not been adapted for a general audience, and that's a shame because it's a subject that could be of interest to many people. But personally, I just couldn't get into it.