Wolf Whistle Politics: The New Misogyny in America Today

by Naomi Wolf (Introduction), Diane Wachtell (Editor)

Overview

The 2016 election year may be remembered as a year to forget, but for American women in politics and feminists alike it was unforgettably distressing—a flash point illuminating both the true state of play for women in public life and feminist politics in the early twenty-first century.

Wolf Whistle Politics is a book that tries to account for, contextualize, and even make some sense out of this trying political chapter in American history. With an introduction by Naomi Wolf and pieces by leading journalists and essayists ranging from Lindy West’s “Donald and Billy on the Bus,” to Amy Davidson’s “What Wendy Davis Stood For,” and Rhon Manigault-Bryant’s “Open Letter to White, Liberal Feminists,” this collection comprises the best political reporting and socio-historical analysis on everything from the contentious meaning of a potential first female president to the misogynist overtones of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s electoral defeat by Donald Trump; from rape culture to reproductive rights; Pantsuit Nation to poor women of color; media double standards to hashtag activism.

Together these pieces form a constellation aptly symbolized by the lascivious “wolf whistle,” a demeaning, sexually loaded catcall which, unlike the racial “dog whistle,” has nothing subtle or covert about it. Wolf Whistle Politics shines a bright light on the complex relationship between women and politics today, reflecting on what we lost, what we won, and what we can do to move forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620973523
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	05/23/2017
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. Naomi Wolf is a leading author and activist whose books include The Beauty Myth and Vagina. She lives in New York City.

Diane Wachtell is the executive director of The New Press. She lives in New York.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction by Naomi Wolf
I. Presidential Politics
“The Woman Card” by Jill Lepore
“The Woman's Party” by Namara Smith
“Which Women Support Hillary (and Which Women Can’t Afford To)” by Sarah Leonard
“Black Feminists Don’t Owe Hillary Clinton Their Support” by Kirsten West Savali
“Feminism at the Polls” by Liza Featherstone
“Don’t Call Clinton a Weak Candidate: It Took Decades of Scheming to Beat Her” by Rebecca Solnit

II. Sexism and Misogyny
“Donald and Billy on the Bus” by Lindy West
“At Least Six Women Have Accused Trump of Sexual Misconduct” by Joan Walsh
“Why We Trust Donald Trump’s Accusers but Didn’t Believe Bill Clinton’s” by Caitlin Flanagan
“Hillary Clinton Has One More Badly Behaved Man Left to Vanquish” by Katha Pollitt

III. Women and Governance
“Wolf Whistle Politics: Taking Back the Conversation to Advance Women’s Rights” by Wendy Davis
“What Wendy Davis Stood For” by Amy Davidson
“How Can We Get More Women in Elected Office? Look to New Hampshire” by Rebecca Hellmich
“Women Actually Do Govern Differently” by Claire Miller
“The Senate Bathroom Angle” by Gail Collins

IV. Moving Forward
“The Men Feminists Left Behind” by Jill Filipovic
“An Open Letter to White Liberal Feminists” by LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant
“Rights Make Might” by Yasmin Nair
“Identity Issues Don’t Distract from Economic Issues—They Are Economic Issues” by Rebecca Traister
“Political Correctness: How the Right Invented a Phantom Enemy” by Moira Weigel

V. What Happens Next?
“Feminism Lost. Now What?” by Susan Chira
“Dispatch from the Women’s March on Washington” by Naomi Wolf
“Thirteen Women Who Should Run in 2020” by Amy Davidson
“How a Fractious Women's Movement Came to Lead the Left” by Amanda Hess