Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls' Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes

By Guerrilla Girls

Whatever life a woman leads, from biker chick to society girl, there's a stereotype she'll have to live down. The Guerrilla Girls, notorious for their outrageous take on women's issues, now tackle the maze of stereotypes that follow women from cradle to grave. With subversive use of information and great visuals they explore the history and significance of stereotypes like Old Maid, Trophy Wife, and Prostitute with a Heart of Gold. They tag the Top Types, examine sexual slurs, explain the evolution of butches and femmes, and delve into the lives of real and fictional women who have become stereotypes, from Aunt Jemima to Tokyo Rose to June Cleaver. The Guerrilla Girls' latest assault on injustice towards women will make people laugh, make them mad, and maybe even make them change their minds."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142001015
• ISBN13: 9780142001011
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.0" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Primer on Female Stereotypes

This is an excellent and easy to read primer for anyone wanting to look into the stereotyping of women. A variety of categories women are lumped into are examined, illustrated, and explained in all their sexist histories. Using biting sarcasm touched with humor, the Guerrilla Girls explain how stereotypes have affected women though time. Tips for how to overcome or remove stereotypes are also scattered throughout the book. For a light yet revealing introduction to feminism and the stereotyping of woman, you can't find a better and more entertaining book. The last few pages also feature tools to create your own feminist subversions and a thorough bibliography for further research.

Good book for smart women!

This book details some of the stereotypes faced by women. I use it in my college classes. The most interesting part is in the back on the book where they describe stereotypes like Barbie Dolls. This book really makes you think about what it means to be a woman and how men try to put us into these catagories. So read the book, shake things up, and confuse the guys by not giving them what they're looking for!

Great book! Don't be put off by the topic or by its brevity

Whether you are male or female, pro-feminist or not you will enjoy this book.Most of the observations are right on the money, and the use of images mixed with text to illustrate their case makes for engaging reading.Consequently, this book says more and says it better in its 96 pages than many other "scholarly" works have tried to do in ten times that many pages.You don't have to agree with everything the authors say to enjoy this book (My personal thoughts are that men can be just as negatively harmed by stereotypes as women can be, and that not all of the stereotypes they describe are as negative as they make them out to be), but most will find this engaging and enlightening reading.

Guerrilla Girls ROCK

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the Guerrilla Girls a few years back when I lived in LA. These chicks ROCK! Performance artists/feminists who push the envelope in the best way possible...with lots & lots of humor! This book is a fun & informing collection of female stereotypes from Aunt Jemima to the Flapper, the Vamp to the Diva, Suzie Wong to the Soccer Mom. It's all covered, and quite hilariously I might add. In addition to the Guerrilla Girls, I also suggest you elighten yourselves with other great artists such as Dara Birnbaum, Joan Jonas and Leslie Singer.

Enjoyable!!

Oh, I wish, I wish this book was longer. I almost hesitated to buy it..but I'm glad I did. It's like a funky history of all the female stereotypes that have been pinned on all of us since birth.Colorful and funny and very informative!