Unscrewed: Women, Sex, Power, and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All

I was admittedly skeptical of Unscrewed because of the un-subtle title (and sub-title). The introductory chapter only intensified my skepticism because it focused primarily on giving Friedman opportunities to use her obnoxious, self-penned portmanteau, “fauxpowerment.” The idea of “fauxpowerment” itself–that many of the superficial aspects of feminism have been co-opted by capitalism–is valid; it’s just the obnoxiousness of the term and the way that it’s used incessantly throughout the opening chapter that becomes grating.

Fortunately, the book improves significantly after the first chapter. Friedman offers a relevant and well-researched overview of the current state of feminism in the US. She includes both book-based research and profiles of various women who encounter and advocate for feminism in different ways. Friedman’s book does a nice job of discussing how modern feminism’s ideas are appropriated by marketers and corporations in order to profit by appearing to promote female empowerment. In other words, Friedman explores how, as feminism grew in the cultural consciousness, companies moved to monetize and subsequently dilute its ideas. She advocates for learning to recognize and resist these instances of co-opted feminism and reaffirms the ways in which gender disparity persists in modern America and remains woven through nearly every aspect of society. She also discusses goals for advancing modern feminism. The book is somewhat lacking, though, in its discussion of feminism’s shortcomings when it comes to race and racism.

So after a rocky start, Unscrewed proves itself a well-done review of the current state of American feminism.