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Got the basics down? Or are you just looking for inspiration? Here are some more books,movies and television series that I hope will tickle your fancy.
Note: this is not a definitive list. Changes and additions may occur in the future.
We Should All Be Feminists (2013) - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
One of the very few talks within the humongous plathora of talks TEDx has to offer that actually had a palpable impact, We Should All Be Feminists ignited a new passion for gender equality in many 21st century women (and men) all over the world. With tongue in cheek humour, Ngozi Adichie told us what it is like to be a feminist today. The speech that she gave to us in 2012 was turned into a little booklet a year later and is an incredibly accesible way to understand feminism in the new millennium. It covers identity, intersectionality and the female experience, with which the author explains to us the pivotal point that we have created a culture together in which women are not treated as full human beings. If you have never read about feminism before, this booklet is an excellent start!
Buy a copy here or watch the original TEDx speech here.
Also, check out some of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's other works here.
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Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022) - Sophie Hyde
with Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack
A retired teacher (Emma Thomspon) and a sex worker (Daryl McCorcmack) meet in a hotel room. She has been a widow for two years. He has been hired to enhance her sexual experience. She is very nervous. He is all calmness. She shares details about her personal life. He does so but sparingly. She has given a false name. So has he. And yet, the two find their own form of intimacy together, which brings about a life-changing experience
To read my extended review on this wonderful movie, click here.
Fresh (2022) - Mimi Cave
with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, e.a.
Just when she thought dating could not get any worse, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) falls for Steve (Sebastian Stan), who happens to be the creepiest guy on the planet. First time director Mimi Cave juxtaposes both the intoxicating highs and the horrible lows of the 21st century dating reality for women, playing with the expectations, clichés, hopes and fears that are all too familiar to the audience. The result is this genius terrifyingly hillarious grindhouse thriller, that will have you simultaneously cry from laughter and scream of terror.
Watch the movie on Hulu or Disney+.
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Fleabag (2016-2019) - Phoebe Waller-Bridge
with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, e.a.
Screenwriter and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge is giving you a look inside the head of a young woman, known only as Fleabag. Why is she called that? Well, even though her uptight succesful sister, her c*nt of a godmother and her alcoholic brother-in-law seem like some of the biggest arseholes on the planet, Fleabag is by far the worst person you will ever meet. Once upon a time, she was a more kind-hearted woman. But the grief over her deceased mother and best friend, has made it difficult for Fleabag to let people get close to her, using the audience as a means to avoid improving the relationships with the people around her.
Watch the series on Amazon Prime Video.
Buy the DVD here.
Sex and the City (1998-2004) - Darren Star
with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall
Although some may say that Sex and the City hasn't exactly aged like a fine wine, this series was by no means revolutionary in depicting succesful single women, who openly talked about their sexuality and their experiences. Over six seasons, we followed the lives of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York and Samantha Jones, as they roamed New York City in search for designer fashion, sex and love.
Girls (2013-2018) - Lena Dunham
with Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, and Zosia Mamet
Mad Men (2007-2015) - Matthew Wiener
with Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, e.a.
Yes, I know. This series is predominantly about Don Draper's (Jon Hamm) crippling self-doubts, as he solidifies his image as a self-made man, while his past is catching up with him. Some would argue, however, that his protegé Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) is just as much a protagonist in this story as he is. Maybe even a better one. And she is surrounded by many other well-written, rounded female characters - Joan Holloway, Betty Draper and Sally Draper, just to name a few - who are all following a specific trajectory that are reminiscent of the different paths women walked when the male-dominated workplace in the United States was opening up to women.
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