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Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud

The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman

About The Book

**A Stylist Book Club pick**

'In a time when women are under constant attack, I am so grateful for Anne Helen Petersen's sharp and topical book. Petersen nails the magnetism of women who break boundaries and the punishment that often comes along with it. All women will see a bit of themselves in the "unruly"' Jessica Valenti, New York Times-bestselling author of Sex Object


You know the type: the woman who won't shut up, who flaunts it, who's too brazen, too opinionated – too much. Sometimes, she's the life of the party; others, she's the focus of gossip. She's the unruly woman, and she's one of the most provocative, powerful forms of womanhood today.

The unruly woman has been around for as long as there have been boundaries of what constitutes acceptable 'feminine' behaviour – that is, for ever – but these days she is more visible and less easily dismissed than ever before. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, cultural critic and Buzzfeed writer Anne Helen Petersen explores 'unruliness' through the lens of eleven pop culture powerhouses, including Serena Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Caitlyn Jenner and Lena Dunham. Petersen examines why our culture loves to love and berate these controversial figures for being 'too' something: too queer, too strong, too naked, too old, too shrill, too much. This is an incisive, candid, conversation starting analysis of the part influential women play in redefining contemporary femininity.

'An oasis in a world of hot takes, a set of crisp essays on the provocateurs who fascinate and enrage us. With warmth and wit, Anne Helen Petersen celebrates the power of being just a little too much, seeking the rebel inside the trainwreck' Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker critic

'Raucous and smart . . . Because these criticisms are, writ large, the same ones flung daily at non-celeb women, the book is a timely and essential read' US Elle


'Anne Helen Petersen's gloriously bumptious, brash ode to nonconforming women suits the needs of this dark moment . . . Crucial reading' Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies

About The Author

© Charles Aydlett

Anne Helen Petersen is an author and journalist who writes about culture, celebrity and feminism for Buzzfeed News. She received her PhD from the University of Texas. She is the author of Scandals of Classic Hollywood, and Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is her second book. She lives in Brooklyn.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Scribner UK (September 21, 2017)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781471171772

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Raves and Reviews

'In a time when women are under constant attack, I am so grateful for Anne Helen Petersen's sharp and topical book. Petersen nails the magnetism of women who break boundaries and the punishment that often comes along with it. All women will see a bit of themselves in the "unruly"'

– Jessica Valenti, New York Times-bestselling author of Sex Object

'An oasis in a world of hot takes, a set of crisp essays on the provocateurs who fascinate and enrage us. With warmth and wit, Anne Helen Petersen celebrates the power of being just a little too much, seeking the rebel inside the trainwreck'

– Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker critic

'Raucous and smart . . . Because these criticisms are, writ large, the same ones flung daily at non-celeb women, the book is a timely and essential read'

– US Elle

'Anne Helen Petersen's gloriously bumptious, brash ode to non-conforming women suits the needs of this dark moment . . . Crucial reading'

– Rebecca Traister, New York Times-bestselling author of All the Single Ladies

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