Synopses & Reviews
"I have been stunned to see the growing misogyny in our culture, and even more shocked to see how little women seem to care about their degradation."--Shmuley Boteach, in Hating Women
Even a cursory look at our popular culture reveals an alarming trend of misogyny. Look closer, and it becomes clear that men alone are not to blame; women themselves are playing into the hands of the money-grubbing, morally bankrupt, sex-obsessed culture that is exploiting them as the ultimate cheap commodity. Shmuley Boteach, the bestselling author and leading national radio host, is all for women embracing their feminine power, but he observes that many women are, if effect, doing just the opposite. Paris Hilton actively exposes her flesh and ignorance in equal parts. Pop music princesses like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson rely far more on shameless exhibitionism than musical talent. And look at all the reality television shows -- from The Bachelor, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? and Average Joe to Extreme Makeover -- that boost their ratings by portraying women as viciously competitive, desperate for celebrity and riches, imbecilic and ignorant, and all too eager to serve themselves up as generic eye-candy for men. Meanwhile, girls and women across the country are following this lead.
In ages past, women were venerated for their nobility, dignity, grace, inner strength, and nurturing qualities, but contemporary society is rapidly reversing those ideals -- as well as all the social progress that women have made in recent decades. Today, women typically confuse freedom and power for promiscuity and exploitation, and allow men to treat them as objects of sexual gratification -- not as admirable human beings who have the ability to elevate the whole of society.
In Hating Women, Boteach asserts that four vulgar archetypes of women have come to saturate our culture: the Greedy Gold Digger, the Publicity Seeking Prostitute, the Brainless Bimbo, and the Backstabbing Bitch. But the nefarious archetypes don't stop with women; they breed and encourage four equally offensive types of men: the Crotch-Scratcher, the Harem Gatherer, the Selfish Spouse, and the Porn Addict. Misogyny, in the guise of entertainment, is reaching a fever pitch, and we are on the verge of a social crisis.
Boteach envisions a way to correct this downward spiral -- which he sees as far more than just a feminist issue. Now is the time, he says, for men to start respecting women and for women to start respecting themselves. Women must band together and fight back for their rightful place of honor. For anyone who has ever wondered where our popular culture is taking us, Hating Women is at once an electrifying social commentary and a clarion call for change.
Synopsis
From the author of the internationally bestselling
Kosher Sex. A wake-up call about the growing trend of misogyny in our culture-as evidenced by the flood of reality TV shows, ads, and lyrics that portray women as brainless bimbos, or worse
Shmuley Boteach, the social commentator and outspoken relationship guru, shares his grave concerns about our society's growing contempt for women. Turn on the television: Reality TV shows such as The Bachelor, For Love or Money, and Average Joe boost their ratings by showing attractive women in competition for one man, one man's money, or both. On a "quest for true love," these women quickly devolve into a pit of vipers-and millions of Americans tune in each week for more. During commercial breaks, women are objectified to sell beer, cars, and every other product under the sun. Flip on the radio: Women are bitches, hos, and gold diggers, at least if you listen to the rap lyrics pumping out into our mass consciousness. And female pop stars like Britney and Madonna, says Boteach, have pushed the envelope past provocative and into the downright pornographic. 'Tween girls across the country follow their lead, and standards for how women should be treated plummet.
Perhaps one of the most troubling aspects of this trend, he says, is women's complicity in their own degradation. Either they've become resigned to base stereotypes, or worse, they've bought into these mass market values (hence the deluge of shows like The Swan and Extreme Makeover, on which female contestants insist they need a new nose, teeth, or boobs to feel a positive sense of self-esteem). "There are strong consequences," writes Boteach, "in a world where men have no respect for women and women have no respect for themselves."
Greedy gold diggers, brainless bimbos, publicity prostitutes, and backstabbing bitches-are these the stereotypes we want our sons and daughters bombarded by as they grow up? Hating Women offers a vision of how we can correct this downward spiral-along with a strong argument for why we absolutely must.
About the Author
Shmuley Boteach is host of the daily national radio program The Rabbi Shmuley Show on Oprah & Friends and Sirius XM Satellite Radio and host of the award-winning national television show Shalom in the Home on TLC. He is also the international bestselling author of twenty books, including the New York Times bestselling Kosher Sex and Ten Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children. In 2007, Boteach was labeled "a cultural phenomenon" and "the most famous rabbi in America" by Newsweek, and was also named one of the ten most influential rabbis in America. He has been profiled in many of the world's leading publications, including Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, London Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post. Shmuley and his wife, Debbie, have nine children.