Feminist Library - Part V
Review of *(Mal) Educadas* by Florencia Freijo
Continuing the series of book reviews on feminism, in this post I’ll briefly tell you about *(Mal) Educadas* by Florencia Freijo.
(Mal) Educadas is the author’s second book, and it continues along the path she began in her first book, *Solas (aún acompañadas)*, which I’ve also reviewed here on the blog.
*Solas (aún acompañadas)* focuses on the mental load that women bear in our daily lives, while *(Mal) Educadas* offers an overview of how women have been raised to accept this mental load as something natural.
In a very engaging tone, the author takes us on a historical journey that demonstrates how prejudices and stereotypes about women were formed and established as key elements of patriarchy. This historical journey is also cultural, and the book cites many examples: the family as an institution that serves patriarchy (and capitalism), the beauty industry, romantic love as an absolute ideal, the toy industry that trains girls to be caregivers, social media, and the mandate of the “empowered” woman, etc.
One of the points I find most relevant is the idea that women were silenced for a large part of history. And this is relevant because in this “new awakening” of feminism, the emphasis is often placed on everything we women have to do to “carve out our place,” without considering that men have explicitly denied us that place. Women have always “wanted to be there,” but we were systematically denied that place; we were silenced, and we were treated as if we were crazy or witches.
I’d like to point out that the author draws on an extensive bibliography that encourages readers to explore the topics she addresses further. Although I have already read much of the cited bibliography (many of which are classic works on feminism), the synthesis presented here is original, written in a very warm style that, through anecdotes and a highly personal approach, cuts through the statistics and historical facts to strike a deep chord with readers.
Without a doubt, this is a highly recommended read that invites reflection and encourages us to question many aspects of our daily lives that we take for granted.
Until next time!