Fire with Fire

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Fire with Fire (Magill Book Reviews)

Readers of Naomi Wolf’s first book THE BEAUTY MYTH, in which she detailed the victimization and abuse of women by the media and the cosmetics industry, will be pleasantly surprised by her new book FIRE WITH FIRE, in which the tone of privileged whining has been summarily replaced by the simply stated assertion that women matter. In a truly valiant attempt to rescue the term “feminism” from its recent malaise, Naomi Wolf has had the temerity to take a critical look at the second wave of the women’s movement, and in doing so has given that movement both the respect and the constructive criticism it deserves.

The fundamental argument of FIRE WITH FIRE is that the days for women to gather together and lick their wounds and bemoan their second-class citizenship are over; it is time for women to take responsibility for their own not inconsiderable power and make the world a better place for women—and probably for men as well. To begin with, Wolf believes that what she calls the “Genderquake” is already a reality and that women’s victories in the last few years, including the Family Leave Act, the appointment of a woman as attorney general, the introduction of a federal antistalking bill, the Violence Against Women Act, and a new Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is pro-choice and an expert on sex equality law, all point to the fact that women are gaining power in the public forums of this country for which they must prepare themselves psychically.

After years of victim feminism, such preparation will not be easy or natural. It will require giving up the consensus model of group activity which brought the second wave of the women’s movement to an emotional and political standstill. It will require an admission that women are 51 percent of the population, and that while many are currently economically disadvantaged, they still have the vote as a powerful tool for changing public policy. It will require a recognition that there are male feminists; those wonderful fathers, brothers, sons, lovers, and friends who are a real part of many women’s lives. It will require women to become financially literate, unabashedly proud of their successes, masters of technology, and committed to the simple idea that women have the right to, and are capable of, determining their lives. Naomi Wolf thinks feminism can be fun and her book presents persuasive arguments regarding the future of feminism.