It actually sounds really easy: a woman is talented and smart, so she can make it to the very top. But often enough that one spot is already taken because there seems to be an incredibly stupid rule according to which one woman is enough, we don’t need more. Pointedly, unequivocally, and at the same time hilariously, the great comedian, singer, actress, and feminist writes that it is way past due to throw out the old (men’s) rules.
Wherever you look, it’s always that one woman who prevails. In the Bible, it’s the Virgin Mary – and that’s where the whole disaster began. In fairy tales, there’s always the one princess, very beautiful and very stupid. We’ll skip sinful Eve from the Bible and the evil stepmother or witch since they’re only meant to serve as examples of what happens when women strive for power: they are thrown out of paradise or burned. Steeped in these influences, women are released into life, and then we act surprised when they’re constantly competing for these limited spots – as if they were bitchy by nature and had themselves to blame for this rivalry.
Carolin Kebekus closes in on this evil specter, examining old and new stories to show why it is drummed into us women that we have to compete for that one spot. An incredibly important book, as enlightening as it is entertaining.
