Girls, Interrupted: How Pop Culture Is Failing Women

The past decade has seen a rise in documentaries, memoirs and podcasts that revisit the legacies of women wronged by pop culture. With movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp challenging long-standing narratives around female celebrities, it’s no surprise so many believe the representation of women in the media has improved. In her scathingly witty collection of essays, Girls, Interrupted: How Pop Culture is Failing Women, Lisa Whittington-Hill argues otherwise. Pop culture’s treatment of women, writes Whittington-Hill, is still marked by misogyny and misunderstanding. From the gender bias in celebrity memoir coverage to problematic portrayals of middle-aged women and the sexist pressure on female pop stars to constantly reinvent themselves, Girls, Interrupted critically examines how mainstream media keeps failing women and explores what we can do to fix it. A work of searing relevance, this candid and often cathartic debut marks Whittington-Hill as a cultural critic of the first rank.

Reviews

“Lisa Whittington-Hill’s Girls, Interrupted is brilliantly considered, meticulously researched, and laugh-out-loud funny. Her essays deftly connect the dots between Hollywood, the (invariably sexist) media we consume, and the impossible, punishing standards to which we hold women. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how pop culture affects our everyday lives, for better and, often, for worse.”–Lauren McKeon, author of No More Nice Girls

“Lisa Whittington-Hill’s pop culture writing is unmatched in its infectious enthusiasm. Through fresh takes on beloved icons, up-to-the-moment references, and one-liners worthy of a nineties heroine, Girls, Interrupted offers a vital correction to the way our culture has long misread women’s art and lives. Double standards don’t stand a chance against this book.”–Tajja Isen, author of Some of My Best Friends