How to be a Woman - Caitlin Moran

It sometimes happens that you read a book and get that ‘yeah that’s right!’ feeling. You find yourself agreeing with the author not because they present a new way of looking at something but because they are describing what you already know but hadn’t articulated, even to yourself.

I can only think of a handful of times this happened to me – with Richard Neville’s ‘Playpower’ in 1970, George Woodcock’s ‘Anarchism’, Naiomi Klein’s ‘No Logo’ in (not that I managed to finish either of those!) and now with Caitlin Moran’s ‘How to be a Woman’.

Contrary to what you might think, I did not order this from the library for tips. I don’t have any gender identity issues, not that I have a problem with those individuals who do. Though I do think it would be more interesting to be a woman. (They are such a cool shape! The biology is fascinating – they can grow babies! And don’t get me started on the orgasms. Admittedly the periods might be a bit inconvenient I guess) No - I wanted to read “How to be a Woman” on the basis of a review which described it as ‘part memoir and part rant’ but crucially also said it was very funny.

And it is all of these things.

Moran is a down-to-earth writer who tells it like it is. And like it is in the world of her imagination. She talks about her family, her adolescent years, and her first job at Melody Maker, then marriage and childbirth. Mixed in with the anecdotes are her views on feminism, sexism, weddings, porn, body hair, fashion, abortion, plastic surgery, celebrity , having kids and not having kids. She lost me in her ‘what I’ve learned about clothes’, mostly because I didn’t know what some of the words meant, but she’s so right about everything else that I’d take the lot on faith, even “Silver lamé is a neutral”.

She’s easy to read! She’s funny! (She made me laugh out loud at least twice.) She’s honest! She swears! She even feels that same way about Jenny Agutter that I do! She’s gone to the top of my list of ‘dream dinner party guests’!

I went out and bought 2 copies of this book to give to people. (They hated it!)

My only problem with Ms Moran is that she writes for the Times and not the Guardian. So I don’t get to read her columns. Must check if there’s an anthology.