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Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers

Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power
Politics & SocietyPsychology
Pages
300
Published
2019
Language
English

Synopsis

This book explores the female dark side, as represented by female monsters across pop culture, from biblical figures to modern film. It examines how these figures express taboo truths about female life and femininity, embodying patriarchal fears and the pressures women face in a sexist society. This is a curious look at the women we fear and what they reveal about navigating a dangerous world.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkThought-ProvokingInformativeIntellectual
Anti-Hero

Genres

Politics & Society Psychology Sociology

Authors

J
Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Jude Ellison S. Doyle is an American author, columnist and comic book writer. They are non-binary and use he/him and they/them pronouns. Jude Doyle also founded the feminist blog Tiger Beatdown in 2008, led several social media awareness campaigns, including #MooreandMe and #MenCallMeThings, won the Women's Media Center’s first Social Media Award in 2011, and was a founding staffer at Rookie Magazine.

Frequently asked questions

  • How is the book structured?

    The book is organized into three distinct thematic sections corresponding to stages of female life: daughters, wives, and mothers [1.1.8]. Each section analyzes specific pop culture, historical, and mythological figures to show how patriarchal society constructs and fears female monstrosity at each stage.

  • What real-world figures and cases are analyzed in the text?

    The text examines a wide range of real-world figures and true crime cases, including Mary Shelley's experiences with childbirth, the tragic exorcism of Anneliese Michel, and Augusta Gein, the domineering mother of serial killer Ed Gein. It also touches on modern cultural phenomena, such as the murder of Hae Min Lee and the subsequent true crime podcast Serial.

  • How does this book connect to the author's other work?

    This is the author's second book, following their debut feminist cultural critique, Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear... and Why. While both books dissect the societal policing of women who violate gender norms, this work shifts its focus specifically toward horror, mythology, and the concept of the female monster.