It’s to Gilbert’s credit that she makes a cohesive history emerge from this morass of references...that arise out of this era ... Throughout, her organization is as confident and nimble as her arguments ... The informed and persuasive essays in Girl on Girl stand alone, even as they build on one another. A chapter on the early years of reality television is exceptional ... This ground is well-trod, but rarely trod so well. Gilbert knows when to supply deft nuance.
Indisputably clear ... Chapter by chapter, Gilbert methodically shows how the backlash against second- and third-wave and riot grrrl feminism fueled the rise of incel culture, trad wives, the stay-at-home girlfriends on TikTok, and much more. There is a lot to unpack here, but it is well worth the effort.
Gilbert retreats from voicing her full indignation ... I finished Girl on Girl struck by Gilbert’s skilful marshalling of evidence and elegant writing, but looking for a bolder claim about where the real problem lies and what can be done about it.
A carefully buttressed and sharply written analysis that takes into account a dizzying number of cultural products and characters ... Truly, Gilbert deserves a medal—not only for her observations and conclusions, but for navigating the sludge she had to wade through to get there. Essential cultural criticism. But brace yourself—it ain’t pretty.
