Jill Gutowitz, the 'self-proclaimed overlord of lesbian Twitter,' takes readers on a thrilling excavation of lesbian pop culture and examines the way lesbian representation in media has directly impacted the way she views her own sexuality. From a young age, Gutowitz has been obsessed with celebrities, and she has channeled that obsession into a thriving writing career, sharing hilarious insights ... Through the refreshing, laugh-out-loud essays of Girls Can Kiss Now, Gutowitz proves she is still the reigning queen of it all. Every essay expertly envelops you in her 'celesbian' world. Endlessly engaging the whole way through, she demonstrates how pop culture has evolved from the 'coded queerness' it once perpetuated to a more outright embrace of LGBTQ identities ... The book is a perfect combination of humor and sincerity, of wit, self-deprecation, and most importantly, self-love.
Where queerness and pop culture meet, you will find writer Jill Gutowitz. And it's that intersection she deftly explores in her debut book...with a sharp wit and an even sharper pen. Between every one-liner and guffaw, Gutowitz delivers not just herself, but universal truths everyone can relate to ... while she certainly does not claim to represent everyone, Gutowitz's writing and ability to find humor in her life's experiences transcend labels. Hers is a refreshing perspective, one often overlooked ... Gutowitz takes a comedic approach to recounting her formative years in the late aughts, producing a smart, searing look at a time and place that did not bring out the best in us culturally ... Gutowitz's humorous missives on sex, politics and pop culture continue a tradition of women reaching out through their own stories to give new generations a voice to relate to as well.
Gutowitz’s debut collection of essays is witty and wonderfully woven together ... Gutowitz is not ashamed to admit her own ingrained homophobia that she is always working her way through. This brutal honesty only makes her more likeable. Reading the essays is like Gutowitz is bombarding you with one big dramatic monologue. There is so much she needs to get off her chest—and I was more than happy to listen and learn ... She has skilfully used the trauma, her pop culture obsession, and her writing talents to combine a collection of essays that will leave you questioning the ingrained homophobia next time you sit down to watch a 2000’s Rom-Com.
The personal essays in Gutowitz’s first book examine pop culture through a lens of evolving lesbian identity and range in tone from self-deprecating snark to cotton-candy light to truly profound ... The collection is both interesting and uneven. Claiming a difference in intention, one ultimately unconvincing essay attempts to separate the ethics of her own speculation on celebrity sexuality for profit from the cruel-toned blog of Perez Hilton. Yet, another, stunning piece is a letter to the author’s younger self ... Readers who recall where they were during iconic moments like when Orange is the New Black debuted or when paparazzi pictures of Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson arguing were published will relish reliving their importance with Gutowitz.
At its best, the prose shines with humor, vulnerability, and poignancy. Particularly noteworthy is the chapter detailing Gutowitz’s experience with sexual assault, which is written in the form of a letter to her past self, both formally inventive and searingly personal. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency to consistently center Whiteness and to avoid intersectional analysis makes the book feel somewhat superficial and outdated. A witty essay collection about pop culture and queerness that privileges Whiteness to its disadvantage.
Journalist Gutowitz debuts with an incisive and funny collection of essays on coming of age as a queer woman in the early 2000s ... Gutowitz blends candid reflections on the experience of being closeted with witty analysis on how the media affects one’s perception of the world. Fans of the personal essay will be eager to see what Gutowitz does next.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
