ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors examine how feminism has become "rotten with perfection" in the kind of expectations that feminists often feel they must meet or exceed. In order to better understand the changing face of feminist rhetoric, they analyze the books that have gained traction in feminist circles and among female readers of all kinds: Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, Issa Rae's The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, Lindy West's Shrill, and Jessica Valenti's Sex Object. They argue that these texts comprise a compelling form of transgression that helps navigate and respond to postfeminist rhetoric and patriarchal discourse. Themes related to expressing imperfection, bravery, witnessing, and confession demonstrate to other feminists and would be feminists that gender justice might be possible, with a little bit of optimism and transgression of ideas, identities, expectations, and self-expression. The confessional style reveals vulnerabilities that reveal imperfections and struggles, but that is precisely the rhetorical connection that audiences crave and enables catharsis.
