rideonmidnightcowgirl:

I think the difference between the way people look at stuff by/about men and women is like…women’s stuff is about the surface and men’s stuff is about the foundations. A man and a woman could both write something about an abusive husband but the man would be received as talking about cruelty and a woman would be received as making a social critique. the reception of works by and about women constantly ties them to aspects of the social and to feminism and denies our humanity by refusing to acknowledge our experiences can be universal. Because women aren’t fully human our experiences can never reflect the human condition and must only be relatable to other women. It’s a difficult trend to spot if you pick and choose specific books…like of course some things get critical acclaim and things fall through the cracks but on a broader scale that pattern is undeniable