I should begin by crediting my friend Annie for inspiring the creation of this newsletter. 

A few months ago, I was mouthing off on Twitter—quelle surprise—about the new Caitlin Moran book, What About Men?. I hadn’t actually read the book, but I was enjoying the various takedowns of it that were being published by other men. I think I was trying to express my frustration that a woman was writing about the lived experience of men, while acknowledging she had no idea what it’s like to be a man. What right did she have to assess what it’s like to be a man, let alone tell us how to do it better?

Annie was kind/patient enough to message me privately to challenge my take on the book – like me, she’s the mum of a young son and understandably concerned about his future. Unlike me, she’d actually read the book. She made some really good points in our discussion about what Moran has to say about the issues facing men, and the fact that prominent mainstream feminists are now speaking out about them. I promised her I’d read the book and get back to her.