Guerrilla Girls Book Report

In the book, Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes, I was very surprised by the "Tomboy" stereotype. When I think of a tomboy, I think of a girl who loves to play sports, doesn't mind getting down and dirty and may prefer to dress casual instead of wearing dresses or skirts. I have always thought of my own daughter as a tomboy. She would much rather throw on a pair of sweats, jeans or shorts instead of a dress and softball is her life! I found it very interesting that in the Guerrilla Girls' book, the tomboy dates all the way back to the 16th century. I was unaware that the tomboy was a "young guy who drank too much and carried on with wenches" (Guerrilla Girls, 14). The term tomboy did …show more content…
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the Jewish American Princess can be described as "a stereotypical well-to-do or spoiled American Jewish girl or woman" ("Jewish American Princess" Merriam-Webster). Jewish American Princesses or "JAP," for short, are Jewish girls who come from environments in which they do not have to do anything for themselves. They are spoiled daddy's girls. They do not work and expect men to always take care of them. Jewish American princesses tend to come from Northeastern parts of the United States, such as New York, New Jersey, and other parts of the tri-state area. After World War II, several Jewish male writers made this particular stereotype popular. In 1955, Herman Wouk penned the novel, Marjorie Morningstar and in 1958, Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood starred in a same-name movie version of this novel. Also, in 1959, Philip Roth wrote the novel, Goodbye Columbus which also helped to popularize the Jewish American Princess stereotype. Goodbye Columbus was also made into a film by the same name in 1969, starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw. According to "Tablet Magazine," the Jewish American Princess is described as "[t]he girl (yes, she was always a girl, even when she was a woman) Jewish men loved to hate, she was unavoidable: loud-mouthed, aggressive [and] materialistic" ("Jewish American Princess"). "Tablet Magazine" also describes a Jewish American Princess as "an important American pioneer in the use (and abuse) of cosmetic surgery" ("Jewish American Princess"). The Jewish American Princess is also considered to be unrealistic and manipulative resulting in a defective, inadequate love life. Interestingly enough, growing up, I must have had a spoiled, "cater to me" personality, because my father often referred to me in jest as the "Jewish Princess." I never knew what that term meant, but now I