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author

...also btw there is a Goodreads giveaway for the Whipping Girl 3rd edition – you have until Jan 31st to sign up for a chance to win a free copy, here's how:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/378984-whipping-girl-a-transsexual-woman-on-sexism-and-the-scapegoating-of-fem

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founding
Mar 6Liked by Julia Serano

I am using Sexed Up in my Intro to Women’s and Gender studies but might “switch” to Whipping Girl for the Fall! So excited to have these choices from the brain of Julia Serano!

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author

very glad to hear you've been using Sexed Up in your class! use whichever book works best for you!

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founding

I have the second edition -- it sits just to the right of my computer! I didn't realize it was the second edition when I bought it.

I have to say, my immediate reading of the 3rd ed cover -- coupled with the title -- is heavy BDSM vibes which, since I've read the book, kind of sits weirdly with what I know the content to be... But it certainly is eye-catching so I'll give your publisher that.

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author

That hadn't crossed my mind, but I can understand that interpretation given the title – people have told me that from the title alone they initially thought it was a BDSM-themed book. Good thing books have subtitles haha! I think people's reactions to the cover will depend a lot on their view of fishnets. I've always associated them with alternative subcultures like punk, grunge, goth, etc. where they are viewed as "edgy." I prefer this to a more conventional "pretty in pink" depiction of femininity, which I explicitly told my publishers I did not want. But I know other people may view fishnets as "sexy" or "fetishy" which can lead to different interpretations of the cover. Frankly, nearly any depiction of femininity is going to lead some people to view it as inherently artificial and/or sexual – the only way to escape that would be to show a woman wearing Chuck Taylors or Doc Martens, but then it's not really depicting femininity. I've thought about this a ton and have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect cover, other than another text-only version (which my publisher wanted to avoid)...

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