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Single and Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman
From the single ladies of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift songs to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's irreverent television series Fleabag (2016–2019) to as far back as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, the stereotype of the damaged single woman has long pervaded music, books, television, and Hollywood movies. Spinster tropes, witch burnings, and nineteenth-century diagnoses of hysteria have reflected and continue to inform the stories told about society's singletons, most notoriously in the original bunny boiler, Fatal Attraction (1987), and popularized in Single White Female (1992) and Promising Young Woman (2020).
In Single & Psycho, author Caroline Young explores how broader social trends such as the antifeminist backlash of the 1980s, contemporary debates about tradwives and childless cat ladies, and the absence of single women of color on-screen shape the way women are (mis)perceived and (mis)treated. Young weaves the history of a stereotype with her own fight against stigma as a single woman as well as her struggles with infertility, infusing incisive analysis with personal experience in this approachable, savvy exposé of one of mainstream media's most enduring clichés.
Single & How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman is a dynamic addition to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the #MeToo movement and societal expectations of women.
In Single & Psycho, author Caroline Young explores how broader social trends such as the antifeminist backlash of the 1980s, contemporary debates about tradwives and childless cat ladies, and the absence of single women of color on-screen shape the way women are (mis)perceived and (mis)treated. Young weaves the history of a stereotype with her own fight against stigma as a single woman as well as her struggles with infertility, infusing incisive analysis with personal experience in this approachable, savvy exposé of one of mainstream media's most enduring clichés.
Single & How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman is a dynamic addition to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the #MeToo movement and societal expectations of women.
- GenresNonfictionFeminism
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2025
7 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Young
124 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Caroline Young read English at Cambridge University and taught English in Greece and the UK before joining Usborne as a writer and editor. She has written books about a huge variety of subjects, for all ages, and believes it's one of the best jobs in the world. Caroline lives and works on Anglesey in North Wales.
Caroline Young read English at Cambridge University and taught English in Greece and the UK before joining Usborne as a writer and editor. She has written books about a huge variety of subjects, for all ages, and believes it's one of the best jobs in the world. Caroline lives and works on Anglesey in North Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 23, 2025
Single & Psycho was an eye-opening look at how single women have been portrayed in popular culture, and just how negative those portrayals have been over the years. The author weaves in her own experiences throughout, which were genuinely hard-hitting and really helped to underline the points she was making.
It’s a thought-provoking read that gave me a better understanding of the pressure women face to behave in certain ways, and how strongly the media reinforces those expectations. It’s clear a huge amount of research went into the book, which covers a wide range of themes, and it remained easy and enjoyable to read throughout.
It’s also an honest and open account of the author’s relationships and her journey trying for a baby. A really engaging and insightful read.
It’s a thought-provoking read that gave me a better understanding of the pressure women face to behave in certain ways, and how strongly the media reinforces those expectations. It’s clear a huge amount of research went into the book, which covers a wide range of themes, and it remained easy and enjoyable to read throughout.
It’s also an honest and open account of the author’s relationships and her journey trying for a baby. A really engaging and insightful read.
December 1, 2025
I’m really glad I read this book. It was meant to fall into my hands. I first heard about it through a news book letter and thought it sounded great, but I was undecided about whether I’d attend the event. A few days later, the author contacted me about the book! So, many thanks to Caroline for sending me a gratis copy of the book. I told you, I was meant to read it!
For good reason too – this book was fantastic! As someone who hasn’t typically been into film (that has changed this year though, outwith this book), I was really intrigued to find out what I’d missed out and how this medium could add to my growing thoughts around the perception of women and single life. This book didn’t disappoint; it’s such a smart exploration of how pop culture has warped the way we see single women. Even though I wasn’t personally influenced by the specific films Young discusses (I think I’d seen about 2 of the films she mentions in this book, not including one I watched whilst reading this book), I knew these thoughts and portrayals of women, especially single women because they are found in so many aspects of medium and in real life, The book was informative in showcasing how some of these discussions or portrayals in other forms of medium actually started from films, showcasing just how powerful messaging in film can be. My favourite was finding out about the term ‘bunny boiler.’ I’d never even thought to question its origins, and I don’t even know how I know what the term means, but what I didn’t know was how it came about. That moment was such a revelation for me, really showing just how big an effect one moment in a film can have. One very disturbing moment, and now women are reduced to this name if they show the slightest hint of having an emotion. But really, it was so cool to learn this! Young is also great at explaining the plot, tropes and characters within the film, so even if you haven’t seen them, you get the gist of them and see how the subtle messaging seeped into mainstream culture. She also gives cultural context for these films, discussing the social and political climate of the time. What I really like is that we also get to hear about how the actors portraying these women were treated by their colleagues and the media, we get interview snippets and information on their personal lives, and it just seems that in film and real life, people did not take kindly to single women.
The book mentions Fatal Attraction a lot! So much so that I had to go and watch the film about 40% of the way through this because I had to watch this controversial film for myself. As someone watching it in 2025, I have thoughts; however, I feel that had I watched it as a teen, I would have viewed it differently. My current thoughts didn’t change how I saw Young’s commentary on this film and the effect it had on viewers at the time, which I see as a good thing. Young’s points still very much make sense to me, even if I find the film to be wild. I was really shocked at some of the vitriol towards Glen Close and her character, Alex Forrest.
Young takes us through a lot of portrayals in this book, we talk about hag horror, Sex and the City, Insecure, Fleabag, Girls and how each of these genres/shows gives their own take on women and singledom. I think what’s evident to me is that, young or old, no woman is safe from being pitied or seen as having something ‘wrong’ with her, if she isn’t a heterosexual woman with a family.
Throughout the book chapters Young weaves in her own story of singledom and dating, and how the messaging from these films has shaped her and her dating life. This added a really lovely personal element to the book. I found the book to be well-researched, clear, and it gave me a lot to think about in regards to the portrayal of women in film and TV shows and how this has trickled (really chucked down) into the messaging we receive about single life, single women and relationships. There truly was a lot to think about and, quite frankly, be angry about when you realise how pop culture feeds into so much of the negativity we see around women’s independence.
I ended up seeing Young talk about the book as part of the Aye Writes Festival, when I was 75% of the way through the book. She’s brilliant and knowledgeable, and the event was a further discussion of the book. I’m glad to know that despite the messaging stacked against me, I don’t view my singledom as a waiting period or that I’m expiring on a shelf. I’m so glad I read this book, and I want to press it into the hands of most women I know. I also love the title of this book; it’s funny and a warning, and I love it.
For good reason too – this book was fantastic! As someone who hasn’t typically been into film (that has changed this year though, outwith this book), I was really intrigued to find out what I’d missed out and how this medium could add to my growing thoughts around the perception of women and single life. This book didn’t disappoint; it’s such a smart exploration of how pop culture has warped the way we see single women. Even though I wasn’t personally influenced by the specific films Young discusses (I think I’d seen about 2 of the films she mentions in this book, not including one I watched whilst reading this book), I knew these thoughts and portrayals of women, especially single women because they are found in so many aspects of medium and in real life, The book was informative in showcasing how some of these discussions or portrayals in other forms of medium actually started from films, showcasing just how powerful messaging in film can be. My favourite was finding out about the term ‘bunny boiler.’ I’d never even thought to question its origins, and I don’t even know how I know what the term means, but what I didn’t know was how it came about. That moment was such a revelation for me, really showing just how big an effect one moment in a film can have. One very disturbing moment, and now women are reduced to this name if they show the slightest hint of having an emotion. But really, it was so cool to learn this! Young is also great at explaining the plot, tropes and characters within the film, so even if you haven’t seen them, you get the gist of them and see how the subtle messaging seeped into mainstream culture. She also gives cultural context for these films, discussing the social and political climate of the time. What I really like is that we also get to hear about how the actors portraying these women were treated by their colleagues and the media, we get interview snippets and information on their personal lives, and it just seems that in film and real life, people did not take kindly to single women.
The book mentions Fatal Attraction a lot! So much so that I had to go and watch the film about 40% of the way through this because I had to watch this controversial film for myself. As someone watching it in 2025, I have thoughts; however, I feel that had I watched it as a teen, I would have viewed it differently. My current thoughts didn’t change how I saw Young’s commentary on this film and the effect it had on viewers at the time, which I see as a good thing. Young’s points still very much make sense to me, even if I find the film to be wild. I was really shocked at some of the vitriol towards Glen Close and her character, Alex Forrest.
Young takes us through a lot of portrayals in this book, we talk about hag horror, Sex and the City, Insecure, Fleabag, Girls and how each of these genres/shows gives their own take on women and singledom. I think what’s evident to me is that, young or old, no woman is safe from being pitied or seen as having something ‘wrong’ with her, if she isn’t a heterosexual woman with a family.
Throughout the book chapters Young weaves in her own story of singledom and dating, and how the messaging from these films has shaped her and her dating life. This added a really lovely personal element to the book. I found the book to be well-researched, clear, and it gave me a lot to think about in regards to the portrayal of women in film and TV shows and how this has trickled (really chucked down) into the messaging we receive about single life, single women and relationships. There truly was a lot to think about and, quite frankly, be angry about when you realise how pop culture feeds into so much of the negativity we see around women’s independence.
I ended up seeing Young talk about the book as part of the Aye Writes Festival, when I was 75% of the way through the book. She’s brilliant and knowledgeable, and the event was a further discussion of the book. I’m glad to know that despite the messaging stacked against me, I don’t view my singledom as a waiting period or that I’m expiring on a shelf. I’m so glad I read this book, and I want to press it into the hands of most women I know. I also love the title of this book; it’s funny and a warning, and I love it.
October 19, 2025
Refreshing. Stigma. Cultural critique.
This book was a breath of fresh air and unlike anything I have ever read before. Young has filled a gap in the market where the role of being a single woman is explored in its many levels: throughout history, throughout popular culture, throughout society and also through ourselves. As someone who has recently divorced and become single, I found this book riveting and really related to a lot of the ‘otherness’ portrayed. Specifically the ‘bad girl’ compared to the ‘good wife’ I once was. This chapter hit home and was articulated well. I love the way Young not only uses scholarly writing but also brings in anecdotes and wisdom from her own personal life - it balances the literature well and gives the topic some emotional clarity which is needed. Young writes in a way that makes it accessible for all but particularly those interested in this kind of gender studies critique.
The only negative I would pick out is that some of the chapters felt slightly shallow or less specific than it could have been due to Young trying to cover so many genres/ decades etc… Whilst I loved and appreciated the broad range of pop culture and history Young managed to include, I do wish some of the more recent/ current tropes would have been explored deeper but that could be spun into how much I enjoyed the book and just wanted more. Great read and a very interesting take that I would recommend anyone to read to gain some wisdom/ insight.
This book was a breath of fresh air and unlike anything I have ever read before. Young has filled a gap in the market where the role of being a single woman is explored in its many levels: throughout history, throughout popular culture, throughout society and also through ourselves. As someone who has recently divorced and become single, I found this book riveting and really related to a lot of the ‘otherness’ portrayed. Specifically the ‘bad girl’ compared to the ‘good wife’ I once was. This chapter hit home and was articulated well. I love the way Young not only uses scholarly writing but also brings in anecdotes and wisdom from her own personal life - it balances the literature well and gives the topic some emotional clarity which is needed. Young writes in a way that makes it accessible for all but particularly those interested in this kind of gender studies critique.
The only negative I would pick out is that some of the chapters felt slightly shallow or less specific than it could have been due to Young trying to cover so many genres/ decades etc… Whilst I loved and appreciated the broad range of pop culture and history Young managed to include, I do wish some of the more recent/ current tropes would have been explored deeper but that could be spun into how much I enjoyed the book and just wanted more. Great read and a very interesting take that I would recommend anyone to read to gain some wisdom/ insight.
August 10, 2025
Cuando leí el titulo me di cuenta que tenia que leerlo. Y fue correcto. Tenía que leerlo. Este libro es extenso, por momentos tiene mucho texto, mucha explicación y sí.. es necesario.
A lo largo de la historia la figura de una mujer 'soltera' fue cambiando, pero incluso hoy en día me preguntan '¿para cuando el novio?' por suerte dejan de molestarme cuando les comento que estoy bien así, que soy feliz y que no necesariamente necesito una figura al lado mío (sea hombre o mujer) para sentirme plena.
Acá lo que hace Caroline Young es darnos un repaso de la figura femenina soltera en diferentes ámbitos y géneros y cómo es vista. Entre esa info, tambien nos cuenta experiencias personales que enriquecen mucho la lectura y uno realmente se siente acompañado y entendido.
Creo que es un libro que me gustaría tener en fisico y releer varias veces. Abrir en cualquier pagina y leer el apartado y disfrutar de la escritura de Young.
Muchas gracias University Press of Kentucky por el arc que leí en netgalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
A lo largo de la historia la figura de una mujer 'soltera' fue cambiando, pero incluso hoy en día me preguntan '¿para cuando el novio?' por suerte dejan de molestarme cuando les comento que estoy bien así, que soy feliz y que no necesariamente necesito una figura al lado mío (sea hombre o mujer) para sentirme plena.
Acá lo que hace Caroline Young es darnos un repaso de la figura femenina soltera en diferentes ámbitos y géneros y cómo es vista. Entre esa info, tambien nos cuenta experiencias personales que enriquecen mucho la lectura y uno realmente se siente acompañado y entendido.
Creo que es un libro que me gustaría tener en fisico y releer varias veces. Abrir en cualquier pagina y leer el apartado y disfrutar de la escritura de Young.
Muchas gracias University Press of Kentucky por el arc que leí en netgalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
October 15, 2025
I picked this up because the title caught my eye, and I’m so glad I did. It’s smart, honest, and surprisingly emotional. Caroline Young dives deep into how single women have been portrayed in pop culture from old novels to modern movies and how those portrayals still affect how people see us today.
As a Swiftie, I loved how Taylor Swift’s music was mentioned. Her songs have always made me feel empowered and understood, and this book shows how artists like her challenge outdated ideas about single women.
The writing is clear and thoughtful, mixing history, media analysis, and the author’s own experiences.
This book made me look at familiar stories in a new way. It’s perfect for anyone who’s ever felt judged for being single or just wants to understand how media shapes our views.
As a Swiftie, I loved how Taylor Swift’s music was mentioned. Her songs have always made me feel empowered and understood, and this book shows how artists like her challenge outdated ideas about single women.
The writing is clear and thoughtful, mixing history, media analysis, and the author’s own experiences.
This book made me look at familiar stories in a new way. It’s perfect for anyone who’s ever felt judged for being single or just wants to understand how media shapes our views.
July 11, 2025
Thank you, Caroline Young ( @carolinejillyoung ), for sending me a copy of your new book, Single & Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman (out now).
Young combs through movies, tv, and books, to show examples of how single women have been portrayed as damaged, hysterical, or spinsters. From the murderous Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to uber pop star Taylor Swift, Young describes how single women are perceived and mistreated.
While I loved the pop culture aspect of this book, my favorite part was the personal stories Young wrote about herself and her singleness. Her personal stories really made the book for me.
Young combs through movies, tv, and books, to show examples of how single women have been portrayed as damaged, hysterical, or spinsters. From the murderous Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to uber pop star Taylor Swift, Young describes how single women are perceived and mistreated.
While I loved the pop culture aspect of this book, my favorite part was the personal stories Young wrote about herself and her singleness. Her personal stories really made the book for me.
October 19, 2025
This book was amazing and truly unique, I don't need to explain the difficulties many of us face as women as 95% of my followers are female but this book examines how stereotypes have been shaped by the surrounding world. I found it really interesting looking back at the backlash from the 1980s and comparing it to the current trends and influence that social media has on us all. The way in which the Trad wife is explored in this book is one I am personally fascinated by becuase its kind of my life but not on the extreme scale, im not baking fresh bread daily but I am home more than a working parent. Its really interesting reading books like this and gageing where we are socially
November 4, 2025
I love it when a book makes me think! Pop culture is taken for granted and sometimes we don't read in between the lines. Or even take time to see the way women are portrayed. This book follows the authors own personal experiences with the background of some of the most popular movies in the background. A wonderfully critical book that is feel like i will be reccomending to everyone!
Definitely pick this up if you want a deep dive into female portrayals in pop culture!
Definitely pick this up if you want a deep dive into female portrayals in pop culture!
July 18, 2025
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
Although this is a breakdown of different pop-culture references, you don't have to necessarily have watched a single movie referenced or read any of the books to understand what she is discussing. I haven't seen most of the movies (books, yes), but I didn't have any issues following any of the book.
Might have to go reread Great Expectations. I haven't read it since high school. I mean, Miss Havisham. ❤️
Definitely would recommend this book!
Although this is a breakdown of different pop-culture references, you don't have to necessarily have watched a single movie referenced or read any of the books to understand what she is discussing. I haven't seen most of the movies (books, yes), but I didn't have any issues following any of the book.
Might have to go reread Great Expectations. I haven't read it since high school. I mean, Miss Havisham. ❤️
Definitely would recommend this book!
June 27, 2025
I really loved the analysis of each pop culture event through the years plus the glimpse into the author’s life through her personal stories. Just a great read. This will be one of the books I highly recommend to others this year.
August 2, 2025
Just finished this today and loved it. I really great survey of how movies and television have dealt with single females and though there have been changes the answer is … not well. Young adds her own story and it becomes a moving and vibrant narrative.
October 27, 2025
3.75: was not interested in the author’s own romantic experiences as these were repetitive and detracted from the analysis and history of women’s portrayals in pop culture.
November 2, 2025
A fascinating and insightful book - the beautiful writing will draw you in. Highly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews