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Badly Behaved Women: The History of Modern Feminism
From bra burning and body hair to Beyoncé and body positivity, feminism has come a long way.
The illustrated story of the women's movement, Badly Behaved Women is a compelling and entertaining journey through the four waves of feminism and beyond. Featuring rare photographs and paraphernalia, reading lists, playlists and timelines, Anna-Marie Crowhurst's new history of an ongoing battle captures the pop culture and politics that have shaped modern feminism, and where the fight for equal rights will take us next.
Personal testimony essays Alice Coffin; Juno Dawson; Diana Evans; Nadia Ghulam; Susie Orbach; Helen Pankhurst; Gisela Pérez de Acha; Laura Perlongo; Emeli Sandé; Anne Wafula Strike; Hibo Wardere; Harriet Wistrich; Rosie Wolfenden.
The illustrated story of the women's movement, Badly Behaved Women is a compelling and entertaining journey through the four waves of feminism and beyond. Featuring rare photographs and paraphernalia, reading lists, playlists and timelines, Anna-Marie Crowhurst's new history of an ongoing battle captures the pop culture and politics that have shaped modern feminism, and where the fight for equal rights will take us next.
Personal testimony essays Alice Coffin; Juno Dawson; Diana Evans; Nadia Ghulam; Susie Orbach; Helen Pankhurst; Gisela Pérez de Acha; Laura Perlongo; Emeli Sandé; Anne Wafula Strike; Hibo Wardere; Harriet Wistrich; Rosie Wolfenden.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2022
9 people are currently reading
521 people want to read
About the author
Anna-Marie Crowhurst
3 books45 followersAnna-Marie Crowhurst has worked as a freelance journalist and columnist for more than 15 years, contributing to The Times, The Guardian, Time Out, Newsweek, Emerald Street and Stylist. In 2016 she studied for an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, where her debut novel The Illumination of Ursula Flight was born. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 17, 2020
The concept, the size…everything about BADLY BEHAVED WOMEN was stunning. The chapters, the timeline of feminism from 1900s to present time and most of all the powerful pictures supporting the themes were superbly thought out. This book had easy bites for chapters, you could dip in and out as well as read front to back, like I did.
I loved the stroll through history from the early 1900s starting with suffrage for white women , then considering black womens’ experience of this. From the fight to wear trousers to how WWII changed how women were perceived from a usefulness perspective. I found the start of reproductive rights so interesting. Initially, was the right to take the contraceptive pill and having some control over the number of children women had to have (unthinkable at the time that women might not want to have children). I never really thought of this when I started taking the pill, that women had once had to fight to do this. All closely linked to the women’s right to have sex as she chooses.
The book tackles the concepts of equal pay – this is still an issue in my career as is career progression. That said, I’m a white woman, this is so much worse for black women. Women of colour and their experiences were threaded throughout the book but also with some separate chapters as well, featuring some heroes of all our times, such as Angela Davis. Queer womens’ experiences were considered as a discreet chapter but were not particularly threaded through the book.
Not every topic was super serious, there was humour and celebration. Shoulder pads and handbags were featured. We might laugh at the Shoulder pads of the 1980s but they’re were a sign of power, think Grace Jones and Princess Diana.
I really enjoyed reading about the power of the media, such as TV, movies and music. I remember watching some movies when I was young with women as working women, juggling children as though a novelty. Then TV such as Buffy and The X Files where strong women were the centre. All this was alongside the reality of things such as female astronauts in space. I also loved the section on women’s football.
Present times in this book brought us to the #metoo experiences and movement, feminist comedians, and body positivity. The whole read felt like an enlightening and empowering stroll through the collective female journey. I highly recommend this for teens, adults and all genders, it was fantastic.
Woman are powerful and dangerous.
Thank you to Welbeck Publishing for the beautiful gifted copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
I loved the stroll through history from the early 1900s starting with suffrage for white women , then considering black womens’ experience of this. From the fight to wear trousers to how WWII changed how women were perceived from a usefulness perspective. I found the start of reproductive rights so interesting. Initially, was the right to take the contraceptive pill and having some control over the number of children women had to have (unthinkable at the time that women might not want to have children). I never really thought of this when I started taking the pill, that women had once had to fight to do this. All closely linked to the women’s right to have sex as she chooses.
The book tackles the concepts of equal pay – this is still an issue in my career as is career progression. That said, I’m a white woman, this is so much worse for black women. Women of colour and their experiences were threaded throughout the book but also with some separate chapters as well, featuring some heroes of all our times, such as Angela Davis. Queer womens’ experiences were considered as a discreet chapter but were not particularly threaded through the book.
Not every topic was super serious, there was humour and celebration. Shoulder pads and handbags were featured. We might laugh at the Shoulder pads of the 1980s but they’re were a sign of power, think Grace Jones and Princess Diana.
I really enjoyed reading about the power of the media, such as TV, movies and music. I remember watching some movies when I was young with women as working women, juggling children as though a novelty. Then TV such as Buffy and The X Files where strong women were the centre. All this was alongside the reality of things such as female astronauts in space. I also loved the section on women’s football.
Present times in this book brought us to the #metoo experiences and movement, feminist comedians, and body positivity. The whole read felt like an enlightening and empowering stroll through the collective female journey. I highly recommend this for teens, adults and all genders, it was fantastic.
Woman are powerful and dangerous.
Thank you to Welbeck Publishing for the beautiful gifted copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
February 10, 2023
From suffragettes to the handmaid's tale, this book tells the story of 120 years of feminism. It also criticises some companies for using feminist solgans to gain profit because selling a slogan on a t-shirt doesn't actually do much for women's rights. (Of course, they're not all bad. Some give their profits to women's charities)
The book has many pictures of women's protests, speeches, and literature, alongside well written explanations, making this book more accessible to all ages and reading levels.
I liked that it included non-Western women's fight for equality throughout because this part of feminism, like so many others, is overlooked.
The book has many pictures of women's protests, speeches, and literature, alongside well written explanations, making this book more accessible to all ages and reading levels.
I liked that it included non-Western women's fight for equality throughout because this part of feminism, like so many others, is overlooked.
September 3, 2020
4.5 stars
This is a stunning large hardback book that looks at feminism from the Suffragette movement in the 1900's through the fight against the gender pay gap in the 1970s to the current #metoo and #timesup campaigns in modern feminist culture.
It is a stunning book with dynamic imagery that helps pack a punch alongside succinct writing and powerful interviews.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning more about past feminist movements.
This book educates about very important and sensitive subjects such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), rape, abortion and racism. It also has a lighter side looking into aspects of feminism such as body hair, celebrity feminists, free love and feminism through art, music and film.
It is a fantastic overview of the history of female liberation, highly readable and incredibly powerful.
It may not be incredibly detailed but I found myself researching for more information as I read through the book. It is a perfect "coffee table" book to inform others and a wonderful springboard to learn more about a large variety of female issues. Every household should have a copy!
Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a stunning large hardback book that looks at feminism from the Suffragette movement in the 1900's through the fight against the gender pay gap in the 1970s to the current #metoo and #timesup campaigns in modern feminist culture.
It is a stunning book with dynamic imagery that helps pack a punch alongside succinct writing and powerful interviews.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning more about past feminist movements.
This book educates about very important and sensitive subjects such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), rape, abortion and racism. It also has a lighter side looking into aspects of feminism such as body hair, celebrity feminists, free love and feminism through art, music and film.
It is a fantastic overview of the history of female liberation, highly readable and incredibly powerful.
It may not be incredibly detailed but I found myself researching for more information as I read through the book. It is a perfect "coffee table" book to inform others and a wonderful springboard to learn more about a large variety of female issues. Every household should have a copy!
Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2022
Really accessible book on feminism, beautifully presented, with brief histories, personal essays, photos and lists.
August 14, 2020
Badly Behaved Women is a history of modern feminism focusing predominantly on the UK/USA starting with the suffragettes in 1910, covering second and third wave feminism, intersectionality, feminist art, sport, the 2017 Women's March, and the rise of fourth wave feminism.
This book feels inspiring as we see what changes have been made and the power and voices of so many amazing womxn. However in some ways it was also unsettling to see that it was within my parents lifetime when womxn were expected to be stay at home wives, couldn't have an abortion, didn't have access to the contraceptive pill (in the UK, as there are still many women that do not have these freedoms).
Anne-Marie Crowhurst makes an effort to ensure her history is intersectional as she examines how black womxn have been excluded at various points throughout history. How LGBTQ+ communities were often exiled from the feminist communities and this started the radical lesbian feminist groups. She looks at fatphobia and body positivity. She had contributions from contemporary women from across the globe and differently abled women. I would have liked to have seen more explicit inclusion of the voices of Indigenous women and Muslim women specifically. However I think based on the scope and bresdth of the book the work manages to offer a lot.
The cultural and historical moments predominantly focus on the UK/USA, although global timelines for things like women's suffrage and abortion laws do cover the globe. There are also numerous contributions from contemporary womxn globally throughout the book which I really enjoyed.
The pictures and sources (various adverts, posters, documents) that were included in this book were well placed and referenced and I think really helped to support Crowhurst project. They also bring to life the feminist history and the story of womxn which I really loved.
I think this is an incredibly inspiring and well put together history of feminism that is accessible for all, adults and children. Those that love history and feminism will particularly love this work!
Thank you so much to @welbeckpublish for my review copy as I absolutely adored this book.
This book feels inspiring as we see what changes have been made and the power and voices of so many amazing womxn. However in some ways it was also unsettling to see that it was within my parents lifetime when womxn were expected to be stay at home wives, couldn't have an abortion, didn't have access to the contraceptive pill (in the UK, as there are still many women that do not have these freedoms).
Anne-Marie Crowhurst makes an effort to ensure her history is intersectional as she examines how black womxn have been excluded at various points throughout history. How LGBTQ+ communities were often exiled from the feminist communities and this started the radical lesbian feminist groups. She looks at fatphobia and body positivity. She had contributions from contemporary women from across the globe and differently abled women. I would have liked to have seen more explicit inclusion of the voices of Indigenous women and Muslim women specifically. However I think based on the scope and bresdth of the book the work manages to offer a lot.
The cultural and historical moments predominantly focus on the UK/USA, although global timelines for things like women's suffrage and abortion laws do cover the globe. There are also numerous contributions from contemporary womxn globally throughout the book which I really enjoyed.
The pictures and sources (various adverts, posters, documents) that were included in this book were well placed and referenced and I think really helped to support Crowhurst project. They also bring to life the feminist history and the story of womxn which I really loved.
I think this is an incredibly inspiring and well put together history of feminism that is accessible for all, adults and children. Those that love history and feminism will particularly love this work!
Thank you so much to @welbeckpublish for my review copy as I absolutely adored this book.
January 31, 2023
An absorbing guide to feminism across the decades. This was more in depth than I initially thought, and a very interesting read for it.
Covering topics such as race, abortion, music, fashion, culture, politics and much more, this gives a fascinating look at feminism from many different angles. Each chapter featured a guest author who offered her perspective on the topics at hand.
There were some amazing historical pictures here too, which gave a fresh look at the perhaps the lesser known topics. A must read for anyone on their feminist-awakening journey.
Covering topics such as race, abortion, music, fashion, culture, politics and much more, this gives a fascinating look at feminism from many different angles. Each chapter featured a guest author who offered her perspective on the topics at hand.
There were some amazing historical pictures here too, which gave a fresh look at the perhaps the lesser known topics. A must read for anyone on their feminist-awakening journey.
July 27, 2020
5/5⭐
Thank you so much @ed.pr and @welbeckpublish for an advance copy of this book. I am so very grateful for it!
Out on August 6!
I loved this book so so much. It hooked me straight away and it wasn't only because of the beautiful pictures, the posters, the illustrations and all the little images that Anne-Marie Crowhurst has managed to put together.
It was because of all the many events, protests, marchs and figths women have been having ever since 1792 for an equal place in society.
I loved to learn things like that in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft argued for women's suffrage in her book titled "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman"
I loved to know how after her, many other women like Elsie Duval, Virginia Woolf or Florynce Kennedy fought really hard to get the same rights and be treated as men were treated in general.
I am talking about:
- Workplace equality and equal educational opportunities, as women were seen as just housewives that were meant to be cooking, cleaning, child-minding and housekeeping. Only.
- Gender pay gap, which is still present. (2020: 8.9% - UK!)
- Free contraception pill and the right to abortion when needed/wanted.
- They also fought against beauty pageants, which were very controversial and oh! racist too as only white women used to win!
- They wanted to be seen in art, television, cinema, music and politics, which funny enough only had place 40 years ago.
This book also mentioned the fight black women had to endure as they weren't only black people but black women. They felt underrepresented and their concerns weren't reflected. Angela Davies wrote "Women, Race and Class" in 1981 stating that there has been a "lack of historical inclusion of black women in feminist movement from the sufragettes onward".
Juno Dawson brought up the concept "White Feminist": "When only a global handful of powerful, rich women are benefiting from feminism, it's not feminism". She also mentioned that "trans women struggle with continually having to defend their realness and validity". Which really upsets me, as they are women. Period.
There were two quotes that I really loved:
"A Woman's Place Is Everywhere" and "We'll Keep On Fighting".
Thank you Anne-Marie Crowhurst for such an amazing book!
Thank you so much @ed.pr and @welbeckpublish for an advance copy of this book. I am so very grateful for it!
Out on August 6!
I loved this book so so much. It hooked me straight away and it wasn't only because of the beautiful pictures, the posters, the illustrations and all the little images that Anne-Marie Crowhurst has managed to put together.
It was because of all the many events, protests, marchs and figths women have been having ever since 1792 for an equal place in society.
I loved to learn things like that in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft argued for women's suffrage in her book titled "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman"
I loved to know how after her, many other women like Elsie Duval, Virginia Woolf or Florynce Kennedy fought really hard to get the same rights and be treated as men were treated in general.
I am talking about:
- Workplace equality and equal educational opportunities, as women were seen as just housewives that were meant to be cooking, cleaning, child-minding and housekeeping. Only.
- Gender pay gap, which is still present. (2020: 8.9% - UK!)
- Free contraception pill and the right to abortion when needed/wanted.
- They also fought against beauty pageants, which were very controversial and oh! racist too as only white women used to win!
- They wanted to be seen in art, television, cinema, music and politics, which funny enough only had place 40 years ago.
This book also mentioned the fight black women had to endure as they weren't only black people but black women. They felt underrepresented and their concerns weren't reflected. Angela Davies wrote "Women, Race and Class" in 1981 stating that there has been a "lack of historical inclusion of black women in feminist movement from the sufragettes onward".
Juno Dawson brought up the concept "White Feminist": "When only a global handful of powerful, rich women are benefiting from feminism, it's not feminism". She also mentioned that "trans women struggle with continually having to defend their realness and validity". Which really upsets me, as they are women. Period.
There were two quotes that I really loved:
"A Woman's Place Is Everywhere" and "We'll Keep On Fighting".
Thank you Anne-Marie Crowhurst for such an amazing book!
August 2, 2020
I would like to start off by saying thank you to both Welbeck Publishing for gifting me this book, and to Anna-Marie Crowhurst for gifting it to the world.
I received this in the post this morning. Since then I have absolutely flown through it, and now I’m ready for round two. I knew right from the start that I’d adore it, but little did I know quite how much. ⠀
⠀
This book is truly sensational; my new holy bible and a documentation of all things wonderful about woman kind. Us girls have achieved a hell of a lot in the past 100 years, and no way are we done yet. Anna-Marie has written in great detail the struggle, ambition and success of women across the world, across the years. I’ve been entertained then irked, heartbroken then overjoyed, and now I’m left feeling empowered and extraordinarily proud of myself and of women everywhere. Those before us fought, rebelled and strove to pave the way for women past, present and future. They lit the way and gave us the voice and strength to continue the fight for what is right and what we deserve.
⠀
The dedication and passion poured into the making of this book is phenomenal. I’ll treasure it for as long as it’s mine, and when the time comes, I’ll pass it on to my daughter, and she’ll pass it on to hers. The history, the desire and the power within these pages is just remarkable. I could cry, I’m so thankful for this book and this gorgeous tribute to these women who have brought us so far in just 100 years. God, just imagine where we’ll be and what we’ll have achieved in another century.⠀
⠀
I’ve never been more proud to be who I am, and I’m so blessed to share my gender and identity with other mighty, marvellous gals. God damn, thank you so much Anna-Marie. This is pure solid fucking gold.
I received this in the post this morning. Since then I have absolutely flown through it, and now I’m ready for round two. I knew right from the start that I’d adore it, but little did I know quite how much. ⠀
⠀
This book is truly sensational; my new holy bible and a documentation of all things wonderful about woman kind. Us girls have achieved a hell of a lot in the past 100 years, and no way are we done yet. Anna-Marie has written in great detail the struggle, ambition and success of women across the world, across the years. I’ve been entertained then irked, heartbroken then overjoyed, and now I’m left feeling empowered and extraordinarily proud of myself and of women everywhere. Those before us fought, rebelled and strove to pave the way for women past, present and future. They lit the way and gave us the voice and strength to continue the fight for what is right and what we deserve.
⠀
The dedication and passion poured into the making of this book is phenomenal. I’ll treasure it for as long as it’s mine, and when the time comes, I’ll pass it on to my daughter, and she’ll pass it on to hers. The history, the desire and the power within these pages is just remarkable. I could cry, I’m so thankful for this book and this gorgeous tribute to these women who have brought us so far in just 100 years. God, just imagine where we’ll be and what we’ll have achieved in another century.⠀
⠀
I’ve never been more proud to be who I am, and I’m so blessed to share my gender and identity with other mighty, marvellous gals. God damn, thank you so much Anna-Marie. This is pure solid fucking gold.
September 13, 2020
Badly Behaved Women has been fun to read. While I am familiar with the history of the feminist movement, I enjoyed Crowhurst’s balanced optimism around the progress feminism has made in the last century, although recent events may not quite make you feel that way.
Whether it is the vote, the rise in women’s experiences in the media or #metoo, Crowhurst tackles topics objectively and demonstrates why feminism is just as relevant today as it was 120 years back and how exponential it has become through technology and clicktivism. Women’s voices can be hard louder than ever before in history.
It’s a good read for a new generation of women who are interested in revisiting feminism. The writing is easy to read, interspersed with gorgeous photography and with experience pieces by eminent female figures bringing in new and critical perspectives.
I cannot praise the photography of this book enough. The archival value of this book is increased many times due to the sheer range of photos the book has. I stopped almost at every single one of them.
While I enjoyed this book very much, I also wanted to see a bit more about the global evolution of feminism in this discourse. Different countries and racial groups are represented but overall they are a little less represented than the white, female experience. Something like this would probably increase the scope and complexity of what the author set out to do but this perspective is much needed right now and would have enriched this work further.
P.S - I was #gifted this book by @welbeckpublish and @ed.pr. Thank you so much for the opportunity. The opinions expressed here are my own and they represent my true voice.
Whether it is the vote, the rise in women’s experiences in the media or #metoo, Crowhurst tackles topics objectively and demonstrates why feminism is just as relevant today as it was 120 years back and how exponential it has become through technology and clicktivism. Women’s voices can be hard louder than ever before in history.
It’s a good read for a new generation of women who are interested in revisiting feminism. The writing is easy to read, interspersed with gorgeous photography and with experience pieces by eminent female figures bringing in new and critical perspectives.
I cannot praise the photography of this book enough. The archival value of this book is increased many times due to the sheer range of photos the book has. I stopped almost at every single one of them.
While I enjoyed this book very much, I also wanted to see a bit more about the global evolution of feminism in this discourse. Different countries and racial groups are represented but overall they are a little less represented than the white, female experience. Something like this would probably increase the scope and complexity of what the author set out to do but this perspective is much needed right now and would have enriched this work further.
P.S - I was #gifted this book by @welbeckpublish and @ed.pr. Thank you so much for the opportunity. The opinions expressed here are my own and they represent my true voice.
October 25, 2023
I really, really like this non fiction book.
As a feminist, I am constantly learning new things and this book was a mine of knowledge. It sounds stupid, well I'm gonna be stupid, but I had never heard of the Riot Grrrls. And now, I'm fascinated by it.
I loved that it covered such a long time period.
I don't have much to say more... The writing is understandable, though sometimes a bit confusing to me, but that may be the fact that I read it in English. So that might be just me. I take away one star because I felt like it lacked something from time to time.
But I learned so much and I was admirative of the fight women had (and still have) to go through.
I HIGHLY recommend it. For anyone and everyone. Especially men. Please men, read this book.
As a feminist, I am constantly learning new things and this book was a mine of knowledge. It sounds stupid, well I'm gonna be stupid, but I had never heard of the Riot Grrrls. And now, I'm fascinated by it.
I loved that it covered such a long time period.
I don't have much to say more... The writing is understandable, though sometimes a bit confusing to me, but that may be the fact that I read it in English. So that might be just me. I take away one star because I felt like it lacked something from time to time.
But I learned so much and I was admirative of the fight women had (and still have) to go through.
I HIGHLY recommend it. For anyone and everyone. Especially men. Please men, read this book.
August 13, 2020
It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of coffee table literature and so I was THRILLED when Women Behaving Badly by Anne Marie Crowhurst - not only is it GORGEOUS but it is also just brilliant. I have spent so much time flicking through this book, learning, looking, marvelling and absorbing the sheer volume of information and insight on offer inside it.
⭐️
Each page is adorned with words and pictures mapping out the the journey of feminism and has fascinating little anecdotes and stories as well as a plethora of essays by notable women.
⭐️
This is such a fabulous celebration of a book - the perfect gift.
⭐️
Each page is adorned with words and pictures mapping out the the journey of feminism and has fascinating little anecdotes and stories as well as a plethora of essays by notable women.
⭐️
This is such a fabulous celebration of a book - the perfect gift.
August 3, 2020
A fantastic guide across history of the intersectional fight for feminism and gender equality, though I'd read a lot of the subject matter there were new points of reference and photos featured that give it an eye-catching glossy appeal.
April 24, 2023
This book was amazing! It gives an excellent overview of the history of modern feminism, which I believe everyone should have the option of reading. I wanted to learn more about feminism, how far we’ve come and how far we’ve still do to go and this book told me all of that!
November 8, 2025
I read this in 2hrs, while sat in the garden with the sun on my face and birds chirping around me. Pure reflection.
We have come a very long way in the past 60 years. It is so incredibly sad to witness the regression. Wtf is going on with the world.
We have come a very long way in the past 60 years. It is so incredibly sad to witness the regression. Wtf is going on with the world.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews