You Play the Girl

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR CRITICISM A FINALIST FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD FOR THE ART OF THE ESSAY "If Hollywood's treatment of women leaves you wanting, you'll find good, heady company in You Play the Girl."--ELLE In the 1970s and 80s, Carina Chocano navigated a landscape filled with mixed messages about womanhood, absorbing conflicting cultural signals about identity. She confronted the portrayal of women as sidekicks, princesses, and morally perfect figures devoid of agency. Chocano realized that "the girl" is merely a construct shaped by male perspectives, serving to fulfill the hero's journey. After spending five years as a movie critic and facing job loss shortly after her daughter's birth, she recognized how cultural narratives about femininity restrict lives and influence destinies. Committed to rewriting her own narrative, Chocano weaves personal anecdotes with incisive analysis, exploring representations from Bugs Bunny to Playboy Bunnies and beyond. Through her reflections on the evolving portrayal of women from the progressive '70s to the pornified aughts, she examines the impact of these narratives on self-perception and parenting. In the tradition of Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit, Chocano illustrates that our identities are more fluid and complex than what is often depicted on screen.