Mryna Blyth in NRO responds to two books that have really irritated me lately -French Women Don't Get Fat and Perfect Madness. Both books, basically, attack American women. And this "attacked audience" has been buying the books in droves. Says Myrna:
In truth, both these books wildly over-generalize and make their much-hyped points based on the experiences and attitudes of small groups of elite women. Chic svelte Parisians, of course, not all French women are the ones who make sure they don’t get fat. And it’s not most American mothers, but a very few upper-middle-class moms whose religion of Motherhood makes them agonize over throwing the perfect toddler birthday party, complete with bouncy tent.
Now I, of course, would never generalize in the same way. That would be like my saying all French men lack courage on the battlefield. Or calling them, for example, cheese-eating surrender monkeys. No, Mireille and Judith, you Francophiles, I would never do that. Even if it might be true.
As I said, Merci, Mryna.
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