Wise and witty women share their secrets and confessions

THE GUILTY FEMINIST ★★★★ by Deborah Frances-White Virago, £14.99

COMEDIANS Deborah Frances-White and Sofie Hagen created The Guilty Feminist podcast in December 2015 to discuss 21st-century feminism “while confessing their insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that underlie their lofty principles”.

Who could have predicted the show’s astonishing success? The podcast, which takes the form of a comedy panel show, has to date been downloaded more than 30 million times with its high-profile panellists including Gemma Arterton, Sharon Horgan, Juliet Stevenson and Jo Brand.

The format of the show is simple: the comedians begin by giving their “guilty feminist” confessions such as this from Deborah: “I’m a feminist but I de-tagged myself from a picture at a women’s conference where we were all standing in front of a sign which said ‘Empowered Not Coward’, because my ankles looked fat.”

Now, Deborah hopes to spread to a wider audience the message that anyone can be a feminist, even if they don’t feel worthy of the word. Fans of the podcast will recognise Deborah’s distinct voice from the first page where

she describes how hypocritical her own thinking can be. For example, she wants women to be taken seriously at work but also wants to find a way of looking attractive when sitting down naked.

Her confident tone commands the reader’s attention from the off. She begins by giving a potted history of feminism, before tackling topics ranging from the trivial to the serious, such as the media’s portrayal of women and whether feminists should feel guilty about liking romcom films. The later sections are a frank and funny call to arms for would-be feminists.

And woven into the book are anecdotes from Deborah’s own life. She grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness in an adopted family before seeking out her biological parents, so she has plenty of fascinating experiences to draw upon.

As well as Deborah’s own voice, the book features interviews with women from all walks of life discussing their daily struggles with being a feminist.

Feminism can be a tricky subject for a book, often seeming dense and academic. But The Guilty Feminist is accessible and honest, written with warmth.

And the openness with which she and other contributors discuss their struggles make the book feel like a discussion with friends over a glass of wine.

Despite its down-to-earth tone, it is full of inspiring and challenging ideas, encouraging every woman to say: “I get to be heard. I deserve to be seen.”