
Girl on Girl
How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
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Narrated by:
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Sophie Gilbert
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By:
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Sophie Gilbert
About this listen
“Searing… rigorously researched but never stuffy… Gilbert has compiled perhaps the first comprehensive examination of turn-of-the-millennium mainstream, cool-kid trends and ephemera, and how they were largely molded by those in power to sell a generation of girls and young women reality-warping lies.”—The New York Times
“So clear-eyed that it’s startling."—The Washington Post
“Entertaining and even energizing, transforming a dismal history into something like a rallying cry.”—The Boston Globe
From Atlantic critic and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert, a blazing critique of early aughts pop culture
What happened to feminism in the twenty-first century? This question feels increasingly urgent in a moment of cultural and legislative backlash, when widespread uncertainty about the movement’s power, focus, and currency threatens decades of progress.
Sophie Gilbert identifies an inflection point in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the energy of third-wave and “riot grrrl” feminism collapsed into a regressive period of hyper-objectification, sexualization, and infantilization. Mining the darker side of nostalgia, Gilbert trains her keen analytic eye on the most revealing cultural objects of the era, across music, film, television, fashion, tabloid journalism, and more. What she recounts is harrowing, from the leering gaze of the paparazzi to the gleeful cruelty of early reality TV and a burgeoning internet culture vicious toward women in the spotlight and damaging for those who weren’t. Gilbert tracks many of the period’s dominant themes back to the rise of internet porn, which gained widespread influence as it began to pervade our collective consciousness.
The result is a devastating portrait of a time when a distinctly American blend of excess, materialism, and power worship collided with the culture’s reactionary, puritanical, and chauvinistic currents. Amid a collective reconsideration of the way women are treated in public, Girl on Girl is a blistering indictment of the matrix of misogyny that undergirded the cultural production of the early twenty-first century, and continues to shape our world today.
©2025 Sophie Gilbert (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Searing . . . There were several passages in Gilbert’s blistering, sobering book Girl on Girl that challenged my selective nostalgia, making me wince. If you too came of age around the late 1990s and early aughts, prepare to have the balloon string of sentimentality pried from your grip. The party’s over. It’s been over . . . Her book is a course correction of sorts, taking a holistic tack to explain our current sociopolitical reality: one in which women’s hard-fought gains are quickly eroding, and men and boys are in crisis . . . Across 10 rigorously researched but never stuffy chapters, Gilbert has compiled perhaps the first comprehensive examination of turn-of-the-millennium mainstream, cool-kid trends and ephemera, and how they were largely molded by those in power to sell a generation of girls and young women reality-warping lies . . . Gilbert isn’t concerned with softening the blow. Instead, she’s intent on snapping millennials out of any instinct to idealize the decades that shaped us—even if that awareness stings.”—New York Times
“So clear-eyed that it’s startling . . . Girl on Girl covers how American culture writ large treated women from the 1990s to the 2010s. It’s to Gilbert’s credit that she makes a cohesive history emerge from this morass of references . . . Her organization is as confident and nimble as her arguments . . . The informed and persuasive essays in Girl on Girl stand alone, even as they build on one another. A chapter on the early years of reality television is exceptional . . . This ground is well-trod, but rarely trod so well . . . Gilbert is a critic skilled in the art of seeing close-up and faraway all at once, a Vertigo effect of cultural observation. Girl on Girl doesn’t settle into outrage or pity, but instead offers a clear-eyed, unblinking stare that conveys one thing: I see what you’re doing.”—The Washington Post
“Gilbert, a staff writer at the Atlantic, meticulously documents the explosion of highly sexualized content in mainstream American culture . . . A reminder of where we come from as a culture, and a reinvigorating exhortation not to return there.”—Los Angeles Times
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The Mother Code = Motherhood in Modern America
- By Allison Suzanne Davis on 06-26-25
By: Ruthie Ackerman
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Female Chauvinist Pigs
- Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture
- By: Ariel Levy
- Narrated by: Aimee Jolson
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet the Female Chauvinist Pig - the new brand of "empowered woman" who wears the Playboy bunny as a talisman, bares all for Girls Gone Wild, pursues casual sex as if it were a sport, and embraces "raunch culture". If male chauvinist pigs of years past thought of women as pieces of meat, Female Chauvinist Pigs of today are doing them one better. They think they're being brave, they think they're being funny, but in Female Chauvinist Pigs, Ariel Levy asks if the joke is on them.
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Women's empowerment via objectification?= False!
- By Kerry on 11-27-13
By: Ariel Levy
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Little Bosses Everywhere
- How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America
- By: Bridget Read
- Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In Little Bosses Everywhere, journalist Bridget Read tells the gripping story of multilevel marketing in full for the first time, winding from sunny postwar California, where a failed salesman started a vitamin business, through the devoutly religious suburbs of Michigan, where the industry built its political influence, to stadium-size conventions where today’s top sellers preach to die-hard recruits. MLM has enriched powerful people, like the DeVos and Van Andel families, Warren Buffett, and President Donald Trump, all while eroding public institutions and the social safety net.
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Well researched.
- By Donald Schuster on 05-08-25
By: Bridget Read
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Sister, Sinner
- The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple
- By: Claire Hoffman
- Narrated by: Carmen Seantel
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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On a spring day in 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson wandered into the Pacific Ocean and vanished. Weeks later she reappeared in the desert, claiming to have been kidnapped. A national media frenzy and months of investigation ensued. Who was this woman? America’s most famous evangelist, McPherson was a sophisticated marketer who used spectacle, storytelling, and the newest technology—including her own radio station—to bring God’s message to the masses.
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A gentle, but honest reflection
- By Nicolle on 04-26-25
By: Claire Hoffman
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Second Life
- Having a Child in the Digital Age
- By: Amanda Hess
- Narrated by: Amanda Hess
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation among readers as a sharp observer of the seductions and manipulations of online life. But when Hess discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by a digital identity crisis of her own. In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers.
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Important documentation of one woman's honesty
- By TreasureHunter on 06-12-25
By: Amanda Hess
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The Peepshow
- The Murders at Rillington Place
- By: Kate Summerscale
- Narrated by: Nicola Walker
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this riveting true story, Kate Summerscale mines the archives to uncover the lives of Christie’s victims, the tabloid frenzy that their deaths inspired, and the truth about what happened inside the house. What she finds sheds fascinating light on the origins of our fixation with true crime—and suggests a new solution to one of the most notorious cases of the century.
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A thoroughly researched time
- By Caitlyn Harrison on 06-03-25
By: Kate Summerscale
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The Way We Never Were
- American Families and the Nostalgia Trap
- By: Stephanie Coontz
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Leave It to Beaver was not a documentary, a man's home has never been his castle, the "male breadwinner marriage" is the least traditional family in history, and rape and sexual assault were far higher in the 1970s than they are today. In The Way We Never Were, acclaimed historian Stephanie Coontz examines two centuries of the American family, sweeping away misconceptions about the past that cloud current debates about domestic life. The 1950s do not present a workable model of how to conduct our personal lives today, Coontz argues.
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fantastic report on the dangers of nostalgia
- By Richard Stine on 06-29-21
By: Stephanie Coontz
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There Is No Place for Us
- Working and Homeless in America
- By: Brian Goldstone
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, Brian Goldstone
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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The working homeless. In a country where hard work and determination are supposed to lead to success, there is something scandalous about this phrase. But skyrocketing rents, low wages, and a lack of tenant rights have produced a startling phenomenon: People with full-time jobs cannot keep a roof over their head, especially in America’s booming cities, where rapid growth is leading to catastrophic displacement. These families are being forced into homelessness not by a failing economy but a thriving one.
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an important work
- By Pat Willard on 06-29-25
By: Brian Goldstone
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Four Mothers
- An Intimate Journey Through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries
- By: Abigail Leonard
- Narrated by: Eleanor Caudill
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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As debates surrounding paid leave, universal daycare, and national healthcare rage on, Four Mothers is an intimate portrait of what those policies mean in the everyday lives of four women—and a compelling argument for the necessity and urgency of supporting parents.
By: Abigail Leonard
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Searches
- Selfhood in the Digital Age
- By: Vauhini Vara
- Narrated by: Vauhini Vara, Anastasia Davidson
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When it was released to the public in November 2022, ChatGPT awakened the world to a secretive project: teaching AI-powered machines to write. Its creators had a sweeping ambition—to build machines that could not only communicate, but could do all kinds of other activities, better than humans ever could. But was this goal actually achievable? And if reached, would it lead to our liberation or our subjugation?
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I think the title sums this complex book up well!
- By irontri455 on 05-07-25
By: Vauhini Vara
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Scam Goddess
- Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes
- By: Laci Mosley
- Narrated by: Laci Mosley
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In Scam Goddess, Laci recounts how her scammer instincts have guided her throughout her life—from a religious childhood in rural Texas, to a stint as a city bartender at what might have been a drug front, to swindling her way past the gatekeepers of Hollywood—recounting the greatest true-crime scam stories that inspired her along the way. Whether it’s by the beauty industry, capitalism, or the people we date, we’re all getting scammed. In this book, Laci identifies the secrets to flipping the script and coming out ahead.
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It is human nature to hide.A bad motivation under what looks like a good one
- By LaPortaMA on 06-24-25
By: Laci Mosley
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Y2K
- How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was)
- By: Colette Shade
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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THE EARLY 2000s conjures images of inflatable furniture, flip phones, and low-rise jeans. It was a new millennium and the future looked bright, promising prosperity for all. The internet had arrived, and technology was shiny and fun. For many, it felt like the end of history: no more wars, racism, or sexism. But then history kept happening. Twenty-five years after the ball dropped on December 31st, 1999, we are still living in the shadows of the Y2K Era.
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a reflective reminder of what has been done
- By Marie on 06-21-25
By: Colette Shade
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The Girl You Know
- By: Elle Gonzalez Rose
- Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The week before Luna’s twin sister Solina was supposed to head back for her final semester at Kingswood Academy, an elite boarding school in the Washington mountains, she told Luna she was dropping out. When Luna refused to let her throw away her future, Solina disappeared. Twelve hours later, she was dead.
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did not work for me
- By Maryanne T. on 04-30-25
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How to Be Well
- Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time
- By: Amy Larocca
- Narrated by: Amy Larocca
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Peloton. Pilates. Biohacking. Colonics. Ashwagandha. Today, the wellness industry is a $3.7 trillion behemoth that touches us all. In this timely and clear-eyed book, journalist Amy Larocca peels back the layers behind the wellness movement and reckons with its promises and profits. How did we get here and how did the idea of wellness become integrated with women's lives? And how did we end up spending so much money on products that may not work at all?
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Couldn’t finish it
- By Susan Smith on 06-03-25
By: Amy Larocca
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You Didn't Hear This from Me
- (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip
- By: Kelsey McKinney
- Narrated by: Kelsey McKinney
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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As the pandemic forced us to socialize at a distance, Kelsey McKinney was mourning the juicy updates and jaw-dropping stories she’d typically collect over drinks with friends—and from her hunger, the blockbuster Normal Gossip podcast was born. With listenership in the millions, Kelsey found herself thinking more critically about gossip as a form, and wanting to better understand the role it plays in our culture. In You Didn't Hear This From Me, McKinney explores the murkiness of everyday storytelling.
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Breaking down gossip
- By JASmall on 04-30-25
By: Kelsey McKinney
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Awakened
- By: A.E. Osworth
- Narrated by: A.E. Osworth
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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On a morning much like any other, 30-something queer Brooklynite Wilder makes a miraculous discovery: suddenly, as if by magic, they can understand every language in the world. Dazed and disconnected, Wilder is found and taken in by a small coven of trans witches who have all become Awakened with mystical powers of their own.
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Loved this queer magical world
- By Kathryn S. on 05-24-25
By: A.E. Osworth
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On Muscle
- The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters
- By: Bonnie Tsui
- Narrated by: Bonnie Tsui
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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From the bestselling author of Why We Swim comes a mind-expanding exploration of muscle—from our ancient obsession with the ideal human form to the modern science of this amazing and adaptable tissue—that will change the way you think about what moves us through the world.
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Muscle wisdom
- By marksolomon on 04-24-25
By: Bonnie Tsui
Riveting! Well, researched…
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Eye opening
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Hard to imagine that we would be sliding so far backward but this perfectly articulated why.
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Millennial women needed this book.
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The incredible power of internet and the rise of an unhealthy idea of self love that tends to make women market themselves, is exposed in smart, often funny prose. and the author's demeanor (she reads her own book) is friendly and clear.
I can't recommend it enough.
As a Mexican, I would add that narco culture also permeates the atmosphere and the way women shape —literally, with the use of plastic surgery— themselves, but maybe this situation only prevalent in Latin America, although there are some gestures that cross the border (the exaggerated breasts and hips, lips an lashes, etc.)
Very lucid, clever, bright
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So many things make so much more sense now.
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Why did I download this book?
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