Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

Tolentino discusses the normalization of feminism over the past decade, as evident in changes in language, media, and celebrity treatment. During this time, she writes, we have experienced a "reframing of female difficulty as an asset rather than a liability" (235), mostly because of the internet. In this context, we have come to see the lives of celebrities as feminist, "rewriting" (235) them and finding patterns. These women have come to serve as tools to teach about feminism online.

This pattern recognition, she writes, is tempting. It combines the desire to evaluate women's worth with progressive politics. It also relies on personal stories; the reaction to Harvey Weinstein was made possible by this, as women knew they'd be believed by most of the audience. As a result, people began to see women as "subjects, not objects" (237) and were able to recognize themselves in the facts others presented. However, Tolentino warms, this is dangerous: it leads to the evaluation of women's value based on the unfairness of the challenges they have overcome. All women, she writes, confront sexist criticisms, especially famous women. But this doesn’t make it inherently sexist to criticize a woman.