Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a Smartmouth Goddess

by Susan Jane Gilman

Book Overview

Irreverent, provocative, hip - this guide to power and attitude offers women an intelligent alternative to the negative messages we hear every day from magazines, TV and relatives. Gilman serves up advice on everything from sex to politics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446675776
• ISBN13: 9780446675772
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Susan Jane Gilman is my hero

I know, I know, this book is supposedly for 'older' women. But I am only fourteen, and I loved it. I think this is exactly the kind of stuff young girls need to read. It's hilarious, it is smart, it is serious and it is silly. It's alarming and yet comforting. It makes me want to go out and change the world. She's obviously educated, and unafraid to shock people. I was surprised and delighted with the way she unabashedly bombs republicans and conservatives-I am a stalwart liberal, and many authors today are afraid to say too much bashing the opposite party. Another pleasant surprise was her frank language-too many authors-particularly those writing for teens-don't swear at all in their books. Now, this may be a personal preference for some authors, but it is just plain unrealistic to write a contemporary book and not swear or use profanity at all. Not to mention that it weakens the book if you're saying 'heck', and 'shoot', and 'darn it' all the time. Ms. Gilman is not afraid to say any bad language, and that, in my opinion, makes her writing much stronger and sassier.The only problem I had with her logic was the disses on 'old-fashioned' feminism. I am a feminist, and that doesn't mean I'm whiny, or unfeminine, or man-hating, or too 'nice', or any of the labels that the media has put on feminism. I think Susan Jane Gilman was too hard on 'old fashioned' feminism, but that's about it. Everything else she said I agree with completely. Personally, I think this should be required reading for high school girls!

5 is for the laughs I had with this book....

Susan Jane Gilman has her way with us! With tongue in cheek, she says all the things we say (that's the fairer sex) when we are out with girlfriends drinking margaritas (I date myself, if I were under 35, it would be cosmopolitans!). It is, and I quote, "her intention to offer women inspiration, wit and tools for intelligent resistance"..... to all the wacky things we are supposed to be and think and do because.... we are broads. She inspires us while giving us inside information to philosophy passed down from her old grandma. Most of the inspiration and grandma's sayings far surpass the advice you will get from the "health and well being" or "feminist" magazines that exist today.Here are my favorite takeaways from the book, in no particular order:1.The term "Smartmouth Goddess" (SG) - what we all would like to be. We ARE SG's, deep in our inner thoughts, but our need to "build relationships" keeps us from spewing.2. Advice on friends: "Friends shouldn't be treated as leftovers".3. Advice on good habits to adopt from men: "Men do not schlepp."3. Advice on family: "Regard your family as a source of popular entertainment- distance yourself from their neuroses by pretending they're on television".Gilman combines her knack for turning a phrase and cynical humor with a little political agenda, sex and Biblical references thrown in for good measure.Read it when your husband is out of town!

Take No Prisoners Princess

The first thing that caught my attention was the pair of bright pink floating lips grazing the cover speaking "Kiss My Tiara." I've always embraced and flaunted my Princess side, so naturally this book was speaking to me. I picked it up, stared leafing through it, and read the introduction.My first concern was that it looked like a witty and entertaining book, but that it would be about capturing a man, leaving out her lesbian and bisexual sisters. I was pleasantly surprised to find in the introduction that she had interviewed women from all walks of life, and when I bought it and later read it, I wasn't disappointed. Gilman is very inclusive and this book applies to all sexual orientations as well as crossing ethnic and religious lines.There has been criticism lobbed at this book for promoting a liberal agenda. Yes, Gilman is very progressive, but she makes no bones about it from the beginning. If you're very conservative or very politically correct, I cannot recommend this book to you. Gilman doesn't tiptoe trying to appease all people. She winds up the intro by saying about the fresh-mouthed women she interviewed, "if that makes this book in any way homogenous and elitist, so be it. As my grandma used to say, 'F*** 'em if they can't take a joke!'"Nuggets of wisdom from Gilman's grandmother pop up frequently throughout the book, and the humor is highly New York Jewish. Gilman touches on topics of beauty (expanding narrow, unrealistic definitions), sex, family, politics, gay rights, money and careers, religion, and whether it's kosher to wear blue nail polish when hitting up a big wig for a pile of shekels."Kiss My Tiara" is a fast-paced and humorous read that kept me laughing out loud even as Gilman hit on more serious topics in the spirit of Sholom Aleichem. The famed New York Yiddish writer once said of the Jewish humor, "This is an ugly and mean world, and only to spite it we mustn't weep. If you want to know, this is the consta!nt source of my good spirit, of my humor. Not to cry, out of spite, only to laugh out of spite, only to laugh." Gilman's SmartMouth Goddess Bubbe (grandmother) would be proud.

Hilarious Weekend Read

Hilarious! Gilman is absolutely hilarious. If you're oft-bored with "How to be..." books for women, admittedly have a little sass in you, don't like your humor veiled, and need some weekend reading, you'll likely enjoy this gem.Her crazy analogies and metaphors absolutely hit the nail on the head. While she grazes the same themes as other known-feminist writers, her witty spin makes those same themes not seem so musty, thus appealing to a younger generation and reaffirming in new ways for older generations. The one that caught me thinking was the author's assessment of men and women at an athletic club; Gilman gives new life to the thought of how men and women view and are viewed differently in terms of their bodies. Pointing out that men lift FREEweights while women climb the stairMASTER made me howl and even got a chuckle from my boyfriend. While careful not to stereotype, Gilman has us all pegged and gives us all a wake-up call. There truly is a lesson to be learned in this book for every woman - even those of us who thought we were goddesses before buying our copy.Gilman's humor doesn't overshadow the serious context of this book, but it does allow us all to laugh at ourselves a little when we recognize ourselves in her writing. A highly recommended read for any woman bought a copy of "The Rules..." just to burn it and who doesn't mind laughing a little at themselves....and the woman's Grandmother was a JEWEL! :-)

A Must Read for All Young Women

This book is hilarious and absolutely right on the mark. Every girl graduating from highschool should be given a copy! I wish I'd had a copy of this book waaaay back in the day when I first started dating. Her list of the Reasons We Have Sex was especially funny. Knowledge is power and this book is chock-full of wise, witty, street-smart knowledge. I think the reviewers who were offended by some of her language must not have a clue. Or, maybe some of her jabs just landed a little too close for comfort for them. Just because you know the game, doesn't mean you lack a 'joie de vivre' in playing it! Just the opposite in fact! :-) By talking about our most secret vulnerabilities in a hip, funny way, this book could help all young women avoid many of the pitfalls and perils along the way to developing into a la mode woman with self-esteem and the ability to laugh at herself. I'd also recommend this book to older women or any woman who needs to ground herself while going through any kind of change in her life. Heck, anybody buying clothes, getting a haircut, wearing makeup, starting a diet, thinking about getting married or especially considering plastic surgery (ugh!) should also read this book. You'll fall off your chair laughing and might even change your mind about a few things.