From Sexism to Feminism: Arguments of Definition in A Return to Modesty and Girls Gone Mild

Abstract

In 1999, A Return to Modesty was published, wherein Wendy Shalit argued for sexism. Shalit's book received a fair amount of support and attention, yet also elicited some reviews which were extremely opposed to Shalit's argument for sexism. Shalit's second book, Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It's Not Bad to Be Good, was released in 2007 and is a startling departure from A Return to Modesty. Shalit made a tactical decision in Girls Gone Mild to appropriate a former enemy, feminism. A rhetorical analysis of these two works reveals that Shalit employs arguments of definition when arguing for sexism and feminism--first, she argues for real definitions within A Return to Modesty. Within Girls Gone Mild, Shalit modifies this strategy into what I call "founders' intent."