Review by Vrij Links: 'This is not a sour, polarised, or ideological pamphlet'

by Editorial Staff November 30, 2024

With the dark days approaching, Vrij Links shines a light on three recent book publications. Important core values ​​take center stage in all three books: the freedom of the individual to think, be, act, or believe. Today, our second reading recommendation: Gender Rebels.

Gender Rebels: courage, freedom and self-determination for young women

Gender Rebels is a book about girls and young women and the multifaceted contemporary challenges they face. From the effect of social media on victim mentality and stereotypical role patterns, from the 'tomboy' who has given way to a culture in which gender transition is normalised, to oppression within orthodox religious families.

Every freedom-restricting aspect of the present time that weighs heavily on this generation of girls is addressed. For instance, the denial of biological reality, online images and religious fundamentalism particularly affect the rights of girls and women.

Despite the challenging subjects, the book's approach is extremely positive. Heavy themes are interspersed with stories about courage, freedom, and self-determination. It matters that the girls speak for themselves and are not merely talked about; the subject matter becomes palpable and concrete. But the experts and professionals—well-known women in the debate with knowledge and expertise—also make this book worthwhile. Biographer Jolande Withuis argues for the importance of recognizing the difference between sex and gender; psychologist Liesbeth Woertman describes the consequences of the flood of manipulated (female) images that young girls are confronted with; and Ayaan Hirsi Ali highlights the increasing sexual violence against women in Europe by male migrants from Islamic cultures.

The contribution by our own Vrij Links chair Femke Lakerveld regarding the disappearance of progressive values ​​on the political left also aligns with the series of important questions raised in this book. Namely, whether and how the Netherlands has failed to provide support to girls trapped by dogma or ideology. "The political left turns a blind eye to abuses such as forced marriage, marital captivity, and female genital mutilation," says Lakerveld. "It surprises me that the progressive Netherlands does not kick against religious dogmas as hard as it did in the 70s and 80s. It concerns the rights of thousands of young women. With the relativistic 'it is their culture,' you are throwing half the world's population under the bus."

This 368-page polyphonic book poses an important question: how do we safeguard the freedoms for girls and women to have free control over their bodies, love lives, and life paths? For these turn out not to be so self-evident. We should therefore take the somewhat misleading title literally.

The book's editor, Sybilla Claus, makes room for gender-critical voices, but she has also managed to steer clear of a bitter, polarised political or ideological pamphlet. Her love and care for today's young girls is clearly greater than that and shines through the anthology. The message that remains is: you are okay just the way you are, no matter what you look like, who you love, or what you want to do; be free!