Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu Review

Reader, happy International Woman’s Day (yesterday)! Because March is both women’s history month and contains International Woman’s Day, it has traditionally been the month of feminism on this blog. So, in keeping with that proud tradition, we are doing today’s book review on the superbly feminist Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu.

Moxie follows Texas high schooler Vivian, who is fed up with the rampant sexism she’s forced to deal with every day at school. So, inspired by her mother’s days as a Riot Grrl, she creates a feminist zine called Moxie. Initially just a way for Vivian to blow off steam, Moxie catches on with the female student body, and soon alliances are being formed across clique lines, and Vivian realizes that was she has started is nothing short of a revolution.

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that so perfectly captures what it feels like to be in high school and to see all of this injustice but not be able to do anything about it. I wish somebody had started something like Moxie at my high school, so it was definitely cathartic to read about Vivian doing it, and live through her revolution that way. Even more than that, this book just sort of perfectly encapuslates feminism. It’s an excellent treaty on why it’s still needed and what third (or fourth, maybe) wave feminism is, while tipping its hat to what came before. And, if all that weren’t enough, it’s full of likeable and believable characters that you just can’t help but root for.

So, all in all, it’s got feminism, likeability, and relatability which is a powerful combo, and all I’m going to tell you for the non-spoilery section, so if you haven’t read Moxie, go and do that now, because spoilers are incoming in 3, 2, 1….

Vivian

Inside, in a place no one knows about, in a place I think even I am just getting to know, the fire that reignited when I saw Lucy’s hearts and stars begins to roar. I think about Marisela’s retort this morning when Mr. Shelly came to remove her from class. I think about Sara’s crushed expression when she came to the cafeteria, humiliated. And I think about all the girls of East Rockport, living under the creepy gaze of administrators looking way too hard for something that’s not there.

I really loved Vivian as a main character. There was a bit of the “everygirl” to her characterization, but honestly, I think it worked for the type of story this is. Her gradual feminist awakening and the realization that this shy, quiet, nobody in Texas started a revolution was a powerful notion, a reminder that feminism is for everyone, and everyone needs feminism. She’s very relatable in her normalness, and again, this works, because she’s not a special snowflake or someone with some super power that makes her worth listening to, she’s just a normal high schooler whose fed up with being mistreated, and I think that’s very powerful, becuse I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of other girls like Vivian in high school right now, and being reminded that they can do something and that they are worth listening to, is a very powerful message. I also liked Vivian’s relationship with her mom and with Seth. Both revealed interesting and complicated facets of her personality, and in the case of her mom, allowed her to get into some messy emotions that didn’t necessarily make Vivian look good, but which were very authentic and understandable. In the case of Seth, it was nice that there was one non-toxic man in the story, but I also really enjoyed the scenes where he would talk with Vivian about feminism, and he would listen and respect her opinion, and just be a supportive ally. He did a few stupid things, but on the whole, he was a pretty great dude, and I liked the demonstration on how to be a good ally.

Lucy

I don’t even care if I take the blame for all of it. It’s worth it to me if it happens. I’ll write an essay about it for my college applications. If nobody does the walkout, it’s like I got suspended for nothing. It’s like Wilson wins.

As great as Vivian is, I think Lucy was probably my favourite character in this book. I loved her optimism and naiviety about how bad things were at the school, and the sweet way that she registered Moxie as an official club, doing some tangible good by raising money for the girl’s soccer team was just kind of beautiful. Her genuine and immediate enthusiasm for Moxie was sweet, and I liked as we gradually learned more about her home life, we saw how brave she actually was for being so immediately ride or die for Moxie and feminism. I thought her grace under fire when the school was basically using her as a scapegoat was inspiring, and I liked that her suspension doesn’t mean she’s sidelined from the action during the climax, and her bringing down a hellstorm of social media coverage on the school and Wilson was poetic justice at its finest.

Claudia

“Even if she did make those stickers, she doesn’t deserve to get into tons of trouble […] I think girls used them for a reason. Not just to mess with school property.”

As my eyes meet Claudia’s, I know that she’s a Moxie girl now for real. But given Principal Wilson’s warnings, being a Moxie girl can only mean danger.

Claudia was a very interesting character because she wasn’t as immediately likeable as the others. That’s not to say she was unlikeable; but her hesitancy and slight disinterest in Moxie at first made her a little hard to pin down; I was unsure if she was going to be more hero and villain. Fortunately, she was a hero, but the route she took to get there was a little upsetting. Like Vivian, she needs a push to reach her feminist awakening, but unlike Vivian, her push comes from being sexually harassed and realizing no matter how well she behaves, she’s still a target, which is just a depressing indictment of society. And I have to admit, her hesitancy was also very relatable. As much as we’d want to be someone like Lucy, wholeheartedly leading the charge without fear, I know I’m a lot more like Claudia, nervous to stand out and draw the attention of those you’re fighting against, and I bet I’m not alone in that. Just like Vivian, Claudia’s relatability made her eventual conversion to feminism very powerful, and made her a character it was very easy to root for by the end.

Emma

Queen Emma. Cheer squad Emma. Vice president of the student council let’s-all-act-like-Texan-ladies Emma. That Emma. She stands up, whips a Sharpie from her pocket, and-her china doll cheeks flushed with what I quickly perceive to be rage-she writes the word MOXIE down her left forearm. Her hand is shaking. Then she looks toward the back of the classroom. She stares at Mitchell with eyes full of fury so awesome her face reminds me of Kathleen Hanna’s voice. “Mitchell,” she says, her voice clear and cutting. “Fuck you.” And she walks out.

Although Lucy is my favourite character, Emma is probably the best character in this novel, and the one who consistently broke my heart. Although she seems at first like a stereotypical “pick-me” girl, I always suspected that this novel was more complicated than that, and I was so glad I was proved right. The way Principal Wilson kept trotting her out as his little mascot of what a “proper Texas lady” should act like was so demeaning, even before the revelation that he basically used nepotism to keep her from being student body president, and far more seriously, to prevent her from getting any justice when his son rapes her. I appreciated Mathieu’s willingness to go dark with that particular plotline, and her refusal to wrap it up with a neat little bow, because that’s the type of thing that can’t exactly be solved; it gave the ending just that little bit of bittersweetness that kept this book very rooted in reality. All that being said, though, Emma’s “coming out” as it were, as a Moxie girl, was as badass as it was powerful. It is the standout moment of the book, and probably my biggest issue with the movie is that they bungled it. Like, how did they manage to screw it up so bad? It’s so cinematic and perfect, how did they drop the ball on this?

Sexism In Texas

Please remember that when you get dressed in the morning, you’re coming to a learning environment, and we expect you to be dressed as a student, not a distraction. Ladies, I’m especially asking you to keep tabs on your outfits and remember that modesty is a virtue that never goes out of style.

Okay, let’s get into the meat of this book, and talk about the very rampant sexism at this high school, which just made my blood boil. Let’s start with the dress code, because, ohmigod, the dress code. I was having like, PTSD flashbacks to my own high school days reading those sections, and if you didn’t, than either you went to some magical utopian high school or you’re a boy. I could write an entire manifesto on the inherent sexism in high school dress codes, both in what’s on the page and in how they’re enforced, but I don’t have to, because Moxie has pretty much done it for me already. You may think Jennifer Mathieu is exaggerating, but no, that’s pretty much exactly what it’s like. The blatant favouritism of the football team was also very relatable, although it was not quite as pronounced at my school, because our football team rather infamously sucked, and never won a game in the entire time I went there. Even when the specific instances of sexism, like the bump and grab game, were not something that happened at my high school (thank goodness), they felt unfortunately very believable and realistic. This wasn’t some cartoon evil, moustache twirling Hollywood villain type of sexism that’s easy to defeat, just by proving it wrong; this was real, systematically designed and enforced sexism that happens to women every day, and that realism made it even more unpleasant and frustrating to read about.

Moxie

All day long, the stickers spread like a contagious rash, black dots spilling everywhere, more and more each class period. Girls are smart about how they do it, and the teachers are too dense to catch on. Bathroom breaks, trips to the nurse, requests for a drink at the water fountain. All provide opportunity to duck out and tag some guy’s locker when no one is looking. After each bell rings, it’s like the stickers have been breeding because there are more and more greeting us each time.

Moxie is winning.

And I started Moxie.

Okay, after that less-than-pleasant section, let’s talk about the flip side and discuss how awesome the idea of Moxie is. Much like the sexism it’s trying to combat, Moxie is very realistic as something a teenaged girl put together. The things the girls do in protest are things teenagers could actually do with limited funds and resources, which doesn’t make them less impactful, but does make them easier to swallow than some other stories that feature this type of revolution. I’m hardpressed to choose which protest is my favourite; although the walkout was the most powerful, I’m probably torn between wearing bathrobes to school (it’s the perfect form of protest because it doesn’t violate the dress code in any way, but everyone knows what you’re trying to say; it’s kind of like when feminist groups wear handmaid outfits), and the “you’re an asshole” stickers because they were so pointed and brilliant, and the sight of Wilson’s car getting tagged was just a thing of beauty.

Riot Grrls

But there was a time when she listened to this music. When she raged and roared and rioted. When she wasn’t dutiful. There was a time when she lived out loud. And no one can take that away from her.

And I couldn’t end this review without briefly talking about the Riot Grrls, because I absolutely loved that this book paid homage to them. Riot Grrls seem to be a bit overlooked in histories of feminism, which I think is a shame because I love them; I love the way they took the earlier forms of punk and gave it a political point, and I love how scary conservatives find them, and I just loved that Jennifer Mathieu used the forms of earlier feminism (specifically, the zine) and used it to make a point about contemporary feminism. It was a neat little passing the torch moment, and very few authors take the time to do things like that, and I’m so glad that she did. And also, this book introduced me to the song “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill and I’ll be forever grateful for that, because that song is incredible.

And there you have it, those are my thoughts on Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu. As you can tell from that excessive amount of gushing, I loved it and I think everyone should read it, and join the revolution (but don’t watch the movie).

That’s all I’ve got for you today, you guys should let me know in the comments your thoughts on Moxie, stay safe, wear a mask, get vaccinated, and I’ll see you on Saturday.

Until the next time.