When I first picked up an advance copy of Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch's World, my immediate reaction was, "I don't think so." It seemed to me that the bitches succeed, and the nice girls get run over by the bitch's train. Now Megan Munroe wants me to believe that all the nice girls in my life can go toe-toe with the bitch and win? This is something I have to read.
"Bitch" and "Nice Girl" are of course stereotypes, and therefore everyone has a general idea of who they are. The conflict between the two has been documented in literature since the time of Shakespeare or before, and we in the audience are praying that the Nice Girl ends up kicking the Bitch's ass. On stage and in film that frequently happens, and we experience a "happy ending." On the other hand, in our own lives, whether it be in a business, family, social, political, or religious setting, we frequently see the opposite happen. The Bitch eats the Nice Girl's lunch.
Megan Munroe is convinced that in real life the Nice Girl can ultimately prevail, and she advises the Nice Girls how to do it. Obviously Nice Girls need to read this book, but it's not beyond the realm of belief that Bitches should also read this book, if for no other reason than to see how transparently ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world.
As Munroe points out there has been a strain of bitchiness in the entertainment industry for years. She specifically points out Barbara Streisand, Bette Middler, and Madonna. They felt the need to be bitchy in order to succeed and be famous. Madonna, in fact, is a self-proclaimed bitch. "I am tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."
Perhaps the real arena of the modern Bitch is politics. Since Newt Gingrich made political incivility popular, some of the women entering politics since have felt compelled to demonstrate their toughness by exhibiting a high level of "bitchiness." Whether they hold political office like Michele Bachmann, are political wannabes like Sarah Palin, or are media commentators like Ann Coulter, they have adapted the role of in-your-face bitchiness. On the other hand, there are Nice Girls succeeding in American politics as is evidenced by Gabrielle Giffords and other female politicians like her. I suggest that Gabby has already mastered the role of a Nice Girl.
It appears the Bitches in politics, just like Streisannd, Middler, and Madonna, are interested in wealth, and fame, and the Nice Girls like Gabby Giffords are more interested in serving the general welfare of their country as specified in the Constitution of the United States.
However, Megan Munroe's main concern is the more basic feminine conflict of two types, and strategies for the Nice Girl as she stands up to the Bitch. In my opinion, the author pulls this off and does so in a quite entertaining and readable fashion.
Bitch, Please! , a Turner Publication, will be available in all venues in March, 2011.
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