''Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny'' is a book by

Kate Manne Kate Alice Manne (born 1983) is an Australian philosopher, associate professor of philosophy at Cornell University, and author. Her work is primarily in feminist philosophy, moral philosophy, and social philosophy. Biography Early life Born in ...

, treating

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...

in the tradition of analytic

feminist philosophy Feminist philosophy is an approach to philosophy from a feminist perspective and also the employment of philosophical methods to feminist topics and questions. Feminist philosophy involves both reinterpreting philosophical texts and methods in ...

.Manne, Kat
"Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny"
Published 8 November 2017 by Oxford University Press, , Retrieved on 12 November 2018. The book won the

Association of American Publishers The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the national trade association of the American book publishing industry. AAP lobbies for book, journal and education publishers in the United States. AAP members include most of the major commercial ...

2019 PROSE Award in Philosophy (as one category in the Humanities), as well as the overall 2019 PROSE Award for Excellence in Humanities.

Summary

Manne proposes that

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

, and misogyny are distinct: sexism is an ideology justifying patriarchy, while misogyny enforces patriarchy by punishing women who deviate from patriarchy. Manne believes dehumanization of women is not necessary for misogynist violence.

Himpathy

In ''Down Girl'', Manne introduces the term ''himpathy'', "the excessive sympathy shown toward male perpetrators of sexual violence," and develops the concept in the context of her analysis of the ''

People v. Turner ''People v. Turner'', formally ''The People of the State of California v. Brock Allen Turner'' (2015), was a criminal case in which Brock Allen Turner was convicted by jury trial of three counts of felony sexual assault. On January 18, 2015, o ...

'' sexual assault trial. The term received media exposure in Manne's ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' op-ed, "

Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh (; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since Oct ...

and America's 'Himpathy' Reckoning", and in titles and headlines in '' Vox'', ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'',

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, ''

The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is an American newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals, including staff members and administrators. A subscription ...

'', and ''

The Christian Post ''The Christian Post'' is an American non-denominational, conservative, evangelical Christian online newspaper. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded in March 2004. News topics include the Church, ministries, missions, education, Christi ...

''. In the book's preface, Manne credits her husband with coining the term.

Reception

British philosopher

Nigel Warburton Nigel Warburton (; born 1962) is a British philosopher. He is best known as a populariser of philosophy, having written a number of books in the genre, but he has also written academic works in aesthetics and applied ethics. Education Warburton ...

chose the book as the best philosophy book in 2018. The

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

awarded its biennial Book Prize to ''Down Girl'' in 2019. In the prize announcement, the Association wrote: "Manne has succeeded in measurably improving the quality of public discourse on very timely and vexed issues by writing a book that is both accessible and rigorous." Author Sophie Gilbert of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' prefaced an article discussing sexism under the

presidency of Donald Trump Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

by referencing the book's distinction between sexism and misogyny.Gilbert, Sophie. "Women Will Be Targets", Published January/February 2024 by

: 29–30.

References

{{reflist Oxford University Press books Feminist theory 2017 non-fiction books Feminist books Books about misogyny