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Toxic

Women, Fame and the Noughties

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Toxic

By: Sarah Ditum
Narrated by: Sarah Ditum
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About this listen

Britney, Paris, Lindsay, Aaliyah, Janet, Amy, Kim, Chyna, Jen. Nine iconic women whose fame in the early internet years of the century came at a price. In Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties, journalist Sarah Ditum describes how each of the women changed 'celebrity' forever, despite often falling victim to it, during what we now view as one of the most hostile eras in which to be female.

Through Paris' ambivalent relationship with her blogger namesake Perez Hilton; to Britney's paternalistic governors; Jen's attempts to control her career and image; and Janet's betrayal at the Superbowl, these celebrities of The Noughties were presented with the riches of early social media and market opportunity, as long as they abided by the new rules of engagement. Some of these high-profile women were hypersexualised and 'upskirted' by the press; some were shamed by their advertising sponsors; others were contracted by shady management companies and industry figures such as Harvey Weinstein and R Kelly. Together they illuminate the culture of the early twenty-first century. Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties is a wild ride through the millennial years.

©2023 Sarah Ditum (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK Art Modern Social Sciences Women Funny

Critic reviews

Brilliant . . . made me realise how no one has pulled back and given an overall story to the last twenty years . . . It's clever because it makes me think about now (Adam Curtis, filmmaker)
A necessary and incisive feminist reckoning with the noughties. Insightful, exhilarating - and horrifying. What were we thinking? (Caroline Criado Perez, author of Invisible Women)
Living through the 00s, I never realised how casually cruel they were - how cruel we were - to famous women. Toxic is an incendiary page-turner that will make you reconsider the price of fame . . . and your opinion of Kim Kardashian. It's a Molotov cocktail hurled at the feet of celebrity culture (Helen Lewis, author of DIFFICULT WOMEN)
All stars
Most relevant
Growing up during the upskirting decade we knew all this stuff was going on, but we accepted it as the way things were. This book gives hope for a better future for women. That so much of what happened to these women is no longer acceptable is heartening.
Thank you Sarah - great book - highly recommend!

Just wow!

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a really interesting and challenging look back at the image of women during the turbulent changes of celebrity culture around the turn of the century. Well read by the author

excellent critique of 00s celebrity culture

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Incredibly well researched, and an insightful look into the treatment of women in an era that both feels very recent, yet a little incomprehensible in it's backwards attitudes. Everything is presented in a very coherent, accessible way, I thought it was brilliant.

Insightful

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As someone who lived through this period in her formative years, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Fascinating insight into a very tough time to be a woman (aren’t they all 😓)

Should be required reading

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really interesting looking at how the media treated women in the noughties, a fascinating study

Excellent Audiobook

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