Taboo by Hannah Ferguson is a collection of ruminations on topics most women wish they had the guts to talk about, myself in particular. Ferguson tackles topics big and small, candidly flitting from masturbation to friendship without skipping a beat. “Words are a powerful stimulus,” she writes. “They can increase our tolerance for discomfort or create a nuclear explosion at a house party.”
Ferguson begins her manifesto with an intimate introduction of herself, detailing her first experience with self-pleasure. While this may sound intense, it only aims to position her as a completely normal woman wrapped in shame and uncertainty around her body and sense of self. While this experience is not unique to her, the fear of speaking personal yet normal experiences aloud are all too common. Ferguson explains, “by sharing them, I rid them of their power to isolate me.”
This is how taboo was born, a segue into conversations everyone wants to have but feels they can’t because of patriarchal oppression and obsession with feminine correctness.
Don’t let those heavy words scare you though. Ferguson’s tone is matter of fact as she articulates the thoughts racing through every modern woman’s mind. Each topic is a whip smart analysis of contemporary life, tackled with intelligence and humour. The end of each chapter contains an ode to its topic, which are equal parts pragmatic and heart-felt.
Taboo discusses everything from body image, eternal youth and women’s pleasure before debunking the sad, single woman trope (hint: single, childless women are among the happiest in the world). Taboo urges women to shed the shame of wanting to have it all, encouraging recognition of unpaid labour as genuine work, which should be financially remunerated. Taboo wants you to break the silence on women’s storytelling, to stop reducing it to gossip. Instead, we must view female conversations as a vital source of protection and connection.
Taboo’s philosophy is simple: we must talk about shit that is important to women. Your opinion doesn’t have to be right or wrong, it can simply be heard.
Ferguson deftly crafts sentences using both statistical evidence and pop culture references, ranging from global economic reports to Dolly Alderton. Taboo reads less like a parliamentary statement and more like a conversation with your older, wiser and much more socially aware sister.
Instead of swiping on a dating app this weekend, pick up a copy of Taboo and choose yourself. Reinstate the power of your individuality, speak a little louder in the next conversation and surround yourself with friends, “who challenge the status quo and encourage you to do the same.“
Rating: 5/5
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