Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship is a self-help book by Sherry Argov. In the book, Argov defines a "bitch" as "an empowered woman who derives tremendous strength from the ability to be an independent thinker, particularly in a world that still teaches women to be self-abnegating. This woman doesn't live someone else's standards, only her own."
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| Author | Sherry Argov |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | October 1, 2002 |
| ISBN | 9781580627566 |
Why Men Love Bitches has been translated into 30 languages. It is followed by Argov's 2006 book, Why Men Marry Bitches. Both books are New York Times Bestsellers.[1] Why Men Love Bitches was on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller list after its initial publication in 2006,[2] on the Globe and Mail Bestseller list in Canada in 2009 and 2010,[3] and on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2014 and 2015.[4] In 2021, it was in the top 5 on The Sunday Times' bestseller list in the United Kingdom.[5]
In 2021, Newsweek and The Times reported that Why Men Love Bitches had become popular on TikTok. By February 2021, the hashtag #whymenlovebitches had been viewed on TikTok over 9.2 million times.[6][7] In 2023, Bustle reported that both Why Men Love Bitches and Why Men Marry Bitches had gone viral on TikTok and had reportedly exceeded 200 million views on the platform.[8]
Theater Play
editWhy Men Love Bitches is adapted into a live theater production in the United States and Mexico in Spanish under the title Por Que Los Hombres Aman a Las Cabronas.[9] The show is produced by Rubén Lara and stars Aracely Arámbula, Mauricio Ochmann, and Anastasia Acosta.[10]
In 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported that the theater play had been performed in Mexico for 15 years, and that it was being performed in the United States in twenty cities.[11]
Reception
editIn 2023, the India Times wrote "In the dating game, just being nice to your man doesn't make him more devoted. That, in a nutshell, is the premise of best-selling author and columnist Sherry Argov's seminal books Why Men Love Bitches and Why Men Marry Bitches."[12]
In 2023, Samantha Leach, writing for Bustle, described the book as "a no-nonsense relationship manual that encourages women to be assertive, exude confidence, and in turn, own their self-worth".[8]
In 2021, Lillie Rohan, Entertainment editor for the New Zealand Herald wrote that the nice girl "is the 'yes woman' who routinely sacrifices herself to make her boyfriend's life easier. The strong girl[...]is 'nice' in societal terms but she doesn't let men treat her like trash. She demands mutual respect, and most importantly, knows her worth." Rohan opined that "Argov's hypothesis was correct."[13]
In 2002, Publishers Weekly referred to the book as "sassy", though noted that "Argov's principles [...] range from the farfetched to the downright absurd". They concluded, "The book [...] should make waves with its controversial view of relationships".[14]
References
edit- ^ "Love and Relationships Books - Best Sellers - Books - Aug. 9, 2015 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-13.
- ^ "Paperbacks; BESTSELLERS; LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2004". Los Angeles Times. 1 February 2004. p. R.15. ProQuest 421892666.
- ^ "BESTSELLERS". The Globe and Mail. 9 May 2009. p. F.12. ProQuest 382635904.
- ^ "Love and Relationships Books - Best Sellers - Books - Nov. 2, 2014 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10.
- ^ Kelly, Liam (2021-02-07). "TikTokers send self-help book for 'bitches' into charts after 20 years". The Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Rose, Hilary (December 13, 2023). "Why Men Love Bitches: the retro relationship bible that Gen Z can't get enough of". The Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Jackson, Jon (2021-02-12). "The Author of 2002's 'Why Men Love Bi**hes' on Becoming a TikTok Star". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ a b Leach, Samantha (2023-08-08). "Why An Early 2000s Dating Bible Is Having An Unlikely Renaissance Among Gen Z". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ "Porqué los hombres aman a las cabronas - Conaculta en los Estados - Conaculta". Government of Mexico. Archived from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ García, Andrea (2021-11-11). "'Por qué los hombres aman a las cabronas' llegará a Tijuana y Mexicali". El Imparcial (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ Corpus, Lorena (2021-08-19). "Aracely Arámbula llega de gira teatral a Los Ángeles". Los Angeles Times (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Mirror, Mumbai (2023-06-15). "Why Men Love Bitches". Times of India. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ Rohan, Lillie (May 27, 2021). "The Dating Diaries Why You Need to Stop Being the Nice Girl". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship by Sherry Argov". Publishers Weekly. 2002-10-01. Archived from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
Further reading
edit- Abd El Azim, Marwa (2019). "Decoding the Undecoded: Sexist Ideology in Sherry Argov's Why Men Love Bitches?". Textual Turnings. 1 (1): 327–343. doi:10.21608/ttaip.2019.123789.
- Cameron, Jessica J.; Robinson, Kelley J.; Parker, Patti C.; Hole, Christine (November 2019). "Gendered dating messages have consequences for both intended and unintended audiences". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 36 (11–12): 3554–3574. doi:10.1177/0265407519829836. S2CID 150910143.
- Cheira, Alexandra (2014). "From The Angel in the House to The Babe in Total Control of Herself: A Critique of the Cultural Constructions of Female Power(lessness)". In Gonçalves de Abreu, Maria Zina; Fleetwood, Steve (eds.). Women Past and Present: Biographic and Multidisciplinary Studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 106–113. ISBN 978-1-4438-6114-4.