She argues that while there are certainly horrific and big deal changes in the world of Gilead, it is the demonstrations of everyday sexism throughout the show (and book) that are the most identifiable and scary. The show (and book) hold a mirror up to society and show us at our worst, and then of course how that worst can actually be worse. She writes:
And that’s what makes the series – and sexism – so scary. It’s not just that we live in a country where politicians call pregnant women ‘hosts’ and the vice-president refuses to dine alone with women. It isn’t just that we can’t trust the government to treat us as full human beings – it’s that oftentimes we don’t know if we can trust the men in our lives, either.
Because as much as The Handmaid’s Tale is about what happens when some men’s disdain for women boils over, it’s also about the danger of “good” men’s apathy and attachment to the privileges sexism affords them. Both are horrors women know well.
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