I put off reading The Feminine Mystique for a long time, and until pretty recently I just assumed I would never get around to it. Every time I've tried to read a non-fiction work of particular cultural importance from the past, I've been bored and disappointed. It's hard to read something like this, which in the immediate aftermath of its publication was put up on a such a pedestal, but which today seems flawed in so many ways. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, even with a heaping portion of skepticism.
The Feminine Mystique has been accused of focusing entirely on the problems of white upper middle-class women, and that is a fair critique. There are certainly so many women who would be disgusted by the anecdotal complaints about housewives who feel empty inside despite their lack of any economic struggle whatsoever. Even so, the book still served as an impetus for the mid-century Feminist movement, even if a diverse readership has to make the extra effort of trying find a common ground with these housewives. Additionally, the LGBTQ movement is entirely ignored, even thought it feels like it's always just under the surface. Maybe that's me bringing my own experience into the mix, as someone who grew up during a period of tremendous change in the political perceptions of the LGBTQ community, but it seems like a relevant text for them as well.
The entire time I read it, I couldn't stop thinking about the women of 'Mad Men,' particularly Betty Draper, who is the very embodiment of The Feminine Mystique. That characters really brings to life the women in the book. There are certainly cringe-worthy moments in the text that seem utterly out of touch and irrelevant to feminism today, but being a 'Mad Men' viewer really helps to ground some of it.
I don't know that I would necessarily recommend The Feminine Mystique. I read it largely out of a sense of obligation and although I enjoyed it more than I expected, I also completely understand why other folks would be offended by it. Today, there is better writing about feminism out there that is probably more worth your time. Also, just an aside for those who do decide to read it-- do yourself the favor of skipping the chapter on Freud. She uses the word "scientific" so many times it is laughable until it becomes really irritating. Perceptions of Freud's contributions to the world of psychology have changed dramatically since the book was published, and the good of that chapter isn't worth putting up with the bad.