Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

Trick Mirror combines first-person narrative with social analysis and commentary. What space does this leave for the reader? Cite text from multiple essays in your response.

Tolentino references the presidency of Donald Trump several times in Trick Mirror. To what extent does she believe the post-2016 political environment affected women's conceptions of themselves? Cite text from multiple essays in your response.

Compare and contrast popular feminism and second-wave feminism, as Tolentino presents each movement within Trick Mirror. What alternatives to these movements does Tolentino offer?

Second-wave feminism popularized the slogan "The personal is political." Based on the essays in Trick Mirror, how do you think Tolentino would respond to this statement? Cite text from multiple essays in your response.

Using a minimum of two essays from Trick Mirror, label and explain institutions that Tolentino analyzes. To what extent does she see these institutions as culpable, and to what extent does she see them as reflecting greater social structures?

How does the motif of the title's "trick mirror" appear in each essay? Explain how Tolentino uses this motif to elaborate upon larger themes.

Why did Tolentino choose to end the collection with "I Thee Dread"? Relate the themes of the essay to a minimum of two other essays from the book, explaining how "I Thee Dread" informs your understanding of larger themes in the collection as a whole.

Tolentino analyzes social media platforms at length. Why does she include this analysis? Use examples of at least three different social media platforms in your response, comparing and contrasting their textual purposes.