Margaret Leroy

This book explores why, in these post-feminist days, otherwise confident and assertive women spend hours waiting for the phone to ring when they meet a man they like. It reveals the effects this passivity in courtship and relationships has on women's sense of themselves, their self-image, concern with appearance, and their disgruntlement with men. Women's lack of sexual assertiveness, particularly early in relationships, is one of the few areas to remain relatively untouched by feminist ideology.
Leroy shows that this passivity has an overwhelming effect on women's confidence which in turn has a bearing on their behaviour in all aspects of their lives. Looking at female fantasy, date rape, masochism, male responses and the media, and drawing on literature, interviews and research, she exposes hypocrisies, blows the lid on the women's magazine industry, and finally suggests ways in which women can take control of their courtship rituals, becoming more at ease and assertive not just in this, but in all areas of their lives. 'Don't go clubbing without it' - Independent