Lindy West’s much-discussed memoir “Adult Braces” evokes a sort of gothic unease, writes Times Opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg. She continues:
>West had been a brassy star of aughts-era internet feminism and an icon of fat positivity; her previous memoir, “Shrill,” was adapted into a TV series. But behind that facade, her new book reveals, she was in extraordinary pain, with warped relationships to both her body and her husband. And though she now claims to have found peace and empowerment after acceding to her husband’s demand for a polyamorous marriage, she’s not entirely convincing.
>Not surprisingly, some are reading “Adult Braces” as an indictment of West’s leftist beliefs. An Atlantic essay about the book was headlined, “The Death of Millennial Feminism.” The Wall Street Journal declared, “Progressivism Destroys Its Most Loyal Servants.” But I interpreted West’s book as a cautionary tale about female self-abnegation. That tendency is often celebrated on the right but has always existed on the left as well. Almost every ideology, it turns out, can be wielded to make women feel that they’re failing.
It’s more common than all parties in the unit being delighted, unless they all came together already decidedly poly. Her experience is not the exception, it’s the norm (and it’s not just a milenial thing. Lord, I get so infuriated when journalists can;t freaking bother to look into whether they invented the great discovery so old it stopped being written about before they were born. And I’m referring to the reporter and the editor here, not West)
lennybriscoforthewin on
I listened to the podcast Good Noticings about this today and it was interesting and informative. I am a long time fan of Lindy, and she associates so many of her issues with her weight, but the podcast pointed out she’s afraid of disappointing her followers if she loses weight. This is so sad to me, people change and their fans have to let them evolve.
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Lindy West’s much-discussed memoir “Adult Braces” evokes a sort of gothic unease, writes Times Opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg. She continues:
>West had been a brassy star of aughts-era internet feminism and an icon of fat positivity; her previous memoir, “Shrill,” was adapted into a TV series. But behind that facade, her new book reveals, she was in extraordinary pain, with warped relationships to both her body and her husband. And though she now claims to have found peace and empowerment after acceding to her husband’s demand for a polyamorous marriage, she’s not entirely convincing.
>Not surprisingly, some are reading “Adult Braces” as an indictment of West’s leftist beliefs. An Atlantic essay about the book was headlined, “The Death of Millennial Feminism.” The Wall Street Journal declared, “Progressivism Destroys Its Most Loyal Servants.” But I interpreted West’s book as a cautionary tale about female self-abnegation. That tendency is often celebrated on the right but has always existed on the left as well. Almost every ideology, it turns out, can be wielded to make women feel that they’re failing.
Read the full piece [here, for free](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/opinion/feminism-polyamory-lindy-west.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.CdOi.vpvPK_EwkMgb&smid=re-nytopinion), even without a Times subscription.
Is the subtext that this exceptional?
It’s more common than all parties in the unit being delighted, unless they all came together already decidedly poly. Her experience is not the exception, it’s the norm (and it’s not just a milenial thing. Lord, I get so infuriated when journalists can;t freaking bother to look into whether they invented the great discovery so old it stopped being written about before they were born. And I’m referring to the reporter and the editor here, not West)
I listened to the podcast Good Noticings about this today and it was interesting and informative. I am a long time fan of Lindy, and she associates so many of her issues with her weight, but the podcast pointed out she’s afraid of disappointing her followers if she loses weight. This is so sad to me, people change and their fans have to let them evolve.