“[Girl Logic] is a characteristically female way of thinking that appears to be contradictory to circuitous but is actually a complicated and highly evolved way of considering every choice and its repercussions before we make a move toward what we want.”
Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger‘s “Girl Logic” and her Netflix special “Confirmed Kills” should be required for anyone working with a young clergy woman. Don’t just read the script for Confirmed Kills, listen to her voice, the book is better (so is the script) if you can read it in her voice.
Iliza is funny and thoughtful and has produced a book that describes what it’s like to be a woman in ministry, I mean comedy. Really it’s a great look into the way people (especially young women) think, our fears, insecurities, and confidence (but not too confident, but be confident). Iliza is writing about what is the beginning or middle of her career. This is not a memoir of someone looking back nostalgically but someone who is trying to give an honest account of how Girl Logic can hurt or help.
I love to watch female comics. In so many ways they face the same challenges female preachers do! It is wonderful that comedians are able to take those challenges to the stage in a way that is both funny and thought provoking.
This is the part where I thought I would share specific examples but to be honest, I read the book without thinking about writing the blog… I simply enjoyed it. Hope you do too!
For a little more about how clergy women experience ministry in a way that is different from men, check out Armor: Clergy Fashion. The blog article is one story (and I picked a safe one where I felt good about how I reacted… there are more that I could tell that aren’t) but at the end I’ve linked videos that tell the story of many clergy women. These videos circulate occasionally in young clergy women groups and we all comment on how relatable the videos are and sometimes the number of statements in the video that we have heard already… it’s sad that it happens to so many women, but there is something to be said about not feeling alone.
Period Pastor Pad 