Mrs. Everything

Jennifer Weiner is a longtime advocate for female authors. She’s known as an “outspoken critic of a literary establishment that fails to engage with books written by, for, and about women” (Hess, Amanda. “Jennifer Weiner Critiques Sexism in Publishing, Promotes Self.” Slate, 6 Jan. 2014). Though Weiner writes women’s fiction, or “chick-lit” (a term that tends to be insulting, implying the genre is lesser), she wants her work—and all women’s writing—to be taken seriously. She also wants men to feel at home reading her stories because the themes affect everyone, especially in a historical, poignant story such as Mrs. Everything, which is about equal rights and women’s rights: “I think that for a lot of men it’s like, ‘Oh, [women’s fiction is] all romance,’ or, ‘It’s all fluff,’ or, ‘It's not for me.’ I think that's really unfortunate. I think men are missing great stories” (Williams, Mary Elizabeth. “Jennifer Weiner Was Right About Sexism, Media and Women Writers: ‘We Were Told We Were Lying.’” Salon, 17 June 2019). She set out to write about big issues, such as abortion, queerness, gender roles, and racism, when she started Mrs. Everything. Weiner believes she succeeded in writing a book with deep meaning, not one that should be devalued with the typical sexist marketing that the story is only for women; she even regrets that there isn’t a man, like Harold, on the cover (Williams). The book allows all people to have important conversations about the real issues the characters go through, such as sexual orientation, interracial relationships, racism, double standards, and the #MeToo movement. Weiner wanted to bring these issues to the forefront for discussion.

In interviews, Weiner also addresses statistics that reflect sexism in publishing: “Hey, Paris Review, you published 75% of your short stories by men last year. What’s up with that?” (Williams). Weiner believes the industry, like society, is changing how it values women’s talent and women’s issues: “I've seen real progress. For me personally, to see this book called ambitious and to see people call it a great American novel and to see people say, ‘This book has something to say and it speaks to readers,’ that’s just tremendously gratifying and rewarding” (Williams). She knows the publishing industry—and businesses and society at large—still has a way to go to achieve equity in publishing, but with work like Mrs. Everything, she hopes to lead the charge for positive change.