The Controversial Debut of “The Feminist”
There was something unmistakably tense about the way Tony Tulathimutte, a rising star among young American writers, introduced his short story “The Feminist” in the fall of 2019. On Twitter, he made a preemptive clarification: “To be clear in advance,” he wrote, “feminism is good, this character is not good.” In an era where the faintest whiff of dissent can trigger a social media frenzy, Tulathimutte’s caution resembled that of an 18th-century novelist urging readers to understand his narrative choices. It was as if he sought to distance himself from his creation, worried that readers might misinterpret the intentions behind his portrayal. However, as he would soon discover, this attempt at self-preservation did little to shield him from the ensuing backlash.
“The Feminist,” to its credit, is more than just a mere whisper of controversy; it is a tempest of views that could easily be deemed cancelable. The story, published in the esteemed literary magazine n+1, features an unnamed protagonist — a self-proclaimed white male ally who grapples with the frequent rejections from women. Described as short, slight, and narrow-shouldered, he struggles to navigate the treacherous waters of the dating scene, often finding himself unfortunately “friend-zoned.” A deeper layer to his predicament might be an undiagnosed neurodivergence, as he describes the “subtextual cues” that govern flirting as indecipherable as “ultraviolet radiation.” Despite immersing himself in feminist literature — from Sanger to Friedan, Dworkin to Butler — he remains perpetually unsuccessful in his romantic pursuits.
As time passes and the rejections mount, his once-ardent feminism begins to warp into a toxic resentment. He discovers an online community called “Narrow Shoulders/Open Minds,” where men who share similar grievances gather to commiserate. In a bold and articulate manifesto, he asserts that women “have failed feminism.” While he clarifies that “no woman in particular is to blame,” he argues that, generally speaking, a preponderance of women perpetuate the very double standards feminism aimed to dismantle. He claims they indulge a narcissistic victim complex, preferring aggressive male partners while expecting men of virtue — men like him — to shoulder the emotional burdens.
In a chilling turn of events, he dons a mask, enters a busy restaurant, and commits an act of cold-blooded violence against the patrons. Tulathimutte, who identifies as Thai American, harbored concerns that readers might conflate him with his deeply flawed character, and for good reason. In various interviews, he acknowledged that the only Thai American character in his acclaimed debut novel, “Private Citizens” (2016), a tech worker with an insatiable appetite for online adult content, was a reflection of himself. Furthermore, his humorously candid Twitter feed is filled with tongue-in-cheek remarks about sexual deprivation, including a notable quip: “The hardest part of writing a novel is describing things you’ve never done before, like sex.”
Upon its release, “The Feminist” ignited an online firestorm, becoming a focal point for impassioned discussion and ultimately the most-read piece of fiction in the two-decade history of n+1. The story garnered a mix of accolades and severe criticism. Despite his attempts to clarify his stance with that early tweet, there was a significant failure among many readers to differentiate between the author and his protagonist. Some feminists condemned the piece as an outright expression of misogyny, while anti-feminists misread it in a similar light — albeit as a victory. For weeks, Tulathimutte faced an avalanche of emails and direct messages. Strangers began to approach him in public spaces, asking if he was the Tony responsible for that story.
