Sophie Lewis's 'Femmephilia' Reclaims Femininity as Feminist

Independent scholar Sophie Lewis's new book 'Femmephilia: Love Letters to Trans Mermaids, Queer Mothers, and Marilyn Monroe' (2026, Haymarket Books) challenges feminist critiques that dismiss femininity as frivolous. Lewis argues that early feminist rejection of 'girly things' was a 'giant error' in Western women's liberation history. The book celebrates 'femme' impulses in visual art, literature, and pop culture, positioning feminine aesthetics as 'liberatory' rather than patriarchal. Lewis, known for critiques of the nuclear family and trans-exclusionary feminism, applies her visual sensibility to works like Adham Faramawy's video 'Skin Flick' (2019), which reimagines the myth of Daphne. She reframes Daphne not as a helpless victim but as a figure in a consensual, erotic encounter, arguing the artwork neither shames Apollo nor kink-shames desire. Lewis also offers a lusty reading of Michelangelo's lost 'Leda and the Swan' (1530), suggesting the painting depicts a consensual power dynamic between Leda and Zeus, contrary to typical rape narratives. Throughout, Lewis embraces beauty with a lowercase 'b' as 'sniffable, palpable, and unlearnable,' merging sensorial art with body horror, porn, poetry, and myth. The book aims to redress feminist strains that frame adornment as inherently frivolous, exalting the act of looking as integral to feminist projects.