Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is written by Katja Klengel, colored by Adrian vom Bauer and Klengel, lettered by AndWorld Design, and translated by Nika Knight. Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is about a variety of experiences Klengel has gone through, including topics related to sex, femininity, childbearing, and relationships.
Klengel splits Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir into seven chapters; ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘The Ghost of the Rusty Razor Blades,’ The Baby Chainsaw Massacre,’ ‘Superheroine with Red Wine,’ ‘Viva la Vulva,’ ‘Discovery of the Clitoris,’ and ‘The Toy Trap.’ Each chapter contains its own stories based on Klengel’s experiences creating a narrative that’s more episodic than linear.
Because Klengel is writing about her own life experiences, her voice in the comic comes across as very real and authentic. She writes passionately about her experiences and beliefs. And it’s clear from page one that Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is a very meaningful project for Klengel. But despite Klengel’s passion and talent for writing and art, there are too many problems within Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir that can’t be overlooked.
The first very noticeable issue with Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is that it’s very white. Throughout the entire book, the only non-white characters are the cashier at a Phó restaurant who hits on Klengel and a Native American Barbie doll that exemplifies racist stereotypes. The Barbie doll also appears as part of a lineup of men Klengel is attracted to. It’s impossible for the reader not to notice the lack of diversity. Almost all of the characters Klengel includes are as white as the paper they’re drawn on.
There’s also a lack of body diversity in Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir. It’s as if the only way women can appear in the story are as children, women around Klengel’s adult age, and a few older women. But within these categories, they all have a very similar body type. It’s unrealistic and boring. And with all of the other ways that Klengel tries to talk about how societal standards can be unfair and harmful to people that identify as women, it’s surprising she didn’t include any diversity within body types.
Klengel deserves credit for not shying away from using the correct terms like vulva and clitoris and talking openly about masturbation. However, these chapters about menstruation and sex can rub audiences the wrong way because Klengel has a very cisnormative perspective. It’s implied that everyone with a vulva identifies as female. Everyone who menstruates identifies as female. Obviously, that’s not true. And this undermines the points Klengel was making. While Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is Klengel writing about her own experiences, and Klengel identifies as female, it would not have been hard for Klengel to explain that not everyone who menstruates identifies as female, and so on.
I have very mixed feelings about Klengel and vom Bauer’s coloring throughout Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir. Coloring the entire book with just shades of red and pink makes the entire thing feel cohesive despite the stories not following a linear narrative. But this limited color palette also works against them in some places where characters and the background blend together too much. And as mentioned earlier, all of the characters are very white. There’s not much, if any, shading on their bodies.
Similar to the colors, the lettering is a mixed bag. The actual letters themselves work with the feeling of the comic. Because Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir is about Klengel’s personal experiences, the story has a very personal feel, almost like reading someone’s diary. And the lettering looks as if it was handwritten, which fits perfectly with this personal feeling. However, the placement and flow of speech bubbles is often a hindrance to the story. There’s often excessive space within the bubbles, and their size gets in the way of the artwork. It’s also difficult at times to follow which order dialogue should be read in.
Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir has many positive aspects, such as Klengel’s openness with discussing topics that can be uncomfortable. This candor, combined with Klengel’s distinct and interesting art style, makes the comic seem very appealing at first glance. Unfortunately, the lack of racial and body diversity and the cisnormative perspective on menstruation and sex ruined my experience of reading Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir.
Girlsplaining A (Sorta) Memoir will be available wherever books are sold on March 9, 2021.
