Episode 140: Shu Matsuo Post on his memoir, “I Took Her Name: Lessons From My Journey Into Vulnerability, Authenticity, and Feminism”

On this episode of en(gender)ed our guest is Shu Matsuo Post, feminist advocate and author of his memoir, “I Took Her Name: Lessons From My Journey Into Vulnerability, Authenticity, and Feminism,” which chronicles his journey as a Japanese man who took white American wife’s surname when they got married.  Our conversation explores how this experience informed Shu’s journey to becomes a feminist, the perspective his dual identity played in both revealing and shaping his views on gender and women in society, and how and why others, especially men, can benefit from and embrace feminism as a path towards authentic liberation from gender norms and gender equality.

During our conversation, Shu and I referenced the following resources:

  • His journey from not understanding “feminism” to embracing his new identity as a “feminist”
  • The “Baader-Meinhof” phenomenon
  • Shiori Ito’s rape case and how it contributed to ushering a #MeToo moment in Japan
  • How patriarchy is built into the Japanese language

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