In Seriously! Cynthia Enloe, author of the groundbreaking analysis of globalization, Bananas, Beaches, and Bases, uses four contemporary political cases in order to discover what we learn if we take women and masculinities seriously. Who is taken seriously and who gets to bestow the label "serious" on others are each deeply gendered - and contested. Seriously! investigates the D.S.K. affair and the banking crash of 2008, the subsequent recession, as well as UN peacekeeping and the ongoing Egyptian revolution, with a strategy of taking both women and gender dynamics seriously. Each case study highlights the gritty experiences of diverse women - in banks, on the job market, in war zones, and in revolutions. The results of taking women seriously are fresh insights into what fuels the cultures of hyper-risk taking, of sexual harassment, and the denial of women's post-war security.